The Surrey roots of Christmas carol O Little Town of Bethlehem

First heard in a sleepy English hamlet, a simple folk tune grew into the melody for one of the world’s most cherished Christmas carols.

O Little Town of Bethlehem began life as an American poem, written by a cleric in Philadelphia in 1868.

But the tune now familiar to most people in the UK, and many around the world, has its roots in Surrey.

In 1903 famous composer Ralph Vaughan Williams adapted a folk ballad from a labourer and local singer and married it with the existing lyrics with great success.

The tune was written by Henry Garman from Forest Green and was called The Ploughboy’s Dream.

Folk singer and researcher Irene Shettle said: “It’s so similar to O Little Town of Bethlehem – there’s just a few quavers that you don’t get in the carol books.”

Vaughan Williams lived first in Dorking and then Leith Hill, so the area of Surrey where he met the folk singer was very familiar to him.

John Francis, chairman of the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society, said: “Folk songs were passed on orally and were in danger of being lost.

“O Little Town is a special piece.

“Vaughan Williams realised that he had a fabulous tune for an American carol that had no traction over here.”

Ms Shuttle said it was “sad” that Henry Garman has had little recognition for the success of the carol, which went on to be one of the most popular world-wide.

She said: “The only recognition Garman has was his name was printed in some of the carol books.

“But nobody knows who he is.”

Garman died two years after Vaughan Williams discovered his music and never got to hear it as a Christmas carol.

“It was published in March 1906, a few months after he had died.

“O Little Town of Bethlehem is about the only memorial that he has got, and it seems a very fitting memorial.”