Listen to the track:
After the Rabbits
(Wembury, 1922)
On 20 August 1922, Samuel McKay (also recorded as Mackay), a pensioner of the Royal Artillery living at Renney Battery, was caught at Langdon Barton Farm, Wembury. Two gamekeepers reported that he and his daughters visited snares on the Andrews family’s land and took rabbits. When confronted, McKay insisted he had permission from John Andrews or his sons, but the case was brought to Plympton court. Despite his service to the country and his claim of leave to snare, the court fined him £1 — a heavy sum for a veteran on a small pension.
The case was reported in the Western Evening Herald (Plymouth), 28 August 1922, under the headline: “AFTER THE RABBITS. What Game Keepers Saw at Wembury.”
This song tells his story — a man who served, now struggling in hard times, set against the law and the gamekeepers of Wembury.
Verse 1
Down from Renney Battery, with medals put away,
A soldier home from service, on Devon’s cliffs he stayed.
No pension worth the hunger, no wages left to find,
So he set his snares in moonlight, with his daughters by his side.
Chorus
After the rabbits, out on Wembury ground,
A man who served his country, now the law has cut him down.
Gamekeepers waiting, justice cold and sure,
A shilling for the gentry, but a pound to break the poor.
Verse 2
Langdon Barton watching, the keepers kept their round,
They saw him lift the rabbits, and hand the catch around.
He swore he had permission, from Andrews and his kin,
But the court cared not for hunger, only for the sin.
Chorus
After the rabbits, out on Wembury ground,
A man who served his country, now the law has cut him down.
Gamekeepers waiting, justice cold and sure,
A shilling for the gentry, but a pound to break the poor.
Verse 3
The judge at Plympton speaking, with papers on the stand,
Said “You’ve trespassed, pensioner, upon another’s land.”
A sovereign’s worth in silver, the fine they made him pay,
And the soldier walked out guilty, with his pride stripped away.
Final Chorus
After the rabbits, out on Wembury ground,
A man who served his country, now the law has cut him down.
Gamekeepers waiting, justice cold and sure,
A shilling for the gentry, but a pound to break the poor.