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Folk Song Subject & Master Index

Thesaurus

 
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Results

Subject term Ladies

Click on the Roud Number to
search for variants of the song
  • Roud No
    903 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws M12
    Subject terms
    Young women / Ladies / Squires / Apprentices / Domestic servants & staff / England / Courtship / Banishment / Foreign setting / Separation / True love / Wages / Stables / Horses / Butlers / Lotteries / Fine clothes / Returning / Failure to recognise / Rejection / Reunited lovers / Stewards / Lottery prizes / Recognition
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    When the lady's parents hear of her love for the apprentice boy, they send him away. The boy becomes waiting-man and eventually steward to a merchant in a foreign country. Then he wins twenty thousand pounds in a lottery and returns to England with his riches. His true-love rejects him at first, thinking him a duke or other nobleman, but when she learns his identity she flies into his arms. A marriage follows [Laws 1957, p.186].
    Source
    Baring-Gould, S. ed. (ca. 1890-94). Working notebook 4. [manuscript]. Held at: Exeter: Devon Heritage Centre. Sabine Baring-Gould Manuscript Collection. (SBG/2/3/45) .
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Unspecified Female Male
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Laws, G. M. (1957). American balladry from British broadsides. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society
    Indexer
    HMF
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.vwml.org/record/SBG/2/3/45
  • Roud No
    119 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 280
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / <Stirling> / Young men / Young women / Brothers / <Shepherds> / <Gentlemen> / <Ladies> / <Gardens> / <Sheep> / <Judas Iscariot> / <Jacob (Biblical patriarch)> / <Rachel (Biblical matriarch)> / <Buying> / <Loaves> / Spindles (textile equipment) / <Spindle whorls> / Fine clothes / Patched clothes / Pretended poverty / Houses / Laughing / <Eating> / Crying / Knocking / Love at first sight / Disguise / Regret / Class difference (romantic couples)
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A rich young lady falls in love with a poor shepherd's son who makes spindles for a living. She agrees to dress in his patched old clothes to travel with him as a beggarwoman. Although later bitterly regretting her decision, she remains with him. They arrive at his brother's grand house, where he is revealed to be a knight. The girl is welcomed as the knight's lady. Most other versions conclude with their wedding. [DZ]
    Source
    Child, F.J., ed. (1882-98).The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol V pp. 116-120. (Version C).
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 2 / <Male (Adult) x 24> / <Female (Adult) x 48>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    This Child ballad is best considered alongside its very close relative ‘The Beggarman’ (Roud 118). That ballad arose in the 17th century, whereas the earliest we can date this is around 1800 in Motherwell’s manuscripts. This is a ‘romantic’ version of the other one in that the beggar is a rich man in disguise who makes her rich and they ‘live happily ever after’. Unfortunately the nature of many of the fragmentary versions often makes it difficult to assign them, the ‘default’ position being Roud 118. This is not helped by some of the collectors. For example Christie in his Traditional Ballad Airs of 1876 printed a version he called ‘The Gaberlunzie Man’ which would normally place it in Roud 212, and yet the story and text make it firmly Roud 119. There are no 19th century broadsides. Child (1882-95, Vol V pp. 116-120) considered five versions. Bronson (1959-72, Vol IV pp. 250-256) looked at the tunes of 17 variants in three groups. [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Jolly beggar, The (Roud 118) / Gaberlunzie man, The (Roud 212)
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
    Indexer
    DZ
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    559 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws O10
    Subject terms
    Milkmaids / Milk / Singing / Poverty / Cows / Rings / Lovers' tokens / Fields / Attempted rape / Escaping / Swords / Wounds / Doctors / Marriage / Virginity / Squires / Ladies / Betsy / Uncles / Bristol / Regret
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The squire offers to marry the milkmaid, but she asks him not to make fun of her poverty. He breaks a ring and gives her half as a token of sincerity. Later when they are walking in the blackberry fold, he attempts to seduce and then to rape her, but she wounds him with her scissors. When he recovers, the two are married. Six years later the squire dies, leaving her with two babies. She concludes that it pays to be honest [Laws 1957, pp.230-231].
    Source
    Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The new Penguin book of English folk songs. London: Penguin Classics. pp. 324-5.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1 / <Male (Adult) x 1>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Laws, G. M. (1957). American balladry from British broadsides. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society / Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The new Penguin book of English folk songs. London: Penguin Classics.
    Indexer
    HMF
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    132 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws N27
    Subject terms
    Bethnal Green / Beggars / Fathers / Daughters / Squires / Lords / Bill / Betsy / <Ladies> / Blind people / Sight (sense) / Beauty / Admiration / Prejudice / Dresses / Jewellery / Pounds (money) / Revealing identity / Marriage / Promises to marry / Guineas (money) / Wealth / <Churches> / Contempt / Class difference (romantic couples)
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The beggar's comely daughter is wooed by such men as a lord, a merchant, a captain, and a squire, each of whom offers his riches if she will reveal the identity of her father. When she does so the others scornfully reject her, but the squire still seeks her hand. On hearing this, the beggar provides her with a handsome dowry [Laws 1957, p.217].
    Source
    Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The new Penguin book of English folk songs. London: Penguin Classics. pp. 146-147
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 2 / Male (Elderly) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    A song quite popular historically since its first known appearance in a black letter London broadside between 1689 and 1709 with the somewhat grandiose title ‘The rarest ballad that ever was seen, of the blind begger's daughter of Bednal-Green’ which was copied in a later black letter broadside in which the location had been “modernised” to Bethnal Green. Meanwhile a 1723 version in ‘A Collection of Old Ballads’ was entitled ‘The Merchant’s Daughter of Bristol’. This location is unique among over a hundred later versions, so was presumably a localised copy of the original. The song was especially popular with 19th century broadside printers. In fact there are more of these than versions collected from oral tradition. In England these have been confined to southern counties, only once has it been found in Scotland, and a handful each from Ireland, Canada, and the United States. See Roud and Bishop (2012, p. 428-429). [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Laws, G. M. (1957). American balladry from British broadsides. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society / Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The new Penguin book of English folk songs. London: Penguin Classics.
    Indexer
    NSB
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    205 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 50
    Subject terms
    Gardens / Rural setting / Lords / Ladies / Squires / Hinds / Holly trees / Mantles / Virginity / <Silver (metal)> / <Combs> / Knives / Rape / Incest / Disagreements / Suicide / Burials / Confession / Anger / Despair / Guilt / Regret
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Lord Randal's daughter is seduced, or raped, by a man. When she asks his name he replies that he has returned from a sea voyage and that he is called Jock Randal, the only child of Lord Randal. She denies this, claiming that she is the only child. The lady then realises that he is her brother, and stabs herself to death. When he has buried his sister, Jock sets off for home. On meeting his father he expresses grief at what has happened, presenting the event as the irretrievable loss of the bonny hind. [SF]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. I pp. 446-447
    Characters
    Adult (male) x 2 / Adult (female) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    The bonnie banks o Fordie (Roud 27, Child 14), Sheath and knife (Roud 3960, Child 16)
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. / Würzbach, N. and Salz, S. M. (1995). Motif Index of the Child Corpus. Berlin: de Gruyter.
    Indexer
    SF
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    341 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 227
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Castle Cary Castle (Stirlingshire) / Gartartan Castle / Inchmahome / Highlands (Scotland) / <Lammas Day> / Sweethearts / Mothers / Fathers / Lairds / Ladies / Daughters / Young women / <Gentlemen> / <Farmers> / Ministers (Scottish) / Plaids / <Gaelic language> / <Ewes> / <Cows> / Fine clothes / <Rings> / <Purses> / <Bracken> / Glens / Hills / <Heather> / Folly / Parental opposition (to courtship or marriage) / Milking / Marriage / Love
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Lizie, from Castle Cary in Stirlingshire, is visiting her sister at Gartartan, Perthshire, when she encounters Duncan Grahame at Inchmahome. He asks her to go with him to be his highland lady. She objects that she does not know how to milk cows or ewes. Nor can she speak Gaelic. He says he will teach her. He persuades her, against the opposition of her parents, to prefer him to any lowland or English match. [JWD]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. IV pp. 267-268.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2 / <Male (Adult) x 4> / Female (Adult) x 2 / <Female (Adult) x 2>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Child 226 and 228 are similar to this in that a lowland girl goes off with a highlander, who (in Child 226 and 228) turns out to be a wealthy lord. Child 222, 223, 224, and 225 also have a similar theme except that the abduction is forceful.

