Two Burnley Mashers

THE TWO BURNLEY MASHERS
[From hand-written sheet music with additions from typed lyrics, both from the file held at Burnley Library (1958). This variant was also being sung in 1927 ]

They call us the two Burnley Mashers 
That's because we go out on the mash 
We both wear tall hats, we've no shirts to our backs 
And it's seldom we've got any cash 
We oft times bring out the new fashions 
While others they stick to their old 
And though we are just twenty seven 
We're handsome, stout hearted and bold. 

And we sing tra-la-la as we walk down the street 
For style and perfection we ne'er can be beat 
All the ladies declare that we are a treat 
We're the two Burnley mashers from St. James's Street.
And we dance [3 steps together], and we sing [3 steps together]
And we don't give a jot we're a jolly fine lot
We're alright when we're tight 
And we're jolly fine company.

Last Saturday we were invited
To a party with two ladies fair
Their cheeks were in bloom like the roses in June 
And we mash[ed] both the beautiful pair
There were singing and dancing till midnight 
We had whiskey, tobacco and rum
And after the dancing was over
With the ladies we had all the fun

THE BROTHERS MALONE
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=36635

We are the Brothers Malone, We come from the town of Athlone,
We are two dandys, we are two swells,
And to the Ladies we show our Shillelaghs,
We're the Brothers Malone from Athlone,
You can tell by our fronts, We're a right shower of Ah-Ha-Ha.
We are the Brothers Malone.

And we'll sing (And we'll sing) And we'll dance (And we'll dance)
And we're jolly fine company.
Jesus Christ we're alright when we're tight - HEY.
We are the Brothers Malone.

We are the Brothers Malone, We come from the town of Athlone,
We are two dandys, we are two swells,
And to the Ladies we show our Shillelaghs,
We're the Brothers Malone from Athlone,
You can tell by our frolics, We're a right shower of Ah-Ha-Ha.
We are the Brothers Malone.

And we'll sing (And we'll sing) And we'll dance (And we'll dance)
And we're jolly fine company.
Jesus Christ we're alright when we're tight - HEY.
We are the Brothers Malone.

We are the Brothers Malone, We come from the town of Athlone,
We are two dandys, we are two swells,
And to the Ladies we show our Shillelaghs,
We're the Brothers Malone from Athlone,
You can tell by our tricks, We're a right shower of Ah-Ha-Ha.
We are the Brothers Malone.

The information on this page is incomplete – the investigation is ongoing!

A song particularly associated with Lancashire, that probably originated in the Halls either from a song called The Brothers Malone first performed in 1894, or from one of several songs from the 1880s and 90s all titled The Two Mashers or something similar. In either case its likely that the song was originally performed with an associated clog dance.

AL Lloyd and The Oldham Tinkers in the sleeve notes for their Topic LP Best O T Bunch (1974) say of their song The Rochdale Mashers:

At the end of the nineteenth century, a successful music-hall song concerned two young provincial bucks, ‘The Brothers Malone’. Since then, the song has passed into traditional currency, with the scene of the brothers’ raffish exploits variously altered to Belfast, Bristol, Bury, Ashton, and here finally, Rochdale

AL Lloyd and The Oldham Tinkers, 1974

Roy Palmer includes The Quarry Bank Mashers in his Everyman’s Book of British Ballads – he collected it from the singing of Mr and Mrs Hadley of Quarry Bank (Staffordshire) in 1971. He suggests:

The words “masher” (flirtatious dandy) and “on the mash” (courting) date this song to last years of the 19th century. It was made popular on the halls by The Brothers Malone, and has since turned up in traditional style with various localities inserted: Ashton, Belfast, Bristol, Bury and Rochdale have all figured as well as Quarry Bank (Staffordshire)

Roy Palmer (1980)

Talking to friends who have been around the North West folk scene longer than I have, there appear to be two common explanations of the link between The “Place-name” Mashers and The Brothers Malone. One is that they started out as the same song but evolved into two different versions, the other that they are two different songs which have been combined together at some point.

My research so far has failed to distinguish between these two possibilities or indeed to generate other convincing theories. Readers who are satisfied with this much information can stop here but for anyone who’s interested in the detail of my research – read on, there’s a lot of it!

Possible origins of The Brothers Malone

Evidence from late 19th century publications like The Era confirm that an act calling themselves The Brothers Malone were performing in the Halls as as “comic duettists and dancers” in the 1890s and before. However, I can find no evidence that they were performing a song called “The Brothers Malone”

Instead there is some evidence that a song called The Brothers Malone was written by a performer and songwriter called Frank Bolton.

