Bachelor's Hall (III)


DESCRIPTION: "Young ladies all, both short, fat, and tall, On me you will surely take pity, For a bachelor's hall is no place at all." The singer would rather be married: it's less expensive. He lists his household assets in hopes of attracting a wife.
AUTHOR: Larry Gorman
EARLIEST DATE: 1957 (Ives-DullCare)
KEYWORDS: courting bragging humorous nonballad bachelor
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ives-DullCare, pp. 39-41,241, "Bachelor's Hall" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #14002
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Courting Case" (theme)
cf. "Michael O'Brien" (theme)
File: IvDC039

Bachelor's Lament, A


DESCRIPTION: "As I was walking all alone, I heard an old bachelor making his moans: I wonder what the matter can be, Dog them pretty girls won't have me." The bachelor describes those he has courted, the offers he has made, the horses he has ruined -- to no avail
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1905 (Belden)
KEYWORDS: bachelor loneliness courting
FOUND IN: US(Ap,MA,MW,NE,So)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Belden, p. 263, "The Old Bachelor" (1 text)
JHCox 160, "A Bachelor's Lament" (1 short text)
Brewster 70, "The Old Bachelor" (1 text)
ST JHCox160 (Partial)
Roud #3771
RECORDINGS:
Eugene Jemison, "The Bachelor's Complaint" (on Jem01)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Bachelor's Hall (II)" (subject, lyrics)
NOTES: The texts in Belden and Cox have hardly a word in common, but the themes and forms are so similar that I don't hesitate to lump them. Brewster's text is similar to the one in the description. - RBW
Paul Stamler notes that at least one version ends with the bachelor dying; the singer tells women to put him in the ground, for fear he might come back to life and keep trying to find a wife.- (PJS, RBW)
The Jemison recording includes at least one verse that overlaps Fiddlin' John Carson's version of "Bachelor's Hall." I called that "Bachelor's Hall (II)"; the Jemison recording sounds more like "Bachelor's Hall (I)." - PJS
File: JHCox160

Bachelor's Lament, The


DESCRIPTION: The singer, forty-nine, wishes "some bonnie lassie wad tak' pity on me." His stockings "like mysel', they hiv seen better days" and his breeches are torn. His whiskers are grey and his head bald. He wants "a clean tidy body in perfect good health"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1907 (GreigDuncan7)
KEYWORDS: nonballad bachelor hair clothes
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Greig #19, p. 2, "The Bachelor's Lament" (1 text)
GreigDuncan7 1392, "The Bachelor's Lament" (1 text)
Roud #5755
NOTES: From Greig's correspondent's note I cannot say whether this was a song recalled or authored to be contributed. - BS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: GrD71392