    Comparative songs
    Lizie Lindsay (Roud 94, Child 226) / Glasgow Peggie (Roud 95, Child 228) / Bonny Baby Livingston (Roud 100, Child 222) / Eppie Morie (Round 2583, Child 223) / Lady of Arngosk, The (Roud 4019, Child 224) / Rob Roy (Roud 340, Child 225)
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
    Indexer
    JWD
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    383 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Ipswich / <Ladies> / <Farmers> / <Domestic servants & staff> / <Wives> / <Children> / <Money> / <Horses> / <Prisons> / Gambling / <Pity> / <Wealth> / <Dogs> / Spending / <Landlords (property owners)> / <Debt collectors> / <Profligacy> / <Coaches> / <Driving (road vehicles)> / Vanity / Waste / Horse racing / Spendthrifts / Boasting
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The narrator is proud to be a haughty, vain spendthrift, and boasts of his women, hounds and coach and six. He goes to Ipswich races and loses one thousand pounds. His landlord and bailiffs come to take most of his possessions and his wife and children lament that he may spend the rest of his life in prison. [RAS]
    Source
    The broken-down gentleman [sleeve notes]. In: Whiting, W. 2001. Up in the North and Down in the South [CD]. Stroud: Musical Traditions Records. MTCD311-2, P. 27. Track 2/12.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / <Male (Adult) x 1> / <Female (Adult) x 1>
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    RAS
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    108 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 258
    Subject terms
    Broughty Castle / <Dundee> / Lords / Ladies / Lovers / Provosts (local government) / Fighters / <Ladies' maids> / <Parents> / <Christmas Day> / Keys / Rivers & streams / Engagement to marry / Lovers' trysts / Kidnapping / Tampering with evidence / Swimming / Death by drowning / Escaping / Love / Freedom / Resourcefulness / Gratitude
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Lady Helen , the daughter of the Provost of Dundee is left alone by her parents in her home of Broughty Castle. Her lover comes to visit her, but then the castle is invaded by armed men who carry the pair off to the highlands, throwing away the keys they had used to enter the castle. Along the way, she jumps into the river followed by her lover. She swims away and escapes, while he drowns. She makes her way back to Dundee relieved that she had learnt to swim. [SF]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. IV pp. 423-424.
    Characters
    Adult (male) x 1 / Adult (female) x 1 / <Adult (male) x 2> / <Adult (female) x 1>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. / Würzbach, N. and Salz, S. M. (1995). Motif Index of the Child Corpus. Berlin: de Gruyter.
    Indexer
    SF
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    99 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 257
    Subject terms
    Castles / Earls / Ladies / Parents / Aunts / Babies / Sons / <Daughters> / Bowers (apartments) / Gold (metal) / <Silver (metal)> / <Horses> / Pregnancy & childbirth / Broken promises / Parental opposition (to courtship or marriage) / Abandonment / Kidnapping / Warning / Death / Supernatural events / Love / Illegitimacy / Infidelity / Curses
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Burd Isabel, after an affair with Earl Patrick, becomes pregnant. The Earl promises to marry her if the child is a boy, which is what happens. When The Earl’s mother objects to the marriage, he builds Isabel a bower and promises to marry her when his parents die, swearing that he will go to hell sooner than marry another. However, he soon marries a rich duke’s daughter and sends his aunt to collect his son. Isabel turns her away, and when the Earl comes himself, she reminds him of his oath. He dies and goes to hell shortly afterwards. [SF]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. IV pp. 418-419 (Version A)
    Characters
    Adult (male) x 1 / Adult (female) x 3 / Child (male) x 1 / <Adult (male) x 1>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. / Würzbach, N. and Salz, S. M. (1995). Motif Index of the Child Corpus. Berlin: de Gruyter.
    Indexer
    SF
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    80 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 178
    Subject terms
    Scotland / Castles / Army captains / Ladies / Lords / Sons / Armies / Guns / Ropes / Dreams / Sieges / Burning down / Threatening / Shooting / Betrayal / Beheading / Greed / Defiance / Murder / Death in fire
    Subject date
    1571 (Child 1882-95, Vol III p. 424).
    Synopsis
    Captain Car raids Lord Hamilton’s castle when the lord is away. He orders Lady Hamilton to surrender the castle and become his mistress. She refuses and defiantly shoots at him, at which Captain Car sets the castle on fire. When the Lady begs him to spare her eldest son, he pretends to agree but when the boy is lowered on a rope the attackers kill him and the lady and her family burn to death. Meanwhile Lord Hamilton dreams that his castle is on fire, summons his men and sets off home. Tragically he arrives too late and curses Captain Car. [SF]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. III pp. 430-431 (Version A)
    Characters
    Adult (male) x 2 / Adult (female) x 1 / <Child (male) x 2>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. / Würzbach, N. and Salz, S. M. (1995). Motif Index of the Child Corpus. Berlin: de Gruyter.
    Indexer
    SF
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    3883 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 291
    Subject terms
    Lords / Ladies / Wives / Nephews / Penknives / <Belts (clothes)> / Blood / <Bowers (apartments)> / Prisons / Horses / Stables / <Cows> / <Rushes> / Parts of the body / <Sewing> / Propositioning / Cuckoldry / Stabbing / Groaning / Lying / <Hanging (execution)> / <Burning at the stake> / Tying up / Tearing to pieces / Lust / Anger / Infidelity / Deception / Revenge
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Lady Erskine asks Child Owlet to be her lover. Child Owlet refuses to cuckold her husband, Lord Ronald because he is the son of Lord Ronald's sister. The lady stabs herself and claims it was done by Child Owlet because she refused his advances. Child Owlet is imprisoned by Lord Ronald and condemned to death. He is executed by being torn to pieces by horses . [DZ]
    Source
    Child, F.J., ed. (1882-98).The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol V pp. 156 - 157
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Child's only version of this ballad was the one reprinted from Buchan's second volume (1828). Motherwell also copied Buchan's version into his manuscript. According to Child (1882-95, Vol V pp. 156-157), the ballad may be of late date.
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications.
    Indexer
    DZ
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    43 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 63
    Subject terms
    Stables / Towers / Rural setting / <Lancashire> / <Cheshire> / Noblemen / Ladies / Unmarried mothers / Babies / Pages (servants) / <Prostitutes> / Beauty / Lullabies / Pregnancy / Childbirth / Horse riding / Running / Swimming / Cross-dressing / Marriage / Disguise / Travel / Horse feeding / Devotion / Humiliation / Cruelty / Shame / Distress / Dominance / Declarations of love / Tests of love / Subservience
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Fair Ellen tells Child Waters she is expecting his child. He offers to give Lancashire and Cheshire to her and her heirs. She turns down his offer preferring his kiss. Child Waters travels north. Ellen cuts her hair short and her gown to the knee and becomes his foot page. He rides while she runs barefoot and struggles to swim the river. They arrive at his tower where his paramour and 23 fair ladies live. Ellen gives them her blessing and looks after his horse. She eats super in the kitchen and is sent to town to carry back a fair lady to sleep all night in Child Water's arms. Ellen sleeps at the foot of the bed. In the morning as she is feeding the horse she goes into labour. Child Water's mother hears her groans and sends him down to the stable. He hears Ellen singing a sad lullaby to their baby and promises her marriage on the day of her churching. [EKM]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. II pp. 86-87. (Version A).
    Characters
    Male (adult) x 1 / Female (adult) x1 / Unspecified gender (Child) / <Female (adult) x 26>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
    Indexer
    EKM
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    986 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws O7
    Subject terms
    Love / Courtship / Class difference (romantic couples) / Parental opposition (to courtship or marriage) / Rural setting / May (month) / Cupid / Ploughmen / <Heart> / Ploughing / <Barley> / <Sowing> / Letters / Parents / Marriage / <Weddings> / Brides / <Villages> / <Churches> / <Kindness> / <Unhappiness> / Ladies / <Adoration> / Fields / Furrows / <Beauty> / <Regret> / <Scorn> / <Complaints> / <Arrows> / <Breaking> / <Wounding> / <Clods> / <Gentlemen> / <Consents> / <Lawfulness>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The lady falls in love with the ploughboy who is breaking up clods. She refers to him as Cupid, and fancifully imagines that his farming tools are arrows. He offers to be a true husband, and the two are married [Laws 1957, p.229]. [In indexed copy] A lady walks in the spring meadows and encounters a ploughboy, singing of the joys of his work. She falls in love with him; is courted by another perfectly satisfactory suitor, but rejects him for her ploughboy. She wonders if it would be too bold to write to him of her love. He hears her lament her case, tells her that he loves her and wishes to marry her - they do and live happily ever after. [RAS]
    Source
    Cupid the ploughboy [sleeves notes]. In: Walter Pardon, 2000. Put a bit of Powder on it Father [CD]. Stroud: Musical Traditions Records. MTCD305-6, P. 12.
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1 / <Male (Adult) x 1>
    Song voice
    Female
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Laws, G. M. (1957). American balladry from British broadsides. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society
    Indexer
    RAS
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    13 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 214
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Yarrow (Selkirkshire) / Ladies / Lords / Brothers / Fathers / <Wine> / <Blood> / <Drinking> / Fighting / Honour killings / True love / Class difference (romantic couples) / Ploughmen / <Promises> / <Corpses> / Unhappiness
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A lady is courted by nine noblemen and a ploughboy, the one she loves. They decide to kill him, and confront him as he walks alone. He says he will fight them one by one. He kills three, three run away, but her brother stabs him from behind. She dreams of her brother covered in blood and confronts him; he admits to the killing. She carries her ploughboy home, wrapped in her long yellow hair, and her father says he can marry her to one of a far higher degree. She replies that a fairer flower never bloomed, than her ploughboy from Yarrow. [RAS]
    Source
    The dowie dens o' Yarrow [sleeve notes]. In: Beattie, W. 2001. Up in the North and Down in the South [CD]. Stroud: Musical Traditions Records. MTCD311-2, P. 14. Track 1/20.
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 9 / Male (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Male Female
    Song history
    Yarrow in the Scottish borders has given birth to many classic ballads, of which this one is surely the foremost. It is one of Child’s 305 ballads, and though not among the most popular of such songs, by far the most versions are from Scotland, with England rarely featuring, and a few North American versions presumably due to the Scottish diaspora. The earliest known version in print was in Scott’s Minstrelsy (1802), though it is reported to have existed from at least 1768. That it is regarded north of the border as 'Scottish' rather than just 'border' is seen by the fact that the Greig-Duncan collection lists no less than 31 versions, a lot of which have full texts, and that Duncan said it was 'one of the most popular of all ballads in the North-East'. Child (1882-95, Vol IV pp. 160-177) presented 16 versions, and Bronson (1959-72, Vol III pp. 314-327) 42 tunes. See also Shuldham-Shaw and Lyle (1981-2002, Vol 2 pp. 99-113). [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. / Shuldham-Shaw, P. and Lyle, E. B., eds. (1981-2002). The Greig-Duncan folk song collection. Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press.
    Indexer
    RAS
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    42 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 62
    Subject terms
    Castles / Lords / Ladies / Sons / Brides / Mistresses (lovers) / <Gold (colour)> / Bread / Wine / <Ships> / Wealth / Dowries / Families / Virginity / Common-law marriages / Quests / Marriage / Returning / <Sea travel> / Recognition / Revealing identity / Escaping / Greed / Despair / Loss (emotion) / Kidnapping / Restoration / Recompense
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Annie’s lover, Lord Thomas, says he is going away to bring home a rich bride. Annie must prepare for their homecoming and hide the fact that she is the mother of eight of his children. She complies, but the bride remarks on her resemblance to her long-lost abducted sister. Annie also recognises her. She withdraws, but later the bride hears her lamentations. In conversation Annie reveals her identity and it turns out that they are sisters, daughters of the Earl of Wemyss. The bride decides to return home, thankful to have retained her virginity, leaving Annie well provided for. [SF]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. II pp. 69-70. (Version A).
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 2 / Male (Adult) x 1 / <Male (Child) x 7>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. / Würzbach, N. and Salz, S. M. (1995). Motif Index of the Child Corpus. Berlin: de Gruyter.
    Indexer
    SF
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    199 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 106
    Subject terms
    Bowers (apartments) / <Roads> / Brides / Knights / Ladies / Lovers / Thieves / Kings / <Nobles> / Lords / William / Fathers / Husbands / Wives / Friends / Queens / Elderly men / Curly hair / Men's clothes / Swords / Flutes / Marriage / <Crowns (headwear)> / <Silver (metal)> / Gold (metal) / Robbery / Murder / <Horse riding> / Hunting / Singing / Despair / Hope / Joy / Cross-dressing / True love / Domestic servants & staff / <Flowers> / Royal households / Chamberlains / Rapiers
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Source
    The famous flower of serving-men, or, The lady turned serving man (ca. 1780-1812). [broadside]. London: Evans. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 5(110).
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 3 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Female
    Song history
    This Child ballad of great popularity in the postwar revival, but only moderately so historically, made its first known appearance in a black letter London broadside printed for Thackaray and Passinger about 1660. Its next appearance was in Bishop Percy’s manuscripts of 1776, followed by several notable 19th century Scottish collections (a classic history of many Child ballads). Most oral versions have come from Scotland then England in the 1900s. Child (1882-95, Vol II pp. 428-432) looked at three versions, Bronson (1959-72, Vol II pp. 530-534) the tunes of seven versions in three groups. [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. ; Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
    Indexer
    LER
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/7719
  • Roud No
    57 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 89
    Subject terms
    Castles / <Pig sties> / Kings / Queens / Lords / Ladies / Mothers / Babies / Sons / Daughters / Usurpers / Knives / Rebellions / Rewards / Casting lots / Regicide / Vengeance / Exchange / Rescuing / Marriage / Love / Fidelity / Restoration / Righting of wrongs
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A lady is courted by three kings. One wins her hand but the nobles revolt. Fause Foodrage is chosen to kill the king, which he does, and tells the queen that if her child is born a girl she will live, but if a boy he will die. The queen gets her guards drunk and escapes to give birth to a boy in a pigsty. Wise William is chosen to look for the queen, but he sends his wife, who is nursing a baby girl. The two women exchange babies to save the boy. When the lad is grown, Wise William tells him who he is; the young man then kills Fause Foodrage and rescues his mother. He rewards Wise William with half of his lands and marries his daughter. [SF]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. II pp. 298-300 (Version A)
    Characters
    <Male (Adult) x 3> / Male (Adult) x 3 / Female (Adult) x 2 / Male (Child) x 1 / Female (Child) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. / Würzbach, N. and Salz, S. M. (1995). Motif Index of the Child Corpus. Berlin: de Gruyter.
    Indexer
    SF
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    912 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws Q29
    Subject terms
    Low Countries / Boys / Fishermen / Ladies / Fathers / <Mothers> / Orphans / Wandering / Lamentation / Night / <Thunder> / <Lightning> / Shipwrecks / Bereavement / Rescuing / Work
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The boy's mother had died at home and his father in a storm at sea. He wanders alone until a kind lady takes him in and persuades her father to find work for him. He serves his master faithfully until he becomes a man [Laws 1957, p.287].
    Source
    The poor fisherman's boy (no date). [broadside] No imprint. Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 16(208a)
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1 / Male (Child) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Laws, G. M. (1957). American balladry from British broadsides. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society
    Indexer
    HMF
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/23674
  • Roud No
    95 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 228
    Subject terms
    Highlands (Scotland) / Glasgow / Isle of Skye / Sweethearts / Mothers / Fathers / Earls / Young women / Ladies / Daughters / <Soldiers> / Sheep / Cows / Glens / <Hills> / Grass / Hay / Beds / Blankets / Houses / Kilts / Horses / Mountains / Parental opposition (to courtship or marriage) / Horse riding / Love / Homesickness / Regret
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A young highlander comes to Glasgow and sees Peggy. He vows to take her home with him. Despite parental opposition, Peggy goes with him. The Earl of Argyle regrets that the bonniest lass in Scotland should go off with a highlander. After much riding, they lie down on a bed of grass, with hay for blankets and his kilt as a pillow. Peggy expresses her sorrow and how sad her mother would be to see her in these conditions. He says that in his house she will have feather beds, and he points to all the cattle and sheep he owns, and the beautiful house on a fine hill. For he is the Earl of Skye. [JWD]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. IV p. 271. (Version A).
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2 / <Male (Adult) x 1> / Female (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Child 226 and 227 are similar to this in that a lowland girl goes off with a highlander, who (in Child 226), as here, turns out to be a wealthy lord. Child 222, 223, 224, and 225 also have a similar theme except that the abduction is forceful.

