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Folk Song Subject & Master Index

Thesaurus

 
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Results

Subject term Rivers & streams

Click on the Roud Number to
search for variants of the song
  • Roud No
    4593 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Huntly / Bogieside / <Heart> / True love / <Wandering> / Leaving home / Returning / <River Deveron>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A praise song for Huntly town and the surrounding area, together with the brief story of the singer's love of a girl who he has left there - but will, he vows, return to. [RAS]
    Source
    Adieu to Bogieside [sleeve notes]. In: Higgins, E. (2006). In Memory of Lizzie Higgins. [CD]. Stroud: Musical Traditions Records. MTCD337-8. pp.10.
    Characters
    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
    6562 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 215 Appx
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / River Annan / Sweethearts / Ferrymen / Horses / Bridges / Gold coins / <Fees> / Ferry boats / <Water spirits> / <Spurs> / <Fields> / <Moors> / <Mires> / <Corn> / <Hay> / Rivers / Fine clothes / Fords / <Willow trees> / <Briars> / Swimming / Horse riding / Death by drowning / True love
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Although Annan Water is wide and deep, the central character (unnamed) is determined to visit his love Annie. He calls for his black horse and rides it hard, but before he reaches the Gatehope Slack leading to Annandale, the horse is too tired to continue. So he mounts a grey mare and rides it over rough ground, spurring it on until sparks fly from her feet. When they come to the river, the horse is unable to go further. He calls for a boatman to take him across and promises him gold, but the boatman refuses, saying he has sworn many an oath and dares not take him across. The mare is sweating with fear because she can hear the water-spirits roaring. So he takes off his coat and waistcoat and attempts to swim across. Although he is a strong swimmer, the river is too strong and wide, and he never reaches his love. The song ends with a vow to build a bridge so that such a tragedy will not recur.
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. IV, pp.184-185. (Appendix to Child 215).
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    First printed in Scott's Minstrelsy of the Scottish border in 1802 and printed by Child (1882-95) as an appendix to Rare Willie drowned in Yarrow (Roud 206; Child 215). In 1969 Nic Jones adapted Scott's text and provided it with a tune since when his version has been extremely popular with revival singers (Zierke 2021). [MN]
    Notes

    Child (1882-95) lists this as an Appendix to Child 215 (Roud 206) although it is similarly related to Child 216 (Roud 91); however in both of those his mother's curse is a key feature, which does not appear here, so the similarity is confined to a man being drowned while attmpting to visit his sweetheart.

    Comparative songs
    Rare Willie drowned in Yarrow, or The Water o' Gamrie (Roud 206; Child 215) / Mother's malison, The, or, Clyde's Water (Roud 91; Child 216)
    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. / Zierke, R. (2021). 'Annan Water'. Mainly Norfolk: English Folk and Other Good Music. [online]. Available at: https://mainlynorfolk.info/nic.jones/songs/annanwater.html [Accessed 2021-04-29].
    Indexer
    JWD
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    83 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 188
    Subject terms
    Dumfries / River Annan / Fords / Prisons / Roads / Lairds / Brothers / Prisoners / Blacksmiths / Leg irons / Doors / Imprisonment / Freedom / Hanging (execution) / Insults / Horse riding / Skill / Despondency / Bravery / Strength / Rescuing / Escaping
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The narrator hears two brothers, Jock and Dicky Hall, lamenting that their brother Archie is imprisoned in Dumfries and condemned to hang in the morning. They take 10 bold men, including their cousin and ride swiftly . They stop to get the horses shod and take the back road to Dumfries. Dicky kicks down the prison door and carries Archie, bound in 15 stone of iron chains, away on his back. They ride away but see the Lieutenant and 100 men pursuing them. The Brothers and their men make haste to the ford at Annan Holme. The river is in flood. Jock hesitates but with courage and skilful horsemanship they cross safely. the Lieutenant is not so brave. They trade insults across the river and the brothers escape. [EKM]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. III pp. 487- 489. (Version A).
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 6 / < Male (Adult) x 108>
    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
    700 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Riverbanks / Christmas / Joseph, Saint / Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint / Jesus Christ / Three / Ships / Birth / Singing / Whistling / Bell ringing
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The narrator watches the arrival of three ships. On board are Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus. [HMF]
    Source
    The star of Bethlehem (no date). [broadside]. No imprint. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 7(38)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Rarely collected from oral tradition, and few broadsides, limited to English printers, starting with Catnach (1813-1838). [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    HMF
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/23775
  • Roud No
    4542 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Badger (Newfoundland) / Woods / Rivers & streams / Loggers / Factory managers / <Newspapers> / Praise of local trades
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The narrator praises the loggers and logging company of Badger, Newfoundland. The chorus mentions the logger's equipment used on log drives. He praises the company manager, Billey Dorothey, as kindhearted and a good boss. Londoners, when they read the Times, never think of the wood cut by the loggers that made the paper possible. The narrator praises the river boss, Ronald Kelley, and wishes success to the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company, and to its managers, Mr. Dorothey and Mr. Cole. [MET]
    Source
    Doyle, G. S., ed. (1927). The old time songs and poetry of Newfoundland. St. John's, Newfoundland: Gerald S. Doyle. p. 17.
    Characters
    Males (Adult) x 4
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Devine, John V.
    Date composed
    1912 (Ashton, 1994)
    Printer / Publisher
    Gerald S. Doyle
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Ashton, J., (1994). 'The Badger drive: song, historicity and occupational stereotyping'. Western Folklore 53(3) pp. 211-228.
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/cns/id/77964
  • Roud No
    11 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 112
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Knights / Shepherds / <Wine> / Clothes / <Cloaks> / Horses / Rings / Gold (metal) / Swords / Rosemary / Boots / <Spurs> / <Hats> / Rivers / Virginity / <Grass> / <Violets> / <Deer> / Sex avoided / Horse riding / Trickery / Scorn / Anger / Embarassment / Fear / Dismay / Lust / Deception / Defiance / Threats / Revenge / Feathers (product) / Mockery / Dew / Haycocks / Pinders / Cocks / Capons / Marigolds / Nettles / Whips / Moats / Planks / Propositioning / Immersion / Remonstrance
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A knight encounters a lady and proposes they have sex. She agrees and suggests they go to her father's hall. On arrival she goes inside alone, locks the gate and mocks him from within. Three further encounters see the knight similarly tricked. On the first occasion she pushes him into a river and leaves him bedraggled and disappointed. Next she offers to help him to remove his boots and hobbles him with them before leaving him stranded. Finally he confronts her at her father's hall - she directs him to a plank across the moat to allow him access to her. The plank having been weakened snaps and he falls into the moat. [DRC]
    Source
    The lady's policy, or, The baffled knight (no date). [broadside]. Durham: J. Lane. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Douce Ballads 3(52b)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 3 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    A Child ballad first seen in print in 1609. Early appearances differed in title, but by the mid-19th century ‘The Baffled knight’ was widely accepted. The story is somewhat light compared with other Child ballads, and maybe that is the reason for ‘Blow ye winds hi-oh’ being a commoner title for the song. Certainly this is the case in most 19th century broadsides. Geographically, it is commonest in England with some occurrences in Scotland, and unlike many Child ballads is rare in the United States. Child (1882-95, Vol II pp. 478-493) presented five versions, Bronson (1959-72, Vol II pp. 547-563) considered 39 tunes. See also Roud and Bishop (2012, pp. 424-425). [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
    DRC
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/30564
  • Roud No
    950 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws N9
    Subject terms
    Young women / Soldiers / Lovers / Nancy / William / <Wives> / <Kings> / River Nile / Army (British) / Voluntary enlistment / Deserts / Egyptian and Syrian Campaign (1798-1801) / Fights / <Government> / <Health> / <Curses> / <Drums> / <Bugles> / <Scotland> / <Portsmouth> / Cross-dressing / Leaving / <Begging> / Unhappiness / Love
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Two lovers, Willy and Nancy, are being parted due to the British expedition against the French in Egypt in 1801. She wants to accompany him, but he puts her off saying it would be too tough for her. Either she or both curse the 'cruel wars'. [PRW]
    Source
    MacColl, E and Seeger, P. (1960). The singing island. London: Mills Music Ltd p.30.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male Female
    Song history
    One of the most popular of Napoleonic War songs in the postwar revival, this song is equally common in oral and broadside versions. Oral versions were collected in the early 1900s, and were commonest in Scotland and Canada. English broadside versions show a uniformity of text, but it is clear that the variation of texts among Aberdeenshire singers show an incomplete remembering of a broadside text. See Wood (2015 pp. 4-6); Shuldham-Shaw and Lyle (1981-2002, Vol. 1 pp. 273-280).. [PRW]
    Notes

    One of the most popular songs to emerge from the Napoleonic Wars. Not to be confused with The Battle of the Nile (Roud 32431), about the naval battle of 1798.