Bachelor's Walk


DESCRIPTION: The singer describes "the murderous outrage that took place in Dublin Town." Armed Irish rebels came to Dublin, and disturbances followed. In the confusion, the King's Own Scottish regiment kills three people
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1914 (OLochlainn)
KEYWORDS: Ireland rebellion death
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1914 - the riot in Bachelor's Walk
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (2 citations):
PGalvin, pp. 55-56, "Batchelor's Walk" (1 text, 1 tune)
OLochlainn 100, "Bachelor's Walk: Mournful Lines on the Military Outrage in Dublin" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3049
NOTES: This song illustrates clearly the sad state of Anglo-Irish relations in the early twentieth century. The British troops (who, according to Dangerfield, p. 121, were not trained in riot work) were doing their best to keep order -- but the Irish called them "cowards" and "murderers."
The massacre came about as a result of rising tensions in Ireland. Many in Britain were ready to grant the Irish Home Rule (internal self government; see, e.g., "Home Rule for Ireland") -- but the folk of Ulster feared the Catholics so much that they formed paramilitary forces and began smuggling in guns. The rest of the Irish also started to organize armies.
The British were in an uncomfortable situation; they had to put more soldiers in the streets. Unfortunately, the soldiers were met by catcallers and stone throwers.
The Bachelor's Walk massacre was the result of just such a provocation. According to Kee, pp. 214-215, the soldiers had been sent out to try to stop some arms-runners. They failed -- sort of. The British law of the time was peculiar: Owning firearms was permitted, but importing them was not. Had the British caught the arms coming in, they could have impounded them. But by the time the soldiers arrived, the arms (some 15,000 rifles and 100,000 rounds of ammunition, according O'Connor, p. 60) had been distributed and therefore legal. Besides, the Irish Volunteers scattered when they saw the soldiers. But in the process, the soldiers loaded their guns, and did not unload. (Or so it was reconstructed later.)
So the soldiers started back, to be greeted by a jeering mob. An officer told the troops to face the crowd; he wanted to address the demonstrators. The report is that he did not know the soldier's guns were loaded. He held up his hand for silence. Someone apparently took this as a signal to fire, and the rest of the troops, who were being severely goaded, joined in.
The net toll of the "massacre," according to Kee, was three Irish dead (none of them among the thousand or so soldiers who provoked the riots) and 38 wounded (O'Connor claims four killed and 38 wounded) -- but the British troops (King's Own Scottish Borderers), though they suffered no fatalities, also took their share of injuries.
This is not to say that the British were entirely without fault. Younger, p. 23, notes that both Nationalists and Unionists were running guns. The British hadn't done much when the Ulster Volunteers had marched earlier in the week, but they watched the Irish Volunteers closely, resulting in the tragedy.
For some reason, Galvin spells the name of this song "Batchelor's Walk," which I followed in the first version of the Index because it was the only version I'd seen. But the first four genuine histories I checked -- Younger, Dangerfield, O'Connor, and Kee -- prefer the more normal spelling "Bachelor's Walk." - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 2.5
File: PGa055

Back Bay Hill


DESCRIPTION: The singer meets a girl "tripping and slipping down (Back Bay Hill)." They are married the next day. They have three children; during a disagreement about names, the father insists the child be named after the hill! He advises others to visit the place
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1932 (Creighton-Nova Scotia)
KEYWORDS: courting children
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar,Newf)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Fowke/Johnston, pp. 164-165, "Citadel Hill" (1 text, 1 tune)
Blondahl, p. 107, "Sig-i-nal Hill" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-NovaScotia 101, "Back Bay Hill" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST FJ165 (Partial)
Roud #1811
NOTES: Creighton reports, "[Informan Frank Faulkner] learned this song while sealing in 1902.... The name Back Bay may be changed to any hill in the place where the song is sung." - RBW
Blondahl: "Signal Hill, St John's, is famed for many deeds (and mis-deeds) which have taken place over the past three or four centuries." - BS
File: FJ165

Back o' Bennachie, The


See Where the Gadie Rins (I), (II), etc. (File: Ord347)

Back o' Rarey's Hill, The (The Jilted Lover)


DESCRIPTION: "It was on a Saturday evening, As I went to Dundee, I met wi' an old sweetheart," and one thing led to another. They share a glass, he departs, then writes a letter saying he will marry her only if she comes to him. She warns other girls of her sad fate
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1910 (GreigDuncan6)
KEYWORDS: love courting sex abandonment betrayal
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Greig #157, p. 2, ("It's oft in my love's arms my love to him I've told"); Greig #159, pp. 1-2, "The Jilted Lover" (2 texts)
GreigDuncan6 1133, "Rarey's Hill," GreigDuncan8 Addenda, "Rarey's Hill" (8 texts, 5 tunes)
Ord, pp. 156-157, "The Back o' Rarey's Hill" (1 text)
Roud #6847
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Fair Gallowa'" (tune, per GreigDuncan6)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The False Lover
The Courtin' Mill
File: Ord156