    Comparative songs
    Lizie Lindsay (Roud 94, Child 226) / Bonny Lizie Baillie (Roud 341. Child 227) / Bonny Baby Livingston (Roud 100, Child 222) / Eppie Morie (Round 2583, Child 223) / Lady of Arngosk, The (Roud 4019, Child 224) / Rob Roy (Roud 340, Child 225)
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
    Indexer
    JWD
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    379 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    West / Woodland setting / Broom (shrub) / Sons / Fathers / Ladies / Idleness / Beds / Noon / Threats / Knives / Leaving / Castles / Selling / Marriage proposals / Broom cutters / Shouting
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    An old broomcutter tries to get his idle son to go out to cut brooms in the wood. After a threat to burn down his room, the boy goes reluctantly, but leaves the work and sets out to a place where is he unknown. Arriving at a castle he shouts to the lady to ask her to buy his brooms. She takes him in and proposes marriage. [HMF]
    Source
    Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The new Penguin book of English folk songs. London: Penguin Classics. pp. 232-233.
    Characters
    Male (Elderly) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male Female
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    HMF
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    987 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws O15
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Riverbanks / Ireland / England / Morning / Americans / Philadelphia / Admirers / Strangers / Young women / Poor people / <Fathers> / <Daughters> / <Ladies> / Class difference (romantic couples) / Promises to marry / Courtship & marriage / Enchantment (emotion) / Marriage / Wealth / <Desire> / <Chariots> / <Horses> / <Castles> / <Cottages> / Foreign travel / Promises to marry / <Sailing> / <Blushing>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The young man immediately falls in love with a girl he meets by chance. When her father appears, the youth says he has a large fortune and offers to marry her. The couple are happily united, and the American lives with bride on the banks of the Lea [Laws 1957, p.233]
    Source
    The green mossy bank of the Lea [and] Child of good-nature (ca. 1797-1834). [broadside]. Durham: G. Walker. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 11(1428)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / <Male (Adult) x 1> / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    There are many broadside and oral versions, mostly English rather than Irish which one would have expected. The earliest print was by Catnach (1813-1838). Many oral versions were collected in the first revival, led by Vaughan Williams in 1904. See Karpeles (1974, vol. 1 p. 733). [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Laws, G. M. (1957). American balladry from British broadsides. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society. / Karpeles, M., ed. (1974) Cecil Sharp’s collection of English folk songs. London: OUP
    Indexer
    GHHB
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/9737
  • Roud No
    111 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 267
    Subject terms
    <Scotland> / Edinburgh / Lords / Fathers / <Mothers> / Wives / Men / <Ladies> / Gamekeepers / Heirs / Spendthrifts / Card games / Dice games / Wine / Gold coins / Fees / Lands / Bargains / Pennies (coins) / <Brass coins> / <Lead coins> / <Purses> / Bread / Months / Letters / Destitution / Chests (furniture) / Bags / Earnest money / Silver coins / Pounds (money) / Rewards / Curses / Merrymaking / Alcoholic drinking / Gambling / Selling / Begging / Buying / Regret / Contentment / <Unhappiness>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The new Lord of Linne is a spendthrift, fond of gambling and drinking. John of Scales offers gold to buy his lands. Within nine months, all the wastrel's money has been spent so he is forced to beg in Edinburgh, often unsuccessfully. Regretting his lost life, he remembers a paper his father left with instructions to read it only if he was in dire need. The paper directs him to three chests of gold hidden in a castle wall. At John of Scales' house, a good fellow remembers former kindnesses and lends him forty pence so he can drink with the company. John of Scales jokes that he will sell the lands back at a twenty pound discount. The lord throws him a penny to seal the bargain, calling on those present as witnesses. Promising forty pounds and a forester's position to the man who lent him money, he swears he will not risk losing his land again. In another branch of the ballad, the former lord is directed to a cottage furnished for a hanging. As he attempts to hang himself, the ceiling above gives way and a store of gold is revealed. [DZ]
    Source
    Child, F.J., ed. (1882-98).The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol V pp. 11-20. (Version A).
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 3 / Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 3
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    This Child ballad made its appearance in Bishop Percy's manuscript, which has been dated to around 1650. Child (1882-95, Vol V p. 100) states Percy replaced the location of gold chests in the manuscript with a story of a fortune revealed by an attempted hanging, an episode which is found in The Drunkard's Legacy, a broadside ballad in Percy's collection. As this amendment was considered to have improved the narrative,it was included in some later publications. Stories which resemble Percy's version have been found in Turkish, Arabian and Greek literature. In the 20th Century, a partially complete oral version was collected in Perthshire. A tune is recorded in a manuscript in the James Madison Carpenter Collection. [DZ]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
    Indexer
    DZ
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    84 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 191
    Subject terms
    Carlisle / Anglo-Scottish border / Bishops / <Traitors> / Thieves / Juries / <Judges> / Lords / Ladies / Scrope, Thomas Scrope, Baron, approximately 1567-1609 / Armstrong, John, -1528 / Graham (Clan) / Fathers / Wives / <Moors> / Mares / Swords / Oxen / Pennies (coins) / <Heaven> / Death sentences / Fighting / Pursuing / Hanging (execution) / Infidelity / <Crying> / Theft / Revenge
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Lord Scroope has gone hunting to capture Hughie for stealing the bishop’s mare. Hughie resists, but as they fight, with much blood, ten yeomen arrive and overpower him. They take him to Carlisle, where the lads and lasses line the walls and call out their support for him. A jury of twelve men condemn him to death. Lord Hume offers twelve oxen in exchange for Hughie, but the judge refuses and says Hughie must hang. Lady Hume offers a peck of white pennies, but the judge refuses that as well. Hughie leaps eighteen feet with this hands tied behind his back. He looks over his left shoulder and sees his father coming. He tells his father not to weep, as they may kill him but cannot keep him from heaven. He bids farewell to his wife Maggie, and says it is her fault for playing the whore with the bishop. He tells Johnnie Armstrong to take his sword and to remember the death of Hughie the Grame. [JWD]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. IV pp. 12-13. (Version C).
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 5 / Male (Elderly) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    A Child ballad dating from the late 1600s, fairly rare historically, but which has been particularly popular in the postwar revival. First seen in a black letter broadside between 1672 and 1696 printed by Brooksby in London entitled ‘The Life and Death of Sir Hugh of the Grime’ and next in D’Urfey’s Pills to Purge Melancholy in 1719 with exactly the same title. It next appeared in many of the early nineteenth century Scottish collections as well as the English Evans’ Old Ballads of 1810 in which ‘Grime’ was part of the title. And yet as early as 1806, Walter Scott had received more than one version where “Grime” was replaced by “Graeme”. Thereafter, no more than six oral versions, all Scottish, have been found, mainly collected by Greig, Duncan, and Carpenter in the early twentieth century. In common with most Child ballads, no nineteenth century broadsides are known. Child (1882-95, Vol IV pp. 8-15 and 518-520) considered seven versions, later adding a further three. Bronson (1959-72, Vol III pp. 179-181) looked at the tunes of seven variants. [PRW]
    Notes