    Comparative songs
    Lisbon (Roud 551)
    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 / Shuldham-Shaw, P. and Lyle, E. B., eds. (1981-2002). The Greig-Duncan folk song collection. Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press. / Wood, P. (2015). The green linnet : Napoleonic songs from the French Wars to the present day. [Ovington, Northumberland]: Peter Wood
    Indexer
    PRW
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    795 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Riverbanks / Drogheda / Dundalk / Battle of the Boyne (1690) / James II, King of England, 1633-1701 / William III, King of England, 1650-1702 / Schomberg, Friedrich Hermann von, 1615-1690 / Soldiers / Weapons / Prisons / <Cannons> / <Horses> / Revenge / Prisoners
    Subject date
    Battle of the Boyne 1690-07-01 / 1 July 1690
    Synopsis
    A descriptive song about the Battle of Boyne (1690). King William III and King James II fight each other for the crown of England, Scotland and Ireland. King William is portrayed as a strong and bold King who frees the Irish protestants from their prison. The Duke of Shomberg also takes part in the battle but he is killed while trying to cross the River Boyne. [GHHB]
    Source
    The Boyne Water (no date). [broadside]. London: Sharp. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 15(30b)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 3
    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/19082
  • Roud No
    1922 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws J3
    Subject terms
    Battle of Waterloo (1815) / June / Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821 / Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of, 1769-1852 / Blücher, Gebhard Leberecht von, 1742-1819 / <Wives> / <Children> / French people / Prussians / Britons / <Blood> / <Rivers> / <Mud> / Fighting / Crying / Grief
    Subject date
    Battle of Waterloo, 1815-06-18 / 18 June 1815
    Synopsis
    The narrator tells of Napoleon's pitching his tents at Waterloo, being victorious during the first two days of battle, and losing to Wellington on the third. The soldier is grateful to Providence for emerging alive [Laws 1957, p.129]. A short account of the battle from a veteran soldier’s viewpoint, with a rare nod to the sufferings of the French. [PRW]
    Source
    Mackenzie, W R., ed. (1928). Ballads & sea songs from Nova Scotia. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. pp.192-194 (version a).
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 + / Females (Adult) x 1 +
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Collected once in England, by George Gardiner in 1906, and it occurs in several postwar North American collections. See Mackenzie (1928, p. 192). [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 / Mackenzie, W R., ed. (1928). Ballads & sea songs from Nova Scotia. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press / Wood, P. (2015). The green linnet : Napoleonic songs from the French Wars to the present day. [Ovington, Northumberland]: Peter Wood
    Indexer
    PRW
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    1062 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Belfast Hills / Rural setting / Mountains / Streams / False lovers / Young women / <Rocks> / Diamonds / Wringing of hands / Crying / Saying goodbye / Despair / Unhappiness / Deception / Infidelity / True love
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The song takes place in the hills near Belfast. A young girl is heard lamenting the fact that her Irish sweetheart has proved unfaithful. She still loves him and can find no way to ease her sorrow. [AG]
    Source
    Belfast mountains (ca.1819-1844). [broadside]. London: Pitts. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B16(19c)
    Characters
    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)
    Indexer
    AG
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/14383
  • Roud No
    622 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws N31
    Subject terms
    River Clyde / Walking / Young women / Soldiers / Grief / Crying / Battle of Waterloo (1815) / Sweethearts / <Death in battle> / Reunited lovers / Failure to recognise / Revealing identity / Clothing & adornment / Broadswords / <Comradeship> / <Marriage proposals>
    Subject date
    Battle of Waterloo, 1815-06-18 /18 June 1815
    Synopsis
    A young woman is walking by the Clyde, weeping for her 'Willie lad' who fought at Waterloo. The narrator, a soldier, meets her, she describes the highland dress he always wore, and he claims that her lover had died in the battle. When she weeps with misery, the soldier reveals himself after all to be the aforesaid Willie, and he proposes to her. [PRW]
    Source
    McMorland, A., ed. (2006). Herd laddie o' the glen. Revised edn. . Newtown St. Boswells : Scottish Borders Council. pp.72-73.
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    There are no broadside versions of this song, and all but two out of 19 oral versions have been found in North America, starting in 1929. Willie Scott the Scots border shepherd had a notable version, which he had from his brother. See Wood (2015, p. 71). [PRW]
    Notes

    Some versions are called 'Lonely Waterloo'

    Comparative songs
    Plains of Waterloo, The (As I roved out) (Roud 960) / Mantle so green, The (Roud 714)
    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. / Wood, P. (2021). 'The unrecognised returning lover and broken-token songs: a survey' Folk music journal 12 (1) pp. 76-94. / Wood, P. (2015). The green linnet : Napoleonic songs from the French Wars to the present day. [Ovington, Northumberland]: Peter Wood.
    Indexer
    PRW
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    291 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws O24
    Subject terms
    Riverbanks / May (month) / Morning / Fishermen / Young women / <Fathers> / Fishing / Boats / Consensual sex / Marriage / <Clothes> / <Jewellery>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The fisherman tells the lady he has come for her sake. He pulls his boat on shore and takes her by the hand. When he takes off his cloak, she sees three chains of gold hanging from his neck and falls to her knees, begging his pardon for mistaking him for a fisherman. He says he is not offended, takes her to his father's house, and marries her [Laws 1957, p.237].
    Source
    Poor Willie was a sailor brave [and] The bold fisherman (ca. 1813-1838). [broadside]. London: Catnach. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 11(3114)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1 / <Male (Adult) x 1>
    Song voice
    Song history
    A song of only moderate popularity historically, but quite popular in the postwar revival, mainly due to versions from Harry Cox of Norfolk and the Copper family from Sussex. The first known occurrence of the song was in 19th century broadsides, the earliest possible being that of London printer James Catnach, who was in business from 1813 to 1838, though it appeared in broadsides throughout the 19th century. This could well have been the source of the many oral versions, overwhelmingly from England, starting in 1900 with a version collected by W. Percy Merrick in Lodsworth in Sussex, though J Fuller Maitland’s version from Hertfordshire may have been earlier. The other Edwardian collectors found many versions, especially Cecil Sharp in Somerset, where he collected at least ten versions. Its popularity in the postwar revival may well be due to the tune, and the sheer number of source singers offering a version. In addition to the ones mentioned above, Sam Larner and Walter Pardon, both of Norfolk, had the song. In addition, several influential revival singers, such as Shirley Collins and the Young Tradition, recorded the song. See Broadwood et al (1915, pp. 132-135); Roud and Bishop (2012, pp. 392-393). [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. / Broadwood, L. E., Gilchrist, A. G., Sharp, C. J., Carey, C. and Kidson, F. (1915). ‘Narrative ballads’. Journal of the Folk-Song Society Vol 5 pp. 122-148 / Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The new Penguin book of English folk songs. London: Penguin Classics.
    Indexer
    SLG
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/2750
  • Roud No
    18 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws M32
    Subject terms
    Bruton / Merchants / Farmers / Brothers / Sisters / Sweethearts / Domestic servants & staff / Class difference (romantic couples) / Courtship / Plotting / <Hunting> / Murder / Honour killings / Grief / Dreams / Lovers' ghosts / <Briars> / <Shrubs> / <Streams> / <Blood> / <Corpses> / <Hunger> / <Kissing> / <Trials (legal procedures)> / Hanging (execution)
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A rich merchant's daughter falls in love with a servant. To prevent a marriage, her two brothers invite him to go hunting, murder him in a lonesome valley, and return home. Her lover appears to the girl in a dream, weeping and covered with blood, and says that he has been murdered. She searches for him, finds his corpse, kisses it repeatedly, and stays with his body for three days. Hunger drives her home. She accuses her brothers, who flee in a ship and are drowned [Laws 1957, p.196].
    Source
    Bruton Town. (1906). [manuscript]. Held at: London: Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. Henry Hammond Manuscript Collection H.327 (HAM/3/14/2)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 3 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Based on the story of ‘Isabella and Lorenzo’, made famous by Boccaccio in The Decameron (Day 4, Tale 5) in the 14th century, the song has a variety of titles of which ‘Bruton Town’, ‘Bramble Briar’, and ‘Seaport Town’ are the commonest. Unusually for a moderately popular song, no broadside version has been found. In fact, no printed version exists, and we have a rare example of a folk song which was unearthed by collection of oral versions from the people, starting in 1904 when Cecil Sharp collected a version from Mrs Overd of Langport in Somerset. Only five years after this, a version emerged from Kentucky collected by Josiah Combs from a Mrs. Green. Many more oral versions have been found since, but confined to a few southern counties of England and southern states of America. In the postwar period, versions have come from the traveller singers Carolyn Hughes of Dorset, Danny Brazil of Gloucestershire, and, as late as 2012, Freda Black of Hampshire. At the same time, it has been popular with revival singers, perhaps due to two distinctive tunes, Mrs Overd’s and Mrs. Joiner’s of Hertfordshire. [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Constant farmer's son (Roud 675)
    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
    MN
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.vwml.org/record/HAM/3/14/2
  • 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
    889 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws O2
    Subject terms
    <Riverbanks> / <Ireland> / Young women / <John> / Strangers / Immigrants / Parental opposition (to courtship or marriage) / Rings / <Diamonds> / <Pearls> / True love / Courtship / Constancy / Contentment / Class difference (romantic couples)
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Young Delaney returns to the girl he loves and reminds her that her parents' disapproval of his low estate had caused the lovers to part. She promises to marry him, and he offers to deck her in jewels [Laws 1957, p.227]. [In indexed copy] In a strange land a man falls in love with a maid of higher degree, courts and wins her. [PB]
    Source
    Brown girl (ca. 1849-1862). [broadside]. London: H. Such. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. 2806 b.11(255)
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    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
    PB
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/25813
  • Roud No
    820 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws O34
    Subject terms
    Scotland / Woodland setting / Riverbanks / Rivers & streams / Parted lovers / Sweethearts / <Men> / <Women> / <Young women> / <Friends> / <Kissing> / <Lips> / Roses / <Lilies> / <Green> / <Two> / <Music> / <Charm> / <May (month)> / Flowers / Summer / Beauty / <Red> / <Evening> / <Morning> / Heart / <Breasts> / Promises / <Pride> / Graves / <Churches> / <Daisies> / <Valleys> / <Gales> / <Breezes> / <Eyes> / Singing / Leaving / Saying goodbye / <Sexual relations> / <Yearning> / Crying / Lamentation / Happiness / True love / Unhappiness / Untimely death / Bereavement / <Pride & praise of place> / <Homecoming> / Tears / Highlands (Scotland) / <Plains> / Ayr / River Clyde / Greenock / Churchyards / Burns, Robert, 1759-1796 / Lovers' trysts / Declarations of love / <Treasure> / Dew / <Embracing> / Sighing / <Ecstasy (emotion)> / <Blooming (flowers)> / Tenderness (emotion) / Devotion
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Burns meets Mary by the banks of the Ayr. The lovers swear to be true to each other, and Mary promises not to stay long in the Highlands. They part in sadness and Mary goes away only to die and be buried `in Greenoch Kirkyard on the banks of the Clyde' [Laws 1957, p.242]
    Source
    A favourite song called Burns & Highland Mary (no date). [broadside]. No imprint. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 26(85)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    There are many broadside versions of this song, surprisingly mostly issued in northern England rather than Scotland. This is to some extent overcome by the number of Scottish oral versions, but there are more such versions from Canada in the mid-20th century. [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
    Indexer
    CDS
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/20587
  • Roud No
    857 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Sweethearts / Ewes / Hills / Heather / Streams / Thrushes / Evening / Singing birds / Woods / Riverbanks / Hazel trees / Waves / Moon / Cliffs / Midnight / Moonlight / Dew / Flowers / Fairies / Ghosts / Fear / Love / <Heaven> / Protection / Beauty / <Heart> / <Death> / Declarations of love / True love / Sheep farming / <Dancing> / <Cheerfulness> / Cluden Water / <Sheepfolds>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Source
    Willmott, R.A., ed. (1872). The poetical works of Robert Burns. Boston: Lee and Shepard. p. 160
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Broadsides are all Scottish chapbooks starting in 1794. Oral versions too were mostly Scottish, starting between 1770 and 1783. There were three versions from Ireland and one was collected in Hampshire by Gardiner. Very popular in the post-war revival. See Shuldham-Shaw and Lyle (1981-2002, Vol. 5 pp. 281-286). [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Pagan, Isabel / Burns, Robert
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Shuldham-Shaw, P. and Lyle, E. B., eds. (1981-2002). The Greig-Duncan folk song collection. Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press.
    Indexer
    CDS
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    675 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws M33
    Subject terms
    London / Merchants / Farmers' sons / Streams / Brothers / Sisters / Courtship / Plotting / Trials (legal procedures) / Execution / Class difference (romantic couples) / Stakes (posts) / <Confession> / Murder / Death / Stabbing / <Fair going> / Dreams / <Anger> / Grief / Honour killings / Death from a broken heart
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    To prevent their sister's marriage to a farmer's son, two young men invite him to spend the day with them and then murder him. They tell their sister that her lover has run off with another girl. In a dream, Mary sees her love dead. She finds the body, weeps over it for a night and a day, and then returns home and accuses her brothers. They are executed and she dies of grief [Laws 1957, p.197].
    Source
    The banks of the Nile [and] Merchant's daughter, and the constant farmer's son (no date). [broadside] No imprint. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. 2806 c.13(171).
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 3 / Female (Adult) x 1 / <Male (Adult) x 3> / <Female (Adult) x 1>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Like the Bramble briar, based on the story of ‘Isabella and Lorenzo’, made famous by Boccaccio in The Decameron (Day 4, Tale 5) in the 14th century, Popular in oral and broadside formats, both categories dominated by English versions. First seen in a Catnach broadside (1813-1838). Equally popular in 19th century broadsides and later oral versions. See Roud and Bishop (2012, pp.478-479)
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Bramble briar (Roud 18)
    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
    MFP
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/8597
  • Roud No
    539 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws M15
    Subject terms
    Riverbanks / River Shannon / Mansions / Polly / Edwin / Mary Anne / Young women / Young men / Fathers / Daughters / Lovers / <Domestic servants & staff> / Gold coins / Wealth / Beauty / Black hair / True love / Escaping / Steps / Dungeons / Domestic abuse / False imprisonment / Iron / Doors / Cruelty / <Punishments> / <Bread> / <Water (as a drink)> / <Broadswords> / <Banishment> / <Freedom> / Beating / Swearing (oaths etc.) / Cross-dressing / Spite / Malice / Anger / Love / Redemption / Class difference (romantic couples) / Empowerment / Subjugation
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    When Mary Ann falls in love with her servant man, her infuriated father builds a dungeon with an iron door and confines her therein on bread and water. Her lover contrives to enter the dungeon, allows her to escape in some men's clothes he has brought, and awaits her father. When the old man promises to spill his blood, the youth offers to let him do so but insists on his love for the girl. The father has a change of heart and gives the couple his blessing, 'since love can enter an iron door' [Laws 1957, p.187].
    Source
    Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The new Penguin book of English folk songs. London: Penguin Classics. pp. 166-168.
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Also known as The Iron Door