Back to Jericho


DESCRIPTION: Reworked floating verses in white-blues form: "I'm going back to Jericho, sugar babe (x3)"; "Never seen the likes since I've been born...." "Old Aunt Jemima going through the sticks...." "What you gonna do when the meat gives out...." Etc.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1926 (recording, Dock Walsh)
KEYWORDS: humorous nonballad floatingverses
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, pp. 170-171, "Back to Mexico" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7694
RECORDINGS:
Carolina Tar Heels, "Back to Mexico" (Victor 23611, 1931)
Dock Walsh, "Going Back to Jericho" (Columbia 15094-D, 1926)
Doc Watson, Gaither Carlton & Ralph Rinzler, "I'm Going Back to Jericho" (on Ashley02, WatsonAshley01)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Crawdad" (words, pattern, tune)
NOTES: Jericho is a town in South Carolina. The singer is probably referring to that Jericho, not the one in the Bible. - PJS
I was tempted to classify this as a version of "Crawdad," since that is the source for so many of the verses. I'm still not sure about the matter. Does anyone know any other versions of this song? - RBW
Rinzler notes that Gaither Carlton learned this as a boy (c. 1915?), while Doc Watson learned it from his father. The song may date from the 1900s, therefore. While it's clearly related to "Crawdad Song," I think they're different enough to continue splitting them. - PJS
File: CSW170

Back to Larkins' Bar


DESCRIPTION: The singer writes a letter to his (girl/wife); the (soldiering/cockie's) life is hard and lonely. He pleads, "Take me back to the Holbrook streets, And back where the beer-hogs are, Back to the sound of the barrel taps And back to Larkins' bar."
AUTHOR: James "Digger" O'Brien?
EARLIEST DATE: 1987
KEYWORDS: home Australia drink
FOUND IN: Australia
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Meredith/Covell/Brown, pp. 273-274, 274-275, "Back to Larkins' Bar" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
NOTES: Meredith collected this song twice, in fragmentary but strikingly different forms, from two residents of Holbrook, Australia. Marilyn McPherson credited it to her father, Digger O'Brien; Jack Campbell also apparently had it from him. On its face, that would seem to disqualify it from "folk song" status -- except for the extreme set of variations.
Larkins' Bar is apparently one of the chief landmarks of Holbrook (this is Australia, after all). - RBW
File: MCB273

Back Water Blues


See Backwater Blues (File: FSWB073A)

Backblock Shearer, The


DESCRIPTION: "I'm only a backblock shearer, as easily can be seen... I've shorn in most of the famous sheds, I've seen big tallies done, But somehow or other, I don't know why, I never became a gun." The shearer describes his many attempts to make the century
AUTHOR: W. Tully
EARLIEST DATE: 1953 (Collected from Jack Lee by John Meredith)
KEYWORDS: sheep work contest
FOUND IN: Australia
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 38-39, "The Backblock Shearer" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manifold-PASB, pp. 128-129, "Widgegoara Joe (The Backblock Shearer)" (1 text, 1 tune)
Paterson/Fahey/Seal, pp. 200-202, "The Backblocks Shearer" (1 text)
DT, BACKBLCK
NOTES: A "gun" was a high-speed shearer who could shear "the century" (100 sheep) in an eight hour day. - RBW
File: MA038

Backburn Is a Bonnie Place


DESCRIPTION: Andrew Crystal lives in Backburn; praise him "for he grand whisky sells." "O mither dear, look doon the lum [chimney] Your face I lang to see"; the eagles build their nest in you and I would try their eggs.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1914 (GreigDuncan8)
KEYWORDS: drink food humorous nonballad
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
GreigDuncan8 1698, "Backburn Is a Bonnie Place" (1 text)
Roud #13039
File: GrD81698

Backward, Turn Backward (I)


DESCRIPTION: "Backward, turn backward, O Time, in your flight, Bring back my ability if just for tonight. Bring back that riding ability of mine, Don't let the bull buck my ass off this time."
AUTHOR: Joe Cavanaugh?
EARLIEST DATE: 1954
KEYWORDS: parody cowboy animal humorous
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ohrlin-HBT 55, "Backward, Turn Backward" (1 short text, 1 tune)
Roud #5092
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Rock Me to Sleep Again, Mother" (tune)
cf. "Cowboy Again for a Day" (tune, lyrics)
NOTES: Ohrlin believed that Joe Cavanaugh made up this parody on the spot at a competition in 1954. (The original is "Rock Me to Sleep Again, Mother," and is quoted by Laura Ingalls Wilder in chapter 19 of Little Town on the Prairie, but this is probably derived from "Cowboy Again for a Day.") But this cannot be absolutely proved, so it goes into the Index. - RBW
File: Ohr055