    Johnie Armstrong, referred to in the last verse of this song, is the subject of Child ballad 169. However the reference here appears to be an anachronism, as Armstrong was executed in about 1528, long before the likely date of the setting of this song. This verse was not present in the original of this version, but was added from another source (Child 1882-95, Vol. IV p. 518).

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
    Indexer
    JWD
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    110 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 266
    Subject terms
    Foreign lands / Turkey (country) / Scotland / <Greece> / Woodland setting / <Years> / Lords / Turks / Ladies / Husbands / Unfaithful wives / Scots / <Knights> / <Greeks> / <Pilgrims> / Fighters / <Fine clothes> / <Plains> / Sequins (coins) / Leaders / <Kneeling> / Burning / Travel / <Precious stones> / Roads / <Heart> / Letters / <Ships> / <Friends> / Disguise / Revealing identity / <News> / <Armies> / Female agency / <Masks (disguises)> / Cellars / <Bread> / <Wine> / <Fights> / Trees / <Knives> / Ribbons / Flags / Signalling horns / Castles / Leaving / <Writing> / <Kissing> / Pleading / Hanging (execution) / Infidelity / Betrayal
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    John Thomson, a Scot, has been away fighting against the Turks for three years, when his wife unexpectedly visits him. Instead of returning home again, she goes to a Turk called Violentrie, despite warnings not to go there. After a year, John Thomson is told by letter that she has not arrived home. He goes in disguise to Violentrie's castle, learns that she is there of her own free will and begs her to hide him. When Violentrie offers ten thousand sequins for sight of the Scot, however, she reveals him. At John Thomson's suggestion, the Turk takes him to a wood to choose a tree for his hanging, but the Scot ties ribbons and a flag to tree branches and then blows his horn to summon his men. They burn the Turk in his castle and hang the lady. [DZ]
    Source
    Child, F.J., ed. (1882-98).The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol V pp. 2-10. (Version A).
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2 / Female (Adult) x1 / <Male (Adult) x 3000>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    According to Child (1882-95, Vol V pp. 1-8) the ballad's story occurs in several French sources dating from the twelfth century and originally concerned King Solomon and his queen. He describes the story in prose in Russian, Servian and German and also parts of the tale which occur in Scandanavian ballads from the seventeenth century. Leyden (1801) printed four stanzas and said he had ' heard the whole song when very young'. More complete song texts were printed in several 19th century collections, the first being Motherwell (1827). Text and music collected in Aberdeenshire appear in Christie (1881). An oral version was collected in Vermont, USA in 1934, under the title 'The Trooper and the Turk'. [DZ]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
    Indexer
    DZ
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    862 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Urban setting / Young men / Ladies / Coach drivers / Coach passengers / Gigolos / Wine / Money / Horse whips / Drinking / Enjoyment / Promiscuity / Sexual euphemisms / Boasting
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A carefree young man having studied in London and France, sets himself up as a "coachman" for hire to fashionable ladies, emphasising his safe night driving skills. He bargains with a lady for a wage of ten guineas a month plus drink. She hastens to test his skill and stamina but finds herself exhausted after driving "nine times round the room." She invites her maidservant to take over while her "gig wheel is repairing." Seeing the error of his drink-driving, the coachman resolves to give up his trade, to the dismay of the ladies. [MFP]
    Source
    The jolly driver [and] The mower (no date). [broadside]. No imprint. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 11(1929)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Notes

    The 17th-century broadsides of the Jolly coachman are of two different stories in which (a) the coachman's promiscuity angers his clients and they threaten to castrate him, or (b) he impregnates some seven ladies or more and resolves to live happily and chastely as the father of so many children.

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MFP
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/26605
  • Roud No
    952 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Greenwich / Kent / Ladies / Sailors / Admirers / Love / Attraction / <Handsomeness> / <Tallness> / <Single life> / Marriage proposals / Marriage / Class difference (romantic couples) / Wealth
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A wealthy lady goes to Greenwich where she meets a tall and handsome sailor and she falls in love with him. One day she asks him about his single life to which he replies that he can barely provide for himself much less for a entire family. She tells him she would be a perfect match for him and that if they were to get married he could retire from being a sailor since she is wealthy. They get married and go to live in Kent where they live a happy life and the sailor never returns to the sea. [GHHB]
    Source
    The jolly sailor, or, The lady of Greenwich (1800?). [broadside]. No imprint. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Douce Ballads 4(48)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    GHHB
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/30733
  • Roud No
    105 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 252
    Subject terms
    Castles / London / Lords / Ladies / Kitchen boys / Absent lovers / Rejected suitors / Reunited lovers / Gold rings / Ships / Wealth / Gifts / Lovers' tokens / Lovers' trysts / Parental opposition (to courtship or marriage) / Sea travel / Outwitting / False identity / Revealing identity / Love / Parental approval (of courtship or marriage) / Class difference (romantic couples)
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A noblewoman falls in love with her father’s kitchen-boy, but they can only meet in secret. He rebuffs her, fearing for his life if her father finds out. She refuses to lose him and gives him much gold and a ship, telling him to sail away and return later, apparently as a rich gentleman. She gives him a ring as a token. He sails to London, where a lady tries to woo him with her own ring, which he refuses. He sails back to his home after a year and is welcomed by his beloved’s father as a rich suitor. She does not recognise her lover until after seeing her ring. As soon as the couple embrace, the father calls for a priest to marry them. [SF]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. IV pp. 401-403 (Version A)
    Characters
    Adult (male) x 2 / Adult (female) x 2
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. / Würzbach, N. and Salz, S. M. (1995). Motif Index of the Child Corpus. Berlin: de Gruyter.
    Indexer
    SF
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    81 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 182
    Subject terms
    <Castles> / Edinburgh / Kings / Queens / Lovers / Lords / Ladies / <Babies> / Gold coins / Silver coins / Pistols / Combs / Knives / Imprisonment / Escaping punishment / Trickery / Execution / Mockery / Signalling / <Sailing> / True love / Running away
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    May Margaret, lamenting for the imprisoned Young Logie, begs the King for his release, which is refused. She steals the King’s comb and the Queen’s knife and sends them to Carmichael, the jailer as tokens to set him free. She also sends money and pistols to Logie, who is released. Once away, he fires the pistols as a signal that he is safe. The King hears the shots and guesses that Logie has escaped. He summons Carmichael and blames him, condemning him to die in the stead of Logie. Carmichael goes to see May Margaret who simply laughs and escapes herself to rejoin her child’s father. [SF]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. III pp. 452-453 (Version A)
    Characters
    Adult (male) x 3 / Adult (female) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. / Würzbach, N. and Salz, S. M. (1995). Motif Index of the Child Corpus. Berlin: de Gruyter.
    Indexer
    SF
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    6 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 93
    Subject terms
    Houses / Night / Lords / Ladies / Babies / Mothers / Daughters / Nannies / <Windows> / Safety / Danger / <Hearths (domestic)> / <Candles> / <Milk> / <Money> / Blood / Basins / Breaking in / Deception / Betrayal / Death by stabbing / Pinching / Murder / Infanticide / Crying / Bargaining / Hanging (execution) / Burning at the stake / <Scotland> / <Masons> / <Castles> / <Debt>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    As he leaves on a journey, a lord tells his lady to beware of false Lambkin and to ensure that the doors snd windows are fastened securely. Nevertheless Lambkin gets in and, together with the false nurse, attacks the lord's baby. The lady hears the baby's cries and is persuaded by the nurse to come downstairs. She attempts in vain to bribe Lambkin to spare her but he kills her too. Her daughter refuses to come down. When she sees her father returning she says that the the lady and baby were killed by Lambkin and the nurse, who are subsequently both executed. In the indexed version no motive is given for Lambkin's actions but in other versions he is a mason who has built a castle for the lord and has not received payment. [MN]
    Source
    Pitts (London 1819-1844). Lambkin. [broadside] Harding Collection, Oxford: Bodleian Library.
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 2 / Female (Child) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male Female
    Song history
    A Child ballad first found in the 1770s in Scotland. Gilchrist (1932) showed two lines of descent, one Scottish, which gave rise to many versions from the USA, and the other set in Northumberland, which led to many of the English versions. (There are many more oral versions collected from English singers than from Scottish singers.) The only broadside version known was printed by the most prominent London printer John Pitts, sometime between 1819 and 1844, most likely towards the end of this period. The text, whilst clearly absorbing some of the phraseology of previously published versions, was not a copy of any single version. However, it was a particularly full version of the story, so may have been enhanced by a creative editor within Pitts’s organisation. Despite its singularity, it must have been seen by a number of English singers, whose texts had phrases unique to the Pitts print, which subsequently surfaced in versions collected by several of the Edwardian collectors, such as Cecil Sharp. Child (1882-95, Vol II pp. 320-342) presented 22 versions, and Bronson (1969-62, Vol II pp. 428-445) gave us 31 tunes, See also Roud and Bishop (2012, pp. 484-485). [PRW]
    Notes