    Comparative songs
    Behind the cold iron door (Roud 29055)
    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
    872 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Irish people / <Kent> / Cobblers' shops / Wives / <Young women> / <Bags> / <Hammers> / <Bones> / <Rivers> / <Single life> / <Domestic violence> / Sexual relations / Gambling / Trickery / Lying / <Screaming> / <Drowning> / Beating / Selling / Competitiveness / <Charm> / Cobblers / Wanderers / <Awls> / <Pincers>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A cobbler makes a wager with another Irishman to see who can make more shoes. The cobbler wins the bet but the Irishman refuses to pay so the cobbler fights him but loses and ends up beaten up. The cobbler has a wife who is very chatty which annoys the cobbler, so he slaps her in order to silence her. The wife runs out of the house crying and by morning she has drowned in the river. [GHHB]
    Source
    The new Irish emigrant [and] Dick Darling the cobbler (ca. 1849-1862). [broadside]. London: H. Such. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. 2806 b.10(81)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2 / 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
    GHHB
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/1400
  • Roud No
    584 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Hills / Morning / Local characters / Gentry / Horses / Fox hounds / Foxes / Rivers & streams / Horse riding / Fox hunting / Swimming / Pursuing
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Source
    Dido and Spandigo (no date). [broadside]. No imprint. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 16(74b)
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 + / Male (Adult) x 1 +
    Song voice
    Unspecfied Unspecified
    Song history
    First seen in print in a black-letter broadside around 1700, named ‘The Fox-Chase’. This was followed by very few other prints. First of equally few oral versions was collected from Launceston, Cornwall by Baring Gould in 1888. Popular in the postwar revival. [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    LER
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/16820
  • Roud No
    1493 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Young women / Young men / Infatuation / Seduction / Pregnancy / Abandonment / Suicide / Death by drowning / <Hauntings> / <Doves> / <Funerals> / Warning / Betsy / <Rivers>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A young woman has been seduced, made pregnant and abandoned by a young man who promised to marry her. Such is her misery, she determines to go to the river and drown herself. She imagines a white dove rising from the water and hopes for a happy afterlife. She wishes for eight young female attendants at her funeral, and warns other young women not to be deluded by deceivers. [SLG]
    Source
    Effects of love (ca. 1813-1838). [broadside]. London: Catnach. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Firth c.18(155)
    Characters
    Female (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)
    Indexer
    SLG
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/30780
  • Roud No
    V5633 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    bar112
    Subject terms
    River Thames / Rowing boats / <Putney> / <Vauxhall Gardens> / River accidents / Pleasure trips / Steam boats
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A group of friends take a rowing boat from central London intending to take a pleasure trip to Putney. They survive a squall and their boat is then swamped by the wash of a steamer. They struggle ashore. They get back aboard the boat return declaring they will never row to Putney again. [CPB]
    Source
    The excursion to Putney (ca. 1819-1844). [broadside] London: Pitts. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 11(1104)
    Characters
    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
    CPB
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/7350
  • Roud No
    1268 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Abingdon / <Prisons> / Eynsham / Spaniels / Hares / Pheasants / Poaching / <Beating> / Swimming / <Happiness> / Laughing / Wytham Woods / Cassington Brook / <Sports & games>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Three poachers from Eynsham go to Wytham Woods in Lord Abingdon's Manor, when their spaniel puts up a hare, just as a pheasant springs. They continue beating the woods, but are seen by Barrett, the keeper, so they leave by way of Cassington Brook, which is in spate, and they have to swim. They make good their escape and avoid jail. [RAS]
    Source
    Williams, A. (1923). Folk songs of the upper Thames. London: Duckworth p. 151.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 5
    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
    https://www.vwml.org/record/RoudFS/S143929
  • Roud No
    25 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 9
    Subject terms
    Scotland / Northumberland / <Edinburgh> / Knights / Scots / Fathers / Noblemen's daughters / Young women / False lovers / Prisoners / <Earls> / <Wives> / <Children> / <Mistresses (lovers)> / <Cooks (domestic)> / Horses / Rivers / Fords / <Castles> / <Gold coins> / Betrayal / Lying / Imprisonment / Escaping / Freeing / <Theft> / <Swearing (oaths etc.)> / Pity / Love / Unhappiness / <Mercy> / <Warnings> / <Anglo-Scottish border> / <Class differences>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A Scottish Knight is imprisoned in Northumberland, but convinces the Earl of Northumberland's daughter to set him free. She initially declines, but he wins her over with a promise that he will marry her. She takes gold and horses from her father, bribes the jailor, and escapes with the knight to Scotland. Once they arrive there, the knight reveals that he already has a wife and children and tells the earl’s daughter that she must choose between going back to Northumberland and remaining as his mistress. She asks him to kill her. Instead, he takes her horse and leaves her. She is eventually taken back to her father by two English knights [LEW].
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. I pp. 113-114. (Version A).
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1 / <Male (Adult) x 1> / <Female (Adult) x 1> <Unspecified gender (Child) x 5>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    A Child ballad which has an English place name is rare, perhaps because it was written by an Englishman, Thomas Deloney, a Berkshire weaving master who printed it in 1597 as ‘The Maiden’s Song’. Not surprisingly considering the story, oral versions are largely confined to Scotland, including those from collectors Gavin Greig and James Carpenter in the early 20th century. Though not particularly common historically, it has been popular in the postwar revival, including versions from Jim Reid and Lizzie Higgins. See Child (1882-95, Vol I pp. 111-118) ; Bronson (1959-72, Vol I pp. 138-142). [PRW]
    Notes

    In some versions the knight also rejects the young woman's offer to be a cook in his kitchen. Some versions have stanzas describing her return to her parents' home, who often show forgiveness for her youthful indiscretion.

