The Life & Songs of Edward Capern

A magical new show that will take you on a journey through the life of one of Devon’s forgotten heroes.
This collaboration between folk musicians Nick Wyke & Becki Driscoll and author Liz Shakespeare follows in the steps of Edward Capern, the Victorian “Postman Poet” of Bideford, North Devon. Weaving music and song based on the original poems from Nick & Becki’s latest album with anecdotes of Capern’s life and extracts from Liz’s novel about the poet, the show will captivate, inform and entertain you.
“Like stepping back in time to another world” - Audience comment
For more details or to book the show please CONTACT US.

In the mid-nineteenth century, a postman named Edward Capern started working on the post route between Bideford and Buckland Brewer in North Devon. Edward Capern was an aspiring poet and used his postal journeys, first on foot and later by horse and cart, to compose poetry and song which he would then write down during his lunch break. In time he became an established poet, known locally as the Postman-Poet, and he published several collections of poetry.

We came across Edward Capern's work through a friend and local author Liz Shakespeare whose new book "The Postman Poet", a novel based on Capern's life, will be published in March 2017. Liz discovered through her research that many of Capern's poems were meant to be sung; in fact a selection of 12 poems were published in the early 1860s in a songbook called "The Devonshire Melodist". The poems were set to music, apparently Capern's own compositions, which had been transcribed and arranged by the musician and composer Thomas Murby. 

Working alongside Liz, we selected several of Capern's poems to work on and we have recorded a new CD "The Songs of Edward Capern", which was released at the same time as Liz's novel. Two of the songs feature Edward Capern's original melodies and the others we have composed ourselves. 

"This album is a delight from start to finish" - Bright Young Folk 

For information about Liz Shakespeare's new book "The Postman Poet", please visit her website: www.lizshakespeare.co.uk 

Listen to a track