    The name given to the murderer varies considerably; Child considers that Lambkin or similar are ironic epithets. The fates of Lamkin and the nurse also vary, including not only hanging and burning at the stake, but being boiled in a cauldron or a pot of lead.

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications./ Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. / Shuldham-Shaw, P. and Lyle, E. B., eds. (1981-2002). The Greig-Duncan folk song collection. Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press./ Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The new Penguin book of English folk songs. London: Penguin Classics / Gilchrist, A. G. (1932) 'Lambkin: a study in evolution' Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, 1(1) pp. 1-17
    Indexer
    LER
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/21047
  • Roud No
    94 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 226
    Subject terms
    Edinburgh / Highlands (Scotland) / Sweethearts / Mothers / Fathers / Maids (servants) / <Agricultural personnel> / Lairds / Ladies / <Gentlemen> / Young women / Daughters / Curds / Whey / Beds / Rushes / Valleys / Hills / <Snow> / Tears / <Farms> / Suppers / Ewes / Cows / Castles / Gaelic language / Pretended poverty / Wealth / Promises to marry / Parental opposition (to courtship or marriage) / <Fine clothes> / <Laughing> / Disguise / <Hanging (execution)> / Milking / Homesickness
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Donald MacDonald asks his mother if he should go to Edinburgh to court Lizie Lindsay. She advises him to court her as though he was poor. He calls on Lizie and asks her to go to the Highlands with him, promising her curds and whey, and a bed of rushes with a grey covering. Lizie asks where she is going and with whom. Donald says his father is a cattle dealer, and his mother is a dairywoman. Lizie’s father threatens him with hanging if he should steal his daughter, but Donald says there is no law that could hang him. Lizie’s maid supports his suit, so Lizie goes off with Donald. When they reach the Highlands, Lizie is miserable and wishes she was back in Edinburgh. They come to a shieling where an old woman welcomes them as Sir Donald and his lady, but he tells her to call him Donald and pretend to be his mother. This is said in Gaelic so Lizie does not understand. He tells the old woman to make a supper of curds and whey and prepare a bed of rushes. In the morning Lizie is woken up and told she should have been out helping to milk the ewes and cattle. Lizie wishes again that she was back in Edinburgh. Then Donald shows her his castle and tells her she will be its lady. [JWD]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. IV pp. 258-259. (Version C).
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2 / <Male (Adult) x 1> / Female (Adult) x 2 / Female (Adolescent) x 1 / Female (Elderly) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Child 227 and 228 are similar to this in that a lowland girl goes off with a highlander, who (in Child 228), as here, turns out to be a wealthy lord. Child 222, 223, 224, and 225 also have a similar theme except that the abduction is forceful.

