We wunt be druv
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Druv.jpg/300px-Druv.jpg)
"We wunt be druv" is the unofficial county
Origins
According to the Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs, "Sussex won't be druv" is a local proverbial saying dating from the early 20th century.
Usage
In his 1924 tale The Cricket Match,
According to linguist Richard Coates an organisation called The Men of Sussex had as its motto, Non cogemur, a Latin translation of the motto.[11]
The phrase was also used in poetry:[a]
You may push and you may shov
But I'm hemmed if I'll be druv
And a longer version: [a]
And you may pook
And you may shove
But a Sussex pig
He wunt be druv
In Sussex, pigs are respected for their independent spirit and are associated with the motto.[13] In the 19th century, some Sussex potteries produced earthenware flasks in the shape of pigs with "wunt be druv" incised or impressed on the pig's neck.[14]
W Victor Cook wrote a poem in Sussex dialect, published in 1914:[15]
Sussex Won't be Druv
Some folks as come to Sussex,
They reckons as they know –
A durn sight better what to do
Than simple folks, like me and you,
Could possibly suppose.
But them as comes to Sussex,
They mustn't push and shove,
For Sussex will be Sussex,
And Sussex won't be druv!
Mus Wilfred come to Sussex,
Us heaved a stone at he,
Because he reckoned he could teach
Our Sussex fishers how to reach
The fishes in the sea.
But when he dwelt among us,
Us gave un land and luv,
For Sussex will be Sussex,
And Sussex won't be druv!
All folks as come to Sussex
Must follow Sussex ways –
And when they've larned to know us well,
There's no place else they'll wish to dwell
In all their blessed days –
There ant no place like Sussex,
Until ye goos above,
For Sussex will be Sussex,
And Sussex won't be druv.
W Victor Cook 1914
See also
- "Sussex by the Sea" – unofficial Sussex county anthem
Notes
References
- ^ Lowerson 1980, p. 7
- ^ Burchill, Julie (25 July 2003). "Brighton rocks". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ a b Simpson & Speake 2018, p. 307
- ^ Bennetto, Jason (13 January 2007). "Exploding meters, parking vigilantes and a suspicious silence in a sleepy Sussex town". The Independent. Archived from the original on 22 November 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
- ^ "Newick Bonfire Society". Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
- ^ "Cliffe Bonfire Society". Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
- ^ "Introducing Our Fresh New Look". Harvey's Brewery (Press release). 9 August 2016. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018.
- ^ Parish 1875, p. .
- ^ Brandon 2006, p. 164.
- ^ Lucas 1904
- ^ a b Coates 2010, pp. 261–262
- ^ Hilditch 1950, p. 47.
- ^ Simpson & Roud 2003
- ^ Coates 2010, p. 261
- ^ Maskill 2012, p. 44.
Bibliography
- Brandon, Peter (2006). Sussex. Chichester: ISBN 978-0-7090-6998-0.
- Coates, Richard (2010). The Traditional Dialect of Sussex. ISBN 978-1-907242-09-0.
- Hilditch, Neville (1950). In praise of Sussex: an anthology for friends. Muller. OCLC 30170143.
- Lowerson, John (1980). A Short History of Sussex. Folkestone: Dawson Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7129-0948-8.
- Lucas, Edward Verrall (1904). "XXXIX - Robertsbridge". Highways and Byways in Sussex – via Wikisource.
- Maskill, Louise (2012). Sussex Dialect: A Selection of Words and Anecdotes from Around Sussex. Bradwell Books. ISBN 9781902674339.
- Parish, Rev. W.D. (1875). A Dictionary of the Sussex Dialect – a Collection of Provincialisms In Use in the County of Sussex. Lewes: Farncombe & Co.
- Simpson, Jacqueline; Roud, Stephen (2003). A Dictionary of English Folklore. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198607663.
- ISBN 9780199539536.