The First Nowell

The carol’s roots lie in the west of England.  Although firm evidence for its precise origin is elusive, The First Nowell is most commonly associated with Cornwall. A problem with identifying the age and origins of folk carols that were passed on largely through oral tradition is the absence of documented evidence. The First Nowell may be Cornish - Cornwall certainly had a strong vernacular carolling tradition - but, while the attribution is reasonable, the carol contains no dialect features that firmly locate it in Cornwall. Neither is the tune distinctively Cornish. 

Linguistically and musically, The First Nowell belongs to a body of vernacular religious song that likely circulated orally during the early modern period. The word nowell itself derives from the French - either noël, meaning the Christmas season or la nouvelle, meaning “news” or “tidings” - and was widely used in English Christmas song as an exclamation announcing the Nativity. This points to medieval and post-medieval cultural exchange, even if the carol in its present form cannot be securely dated to that era.

What distinguishes The First Nowell from many other English carols is the absence of early manuscript or printed sources. There is no firm evidence of the carol in medieval collections, and its survival appears to have depended on oral transmission rather than formal documentation. This makes it difficult to reconstruct its earliest form. The text and melody as now sung were standardised only in the nineteenth century, when antiquarians and collectors began systematically gathering traditional carols from local singers.

The most significant figure in this process was William Sandys, whose Carols Ancient and Modern (1833, page 74) included The First Nowell in a form that strongly resembles the version known today. Sandys did not claim to have preserved an untouched medieval relic; rather, he presented the carol as a traditional song "popular in the West of England". His editorial work, like that of many nineteenth-century collectors, involved selecting, refining, and sometimes reshaping material that existed in multiple local variants. As a result, The First Nowell is best understood as a carol whose “tradition” was consolidated rather than simply preserved.

Sandys was not the first person to publish The First Nowell. The carol first appeared with nine stanzas in Some Ancient Christmas Carols (2nd edition, 1823, page 28), which was edited by Davies Gilbert. Gilbert was an Cornish antiquarian and a scientist who would later serve as President of the Royal Society; he was also an MP for two different Cornish constituencies. Gilbert appears to have been Sandys' source for The First Nowell, and he certainly had an interest in collecting Cornish carols. The First Nowell appears in the second section of Sandys' compilation, which contained the following introduction:

"The carols contained in the Second Part, with the exception of the last four, are selected from upwards of one hundred obtained in different parts of the West of Cornwall, many of which, including those now published, are still in use." This would appear to settle the argument, but it is reasonable to point out that the collecting of carols in Cornwall was not confirmation of local origin; this section also contains songs such as God Rest Ye Merry and Gentlemen, While Shepherds Watched and In Those Twelve Days, which were certainly not of local origin. Also listed are carols that have stronger connections with other regions, such as The Angel Gabriel from God (Devonshire) and Hark! Hark! What News the Angels Bring (Leicestershire). 

A generally careful collector, Sandys was ultimately dependent on oral testimony and regional reputation rather than documentary proof when discussing origins. Contrary to claims made elsewhere, Sandys was not involved with Gilbert's 1823 work, and neither did Gilbert co-edit Carols Ancient and Modern. However, Gilbert and Sandys Carols - also published in 1833 - was a product of a partnership between the two men and is notable for being the first publication in which the lyrics were paired with a musical arrangement. Sandys' collaboration with Gilbert helped fix the carol’s identity, but it does not conclusively establish its geographical origin. 

Is there any other evidence that may point to Cornish origins? Actually, yes. The Kresen Kernow (Cornwall Centre) Archive in Redruth is home to a manuscript, circa 1816-17 (see image), in which The First Nowell is transcribed by a Cornish folk musician called John Hutchens as part of a collection of songs he had compiled for Davies Gilbert. Gilbert clearly used Hutchens' work for Some Ancient Christmas Carols, but did not credit him as the collector. Unfortunately, Hutchens did not provide any background or cite his sources, but he was evidently a local man tasked with identifying local songs that may be of interest to Gilbert. While not definitively confirming Cornish origins, this certainly suggests that The First Nowell was a folk carol that was popular in Cornwall in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. 

What Hutchens' manuscript does confirm is the existence of a tune. There are some subtle differences from the melody familiar to us today and Stainer's formal arrangement, but it is recognisable as The First Nowell and formed the basis for the slightly edited arrangement in Gilbert and Sandys Carols (1833) and Sandys' Christmastide, its History, Festivities and Carols (1852, page 318). It is not a tune was associated with any other known folk songs. 

The text of the carol is narrative and expansive, unfolding across numerous verses. It begins with the angel’s appearance to the shepherds “in fields as they lay,” moves through their journey to Bethlehem, and culminates in the visit of the Magi, guided by the star. This broad sweep distinguishes it from shorter, more episodic carols and aligns it with older traditions of biblical storytelling in song. The repeated refrain, with its insistent proclamation of “Nowell,” serves as a structural anchor, allowing singers to participate fully even when unfamiliar with every verse.

Musically, the melody is striking for its length and range. Unlike many carol tunes that rely on short, repetitive phrases, The First Nowell unfolds in long arcs, requiring breath control and sustained line. This quality may help explain why it was less commonly used as a street carol and more readily adopted into church and choral contexts during the nineteenth century. The tune’s stately pace and expansive contours lend themselves well to harmonisation and dramatic build-up, qualities that Victorian editors and composers were quick to recognise.

The carol’s integration into mainstream Christmas worship was further reinforced by its inclusion in influential hymnals and carol books throughout the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Harmonisations by figures such as John Stainer (Carols New and Old, 1871, page 12) and later choral arrangers helped establish it as a staple of Lessons and Carols services and seasonal concerts. In these settings, The First Nowell often functions as a moment of communal breadth, inviting full-voiced singing and reinforcing the sense of collective celebration.

Theologically, The First Nowell is notable for its emphasis on revelation and response. Angels announce, shepherds hear and go, and wise men follow the star. The carol presents the Nativity not as a static scene but as a sequence of movements prompted by divine initiative. This dynamic narrative quality helps sustain interest across its many verses and reinforces the idea of Christmas as a story that unfolds rather than a single moment to be observed.

In the modern period, The First Nowell has become firmly embedded in both sacred and secular Christmas culture. It is frequently used in school services, church worship and public carol events, and has been arranged in styles ranging from simple congregational settings to elaborate orchestral treatments. Its familiarity has sometimes led it to be taken for granted, yet its endurance speaks to its effectiveness as communal song. Few carols can sustain extended singing across multiple verses while remaining accessible to large groups, and fewer still have achieved such widespread recognition.

Ultimately, The First Nowell exemplifies how the English carol tradition has often been shaped as much by revival and editorial intervention as by uninterrupted inheritance. Its apparent antiquity is real in spirit if not in documentary certainty, and its success lies in the way it combines narrative clarity, melodic breadth, and participatory refrain. Rooted in regional tradition but given national and international life through nineteenth-century revival, The First Nowell stands as a reminder that the carols most firmly embedded in collective memory are often those that have been patiently gathered, shaped, and reintroduced to new generations of singers.