Gracey Briney
A friend came across these newspaper clippings from the mid 19th century during some house history research – she lives now in what used to be the Pick and Gad, a pub frequented by miners working in the Redruth area. She challenged us to write a song about the extraordinary woman depicted in these portraits – mine is below, but first let me introduce you to her.
Gracey’s story is described in more detail by Lynne Mayers in her books about bal maidens (women mine workers) but here’s a quick summary:
Grace Hitchens was brought up in the workhouse. From a young age she was sent to work in the mines and was given the task of working the horses while the kibble was landed (a complex and skilful operation raising the kibble (bucket) of ore from the mine to the surface). Gracey fell pregnant; it is not known what became of her child. After that time she had a personality change and emerged as the strong, eccentric and unconventional woman described in the news cuttings. She moved from working the horses to becoming the kibble-lander herself, at the other end of the same task, a job usually reserved for men. Women often worked at the mines (they were known as bal maidens) but were usually restricted to work on the surface, breaking up lumps of ore and preparing them for market or working in the counthouse. There is plenty more information about women in the mining industry here: http://balmaiden.co.uk.
In 2021 I updated the lyrics to my song to add an extra verse about Gracey’s career once she left the mines, selling goods at the market in Redruth.
Gracey Briney song lyrics
There was a maid who lived in Redruth in her youth
Until long in the tooth
The neighbours found her rather uncouth
And they called her Gracey Briney
Her hobnail boots and elegant dress cut a dash
With an air of panache
She wore a top hat and a moustache
And they called her Gracey Briney
She fought and she wrestled and drank with the boys
Holding her own in the hubbub and noise
Smoking a pipe with incredible poise
They called her Gracey Briney
A workhouse girl, young Gracey was sent to the mine
Before she was nine
She’d learnt to keep the horses in line
Raising kibble from the mine shaft
A pregnancy, a change of perspective
The sound of a girl underground
Where women’s work had never been found
Raising kibble from the mine shaft
She fought and she wrestled and drank with the boys
Holding her own in the hubbub and noise
Smoking a pipe with incredible poise
They called her Gracey Briney
She left the mine and picked up a horse and a cart
Delight in her heart
To breathe the air and make a new start
Taking cherries to the market
She traded there for many a year
She would hail, in top hat and tails
The passers-by who might make a sale
Of her cherries from the market
She fought and she wrestled and drank with the boys
Holding her own in the hubbub and noise
Smoking a pipe with incredible poise
They called her Gracey Briney
Listen on Soundcloud (this version doesn’t have the last verse!)