Backward, Turn Backward (II)


See Cowboy Again for a Day (File: FCW116)

Backwater Blues


DESCRIPTION: "Well, it rained five days and the sky was dark (x2), There's trouble in the lowlands tonight. "I got up one morning, I couldn't even get out of my door." The storms and floods drive many poor people from their homes
AUTHOR: Bessie Smith?
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (recording, Bessie Smith)
KEYWORDS: storm flood home disaster
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1927 - Mississippi River floods, devastating the Delta region and leaving thousands homeless
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Silber-FSWB, p. 73, "Back Water Blues" (1 text)
DT, BACKWATR*
RECORDINGS:
Big Bill Broonzy, "Backwater Blues" (on Broonzy01)
Lonnie Johnson, "Backwater Blues" (King 4251, 1948)
Bessie Smith, "Back Water Blues" (Columbia 14195-D, 1927)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Mississippi Heavy Water Blues" (subject)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Backwater Blues
File: FSWB073A

Backwoodsman, The (The Green Mountain Boys) [Laws C19]


DESCRIPTION: The singer, a wood-hauler, having gotten drunk, is convinced to go a ball. He spends a riotous night. He hopes that others will not exaggerate what happened.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1920 (Cox)
KEYWORDS: drink hardtimes
FOUND IN: US(Ap,MA,MW,NE,SE) Canada(Ont,West)
REFERENCES (10 citations):
Laws C19, "The Backwoodsman (The Green Mountain Boys)"
Rickaby 35, "The Backwoodsman" (1 text)
Gardner/Chickering 168, "The Backwoodsman" (1 text)
JHCox 132, "When I Was One-and-Twenty" (1 text)
BrownIII 340, "The Wood Hauler" (2 texts)
FSCatskills 119, "The Cordwood Cutter" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Fowke-Lumbering #49, "The Backwoodsman" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fowke/MacMillan 30, "The Backwoodsman" (1 text, 1 tune)
Flanders/Brown, pp. 43-45, "The Green Mountain Boys" (1 text)
DT 604, BACKWOOD* CAMCNTRY*
Roud #641
RECORDINGS:
Maynard Britton, "I Came to this Country" (AFS, c. 1937; on KMM; there is probably some mixture in this version)
James B. Cornett, "Spring of '65" (on MMOK, MMOKCD)
Robert C. Paul, "The Backwoodsman" (on Saskatch01)
Vern Smelser, "The Morning of 1845" (on FineTimes)
Emerson Woodcock, "The Backwoodsman" (on Lumber01)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "In Eighteen-Forty-Nine" (floating lyrics)
cf. "In Seventeen Ninety-Five" (lyrics)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Cordwood Cutter
NOTES: Laws made rather a botch of this piece, omitting the Cox and Brown texts and causing me to split the song in two for a time. It doesn't help that it's an extremely diverse item; there is hardly a single feature common to all versions. Many versions start with the lines, "I woke up on morning in (1805/1845/1865), (Thought/Found) myself quite (happy/lucky) to find myself alive."
This is not, however, diagnosic. Cox's text, for instance, begins with the line, "When I was one-and-twenty," but is obviously not to be confused with the A. E. Housman poem of the same title.
Many texts say that the young man was able to go on a spree because of a gift from his father. But in Brown's "B" text, he's treated to an election spree (a common technique in nineteenth century elections: Give the voters enough free liquor and they would be expected to vote for you. Though it's rather odd to see an election held in *1845*).
The singer is often a hauler, and may ring in his mule -- but may not.
We often find a description of a wild dance, but this seems to vary also.
And so it goes.
Fowke's text has a curious reference to a fiddle tune "The Bluebells of Ireland." Wonder how the Scots felt about that title. - RBW
File: LC19