    Comparative songs
    Outlandish knight, The (Roud 21)
    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
    16 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    <Houses> / Streams / Frogs / Rats / Mice / Cats / Kittens / Ducks / Animals / Hats / Beer / Merriment / Enjoyment / Visiting / Spinning / Singing / Saying goodbye / Fear / Courtship / Interpersonal relationships / <Gammon> / <Spinach>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Source
    Frog in a cock'd hat [and] Female transport (ca. 1846-1854). [broadside]. London: Hodges. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 11(1265)
    Characters
    Unspecified
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Based on an Aesop’s fable, the earliest known version was included in Ravenscroft’s Melismata, 1611, and there is reference to it in the Complaynt of Scotland (1549) and in the Stationers’ Register dated 1580. Known widely as a children’s song, apart from some of the Child ballads this is probably the folk song with the most versions, with about 75 per cent of them having been found in the United States, although England and Canada have significant numbers. The earliest oral version was collected by Sharp in Somerset in 1904, although in 1906 Gavin Greig obtained a version in Aberdeenshire whose oral provenance dated from the early 1800s. Notable versions in recent times have come from Packie Byrne from Donegal, Celia Costello from Birmingham, and in America, Almeida Riddle. Its presence in broadsides is relatively meagre. See Roud and Bishop (2012, pp. 471-472). [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    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
    LER
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/882
  • Roud No
    418 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Gardens / Moonlight / Young women / Mary / Young men / William / Gates / Clocks / Engagement rings / <Cottages> / <Riverbanks> / Lovers' trysts / Waiting / <Weddings> / Disappointment / Patience / Impatience / Joy / Contentment
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A young woman and her sweetheart have agreed to meet by the garden gate. As time passes, she rails at her sweetheart for making her wait for him. Her patience is rewarded when her sweetheart returns with an engagement ring. They are married the next day and live in contentment. [LMS]
    Source
    The garden gate (1819-44). [broadside]. London: Pitts. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 17(105b)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Song history
    Popular in the oral tradition and on broadsides. Its history is summarised in Baring-Gould (1895, pp. xxx, xxxii).
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Upton, William (words) / Parke, William Thomas, 1762-1847 (music)
    Date composed
    1809
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Baring-Gould, S. (1895). English minstrelsie : a national monument of English song. Edinburgh: T.C. & E.C. Jack. Available at: https://archive.org/details/englishminstrels01bari/page/n43/mode/2up [Accessed 2021-01-05] / Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The new Penguin book of English folk songs. London: Penguin Classics.
    Indexer
    MN
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/11514
  • Roud No
    831 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Young men / Young women / Rushes / Dresses / <Streams> / <Dew> / Seduction / Pregnancy / Consensual sex / Enjoyment / Regret
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The narrator meets a well-dressed young woman whom he propositions. She consents, with some misgivings about loss of respectability if she should fall pregnant. [MFP]
    Source
    Bunch of rushes, O! (ca. 1780-1812). [broadside]. London: J. Evans. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 17(42a)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1 / <Female (Adult) x 1>
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    The song that inspired George Brown to write ‘The bonny bunch of roses-O’ (Roud 664). He based both structure and tune on the Irish song. See Wood (2015, pp.99-105). This song had many broadside versions, most of them English but critically that of Joseph Haly of Cork City around 1820. Oral versions were few. [PRW]
    Notes

    Camblet (camlet) is an expensive, high-sheen mohair/silk fabric denoting high social status. Rushes symbolise welcome; in spreading rushes, she is laying out the welcome mat.

    Comparative songs
    The bonny bunch of roses-O (Roud 664)
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Wood, P. (2015). The green linnet : Napoleonic songs from the French Wars to the present day. [Ovington, Northumberland]: Peter Wood
    Indexer
    MFP
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/19513
  • Roud No
    147 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 42 / Child 85
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / <London> / Young women / <Dresses> / <Rivers> / <Handkerchiefs> / Sexual intercourse / <Love> / Death from a broken heart / <Corpses> / George / Alice / <Greeting>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Giles Collins rides out one morning and sees Lady Alice by the river. She calls out to him, and he jumps over the river and they have sex. He goes home, but feels unwell and has a presentiment of his impending death. Lady Alice sees a funeral procession passing, is told it is for Giles Collins, and presages her own death. Seven pretty maids die in one night because of Giles's death. [RAS]
    Source
    Giles Collins [sleeve notes]. In: Gabriel, J. 2001. Up in the North and Down in the South [CD]. Stroud: Musical Traditions Records. MTCD311-2, Pp. 7-8. Track 1/5.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Male Female
    Song history
    A popular song based on a centuries-old European-wide story, versions of which were separated into two ballad numbers by Francis Child, one entitled ‘Clerk Colvill’ the other ‘Lady Alice’. However, a number of scholars think the distinction is unmerited, and most versions found in the 20th century have been called ‘George Collins’. The first known version was ‘Clerk Colvill or The Mermaid’ which appeared in Herd’s 1769 edition, at about the same time as ‘Clark Colven’ sung by the well-known singer Anna Brown of Falkland, and dated 1783. However, none of the early 19th century Scottish collections had the song, and the next appearance was as ‘Lady Alice’ in Dixon’s 1846 English collection. Apart from one broadside printed in Brighton in the early 1820s, there are no other known 19th century versions. There is some discussion of the song in the 1871 issue of Notes & Queries which emphasizes its Scottish origins. Strange then that its popularity in the 20th century is entirely due to oral versions from England and the United States, the latter having well over a hundred versions. It has been a great favourite in the postwar revival, notable versions coming from the Copper family, Shirley Collins, and Louis Killen. Child (1882-95, Vol I pp. 371-389 and Vol. II pp. 279-280) considered three versions of ‘Clerk Colvill’ (Child 42) and two versions of ‘Lady Alice’ (Child 85), which he described as "a little song", and Bronson (1959-72, Vol I pp. 334-335 and Vol. II pp. 392-407) considered the tunes of only one version of ‘Clerk Colvill’ (Child 42) but 44 variants of Child 85, which he also described as "a little song". [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
    RAS
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    1619 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Ireland / River Rhine / Empresses / Green / Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821 / Alps / Paris / <Crowns (headwear)> / Europe / France / Vienna / Gold (metal) / River Nile / Ethiopia / St Helena (Island) / Battle of Waterloo (1815) / <Robes> / <Diamonds> / <Goddesses> / <Deserts> / Linnets / Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786 / <Mamelukes> / Battle of Marengo (1800)
    Subject date
    Battle of Marengo 1800-06-14 / 14 June 1800 ; Battle of Waterloo 1815-06-18 / 18 June 1815
    Synopsis
    A song purporting to be sung by Napoleon’s widow, the title was a pseudonym for Napoleon in the days when songs about the man were considered seditious by the British authorities in Ireland, Napoleon commonly wearing a green tunic. Unlike most of the other songs about Napoleon, it mentions some of his victories prior to Moscow. [PRW]
    Source
    Joyce, P. W. (1909). Old Irish folk music and songs. London: Longmans, Green & Co. pp.175-176
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Female
    Song history
    Joyce (1909, pp.175-176) printed the tune for the first time, together with notes stressing the widespread occurrence of the song over many parts of Ireland in the 19th century, particularly in Munster. There are four oral versions from the USA and Canada, but none have been recovered from the British Isles prior to the noted Irish singer Joe Heaney in the 1960s. Broadsides are mostly English with some Irish and some American. Zimmermann (1967, pp. 184-185) gives a text by Kelly of Waterford which he dates at 1830. See Wood (2015, pp. 117-118) [PRW].
    Notes

    The original title was 'Maria Louisa’s lamentation for the loss of her lover'. Zimmermann (1967, p.184-185)

    Comparative songs
    The Bonny Bunch of Roses O (Roud 664)
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    1815-1830
    Printer / Publisher
    Kelly, W. (Waterford 1830)
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Wood, P. (2015). The green linnet : Napoleonic songs from the French Wars to the present day. [Ovington, Northumberland]: Peter Wood. / Zimmerman, G-D (1967). Songs of Irish Rebellion. Dublin: Allen Figgis / Joyce, P. W. (1909). Old Irish folk music and songs. London: Longmans, Green & Co.
    Indexer
    PRW
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.itma.ie/digital-library/text/old-irish-folk-music-an...
  • 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
    1014 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws Q35
    Subject terms
    High Blantyre / Mining disasters / Explosions / Accidental death / Coal miners / Coal mines / Work / Sweethearts / Mourners / Mourning / Crying / <River Clyde> / <Weddings> / <Evening> / Wives> / <Children> / <Anxiety> / <Daisies> / <Snowdrops> / <Primroses>
    Subject date
    1877-10-22 / 22 Oct 1877 (Lloyd 1978, pp. 351-352)
    Synopsis
    The young woman tells the narrator that her fiance, John Murphy, a youth of twenty-one, was killed in the mines of High Blantyre on October 22nd, with more than 200 others. She sadly reflects that she'll never more walk with him and pull daisies on the banks of the Clyde. She will transplant the daisies onto his grave and water them with her tears [Laws 1957, p.291].
    Source
    Lloyd. A.L., ed. (1978). Come all ye bold miners. New, revised and enlarged edition. London: Lawrence & Wishart. pp. 180-181
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x1 / Male (Adult) x1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Although quite popular in the post-war revival, the song is of only moderate popularity historically, with no known broadside versions. Perhaps this is unsurprising in view of the date of the disaster. Oral versions have been found in many parts of the English-speaking world. [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. / Lloyd. A.L., ed. (1978). Come all ye bold miners. New, revised and enlarged edition. London: Lawrence & Wishart.
    Indexer
    SR
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    1095 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Graveyards / Riverbanks / Castles / Summer / Sweethearts / Dead lovers / <Lilies> / <Primroses> / <Violets> / <Daffodils> / Streams / Woods / <Hawthorn bushes> / <Birch trees> / Kissing / Embracing / Crying / Farewells / Grief / Loss (emotion) / Parted lovers / Untimely death
    Subject date
    1786
    Synopsis
    An extended version of an original song by Robert Burns, in which he mourns the untimely death of his lover, Highland Mary. He recalls their last meeting in the grounds of the Castle of Montgomery, and their loving farewells. Now he is left to weep over her grave, to plant flowers around it, and to wait until it is time for him to join her. [AG]
    Source
    Burns, Robert. Highland Mary (ca.1792-1820). [broadside]. Liverpool: Thompson, G. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. 2806 c.17(167)
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Extremely popular in 19th century broadsides from the British Isles and the United States. This popularity is not reflected in oral versions. See Kidson (1891, pp. 84-86). [PRW]
    Notes

    The original 4 verse song refers to 'Highland' Mary Campbell (1763-1786), and is one of three works Burns dedicated to her. (Lindsay, 1980))