Between May 1893 and December 1995 the Music Hall and Theatre Review  published a “Register of New Songs”, which included the title, author, composer, performer and when / where new songs were first performed. The journalists from the publication collected some of the information themselves, particularly when songs were performed in London, but performers also contributed. The legislation relating to copyright and performing rights at that time led many to believe that this information would establish ownership of a particular song. It was intended that the Register would “appear monthly, and include all important productions during the previous four weeks at recognised Music Halls in London and the Provinces”. On October 5th, 1894, the Register included the song The Brothers Malone, with words and music by Frank Bolton, sung at The Marylebone by The Brothers Bolton:

18 months later Bolton took out an advert warning others that “Brothers Malone” was his song:

A number of reports of amateur and semi-professional performances of a song called The Brothers Malone appear in the 1890s and 1900s, the earliest of which was in March 1893 at an entertainment at the Royal Navy Barracks, Sheerness (Sheerness Times Guardian – 18 Mar 1893). I can find no reports of a song that title being sung before this date. The fact that these amateur performances of the song started around the same time as Frank Bolton’s song was first performed, reinforce the argument that this might be the origin of The Brothers Malone song.

The Brothers Malone continues to be sung well into the 21st-century often as a bawdy Irish song sung by Rugby and Gaelic Football fans [more detail to follow]…

Possible origins of The Two Mashers

Searches in late 19th century publications reveal that “masher” was an extremely common term used to refer to a troubling youth cult whose members dressed in dandy clothes, often with top hats and canes. There are records of “two mashers” appearing in various pantomimes and plays, but no clear evidence that a song of a similar title was sung in theatrical performances. In the late 1880s there are also indications that a recitation called “The Two Mashers” was being performed.

My searches have been focused on looking for a song called something like “The Two Mashers” or “The Two [place name] Mashers”. The earliest clear evidence of a song along these lines comes in 1884:

Curley and Cray billed themselves as “The Irish Mashers” and performed a song and dance called The Two Mashers. Joe Curley was a dancer and variety performer who appears in the listings of The Era in 1883-85 and then disappears. He was billed as “an Irish comedian of remarkable ability” when he appeared at the Victoria, Bolton and as a “variety artist, one of the neatest we have seen for some time” when he appeared at Crewe. Cray is harder to trace. This song – combining elements of song an dance, is one possible point of origin of The “place-name” Mashers, though we only have the title to go on ..

In 1889 and 90, there were several reports that Messrs Leon and Ryan, two members of the touring troupe, Sam Hague’s Minstrels, also performed an Irish song and dance called The Two Mashers. (Western Morning News, 15 Apr 1890, Gloucestershire Echo, 29 Apr 1890, Rochdale Times, 26 Oct 1889). This could be another possible point of origin of The “place-name” Mashers or the same song sung by Curley and Cray. I am looking for further details about this song..

The the earliest report I can find of an amateur performance of a song called The Two Mashers comes in a Huddersfield newspaper a few years after Leon and Ryan were performing it. In February 1894, G Mosley and A Mitchell sang We Are Two Mashers at the annual tea and entertainment of the Deighton Juvenile Lodge of Odd Fellows (Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 01 Feb 1894). There are then a number of further reports of amateur performances until the beginning of the 14- 19 war.

Possible origins of The “Place-name” Mashers.

The evidence strongly suggest The “Place-name” Mashers variants started in Burnley. The use of the term “masher” appears to be common throughout the United Kingdom, but reports of “Burnley Mashers” pre-date reports of the song by some decades. As far back as the 1886 local newspapers used the term “Burnley Mashers” to refer to “flashy” young men from the town (see Burnley Express 04 Dec 1886, 27 April 1889 and 10 May 1890.) At some point early in the 20th century (or possibly in the 1890s) locals started using the term “Burnley Mashers” to refer to both supporters of Burnley FC and members of the local East Lancashire Regiment.

I have found only one piece of direct evidence of the East Lancs Regiment singing the masher song before World War 2. It comes in Lyn MacDonald’s book They called it Passchendaele, in which she quotes Lieutenant Paddy King of the Regiment recalling B Company singing:

the strains of the long-familiar and boringly repetitious Burnley Mashers with which B Company was apt to regale reluctant listeners on every possible occasion :

We are the Burnley Mashers
When we go out at neet,
The lasses all admire us
And think we look a treat

Lyn MacDonald (1978) They called it Passchendaele, p197

This snatch of the lyrics has a lot in common with The Burnley Mashers as it is sung today, but I’m not sure its enough to be absolutely certain its our song – if you know better, let me know!

The first reasonably convincing evidence that I have found of “The Burnley Mashers” as we know it today comes in 1927, when it is linked to the activities of the supporters of Burnley FC:

The text reads:

Two well known local football enthusiast, George Holt and John McDonald, who, in their comical creations of claret and blue, will follow the Burnley team to Fulham today as Burnley mascots. Should our team win, it is the intention of these young sports to parade London in their fancy dress. Masters Holt and McDonald style themselves “The Burnley Mashers” and under that title were successful in winning the first prize – a goose – in a recent competition at the Empire Theatre for the best humorous song.

Burnley News – Saturday 29 January 1927

Further information about the Burnley variant and links to Burnley Football Club emerge from a file held by Burnley Central library…

The Burnley Library file

As part of this investigation, I searched the catalogues of as many Libraries as I could find in the North West of England (particularly in Greater Manchester and Lancashire) for any indication that they might hold information about The “place-name” Mashers song.

I found that a file of documents called “The Two Burnley Mashers” was held in the local history section of Burnley Central Library. On visiting the library in October 2023 I found that the file, dated c1910, contains several copies of the lyrics (those reproduced above), two copies of hand-written notated sheet music,a hand-written unsigned note and a newspaper cutting.

