The female children belonging to the Workhouse were dressed in white,
trimmed with coloured ribbons, and went in a procession headed by the
Workhouse Master and the tallest girl who wore a crown of gilt paper and
carried a sceptre and distaff. They stopped at the houses of the
principal inhabitants and sang this song. Money was given them and they
had rump steak and onions for dinner, and a tea party, and games in the
evening:
Here comes Queen Katrin as fine as any Queen,
With a coach and six horses a coming to be seen,
And a spinning we will go, will go, will go,
And a spinning we will go.
Some say she is alive, and some say she is dead,
And now she does appear with a crown upon her head,
And a spinning we will go, etc.
Old Madam Marshall she takes up her pen
And then she sits and calls for all her royal men.
And a spinning we will go, etc.
All that want employment though spinning is but small,
Come list and don't stand still, but go and work for all.
And a spinning we will go, etc.
If we set a spinning we will either work or play,
But if we set a spinning we can earn a crown a day.
And a spinning we will go, etc.
And if there be some young men, as I suppose there's some,
We'll hardly let them stand alone upon the cold, cold, stone.
And a spinning we will go.
Spinning was the employment for the females in the old Work house, and
in the Dean and Chapter's accounts of payments there are entries of
payments on St. Catherine's Day for wheels and reels for the children of
the Workhouse.