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Burns, Robert
    Date composed
    1792
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Kidson, F. (1891). Traditional tunes. Reprinted 1970. Wakefield: S.R. Publishers. / Lindsay, M. (1980). "Campbell, 'Highland' Mary (1763-86)". in The Burns encyclopedia. 3rd ed. London : Robert Hale. Available at: http://www.robertburns.org/encyclopedia/CampbellHighlandMary176315186.180.shtml [Accessed: 2021-08-25]
    Indexer
    AG
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/27382
  • Roud No
    600 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Glasgow / <River Clyde> / <Broomielaw> / James / <Prison guards> / Convicts / <Mothers> / <Fathers> / <Sweethearts> / <Gods> / <Heaven> / Prisons / <Coaches> / <Clothes> / <Heart> / Lamentation / <Broken-heartedness> / Transportation (punishment) / <Forcing>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Jimmy Raeburn laments being forced to leave his native Glasgow through transportation. He describes being put on a coach with other convicts while all their friends lament their case. He bids farewell to his parents and sweetheart, hoping to meet them again in Heaven. [RAS]
    Source
    Jimmy Raeburn [sleeve notes]. In: Chapman, D. 2000. Ythanside [CD]. Stroud: Musical Traditions Records. MTCD308, Pp. 21-22. Track 15.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 2 / Male (Adult) x 1 +
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    As expected, most oral versions have been found in Scotland (Shuldham-Shaw and Lyle (1981-2002. Vol. 8 pp.52-63)), as have all broadside versions. [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    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
    18216 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Neighbours / Police officers / Pigs / Pig sties / Escaping / Theft / False accusations / <Rowing boats> / <Streams> / Drowning / Songwriting
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Jimmy Bruisse buys a pig and builds a sty for it. The pig escapes, and Bruisse searches for it. He tells Ranger Walters that his pig has been stolen. He bursts into a neighbour’s house and accuses him of stealing the pig. Another neighbor rows into the brook and discovers the body of the pig. The narrator worries that Bruisse will discover that he has written this song, and send the police for him, but the song is true, even if it is not popular. [MET]
    Source
    Leach, M., ed. (2004). MacEdward Leach and the songs of Atlantic Canada. [online]. St John's: Memorial University of Newfoundland. NFLD 1 Tape 17A Track 2
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 4
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD1/17A-02.htm
  • Roud No
    82 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 187
    Subject terms
    Castles / Woods / River Tyne / Prisons / Newcastle-upon-Tyne / Lords / Mothers / Outlaws / <Ploughmen> / Horses / <Straw> / Fords / Trees / Leg irons / Files (tools) / Doors / Walls / Breaking in / Horse riding / Rescuing / Bravery
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    John a Side has been arrested for murder and taken to Newcastle. When his mother hears of this, she runs to Lord Mangerton to beg help. Hobby Noble says that he will rescue John with the help of just five men. He is offered many more, but refuses. They set off disguised as corn merchants, cross the river in spite of an old man’s warning, cut down a tree and use it to scale the castle walls. They break in and rescue John, carrying him out and despite his shackles put him on a horse. Once in the woods they file off his shackles and return home, where Hobby Noble is acclaimed as a hero. [SF]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. III pp. 477-478 (Version A)
    Characters
    Adult (male) x 5 / Adult (female) x 1 / <Adult (male) x 4>
    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
    1105 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Riverbanks / Morning / May (month) / Sailors / Young women / Rich people / Courtship / Consensual sex / Money / Infidelity
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    One May morning a sailor meets a beautiful rich lady and declares his love. They have sexual intercourse and she gives him twenty pounds and promises him more. He leaves her and goes to treat his shipmates, intending to meet more young women. [SLG]
    Source
    The springtime of the year [and] Just as the tide is flowing (ca. 1813-1838). [broadside]. London: Catnach. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 11(3634)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Quite popular in the post-war revival and historically, the first occurrence being in a broadside by Catnach who was in business from 1813. A smattering of other 19th century broadsides led to several first revival versions. See Roud and Bishop (2012, pp. 398-399). [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    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
    SLG
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/2902
  • Roud No
    4013 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 186
    Subject terms
    England / Scotland / Truces / <Horses> / <Devils> / Witches / Bravery / Reivers / Boundaries / Imprisonment / Freedom / Arrest (law enforcement) / Debatable Lands / Carlisle Castle / James I, King of England, 1566-1625 / Liddel Rack / Stoneshaw Bank / Armstrong, William, active 1596 / Salkeld, Thomas, 1551-1627 / Scrope, Thomas Scrope, Baron, approximately 1567-1609 / Armstrong, Dick, of Dryhope / Scott, Walter, Lord Scott of Buccleuch, 1565-1611 / Righting of wrongs / Capturing / <Leg irons>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    We are in the Debatable Lands in the time of the reivers (16th-17th centuries). A reiver, Kinmount Willie, is captured by Selkeld, the English Warden's deputy, and taken to Carlisle Castle to be imprisoned there by Lord Scroope , the English Warden, in breach of the Border Truce in place at that time. Word is got to Lord Buccleuch, the Scottish Warden, who vows that, were the Truce not in place, he would sack Carlisle Castle - but that he will see Willie freed. The description of how this is achieved is related at length (the original ballad had some 50 verses). In the end, Lord Scroope cannot believe that the rescue has been accomplished by just 30 Scots in the face of his one thousand English, thinking that witchcraft must have been involved, and says that he would not have crossed the dark waters of the Eden for all the gold in Christendom. [RAS]
    Source
    Kinmount Willie [sleeve notes]. In: Beattie, W. 2001. Up in the North and Down in the South [CD]. Stroud: Musical Traditions Records. MTCD311-2, Pp. 15-16. Track 1/21.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 4 / <Male (Adult) x 30>
    Song voice
    Male
    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
    RAS
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    67 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 110
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / <Castles> / <River Tay> / Young women / Noblemen's daughters / <William> / Daniel / <James> / <John> / <Theft> / <Fees> / Virginity / <Roads> / <Horses> / Names / <Petticoats> / <Laughing> / <Horse riding> / <Running> / Alcoholic drinking / <Marriage> / <Love> / <Social interactions> / Sexual intercourse / <Rape> / Class difference (romantic couples)
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A forrester encounters a lady in the woods and has sex with (rapes?) her; she asks his name. He gives several, but she says she knows his name is Young Daniel. On hearing his true name, he mounts and rides off - but she runs after him. At the castle she is asked what has happened, and she says he has taken her maidenhead. He laments having drunk wine, resulting in him having to marry someone he thinks to be a shepherd's daughter. But, at the marriage, it is found that she is Lord Urie's daughter, while he is just a blacksmith's son. [RAS]
    Source
    The forrester [sleeve notes]. In: Higgins. E. (2006) In Memory of Lizzie Higgins. [CD]. Stroud: Musical Traditions Records. MTCD337-8. p.19.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1 / <Male (Adult) x 1>
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    A Child ballad first in print in a black-letter broadside called ‘The Beautiful Shepherdess of Arcadia’ in London in the 1670s, it was later found in some of the early Scottish collections notably Kinloch, published in 1827. Apart from the broadside, Child only considered Scottish versions, but later oral versions came equally from Scotland and England, with only a handful from Canada, one from the United States, and none from Ireland. In common with most Child ballads, there have been no nineteenth century broadsides. It has been popular in the postwar revival, with John Strachan of Aberdeenshire and Emily Sparkes of Suffolk being recorded in the 1950s presaging many renditions from eminent revival singers. Child (1882-95, Vol II pp. 457-477) considered twelve versions, Bronson (1959-72, Vol II pp. 535-546) the  tunes of 24 variants.. [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
    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
    V4183 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    bar232
    Subject terms
    River Thames / River accidents / Collisions (transport accidents) / Princess Alice (boat) / London / Death by drowning / <Terror> / <Prayers> / <Bereavement> / <Sheerness>
    Subject date
    1878-09-03 / 3 Sep 1878
    Synopsis
    As she returns to London from Sheerness the Thames river boat Princess Alice is run down opposite Woolwich by an unnamed vessel. Of the 800 people aboard, more than 500 are drowned. Sympathy and prayers are extended to the bereaved. [CPB]
    Source
    The loss of the Princess Alice (ca. 1878). [broadside]. No imprint. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Firth c.13(73)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 + / Female (Adult) x 1 + / Unspecified (Child) x 1 +
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Unknown
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    CPB
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/11734
  • Roud No
    2220 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws C8
    Subject terms
    Riverbanks / Evening / Young women / Lovers' ghosts / Lovers' trysts / Promises / Embracing / Grief
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The grieving girl calls for her drowned sweetheart to rise from the grave. He comes from the waters 'a vision of splendor' to see her once more. When she begs him to stay, he replies that Death keeps them apart, but he will try to guard her from danger. He vanishes and she is left alone. [Laws 1964, pp.150-151]
    Source
    Creighton, H. and Senior, D., eds. (1950). Traditional songs from Nova Scotia. Toronto: Ryerson Press. pp. 186-187
    Characters
    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. (1964). Native American balladry. Revised edition. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society.
    Indexer
    SLG
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    561 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws O37
    Subject terms
    Seaside setting / Riverbanks / Midnight / Morning / Henry / Mary / Noblemen / Sailors / Young women / Young men / Sea captains / Sweethearts / <Mothers> / <Fathers> / Murder / Corpses / Handkerchiefs / Silk / Beauty / Dreams / Death / Threats / Tides / Rings / Engagement to marry / Hanging (execution) / Visions / True love / Lamentation / Cruelty / <Gallows> / <Hands> / <Pillows> / <Sandbanks> / Walking / Drowning / Crying / Tying up / Jealousy / Anger / Broken-heartedness / Grief / Floating
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    During Henry's absence a nobleman courts Molly, but she remains loyal to her lover. The nobleman threatens to drown her if she will not marry him. When she remains adamant, he binds her with a handkerchief and throws her into the ocean. Henry returns from sea and hears from her parents that Molly has committed suicide. He dreams that she is walking by the ocean, goes to the shore, and finds her floating corpse. He recognizes the ring on her hand and finds the murderer's handkerchief with his name on it. The nobleman is hanged, and Henry mourns until his death [Laws 1957, p.244].
    Source
    Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The new Penguin book of English folk songs. London: Penguin Classics. pp. 306-307.
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 2 / <Male (Adult) x 1> / <Female (Adult) x 1>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    A common song issued by broadside printers in the nineteenth-century; the earliest known examples date from around the 1820's (Roud and Bishop, 2012, p. 489).
    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
    713 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws K20
    Subject terms
    Night / Morning / Rivers / Separation / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Lovers' ghosts / Moonlight / Dawn / Cocks crowing / Sleeping / Crying / Unhappiness
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Sandy's ghost appears and tells Mary that he was drowned in a shipwreck. He asks his love to prepare to go with him `where love is free from grief and care'. The cock crows and the ghost vanishes [Laws 1957, p.150].
    Source
    Mary's dream (ca. 1851-1910). [broadside]. Glasgow: Lindsay. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. 2806 c. 14(166)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1 / Unspecified (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Very popular in broadsides, from England from the 1790s onward and in the United States in the 19th century. Less popular historically in oral form, where most versions were found in the United States in the 20th century. [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
    Indexer
    HMF
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/1615
  • Roud No
    91 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 216
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / River Clyde / Night / Mothers / Sweethearts / Maggie / William / <Brothers> / <Nosebleeds> / <Suppers> / Horses / Stables / <Barns> / <Chicken (meat)> / <Mutton> / Curses / Rivers / <Hills> / Dreams / <Winds> / Sleeping / Death by drowning / False identity / True love / Cruelty
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Willie expresses his intention to visit his sweetheart Maggie. His mother tries to induce him not to, but he spurns her entreaties. She puts a curse on him, that he will drown in the River Clyde. As he approaches the river he implores it to allow him to cross. When he reaches Maggie's house, he asks her to let him in, but she seems to refuse. Despondent, he turns for home, but is carried away by the river. His brother tells him to hold on to his horse and learn how to swim, but he says it's no use as he has his mother's curse. Maggie wakes up, and tells her mother that she has dreamed that Willie came and no-one would let him in. Her mother tells her that Willie left half an hour ago. Maggie goes after him, but she gets swept away by the water, ending up next to Willie in the deepest part of the river, lamenting the cruelty of their mothers. [JWD]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. IV pp.189-190. (Version C).
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 3 / <Male (Adult) x 1>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Child (1882-95) considers this to be a Western version of Child 215 (Roud 206), and comments that the episode where Willie is turned away by Maggie's mother, pretending to be her, seems to have been adopted from Child 76 (Roud 49).

