Gloucestershire Wassail
The Gloucestershire Wassail, also known as "Wassail! Wassail! All Over the Town", "The Wassailing Bowl" and "Wassail Song" is an English Christmas carol from the county of Gloucestershire in England, dating back to at least the 18th century, but may be older.
| Gloucestershire Wassail | |
|---|---|
| by Traditional | |
| Other name | Wassail! Wassail! All Over the Town The Wassailing Bowl Wassail Song |
| Genre | Christmas carol |
| Text | Traditional |
| Language | English |
| Based on | Traditional English carol |
The author of the lyrics and the composer of the music are unknown. The first known publication of the song's current version was in 1928 in the Oxford Book of Carols; however, earlier versions of the song had been published, including, but not limited to, publications in 1838, 1857, and 1868 by William Chappell, Robert Bell, and William Henry Husk respectively. Husk's 1868 publication contained a reference to it being sung by wassailers in the 1790s in Gloucestershire. "Gloucestershire Wassail" has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 209.