Chester 1778

[sum]

The Chester 1778 written by William Billings.
Can anyone tell me why it was called "CHESTER" ????
thank you

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[Shaughnn]

It's possible that it's a referance to Chester County, Pa? Aren't the conflicts mentioned in the hymnn centered around there?
shaughnn

[Mike2]

Sum: Wikipedia provides this possibility, that Chester was simply a place name arbitrarly chosen by Billings, a common practice of the day. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_%28song%29

[John Bridge]

I've never seen a lot written about "Chester," except that William Billings wrote it during the revolutionary period. It does seem that the selection of the name was arbitrary. The song also predates the time when songs were written, played and sung as a means of entertainment, in which case the title would have more closely matched the content. That period arrived somewhat after the Revolution, though.

If you know of a reason for the title selection, I do hope you'll share it. :)

[flatfloor]

I sued a guy in Chester Cty Pa oncet. :nod: I did.