    Comparative songs
    Rare Willie drowned in Yarrow, or Water o' Gamrie, The (Roud 206; Child 215) / Lass of Roch Royal, The (Roud 49; Child 76).
    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
    18230 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Courtship & marriage / Marriage difficulties / Drunkenness / Gin / Assault / Destruction / Dishes / Furniture / Rivers / Suicide
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Mr. Wright and Mrs. Wrong fall in love and marry. Mr. Wright discovers that his wife drinks gin, and she assaults him, smashes dishes and breaks up the furniture. She then throws herself into the river, and he follows her, both suicides. [MET]
    Source
    Leach, M., ed. (2004). MacEdward Leach and the songs of Atlantic Canada. [online]. St John's: Memorial University of Newfoundland. NFLD 1 Tape 1 Track 11
    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
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD1/1-11.htm
  • Roud No
    V7787 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    bar279
    Subject terms
    River Thames / Rowing boats / River accidents / Drowning / Rescuing / Watermen / Steam boats
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A group of people (presumably men) hire a wherry on the Thames. The waterman complains about the dangers and nuisance caused by steamers. He fails to notice a steamer bearing down on the wherry and the wherry is swamped by the steamer's wash. The waterman is lost overboard and never seen again. [CPB]
    Source
    The nobby waterman (ca. 1833-1841). [broadside]. London: T. Birt. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B11(2711)
    Characters
    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)
    Indexer
    CPB
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/16436
  • Roud No
    3792 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Bridges / Streams / <Moon> / <Mills> / <Eyes> / <Heart> / <Dreams> / <Birds> / <Leaving> / Pain / Regret / Loneliness / True love / <Wandering> / <Promises> / Maggie / <Murmuring> / <Repeating> / Sweethearts / Parted lovers / Nostalgia
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The narrator remembers the bridge over the stream where he and Maggie met and became sweethearts in their youth. They vowed marriage, but parted in pain and regret - he hopes for a reconciliation, but still fondly recalls the old bridge and the past. [RAS]
    Source
    The Old Rustic Bridge [sleeve notes]. In: Townshend, G. 2000. Come Hand to Me the Glass [CD]. Stroud: Musical Traditions Records. MTCD304-5, P. 22. Track 2/2.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Notes

    A music hall tear-jerker, written by American J P Skelly in 1881.

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Skelly, J.P.
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    RAS
    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
    263 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws P35
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Butchers / Millers / Apprentices / <Mothers> / Bill / Mary Anne / Rivers / Knives / Promises to marry / Broken promises / <Insomnia> / <Weddings> / <Walking> / Sweethearts / Death by stabbing / <Death by beating> / Drowning / Fear / Murder / Nosebleeds / Hanging (execution)
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The miller's apprentice invites his fiancee for a walk to discuss their wedding day. When they reach a lonely spot, he pulls a stake from a fence and hits her with it. She begs him not to murder her, but he beats her to death and throws her body into the river. He returns home and explains that his clothes are bloody because of a nosebleed. When the murder is discovered, the youth is sentenced to be hanged [Laws 1957, p.267]. [In indexed copy] A butcher's apprentice invites his fiancee for a walk; when they reach a lonely spot, he pulls out a knife and stabs her. She begs him not to murder her, as she's 'not prepared to die' (unconfessed) but he throws her body into the river. He returns home and dreams of the flames of Hell around his bedside. When the murder is discovered, the youth is sentenced to be hanged. [RAS]
    Source
    The butcher boy [sleeve notes]. In: Higgins, E. (2006). In Memory of Lizzie Higgins. [CD]. Stroud: Musical Traditions Records. MTCD337-8. p. 27.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    A very popular song historically, with over 400 entries in the Roud Index. It has had several names, including ‘The Oxford Girl/Tragedy’, ‘The Berkshire Tragedy’, ‘The Cruel Miller’, ‘The Miller’s Apprentice’, with Knoxville, Lexington, and Wexford appearing in the titles of American versions. According to Samuel Pepys, the story is based on a real event which took place near Shrewsbury, dated as 1684 by an entry in Philip Henry’s Diaries and Letters (see Palmer., 1979, pp.107-109). The earliest date we can ascribe to the song is about 1700 in a black letter broadside entitled ‘The Berkshire Tragedy or The Wittam Miller’, followed throughout the 18th century by copies put out by several unnamed London printers. The song continued to be popular with 19th century broadside printers throughout England and Scotland. Oral versions have been found in abundance in the 20th century, mostly from England and North America. Notable postwar versions have come from Aberdeenshire-based traveller Jeannie Robertson, who called the song ‘The Butcher Boy’ and Harry Cox from Norfolk who called the song ‘Ekefield Town’. Perhaps “Ekefield” should be “Wakefield”, a place near Great Yarmouth. [PRW]
    Notes

    Despite its title in indexed copy (The Butcher Boy), this is actually a version of the Oxford Girl, and thus really quite rare in Scotland.

    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 / Palmer, R. ed. (1979). Everyman’s book of English country songs. London: J. M. Dent.
    Indexer
    RAS
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    550 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws N2
    Subject terms
    India / Paisley / <River Clyde> / Wars & conflicts / Mary / Henry / <Spears> / Army officers / Courtship / Unhappiness / Cross-dressing / Death in battle / Battlefields
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Henry, the Paisley officer, falls in love with Mary. When his regiment is called to India they marry, and she disguises herself as a recruit and accompanies him. He is fatally wounded in battle and she is killed while caring for him. `They closed their eyes, no more to rise on India's burning shore' [Laws 1957, p.202].
    Source
    The Paisley Officer.(ca. 1860-1890) [broadside]. No imprint. Held at: Edinburgh: National Library of Scotland. L.C.Fol.178.A.2(117)
    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)
    Laws, G. M. (1957). American balladry from British broadsides. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society
    Indexer
    EHB
    Example text
    URL
    https://digital.nls.uk/broadsides/view/?id=14881
  • Roud No
    960 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws N32
    Subject terms
    <Rural setting> / <Morning> / <Summer> / Unhappiness / Lamentation / Battle of Waterloo (1815) / Cannons / Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821 / June / French people / Soldiers / Young women / <Beauty> / <Italy> / <Russia> / <Germany> / <Prussia> / <France> / <Spain> / <Comradeship> / <Streams> / Sweethearts / Death in battle / Failure to recognise / Reunited lovers / Rings / Broken tokens / Anne / William / <Drums>
    Subject date
    Battle of Waterloo, 1815-06-18 / 18 June 1815
    Synopsis
    A young man returning from Waterloo meets with his sweetheart in a rural setting. She is bemoaning the fact that her lover, Willie Smith, has not returned from the battle. The man states that Willie died on the battlefield, which causes her great upset. He then declares that he is after all, her Willie and proves it by showing the half of the ring that they had broken on parting. She falls into his arms, and we presume that they live happily ever after. [PRW]
    Source
    Fowke, E., ed. (1973). The Penguin book of Canadian folk songs London: Penguin Books. pp.154-155.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    A fine example of the broken token genre, the song was collected from the Canadian singer O.J. Abbott during the 1950s. Abbott got the song as a young man in the 1880s from an elderly farmer’s wife in the Ottawa valley, she having emigrated from Ireland as a girl. This puts its origin as not long after Waterloo in 1815. Other versions, though of poorer quality, have been confined to Canada, except for one that emerged in the 1970s from John Maguire from Fermanagh in Northern Ireland, and an undated 19th century broadside from Waterford. Both these two and Abbott’s versions show a remarkable textual concordance. See Wood (2015) p. 67-71 and Wood (2021). [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Mantle so green, The (Roud 714) / Bloody Waterloo (Roud 622)
    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. / Wood, P. (2015). The green linnet : Napoleonic songs from the French Wars to the present day. [Ovington, Northumberland]: Peter Wood. / Wood, P. (2021). 'The unrecognised returning lover and broken-token songs: a survey' Folk music journal 12 (1) pp. 76-94.
    Indexer
    PRW
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    2853 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Lovers / Crying / Lamentation / Broken-heartedness / Young women / Soldiers / Death in battle / Battle of Waterloo (1815) / French people / Heroes / Scots / Cork (City) / River Shannon / <Swimming> / <Fish> / <Eagles> / Muskets / Cavalry
    Subject date
    Battle of Waterloo, 1815-06-18 / 18 June 1815
    Synopsis
    A sad song about a young woman mourning her man’s death at Waterloo. [PRW]
    Source
    The sailor's letter [and] The Plains of Waterloo (ca. 1840-1866). [broadside]. Preston: Harkness. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. 2806 c.13(55)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 +
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    The song appeared in several English broadsides, the first printed by Armstrong of Liverpool between 1820 and 1824. However, it has not appeared in oral tradition. See Wood (2015, pp. 80-81). [PRW]
    Notes

    An uncommon song. One verse indicates an Irish origin.

