Henry Winn (1816 - 1914)

On the CD 'Lincs to Land and Sea' there are five songs which use the text of poems  by Henry Winn which have been set to music.  We have added some refrains but otherwise the words are essentially as he wrote them. 

Winn was a writer, historian and poet.  He wrote about everyday life in the Lincolnshire Wolds in the 19th and early 20th centuries.  He lived throughout his long life in the Lincolnshire village of Fulletby.  In addition to his poems he wrote essays and articles on a diverse range of subjects including religion, hymns, historical figures and events, place names, rent charges, temperance and philosophy.  His work was regularly published in the county's newspapers. 

His father’s death meant Winn had to leave school aged 10 as he was required to assist in the family business. Besides running the grocery and drapery store, at the age of 14 he became the unofficial Parish Clerk, a position to which he was formally elected in 1845.  He remained in this role until 1910 (the Guinness Book of Records recognises him as the longest serving Parish Clerk).  During his life he held various other positions in the village including Parish Constable, Church Warden, Sunday School Teacher, and committee member for both a Sick and Savings club.  Winn helped to establish a village school and founded a free village library.  His various roles in Fulletby, meant he was well placed to record differing social attitudes and the impact on society of the various changes which occurred during the Victorian era to working families.