This is a little gem of a ballad carol telling the story of St Stephen, the servant to Herod. This version was collected by Helen Hartness Flanders in Vermont, USA, in 1934, from Mr George Edwards. It’s unusual as so little is known about St Stephen.
Text example:
Saint Stephen was a serving man in Herod’s royal hall
He served him with meat and wine
That doth to King’s befall.
He was serving him with meat one day
With a boars head in his hand
When he saw a star come from the East
And over Bethlehem stand.