    Comparative songs
    Bonny Lizie Baillie (Roud 341. Child 227) / Glasgow Peggie (Roud 95, Child 228) / Bonny Baby Livingston (Roud 100, Child 222) / Eppie Morie (Round 2583, Child 223) / Lady of Arngosk, The (Roud 4019, Child 224) / Rob Roy (Roud 340, Child 225)
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
    Indexer
    JWD
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    46 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 66
    Subject terms
    Castles / Lords / Ladies / Brides / Fathers of the bride / Brothers / Class differences / Wealth / <Churches> / <Beds> / Messengers / Fratricide / Arranged marriages / Duels / Pregnancy / <Illegitimacy> / Love / Rejection / Regret / Quests / Rivalry / Revenge
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Lord Ingram and Chiel Wyat are brothers raised together. Both fall in love with Lady Maisry. Lord Ingram is rich and favoured by Lady Maisry’s family, whereas Chiel Wyat is poor though Lady Maisry loves him and becomes pregnant by him. Her father forces her to marry Lord Ingram, but she sends word to Chiel Wyat to rescue her. On their wedding night Lord Ingram discovers her pregnancy; he offers to adopt the child and compensate his brother, but Lady Maisry refuses. The two brothers meet and kill each other. Guilty of causing their deaths, Lady Maisry vows repentance for the rest of her life. [SF]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. II pp. 128-130 (Version A)
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 2 / <Male (Child) x 1> / <Male (Adult) x 1>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. / Würzbach, N. and Salz, S. M. (1995). Motif Index of the Child Corpus. Berlin: de Gruyter.
    Indexer
    SF
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    48 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 75
    Subject terms
    Lords / Ladies / Nancy / Dreams / <Horse riding> / True love / Parted lovers / Death from a broken heart / Foreign travel
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Lord Lovel [Lovat in the indexed version] is preparing for a journey; His sweetheart, Lady Nancy Bell, asks where he's going. He tells her he's going to foreign lands, but will return to see her. When he's been away for two years he has a dream that he should return to see her. He does so, and hears many ladies weeping about someone's death. He asks them who has died, and they tell him that Lady Nancy Bell has died for her true lover's sake, and Lord Lovel was his name. [RAS]
    Source
    Lord Lovet [sleeve notes]. In: Higgins, E. (2006). In Memory of Lizzie Higgins. [CD]. Stroud: Musical Traditions Records. MTCD337-8. pp.22-23.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1 +
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    A popular Child ballad with hundreds of versions. Said by Child to appear in the Bishop Percy papers as having been collected in Wye, Herefordshire as early as 1770, entitled ‘Lady Ouncebell’. It was first seen in print in the early Scottish collections starting with Kinloch in 1827,where the lady is “Nanciebell”. Unlike many other such ballads, the title is remarkably consistent. Oral versions come from England, Scotland and the United States, and unlike most Child ballads it occurs in many broadsides, entirely from the 19th century, and mostly English. Child (1882-95, Vol II pp. 204-213) considered nine versions, Bronson (1959-72, Vol II pp. 189-217) 71 tunes in three groups. See also Roud and Bishop (2012, pp. 486-487). [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. ; Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ; Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The new Penguin book of English folk songs. London: Penguin Classics.
    Indexer
    RAS
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    113 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 271
    Subject terms
    Scotland / France / Fathers / Sons / Teachers / Lords / Ladies / <Husbands> / <Wives> / Mothers / Children / Stewards / Shepherds / Noblemen's daughters / Dukes / Grooms (horses) / <Young women> / Porters / <Menservants> / <Italians> / Schools / <Saddles> / <Bridles> / Horses / Blessings / News / Foreign languages / Pounds (money) / Foreign travel / Abuse / Humiliation / False identity / Oaths (promises) / <Hunger> / <Thirst> / <Rivers> / Fine clothes / <Shirts> / <Nakedness> / <Coats> / <Hosiery> / Personal names / Sheep / <Meadows> / Courtship / <Suppers> / Truth / <Chamberlains> / Stables / <Friends> / <Gardens> / Letters / Legal procedures / Guilty verdicts / Hanging (execution) / Boiling to death / Weddings / Wedding receptions / <Wine> / <Musicians> / Horse riding / Boasting / Pleading / Deer hunting / Sighing / Groaning / Crying / Lying / Anger / Pride / Greed / Tenderness (emotion) / Betrayal / Female agency / Moral lessons / Divine punishment
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The Lord of Lorn's son astonishes his teacher with his learning so his father sends him to France to study foreign languages. A trusted head steward is given charge of the boy, but he ill treats him before renaming him 'Poor Disawear' and sending him to a shepherd, who treats him well. The steward, meanwhile, pretends to be the Lord of Lorn and courts a duke's daughter. Whilst hunting, the daughter discovers the boy crying and wishes to employ him, much to the steward's annoyance. The duke makes him a groom. One day, the daughter hears the boy telling a horse that he is really a lord. The boy is under oath not to reveal the truth, so the lady asks him to tell his story to the horse. She writes a letter to the Lord of Lorn, who arrives to confirm the steward's treachery. The steward is executed and the boy marries the duke's daughter. [DZ]
    Source
    Child, F.J., ed. (1882-98).The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol V pp. 42-58 (Version B)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 5 / Male (Adolescent) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 2 / Female (Adolescent) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    This ballad was printed on a small number of broadsides, all dating from the second half of the seventeenth century. Copies are to be found in the Bishop Percy's manuscript and also in the Roxburghe and Pepys collections. Printers in London gave the tune as 'Greensleeves' whereas in Newcastle the title of the tune was 'Green Sleeves and Pudding-Pies'. The ballad's story may have been partly taken from 'Roswall and Lilian', a romance printed in Edinburgh in 1663. It is also related to several tales from Northern Europe, in which a son sent abroad is forced by his servant to work as a menial until his identity is revealed, after which he marries a princess.
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
    Indexer
    DZ
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/797
  • Roud No
    109 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 260
    Subject terms
    Castles / Woodland setting / Lords / Ladies / Menservants / Maids (servants) / Beggars / Deer / Hunting dogs / Horses / <Swords> / <Cellars> / Wine / Bottles / Cups / <Hands> / <Fingers> / <Thumbs> / Poisons / Deer hunting / Horse riding / Running away / Bargaining / Rescuing / Begging / Rejection / Trickery / Death by poisoning / Humiliation / Hatred / Revenge
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Lord Thomas goes hunting. His lover, Lady Margaret, follows him, but he takes exception to this and orders his servants to hunt her and chase her away. In her flight she encounters a man and begs for help, which he grants if she will renounce everything and marry him. She agrees, and the two ride off. One day Lord Thomas, now a spurned beggar, visits her and asks for help, which she refuses. He then threatens to kill her husband. She invites Lord Thomas in for a drink but gives him poisoned wine, which kills him. [SF]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. IV pp. 426-427
    Characters
    Adult (male) x 2 / Adult (female) x 1 / <Adult (male) x 3> / <Adult (female) x 3>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. / Würzbach, N. and Salz, S. M. (1995). Motif Index of the Child Corpus. Berlin: de Gruyter.
    Indexer
    SF
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    4 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 73
    Subject terms
    Thomas / Lords / Ladies / Mothers / Bridegrooms / Weddings / Brown skin / Wealth / Warnings / Penknives / <Blood> / Ribs / <Knees> / Head / Swords / Questions / Advice / Violence / Death / Unrequited love / Murder / Beheading / Stabbing / Suicide / Visiting / <Horse riding> / Jealousy / Greed / Love / Class difference (romantic couples) / Ribs / Violent death / Decision making / Disobedience / Dutifulness / Undutifulness
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Source
    A tragical ballad of the unfortunate loves of Lord Thomas and fair Eleanor : together with the downfall of the brown girl (no date). [broadside]. London: Aldermary Church Yard. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 3(91)
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 4 / Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male Female
    Song history
    A classic Child ballad with hundreds of versions, mostly collected from named singers in the United States in the 20th century. England and Scotland have earlier versions, the first being found in Ramsay’s Tea Table Miscellany of 1724. There was a later 18th century occurrence, and the broadside printers of the 19th century from all over the British Isles and North America favoured it. The first oral versions were collected from Arkansas in 1903, Somerset in 1904, and Scotland in 1905. Known better in recent times as ‘The Wraggle Taggle Gypsies O’, it has maintained its popularity in the postwar revival with versions from most of the prominent singers. Child (1882-95, Vol IV pp. 61-74) presented eleven versions, and Bronson (1959-72, Vol III pp. 143-184) gave us 128 tunes. [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. ; Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ; Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The new Penguin book of English folk songs. London: Penguin Classics.
    Indexer
    LER
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/5275
  • Roud No
    901 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws Q31
    Subject terms
    England / France / Spain / Dublin / Valleys / Rural setting / Farmers / Gypsies / Uncles / Squires / Ladies / Nieces / Parted lovers / Reunited lovers / <Trustees> / <Violets> / Prisons / Gold coins / Wealth / Schools / <Doves> / <Brides> / Marriage / Betrayal / Murder / <Bells> / Death / Gallows / Travel / Searching / Kidnapping / Hope / Fear / Bravery / Grief / Celebrations
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Because his neice has been stolen by gypsies, a man is accused of murder and is sentenced to death. Her lover finds the girl in Dublin and tells her of her uncle's predicament. She promises to marry the youth and give him much money if he will take her back to England. He does so and her uncle's life is saved [Laws ABBB p.288]
    Source
    Thorney moor wood [and] The lost lady found (ca. 1863-1885). [broadside]. London: Such. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 11(3803)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x2 / Female (Adult) x1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Laws, G. M. (1957). American balladry from British broadsides. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society.
    Indexer
    LER
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/2953
  • Roud No
    2336 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Winter / Castles / Daytime / Night / Lords / Ladies / Barons / Brides / Bridegrooms / Fathers / Daughters / Friends / Beauty / Christmas parties / Mistletoe / Holly trees / Oak trees / Chests (furniture) / Death / Skeletons / <Bridal bouquets> / Searching / <Dancing> / <Pride> / Merriment / Grief / Accidental death / Passage of time / Hide & seek / Trapping
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    It is Chistmas and a wealthy Baron hosts a wonderful festive party, the belle of the ball is his lovely young daughter - soon to be wed to Lord Lovel. During the festivities the bride decides to play a game of hide and seek. Tragically she goes missing, never to be seen again. Her bridegroom is understandably devastated. Many years pass when finally an old wooden chest is discovered in the castle, containing the skeleton of a girl - in a bridal wreath [NSB].
    Source
    Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The new Penguin book of English folk songs. London: Penguin Classics. pp. 308-310.
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 2 / <Male (Elderly) x 1 >
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    The words to this song were written by Thomas Haynes Bayley with music by Sir Henry Bishop. The song is based on a poem by Samuel Rogers published in 1823 and was picked up fairly swiftly by broadside printers from the 1830s onwards (Roud and Bishop., 2012, p. 489-490). [NSB]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Thomas Haynes Bayley (1797-1839) (Roud and Bishop., 2012, p. 489)
    Date composed
    1830s (Roud and Bishop., 2014, p. 489)
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The new Penguin book of English folk songs. London: Penguin Classics.
    Indexer
    NSB
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    146 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Gardens / Ladies / Men / <Garters> / <Dawn> / Night / Sleeping / Questioning / Answering / Verbal trickery / Consensual sex / Pleasure / Seduction
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The narrator attempts to seduce a lady in her garden. When he realises that she answers all questions with a 'No', he frames his questions so as to let her emphasise her consent and enjoyment while continuing to reply in the negative. They sleep all night in each other's arms. [EKM/MN]
    Source
    Purslow, F., ed. (2007). Marrow bones. Revised edition. London: EFDSS pp 75-76
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1/ Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male Female
    Song history
    First found in the late nineteenth century on a Scottish broadside, although some believe that a forerunner of the song was called ‘Consent at last’, which appeared in D’urfey’s Pills to Purge Melancholy in 1719. Apart from the broadside, printed by The Poets’ Box in Glasgow, there is also a version in an American sonster of 1883 . It has been moderately popular in oral tradition in England and North America, but scarcely found in Scotland and Ireland. The song has been increasingly well-known since the introduction of a bowdlerised version to schoolchildren in the 1950s, and in the postwar revival many notable source singers have sung a version, notably Sam Larner and the Copper family. [PRW/MN]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    EKM
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    21 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 4
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Seaside setting / Riverbanks / Turks / Ladies / <Mothers> / <Gold coins> / <Horses> / <Dresses> / Parrots / Cages / Drowning / Revenge / Talking birds / Telling tales / <Courtship> / <Horse riding> / Ivory (product)
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A Turk (or foreign person) courts a Lady and persuades her to get her parents' money and two of their horses, and they ride off into the night. When they reach the sea/river side he tells her to dismount and remove her fine gown, as he is about to drown her - as he has done to six others before her. She says he must turn his back since it's not fitting that he should see a naked woman. He does, and she pushes him into the water, where he begs her to rescue him and promises to marry her. She refuses, saying the seventh one has drowned him. She returns home where, seemingly, no time has passed, and her parrot upbraids her for her behaviour. She offers it a golden cage with an ivory door if it will tell no tales. Her mother asks the parrot what the fuss is about, and it says that a cat is threatening her. The girl thanks it and again promises the luxury cage. [RAS]
    Source
    The dapple grey [sleeve notes]. In: Bradley, M. 2010. Sweet Swansea [CD]. Stroud: Musical Traditions Records. MTCD349, Pp. 17-18. Track 21.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1 / <Female (Adult) x 1>
    Song voice
    Female
    Song history
    A classic Child ballad found in hundreds of versions in most parts of the British Isles and North America, together with a widespread presence of the story throughout the rest of Europe. It first appeared in print in a black letter broadside in the Roxburghe collection dated 1765, entitled ‘The False Knight Outwitted’ but without printer or location, then in 1776 in Scotland as ‘May Colven’, and was subsequently present in many of the early 19th century Scottish collections. In England, it first appeared in Dixon’s collection of 1846 as a 'stall copy', the first oral version coming from Shropshire in the 1870s, described by the collector as "very little varied from the stall copy of which there are many". All English versions are called ‘The Outlandish Knight’, whereas most North American versions have the title ‘Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight’, first introduced in print by Professor Child. Tracing the transmission across the Atlantic is not easy, but perhaps the reason for the change lies in the meaning of 'outlandish'. Some have thought the term as indicating that he came from the “debateable lands” across the border in Scotland, but it looks like the North Americans rather thought it to indicate a supernatural origin. The new title was present in Michigan and Nova Scotia in 1912, and Cecil Sharp found ten versions in the Appalachians between 1909 and 1918, all with this title, though he made no comment on the change of title from his English versions. Unusually for a Child ballad, most of the 19th century English broadside printers had a version of the ballad. Child (1882-95, Vol I pp. 22-62) gave us only six versions, Bronson (1959-72, Vol I pp. 39-100) 141 tunes. See also Roud and Bishop (2012, pp. 490-491). [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. ; Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ; Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The new Penguin book of English folk songs. London: Penguin Classics.
    Indexer
    RAS
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    1277 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    <Mothers> / Fathers / Daughters / <Ladies> / <Young men> / Young women / <Gold coins> / <Blindness> / <Walking> / <Love> / Fidelity / Families / Parental love / <Wealth>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The singer is out walking when a lovely girl passes him. He takes her hand and offers to marry her and make her a rich Lady. She thanks him but says her mother taught her to marry for love, not gold - and her aged father relies on her for everything. She will never part from him while he still lives. [RAS]
    Source
    The Poor Old Weaver's Daughter [sleeve notes]. In: Maynard, G. 2001. Just Another Saturday Night [CD]. Stroud: Musical Traditions Records, MTCD309-0, P. 23.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Despite most eminent 19th century broadside printers carrying a version, first revival collectors hardly came across it. [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    RAS
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    618 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Oceans & seas / Rocky shores / France / Children / Orphans / Fathers / <Mothers> / Ladies / <Masters> / Brandy / Barrels / Poverty / Wealth / <Money> / Shipwrecks / <Cottages> / <Lightning> / <Thunder> / <Rigging (boats & ships)> / <Graves> / Wills / Promises / <Wandering> / Smuggling / Loneliness / Grief / Smugglers / <Lands> / <Planks> / <Shelters> / Travel
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The narrator encounters a poor boy on the shore lamenting the drowning of his father. The boy tells of the voyage smuggling French brandy, and the storm that wrecks the boat. He manages to swim to shore, where a rich Lady hears his lament, takes him in and makes him her heir. He does well and when she dies, he inherits, and concludes "If you're ever so poor boys, you might live to be grand." [RAS]
    Source
    The Poor Smuggler's Boy [sleeve notes]. Pardon, W., 2000. Put a bit of Powder on it Father [CD]. Stroud: Musical Traditions Records. MT CD 305-6. P. 13.
    Characters
    Male (Adolescent) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    RAS
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    55 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 87
    Subject terms
    Castles / Lords / Ladies / Mothers / Sons / Pages (servants) / Messengers / Wedding rings / Gold rings / Poisons / <Birch trees> / <Briars> / <Graves> / Death by poisoning / Death from a broken heart / Pleading / Love / Grief / Hard-heartedness / Parental opposition (to courtship or marriage) / Filicide / True love
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    As Prince Robert has married Fair Eleanor against his mother’s wishes, he is poisoned by the latter in her rage. Before he dies he sends for his bride via a messenger, but is dead by the time she arrives. His mother tells Fair Eleanor that she will inherit nothing, even refusing to let her have Prince Robert’s wedding ring, the only keepsake asked for by the bride, who then dies of grief. The couple are buried in the church, and the birch that grows from his grave intertwines with the briar that grows from hers to indicate true love. [SF]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. II pp. 284-285 (Version A)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 2 / Male (Child) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. / Würzbach, N. and Salz, S. M. (1995). Motif Index of the Child Corpus. Berlin: de Gruyter.
    Indexer
    SF
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    37 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 47
    Subject terms
    <Dunfermline> / Knights / Margaret / Ladies / Ghosts / Secrets / Riddles / <Worms> / <Clay> / <Bowers (apartments)> / <Taunting> / Pride / Castles / Hell / <Death> / <Love>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Lady Margaret sees a knight approaching her castle, and asks him what he wants. He tells her that he has come for her love - or else he must die. She replies that this would mean very little, as many far better than him have died for her love. He then asks her several formulaic riddles, which she answers. He then says that her hands and feet are not very clean and her gown is coarse, and that she's not fit to be with him, as he is a dead man (who may have died for her sake) who can get no rest because of her pride. He tells her to give up her pride or she will end up in Hell, along with him - and then he vanishes. [RAS]
    Source
    Proud Lady Margaret [sleeve notes]. In: Higgins, E. (2006). In Memory of Lizzie Higgins. [CD]. Stroud: Musical Traditions Records. MTCD337-8. p. 8.
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Notes

