I'm forwarding this for Paul Stamler, who can't get a message
through to this list right now. (We'll see if I can -- I don't
post here very often....)
I sent John Moulden's query to Martin Carthy & Norma Waterson (it was from
the Watersons' "Frost and Fire" LP that I first learned the song), and got
this reply from Martin:
Dear Paul,
"Fences" or " sences" (see Oxford Book of Carols) means "times".
You probably know that already. In the Shorter Oxford Dictionary there is a
usage of the word "Fence" which is to to with the idea of there being a
close season to hunting a particular animal such as deer (and other
animals, also including fish) which, I suppose, can be interpreted as the
"time" when some activity or other is not pursued, but I can't find "fence"
anywhere else in my meagre collection of books as meaning anything else. I
suppose it's some kind of Old English or other, but I'm not an expert and
so not the one to ask. I started to look at French words in our dictionary
because there are all sorts of survivals here of all that, but the best I
can come up with is "fenaison" which means "hay-time" and various
derivatives of "fenetre" which still have the letter "s" before the "t".
But then you're looking at a much more modern meaning of the word "window"
aren't you? Nice picture through the window of the cock crowing each time?
Oh well, perhaps not........ Know anyone who knows Old English? (Or Old
French come to that........)
See you soon
Martin
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