It emerges that in 1958 someone working at the library put out a request in the local press for a copy of The Burnley Mashers , lest the song be forgotten by “the younger generation”. The folder appears to contain several responses to their request.

The newspaper cutting in the file contains an article written by Ronnie Brunskill, which discusses the history of the song. The article includes quotes from an interview with Mr “Monty” Osborne the former Chairman (the equivalent of a Master of Ceremonies) of Burnley’s Palace Music Hall. He remembered that:

George Holt and Ted Farrow used to perform it. Buskers used to sing it as they went round the pubs. There was a dance to it as well – I remember “Lady” Harrison of Albion Street going through the routine.… I remember just the first three lines:

We are two Burnley mashers
And we always go out on the mash.
We wear tall hats, with no shirt on our backs.
And it seldom we’ve got any cash

Ronnie Brunskill, “Burnley Mashers? Its still the clubs’ anthem” in The Evening Telegraph, October 3, 1958, p 13

This makes it clear Osborne remembered George Holt, co-winner of the 1927 song competition performing the song, and the lyrics that he remembered match those of the modern song.

Aside: The unsigned note in the Burnley Library file says that the song is probably a parody on the song “Jolly fine company”… [As was] printed in a song book published by McGlennon before World War I. This almost certainly is referring to a the song Three Make Jolly Fine company by Charles Collins and EW Rogers, made famous by the comedian Arthur Leonard in 1904. This is a well-known Music Hall song, and apart from the phrase jolly fine company has little in common with our song – you can listen to it on YouTube.

The Burnley Mashers in the 1930s and 40s

[there is more to say here – in particular research is needed into the singing of the song during the War. I suspect that it was during the War that many of the other versions of The “Place-name” Mashers originated]

In the 1930s and 40s local newspapers published several requests from people looking for the song, including this one in 1938, which may be the earliest complete printed version of the lyrics, though the writer has changed the song “here and there”.

Earliest mention of other “Place-name” Mashers variants

I am trying to find the earliest mention of each variant in the press and other sources. Many mid-20th century sources are only digitised in a rather haphazard way, so I don’t completely trust these dates.

• The Ashton Mashers collected by Ken Stubbs from the singing of Eddie and Hazel Collins in 1964
• The Blackpool Mashers recorded by Penny Black Folk in 2013?
• The Bristol Mashers not found
• The Carrick Smashers performed in a pantomime in 1957 Munster Tribune – 01 February 1957
• The Fleetwood Mashers collected from the singing of Phil Wheatly by Nick and Mally Dow in 1985
• The Larky Mashers (from Larkhill in Scotland) performed in early 2000s according to Internet sources
• The Oldham Mashers not found
• The Quarry Bank Mashers collected by Roy Palmer from the singing of Mr and Mrs Hadley in 1971
• The Rochdale Mashers mentioned in 1942, Rochdale Observer – 12 September 1942

Not to be confused with these other “Masher” songs (not a complete list!):

• The broken-down masher (parody on Charles Godfrey’s The Masher King) by Jonghmans, E. (Edward)and Byford, George; (1887, Bodleian)
• Charley he’s a masher by F. Binney and Ed. Smith (1881 LOC)
• Charley the “Masher” by Joseph P. Skelly (1877, LOC )
• The German Masher by John W. Ransone (1883, LOC)
• Grogan The Masher by Edward Harrigan and Dave Braham (1885, LOC)
• How to be a Masher by Alexander Spencer (1884 LOC)
• The Mashers’ Song, from F..C.Burnande (1883 New Zealand Papers Past)
• The Masher King by Harry Adams and E Jonghmans, performed by Charles Godfrey (c1887, V&A )

Also The Brothers Malone is not to be confused with The Brothers Maloney by Arthur West, sung by Rose Sullivan (1893 LOC) (RNV40517)

We are two Irish Maltese

A parody worth further investigation

Listen to a couple of variants

Harry Boardman starts his version of The Ashton Mashers with a fragment of The Brothers Maltese:

The Houghton Weavers do The Rochdale Mashers:

Sources:

• VWML entry
• Lyrics: in “TWO Burnley Mashers: words and music” Burnley Central Library file, Local LY35/TWO
• Ronnie Brunskill, “Burnley Mashers?” in Evening Telegraph, October 3, 1958, page 13, in “TWO Burnley Mashers: words and music” Burnley Central Library file, Local LY35/TWO
• Sheet Music (handwritten): in “TWO Burnley Mashers: words and music” Burnley Central Library file, Local LY35/TWO
• Roy Palmer, Ed (1980) Quarry Bank Mashers in Everyman’s Book of British Ballads p238
• AL Lloyd and The Oldham Tinkers (1974), Sleeve-notes for Topic LP 12TS237 Best O’ T’ Bunch
• Mike Harding (1980) Songs of Lancashire
• Mudcat Thread
• http://chrispatonsblog.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-two-carrick-smashers.html

Last Updated on November 10, 2023 by John Baxter | Published: November 6, 2023