    In other versions the ghost is Lady Margaret's brother.

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
    Indexer
    RAS
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    340 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 225
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Rowardennan / Highlands (Scotland) / Mothers / Fathers / Daughters / Young women / Priests / Ladies / <Kings> / Wives / Brides / <Friends> / <Enemies> / <Houses> / Money / Plaids / Horses / Beds / Fame / <Claymores> / Cattle / Sheep / Goats / <Bagpipes> / Hills / Marriage / Kidnapping / Rape / <Dancing> / Grief
    Subject date
    1750-11-08 / 08 Nov 1750
    Synopsis
    Robert Oig (Rob Roy in the source text) comes from the Highlands to abduct a lady. Although he tells her that he loves her, she refuses to go with him and says he only loves her for her money. He takes her on his horse and rides away to the Highlands. Six of his men hold her up before a priest to be married, then four of them put her in a bed. She weeps when she is laid by him. He tells her to be content, now she is his wife, and he boasts of his father’s wealth, power and fame. He says that with her money he will be a very fine man. [JWD]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. IV pp. 246-247 (Version B).
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / <Male (Adult) x 1> / Female (Adult) x 1 / <Female (Adult) x 1>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Robert (or Robin) Oig MacGregor was the youngest son of the famous Rob Roy. Together with his brothers, he formed a plan to improve his fortune by marrying a wealthy woman. They selected Jean Key, a nineteen year old widow who was living with her mother at Edinbelly (Edinbellie) in Stirlingshire with a fortune of 17,000 Scots merks and a yearly income of 600 merks. On the night of 8 November 1750, Rob and his brothers arrived at the house and demanded her hand in marriage. When they were refused, they put her on a horse and took her off to the Highlands. At Rowardennan, on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond, they went through a form of marriage, with Jean being held by Rob’s brother James. The MacGregors were eventually forced to release their captive, and Rob Oig was apprehended, tried and executed in February 1754 (Child 1882-95 Vol. IV, pp. 243-244); (Wilson 1998). Child 222, 223, and 224 are similar to this in that a girl is kidnapped by a highlander. Child 226, 227 and 228 also have a similar theme, except that the girl consents.

    Comparative songs
    Bonny Baby Livingston (Roud 100, Child 222) / Eppie Morie (Round 2583, Child 223) / Lady of Arngosk, The (Roud 4019, Child 224) / Lizie Lindsay (Roud 94, Child 226) / Bonny Lizie Baillie (Roud 341. Child 227) / Glasgow Peggie (Roud 95, Child 228)
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. / Wilson, J.L. (1998). 'Robin Oig McGregor'. Perthshire Diary. [online]. Available at: http://perthshirediary.com/html/day0305.html [Accessed 2021-04-28]
    Indexer
    JWD
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    29 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 18
    Subject terms
    Woodland setting / <Bromsgrove> / Knights / Giants / Ladies / Hostages / <Witches> / <Pages (servants)> / Boars / <Horns (musical instruments)> / Killing / Trapping / Fighting / Death / Rescuing / Healing / Revenge / Terror / Bravery / Hunting / Killing
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Sir Lionel goes hunting in the woods and finds a lady sitting in a tree lamenting the death of her knight, who has been killed by a wild boar. Sir Lionel kills the beast and thereby incurs the wrath of its owner, a giant (a wild woman in some versions), who demands as recompense his hawk, his hounds and the little finger of his right hand. The knight refuses, so the giant wounds him and gives him forty days to recover, after which he must fight him in single combat. The lady has to remain as a hostage. When the time is up, the knight seeks the giant, summons the lady with his horn, puts her on a horse and tells her to flee if he seems to be losing. In other versions the knight kills his opponent and rescues the lady. [SF]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. I pp. 210-211. (Version A).
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2 / Female (Adult) x 1 / <Male (child) x 1>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    A Child ballad of moderate popularity, this song’s first appearance was as a F. Coles & Partners’ broadside of 1672 entitled ‘Courage Crowned with Conquest’, since when the song has had a bewildering number of quite different titles, including Sir Eglamore, Bold Sir Rylas, the Jovial hunter of Bromsgrove, and Old Bangum. Two English collectors have found two oral forms of the song, two by Ella Mary Leather in Herefordshire, between 1905 and 1909, of completely different titles and texts, and one by Alfred Williams in Wiltshire, of yet another title and text. All the other thirty-five oral versions have been found in the United States in the 20th century. Child (1882-95, Vol I pp. 208-215) gave us six versions, Bronson (1959-72, Vol I pp. 265-274) 17 tunes. [PRW]
    Notes

    Although early versions are serious in tone, most "are farcical in varying degree" (Bronson 1959-72, Vol I p. 265).

