#12 most-searched carol in the US · 1833
The First Noel: the story behind the carol
Also known as The First Nowell
🏡 Great for caroling⛪ Church & choir
- Words
- English/Cornish traditional
- Music
- English traditional; published by William Sandys (1833)
- From
- Cornwall, England
- Type
- Sacred carol
The story behind “The First Noel”
A folk carol from Cornwall, in England's far south-west, sung long before anyone wrote it down. It was first printed in collections by Davies Gilbert (1823) and William Sandys (1833).
It tells the story of the shepherds and the Wise Men following the star — one of the few carols that covers the whole Nativity story from beginning to end.
More carols like this
- Silent Night1818 · Oberndorf, Austria
- Jingle Bells1857 · Boston, Massachusetts
- Joy to the World1719 · England; tune from Boston
- O Holy Night1847 · Roquemaure, France
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing1739 · England
- Deck the Halls1862 · Wales; English words from Scotland
History retold from the carol's Wikipedia article and its sources; checked 2026-09-30.