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Wood, P. (2015). The green linnet : Napoleonic songs from the French Wars to the present day. [Ovington, Northumberland]: Peter Wood
    Indexer
    PRW
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/6812
  • Roud No
    564 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws P18
    Subject terms
    Riverbanks / Rakes (people) / Young women / Pregnancy / Broken promises / Seduction / Rejection / Refusal to marry / Loss of virginity / Blame / Despondency
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    After talking of marriage the young man takes the girl to bed with him. In the middle of the night he dresses to leave. When she reminds him of his promise, he tells her that she has only herself to blame. The ballad ends with several stanzas of lament [Laws 1957, p.257]. [In indexed copy] A young man seduces a young girl with promises of marriage. After taking her virginity, he abandons her on the grounds that she gave in too easily, so she is to blame for his desertion. The girl is left pregnant and dejected. [HMF].
    Source
    The friend of the distress'd [and] Distress'd maid (ca. 1820-1855). [broadside]. Birmingham: Wright. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 28(122)
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1 / Unspecified (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
    Indexer
    HMF
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/22615
  • Roud No
    206 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 215
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Gamrie / <Yarrow (Selkirkshire)> / <Wednesday> / Sons / Mothers / Sweethearts / Brothers / Horses / Churches / Brides / <Blessings> / Curses / Streams / Weddings / <Ribbons> / Mourning / Death by drowning / True love
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Meg (Peggy) extols Willie’s virtues and says he wants to marry her. His mother says she can have any of her three other sons, but not Willie. Meg insists it must be Willie. After people have gathered to ride to the wedding with Willie, he tells them to ride on as he has forgotten to get his mother's blessing. She puts a curse on him instead, saying that the Water of Gamrie is wide. As they attempt to cross it, Willie is carried away by the stream. When they reach the church, Meg asks why people are in mourning, and where Willie is. His brother tells her that he has drowned. She runs to the stream, and finds his body. She kisses him and says they will both sleep in the Water of Gamrie. [JWD]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. IV, p.181 (Version E)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / <Male (Adult) x 3 > / Female (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    A Child ballad, with the first known version published by Ramsay in his 1727 songster A New Miscellany of Scots Sangs followed by other 18th century and early 19th century Scottish collections and 18th century English songsters. Most oral versions have been found in Scotland and North America, whereas broadside versions have been limited to England. It has been popular with many Scottish postwar revival singers, notably Gordeanna McCulloch and Ray Fisher. Child (1882-95, Vol IV pp. 178-184) considered eight versions, Bronson (1959-72, Vol III pp. 328-331) the tunes of nine variants in just two groups. [PRW]
    Notes

    In other versions, Willie is drowned in Yarrow; Child (1882-95) considers this as the older Southern version, while Clyde's Waters (Child 216, Roud 91) in which Willie is drowned in the Clyde is a Western version.