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. / Würzbach, N. and Salz, S. M. (1995). Motif Index of the Child Corpus. Berlin: de Gruyter.
    Indexer
    SF
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    41 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 58
    Subject terms
    Scotland / Norway / <Dunfermline> / <Aberdeen> / <Aberdour (Fife)> / Kings / Sailors / Sea captains / Knights / Lords / Ladies / Scots / Daughters / Princesses / <Norwegians> / Omens / New moon / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Letters / Ships / <Silk> / <Wine> / <Fabrics> / Class differences / <International relations> / Tears / <Bedding> / Sailing / Laughing / <Crying> / <Mourning> / <Mourners> / Loss at sea (person) / Indignation / Fidelity / Betrayal
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The Scottish king wonders where he might find a good skipper. A knight suggests Sir Patrick Spens, prompting the king to command Spens to sail to Norway to bring the Norwegian king’s daughter to Scotland. Spens, knowing that is it not a good time of year to set sail, is angered to have been appointed this task. Nevertheless, off he sails with a crew. After overstaying their welcome in Norway, the Scottish crew readies for the return home, despite a bad weather omen. Indeed, a storm arises and breaches the ship. Vain attempts are made to bind up the ship’s holes. Once loathe to even wet their feet, the Scots lords aboard the ship are now wet to their hats. The ship sinks, leaving maidens and ladies to mourn the loss of those on board. [LEW 2021.05.01]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol II pp. 26-27
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2 / <Male (Adult) x 1> / <Female (Adult) x 1> /
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    A Child ballad only moderately popular historically but more so in the postwar revival, it first appeared in Percy’s Reliques in 1765 as 'A Scottish Ballad' and subsequently in most of the early Scottish collections. (It is also reported as occurring in the Mansfield Manuscripts of 1763-1786.) Before Scott (1803) it was only eleven verses long, but thereafter it was more than twice that length. Scott was also the first to use the ‘Spens’ title, it having originally had the title ‘Sir Patrick Spence’. Percy put forward the theory that the ballad was based on real historical events in the 13th century in Scotland, but later scholars have not substantiated this. Oral versions, not very many, have come from Scotland and a few from North America. In the postwar revival the ballad has been collected from Jock Duncan, Elizabeth Stewart, and Duncan Williamson, as well as many eminent revival singers. Child (1882-95, Vol II pp. 17-32) considered 18 versions, Bronson (1959-72, Vol II pp. 29-36) 12 tunes. [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press
    Indexer
    LEW
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    5 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 26
    Subject terms
    Ravens / Knights / Does / <Hawks> / <Dogs> / <Guard dogs> / <Graves> / <Trees> / <Shields> / <Breakfasts> / Death / Fidelity / <Talking birds> / Blood / Burials / <Nests> / <Black> / <Ladies> / <Fields> / <Three> / <Red> / <Kissing> / <Green> / <Pregnancy> / <Head> / Wounds / <Evensong> / <God> / Carrion / <Protection>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Three ravens sit on a tree and observe a knight that has been slain and lies dead in a field. In one branch of the song (represented here), the knight's loyal hounds and hawks stay near his body to protect him from the ravens. The knight's lover (represented by a pregnant doe) takes his body to a grave and buries him before dying herself. The song's narrator expresses the wish that everyone might have such loyal companions. In the alternative version of the song (The Twa Corbies), the hawks and hounds have left the knight to go hunting, and his lady has left him for another man, allowing the ravens to feast on his unprotected remains. [CDS]
    Source
    Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Vol I pp.308-315 (version 1)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Probably best known in recent times in its Scottish manifestation of ‘The Twa Corbies’, but the first known version was ‘There were Three Ravens’, published in London in Ravenscroft’s Melismata in 1611. Those who have studied its history are convinced that it derives from an earlier song, perhaps from the fourteenth century. Although it occurs in most of the Scottish anthologies before and after 1800, it has only rarely been collected from oral tradition in Scotland (Gavin Greig did not find it, for example), most oral examples having been found in England and North America. These were almost all 20th century retrievals, although the first occurrence was in Derbyshire in 1825. There have been no broadside versions reported, in common with many popular Child ballads. There are many who feel that the song is older than the early 17th century, and that the Scottish version is the original. Others, including Child, see this as a cynical interpretation of the nobler ‘Three Ravens’. Child (1882-95, Vol I pp. 253-254) presented both versions, and Bronson (1959-72, Vol I pp. 308-315). [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. ; Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
    Indexer
    CDS
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    66 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 109
    Subject terms
    Castles / England / <Guildford> / Scotland / Lords / Ladies / Noblemen's daughters / Fathers / Menservants / Pages (servants) / Wealth / Beauty / Gold coins / Letters / Money / Poverty / Horses / Spears / Courtship / Arranged marriages / Wedding preparations / Swearing (oaths etc.) / Duels / Jousting / Bandaging / Deception / Tests of fidelity / Love / Bravery / Generosity / Class difference (romantic couples) / Ennoblement
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Lady Rosamund, daughter of Lord Arundel, is courted by Lord Phenix. She refuses him as she loves Tom Potts, a servant. Her father ignores her wishes and arranges the wedding to Lord Phenix. Rosamund tells Tom to go to his master, the Scottish Lord Jockey for help. He does so and is offered wealth and followers, which Tom refuses. Instead he challenges Lord Phenix to single combat. Tom wins, though both are wounded. Tom binds both his own wound and that of Lord Phenix and declares that Rosamund must choose between them. She chooses Tom. Lord Phenix then tests her fidelity with a feigned second combat with Tom. She passes the test. Lord Arundel then permits the wedding to Tom and declares him his heir. [SF]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. II pp. 447-452 (Version B)
    Characters
    Adult (male) x 4 / Adult (female) x 1 / <Child (male)>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. / Würzbach, N. and Salz, S. M. (1995). Motif Index of the Child Corpus. Berlin: de Gruyter.
    Indexer
    SF
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    68 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Christmas / Gifts / Partridges / Pear trees / Doves / Hens / Birds / Gold rings / Geese / Swans / Milkmaids / Drummers / Ladies / Lords / <Lovers> / Pipers
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A cumulative songs listing the presents given by a lover on each of the twelve days of Christmas. The number of items given increases with each day. [DRC]
    Source
    The twelve days of Christmas (ca. 1774-1825). [broadside]. Newcastle: Angus. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 25(378)
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    This still popular Christmas song derives from an ancient carol, which has often been played as an educational game. Although some believe it dates back to at least the sixteenth century, it first appeared in print about 1800 in Mirth Without Mischief. Oral versions have come overwhelmingly from England and the United States, starting in the former with the many Somerset versions collected by Cecil Sharp. For extensive notes on the song, see Sharp (1921, Vol. 2 pp. xvi-xvii). [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Sharp, C. J. ed.,(1921). English folk songs. London: Novello
    Indexer
    DRC
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/15750
  • Roud No
    3959 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 292
    Subject terms
    Woodland setting / William / Ladies / Sisters / <Menservants> / Marriage proposals / Refusal to marry / Forests / Food gathering / Parts of plants / Water (as a drink) / Hunger / Cold / <Houses> / <Gates> / Death from grief / Corpses / Infidelity / <Birds> / Begging / Pursuing / Mourning / Groaning / Unrequited love / Regret / Grief
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A young woman begs her lover, William, to marry her or else to kill her. He refuses, telling her to go into the forest and live on berries, roots and water. After three months, in desperation, she begs for food at her sister's house but is driven back into the forest by her sister's servants. This sister is later revealed as also hoping to marry William. The girl dies and her body is discovered by William, who at once repents and makes many declarations of his love for her. Finally, he dies beside her. In a brief postscript and summary, young men are urged to be kind and truthful. [DZ]
    Source
    Child, F.J., ed. (1882-98).The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol V pp 157-159
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 2 / Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
    Indexer
    DZ
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    198 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 70
    Subject terms
    Castles / Bowers (apartments) / Ladies / Kings / Soldiers / Daughters / <Widows> / Wine / Beer / Bedrooms / Arrows / <Walls> / Swords / Blood / Courtship / Drinking / Lovers' trysts / Climbing / Shooting / Fighting / Death by shooting / Death by stabbing / Death from a broken heart / Love / Vengeance / Bravery / Mourning / Class difference (romantic couples)
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Willie, a widow's son, comes to the king's court where the daughter, Lady Margerie, entertains him with wine and beer. She invites him to come secretly to her chamber that night. Willie comes armed, climbs the wall and shoots all of the king's bodyguards with his arrows. She lets him in, but he is covered in blood which has frozen to his shoes. Her father comes upon them and kills Willie with his sword. Lady Margerie curses her father and dies of a broken heart. [SF]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol.II pp. 167-168 (Version A)
    Characters
    Adult (male) x 2 / Adult (female) x 2 / <Adult (male) x 30>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. / Würzbach, N. and Salz, S. M. (1995). Motif Index of the Child Corpus. Berlin: de Gruyter.
    Indexer
    SF
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    47 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 68
    Subject terms
    Castles / River Clyde / Lords / Ladies / Mistresses (lovers) / Ladies' maids / <Kings> / <Babies> / Menservants / Penknives / Talking birds / <Horses> / Corpses / Candles / Bonfires / Rejection / Revenge / Stabbing / Underwater diving / Magic / Burning at the stake / Fear / Falsehood / Vengeance / Murder / Betrayal
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Young Hunting tells his former mistress that he loves another, whereupon she gets him drunk and stabs him to death. Her pet bird sees this and in spite of cajolements refuses to come to her. She has Young Hunting’s body weighted and thrown into the Clyde. The King sends his men to search for him, and the murderess’s bird reveals where the body is by candlelight and denounces the woman. She is taken but blames her maid who is thrust into a bonfire, which does not harm her. The lady is then thrust into the fire instead, where she burns fiercely. [SF]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. II pp. 144-145 (Version A)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 2 / <Male (Child x 1)> / <Male (Adult) x 1>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    A Child ballad not particularly common historically in the British Isles, but much more so in North America, where over a hundred oral versions have been collected, starting in 1916 with Cecil Sharp’s trip to the Appalachians. In common with many Child ballads, it first appeared in the early Scottish collections, where it was called ‘Earl Richard’, starting in 1776 with Herd’s version, There were versions with this title collected by Cecil Sharp in the early 20th century in the south of England. The ‘Young Hunting’ title first arose in Scotland in 1829, and later mostly in the United States, where another popular title is ‘Loving Henry’. In common with most Child ballads, there are no broadside versions. Child (1882-95, Vol II pp. 142-155) considered eleven versions, Bronson (1959-72, Vol II pp. 60-82) 43 tunes in seven groups. [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press. / Würzbach, N. and Salz, S. M. (1995). Motif Index of the Child Corpus. Berlin: de Gruyter.
    Indexer
    SF
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