    Comparative songs
    Braes o Yarrow, The (Roud 13; Child 214) / Mother's malison, The, or, Clyde's Water (Roud 91; Child 216)
    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
    1121 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Winter / Firesides / Poor people / Rich people / Young men / Rivers & streams / Leaf fall / Snow / Ice / Cold weather / Winds / Stars / Robins / Bridges / Hares / Death / Ice skating / Hunting for sport / Floods / Remembering / Poor relief
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A descriptive song about the joys and beauty of winter as well as the nuisances of the thaw to follow, as seen from the point of view of those who have plenty. At the end of each verse the narrator reminds the listener that it's the time to remember the poor. In the last verse he looks forward to the day when heaven will come down to earth, all shall be equal, and death will be no more [AG]
    Source
    The death of Parker [and] Remember the poor (ca. 1774-1825). [broadside]. Newcastle: Angus. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B11(843)
    Characters
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    AG
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/13855
  • Roud No
    97 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 232
    Subject terms
    <Stirling> / <Cumbernauld> / Riverbanks / Earls / Noblemen's daughters / Footmen / Mothers-in-law / <Rejected suitors> / Letters / <Ribbons> / <Silk> / Wealth / Courtship / Declarations of love / Promises / <Tests of love> / True love / Fidelity / Class difference (romantic couples) / <Byres> / <Mucking out>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Earl Wigton’s eldest daughter has fallen in love with her footman, Richie. Even when he brings her a proposal of marriage from the Earl of Hume she remains faithful to her resolve to marry nobody but her servant, despite the poverty this entails. She travels with him through Stirling to her mother-in-law's where she is put to work with him mucking out the byre yet she stays true to her promise. [SF]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. IV p. 293 (Version A).
    Characters
    Adult (male) x 1 / Adult (female) x 2 / <Adult (male) x 2> / <Adult (female) x 2>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Huntingtower (Roud 345, Child 232 Appendix)
    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
    357 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    <Riverbanks> / Men / Young women / Unfaithful wives / Idle wives / Babies / Crying / Regret / Lamentation / Cuckoldry / Age difference (romantic couples)
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A man rocks the baby's cradle, suspecting that the child is not his and bitterly regretting marrying a lazy and unfaithful young wife. [MN]
    Source
    Rocking the cradle (no date). [broadside]. [?Dublin]: [s.n.]. Held at: London: Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. Cecil Sharp Broadside Collection Vol.2 p.20 B. CJS1/10/2/274/1
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Child) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified Male
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MN
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.vwml.org/record/CJS1/10/2/274/1
  • Roud No
    V44737 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Sweethearts / Rowing boats / Consensual sex / <Rivers> / <Islands>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Johnny Jones takes his sweetheart, Flo, up the river in his rowboat. They make love in the boat and on an island in the river. [MET]
    Source
    Burke, J., ed. (1918). Burke's Christmas songster 1918. St. John's, Newfoundland: John Burke. p. 20.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    First published as sheet music in 1912. (Music Division, The New York Public Library, 2019)
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Jerome, William (words) / Monaco, James V. (music) (Music Division, The New York Public Library, 2019)
    Date composed
    1912 (Music Division, The New York Public Library, 2019)
    Printer / Publisher
    John Burke
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Music Division, The New York Public Library, 2019. The New York Public Library Digital Collections. Row Row Row [online] https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47da-5100-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/5...
  • Roud No
    18237 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Sisters / Brothers / Parents / Summer / Streams / <Birdsong> / Nostalgia / Farewells / Death
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A nostalgic remembrance of the narrator’s youth in summertime. He especially recalls his sister, but also his parents, now all long dead. [MET]
    Source
    Leach, M., ed. (2004). MacEdward Leach and the songs of Atlantic Canada. [online]. St John's: Memorial University of Newfoundland. NFLD 1 Tape 6A Track 15
    Characters
    Male (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
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD1/6A-15.htm
  • Roud No
    688 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Urban setting / <Chester> / <Liverpool> / Men / Women / Sweethearts / Soldiers / Rivers & streams / Ivory (product) / <Alcoholic drinks> / <Mountains> / <Castles> / <Diamonds> / <Hawks> / Love / Despondency
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Courting takes place in an idealised setting, among river valleys, mountains and a castle seemingly built of ivory and diamonds. The man wishes that his sweetheart could be tamed as he would tame a hawk. He regrets that his regiment must move on from Chester to Liverpool, but he will remain faithful to his sweetheart. The song voice changes, and the woman determines to go to the Captain to buy her lover's discharge, but is refused. She says she will enter a nunnery and never marry unless her lover returns. [SLG]
    Source
    The streams of lovely Nancy [and] Freemason’s song (ca. 1820-1824). [broadside]. Liverpool : Armstrong. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 28(29).
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male Female
    Song history
    Historically this has been a popular song, particularly in broadside format. These began around 1800 with either Catnach (1813-1838) or Swindells of Manchester (1790-1853), followed by most major English printers of the 19th century. These were followed by a rich crop of oral versions, starting with the collections of Baring Gould in 1889. [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Come all you little streamers (Roud 18820)
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    SLG
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/21647
  • Roud No
    1061 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Riverbanks / Cottages / Fields / Reunited lovers / Sweethearts / Farmers' sons / Broken tokens / Rings / Weddings / <Flowers> / <Trousers> / Impressment / Walking / Tears / Failure to recognise / <Bell ringing> / <Dancing> / Happy endings / Class difference (romantic couples) / Steadfastness
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A 'broken token' song, in which young William returns from the sea to find his Nancy walking alone. She refuses his company, saying that she will always remain loyal to her sweetheart, a wealthy farmer's son. He produces his half of the ring they broke between them on parting, at which they are reconciled and marry with great happiness. [AG]
    Source
    The wealthy farmer's son [and] The thrasher (ca. 1813-1838). [broadside]. London: J. Catnach. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Johnson Ballads 288.
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    There were many more broadside versions than oral versions. The former started with either London-based Catnach or Swindells of Manchester with the rest either English or American. See also Wood (2021). [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Wood, P. (2021). 'The unrecognised returning lover and broken-token songs: a survey' Folk music journal 12 (1) pp.76-94
    Indexer
    AG
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/23700
  • Roud No
    219 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 37
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / <Eildon> / <Huntly Burn (Roxburghshire)> / Elfland / Thomas / Fairy queens / Elves / Skirts / Mantles / <Horse manes> / Bells / Silver (metal) / <Blood> / Orchards / Gardens / Fruit (food) / Hell / <Plagues> / Roads / <Coats> / <Shoes> / <Velvet> / Horse riding / <Bowing (salutation)> / Eating / Drinking / Enchantment (supernatural) / Disappearance / Holding one's tongue / Warnings / Prohibitions
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Thomas is lying on a grassy bank (Huntly Banks, by the Eildon tree, in other versions) when a richly dressed lady rides past. He addresses her as the Queen of Heaven. She says she is the queen of Elfland, and he must serve her for seven years. When they reach an orchard, he offers to pick some fruit, but she says he must not touch it for fear of the plagues of hell. She adds that she has some bread and wine, and tells him to rest his head on her knee. She shows him a narrow road, full of thorns, which is the road of righteousness. A second broad road is the road of wickedness, snd the third leads to Elfland. She warns him not to say anything, or he will never go home. He gets a coat of elven cloth and velvet green shoes, and for seven years he was not seen in his own country. [JWD]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol. I pp. 323-324 (Version A).
    Characters
    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)
    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
    1026 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Ohio / Men / Women / Native Americans / Buffaloes / Rivers & streams / Emigration / Hunting / Fighting / Happiness
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Young people are exhorted to migrate to Ohio (USA), a land of pleasure, ease and plenty. They would be victorious in any conflict with indigenous peoples.
    Source
    The buffalo (ca. 1819-1844). [broadside]. London: Pitts. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 15(36b)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 + / Female (Adult) x 1 +
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    As expected, both broadside and oral versions have been found in both the United States and the British Isles. The earliest broadside known is by either Swindells in Manchester or Catnach in London, with the first American version in a songster of 1843. [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    SLG
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/3369
  • Roud No
    2731 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Sweethearts / Parents / Angling / Beauty / Marriage proposals / Banns of marriage / Infidelity / <Riverbanks> / <Trout> / <Salmon> / Joys of married life
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    An angler goes to the river to fish for trout and salmon, and spies a beautiful, young woman with whom he falls in love. He proposes marriage to her, and she is, at first, reluctant, because men are deceitful. But she relents, they receive parental approval, the banns are published, and they marry. [MET]
    Source
    Leach, M., ed. (2004). MacEdward Leach and the songs of Atlantic Canada. [online]. St John's: Memorial University of Newfoundland. NFLD 2 Tape 4 Track 7 and NFLD 2 Tape 4A Track 1
    Characters
    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
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD2/4-07_51.htm / http...
  • Roud No
    1350 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 44
    Subject terms
    Women / Blacksmiths / Virginity / <Hammers> / <Bowers (apartments)> / <Doors> / <Wands> / Fine clothes / Doves / <Streams> / Trout / Ducks / <Ponds> / <Coal (fuel)> / <Hands> / <Chests (furniture)> / <Gold (metal)> / Graves / <Masses (church services)> / Pride / Hares / <Hills> / Greyhounds / Mares / <Cooking & serving utensils> / <Cakes> / <Sailing ships> / <Silk> / <Plaids> / <Bedding> / <Beds> / <Swearing (oaths etc.)> / <Swimming> / Rape / Attempted rape / Loss of virginity / Sexual euphemisms / Refusal to marry / Pursuing / Deception / Disguise / Flying / Eels / Shapeshifting
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A blacksmith comes to visit a lady and threatens to take her maidenhead. She refuses and swears that she would rather die. She turns herself into a range of different animals and objects to escape him, but he pursues and eventually catches her. The chase is filled with imagery of natural environments and sexual assault (for example, when she becomes a mare, he becomes a saddle ‘to ride upon her back’) [CDS]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol I pp. 402-3
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    There are no known broadside versions of this song. Oral versions are limited to England and Scotland. See Shuldham-Shaw, and Lyle. (1981-2002, Vol. 2 pp. 582-583). Quite popular in the post-war revival. [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
    CDS
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    V4185 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    bar734
    Subject terms
    River Thames / River accidents / Collisions (transport accidents) / Princess Alice (boat) / Bywell Castle (ship) / London / Death by drowning / <Terror> / <River boat captains> / <Bereavement> / <Rotherhithe> / <Sheerness> / <Southend-on-Sea> / <Woolwich>
    Subject date
    1878-09-03 / 3 Sep 1878
    Synopsis
    As she returns to London from Southend; the Thames river boat Princess Alice is rammed by the Bywell Castle. The Captain tries to save the vessel but she sinks and six hundred passengers are drowned. The bodies are laid out in Woolwich. God is asked to help the bereaved. [CPB]
    Source
    A copy of verses on the loss of the Princess Alice (ca. 1878). [broadside]. London: W. S. Fortey. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 13(245)
    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
    CPB
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/17095
  • Roud No
    1364 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    River Tyne / Young women / Young men / Sweethearts / Parted lovers / Crying / Lamentation / Ferrymen / Ferry boats / Rewards
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A young woman is separated from her lover by the River Tyne. She begs for someone to find her a ferryman to take her across the river, or to bring her lover across to her, and offers a reward. [HMF]
    Source
    Palmer, R. ed. (1979). Everyman’s book of English country songs. London: J. M. Dent. p 143
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Female
    Song history
    This well-known Northumbrian song has no known oral versions and only appears in three songsters. On the other hand, it occurred in several notable north east collections, including Thomas Allan’s (1891 p.31). [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Allan, T. (1891). Allan's Tyneside songs (Rev. edn). Newcastle-upon-Tyne: T & G Allan
    Indexer
    HMF
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    604 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws N29
    Subject terms
    Riverbanks / Young women / Sailors / Sweethearts / Absent lovers / Parted lovers / Moonlight / Prayers / Songs / Homecoming / Blessing / Happy endings / God / Sailing ships / Oceans & seas / Gold (metal) / Rings / Lovers' tokens / Failure to recognise / Revealing identity / Death in battle / Hugging / Singing / Crying / Running / Tearing of hair / Broken-heartedness
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The sailor learns from the weeping girl that her lover has been away at sea for seven years and that she fears he is dead. He produces a token which he says her lover sent before he died, with the request that she marry the bearer. When she says that she can only mourn for the rest of her life, the sailor reveals that he is her lover and a happy reunion follows [Laws 1957, p.218].
    Source
    The Welcome Sailor (ca. 1820-1831). [broadside]. Smithfield, Birmingham: Wright. W. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. 2806 c.17(462)
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    A 17th century broadside composed by Cuthbert Birket called 'A Pleasant New Song between a Seaman and his Love' is seen as a predecessor of this song by textual analysis. Yet there is no record of it in print between the end of the 17th Century and a broadside published by Catnach, whose earliest possible date was 1813. The first oral version was collected in Maine in 1875. In the early 20th century, versions were collected in England, both the south west and Yorkshire. See Wood (2021, pp.90-91). [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 / Wood, P. (2021). 'The unrecognised returning lover and broken-token songs: a survey' Folk music journal 12 (1) pp.76-94.
    Indexer
    ELW
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/1785
  • Roud No
    V44723 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Friends / Trout / Summer / Angling / Ponds / Streams / Birds / Smoking
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The narrator knows of a secret fishing spot whose location he shares only with a friend. When summer comes, they enjoy the coolness of the pond, and the sweet music of the birds and babbling brook. He invites his friend to enjoy a smoke while casting for trout. [MET]
    Source
    Murphy, J., ed. (1904). Old colony song book, Newfoundland. St. John's, Newfoundland: James Murphy. pp. 72-73.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Devine, M. A.
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/3...
  • Roud No
    886 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Oceans & seas / <Stomach> / <River Nile> / Shipwrecks / Crocodiles / Mythical animals / Boats / <Trees> / <Drinks> / <Meat> / Travel / Boasting / Amazement / Trickery / Tall stories
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A man is shipwrecked, sees a giant crocodile and avoids getting eaten by climbing down its throat. He finds enough food and drink to last him for ten years, then when the beast dies he digs a hole to get out. [PB]
    Source
    The Wonderful crocodile (ca. 1850). [broadside]. Manchester: G. Jacques. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. 2806 c. 16*(150)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    The Derby Ram (Roud 126)
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    PB
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/27749
  • Roud No
    V42547 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    bar627
    Subject terms
    River Thames / River accidents / Collisions (transport accidents) / Princess Alice (boat) / London / Death by drowning / <Bereavement>
    Subject date
    1878-09-03 / 3 Sep 1878
    Synopsis
    The passengers leave home in expectation of a pleasurable excursion but hundreds are drowned. Many are bereaved. Sympathy is expressed by people from all social classes. [CPB]
    Source
    Old English songs (ca. 1878). [songster]. London: Richard March. Held at: London: VWML. Library Street Literature Collection LSL/2/4 p. 8
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 + / Female (Adult) x 1 +
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    March, Richard
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Richard March
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    CPB
    Example text
    URL
    https://media.vwml.org/images/web/LSL/lsl_000191tsa.jpg
  • 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
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    3783 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Rural setting / Young men / Young women / Sweethearts / Parents / <Children> / <Rivers> / <Bells> / <Heart> / <Bread> / <Cheese> / <Rings> / <Walking> / True love / Parted lovers / Reunited lovers / <Delight> / Ythanside / Mains of Gight / <Passing> / <Smiling> / Hospitality / Happy endings
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A young man walks by the river Ythen and passes a beautiful girl and asks her the way to Saint John's wells. She accompanies him for a couple of miles and then takes him to her home where he is well treated by her parents. At nine o'clock he has to leave and they part with sad hearts, expecting to meet no more. The following Spring he returns and they marry and live happily ever after. [RAS]
    Source
    Ythanside [sleeve notes]. In: Chapman, D. 2000. Ythanside [CD]. Stroud: Musical Traditions Records. MTCD308, P. 9. Track 1.
    Characters
    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