Bad Ale Can Blow a Man Down


DESCRIPTION: "Go bring me a mug of your very best ale, Bad ale can drag a man down." "The lord of the castle a bold knight was he, He started to London the Queen for to see." "His cloak it was velvet for a grand lord was he, He rode a white charger...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1939 (Thomas)
KEYWORDS: nobility royalty drink travel
FOUND IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Thomas-Makin', p. 30, (no title) (1 text)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Abie's White Mule" (lyrics)
NOTES: Thomas, obscurely, lists this in her section on chanteys. The first verse, I suppose, might be; the second and third appear to be part of an unrelated ballad. But with only two lines of the first and four of the second, I can't identify it.
It may well be mixed up with another song in Thomas, "Abie's White Mule." - RBW
File: ThBa030

Bad Brahma Bull (The Bull Rider Song)


DESCRIPTION: A parody of "The Strawberry Roan," in which the boss hires the cowman to ride a "big Brahma bull" in a rodeo. The rest follows the original: The rider winds up being thrown, and "high-tail[s] it back to that old Flying U."
AUTHOR: Curly Fletcher
EARLIEST DATE: 1942
KEYWORDS: parody cowboy injury
FOUND IN: US(SW)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Fife-Cowboy/West 68, "The Strawberry Roan" (2 texts, 1 tune, the second text being this one)
Logsdon 13, pp. 97-101, "The Flyin' U Twister" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BADBRAHM*
Roud #3239
NOTES: This is reportedly Curly Fletcher's parody of his own "Strawberry Roan." (Fletcher in fact wrote several such parodies; see also "The Castration of the Strawberry Roan.") Roud appears to lump the pieces. - RBW
File: FCW68B

Bad Company


See Young Companions [Laws E15] (File: LE15)

Bad Girl's Lament, The (St. James' Hospital; The Young Girl Cut Down in her Prime) [Laws Q26]


DESCRIPTION: The bad girl tells of how she reveled at the ale-house and the dance hall, then found herself in the poorhouse, and now is at death's door. She makes her final requests, and asks that young sailors carry her coffin
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1928 (Mackenzie)
KEYWORDS: drink poverty death
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar,Newf) Britain(England) US(So) Ireland
REFERENCES (11 citations):
Laws Q26, "The Bad Girl's Lament (St. James' Hospital; The Young Girl Cut Down in her Prime)"
Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan 21, "Saint James' Hospital" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 420-421, "Annie Franklin" (1 text, 1 tune)
Friedman, p. 426, "The Bad Girl's Lament (St. James Hospital)" (1 text)
Fowke/Johnston, pp. 160-161, "The Bad Girl's Lament" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-NovaScotia 102, "Bad Girl's Lament" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 119, "The Bad Girl's Lament" (1 text)
Randolph-Legman II, pp. 604-608, "The Bad Girl's Lament" (1 text)
Lomax-FSNA 97, "The Bad Girl" (1 text, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, p. 8, "One Morning in May" (1 text)
DT 350, UNFORTLS*
Roud #2
RECORDINGS:
James "Iron Head" Baker, "St. James Hospital" (AFS 204 B1, 206 A2, 1934)
(AFS 718 B1, 1936)
Tom Lenihan, "Saint James' Hospital" (on IRTLenihan01)
Mose "Clear Rock" Platt, "St. James Hospital" (AFS 194 B2, 1933)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Streets of Laredo" [Laws B1] (tune & meter, plot) and references there
cf. "The Unfortunate Rake" (tune & meter, plot)
cf. "The Sailor Cut Down in His Prime" (tune & meter, plot)
cf. "My Home's in Montana" (tune, floating lyrics)
cf. "Saint James Infirmary" (theme)
NOTES: One of the large group of ballads ("The Bard of Armagh," "Saint James Hospital," "The Streets of Laredo") ultimately derived from "The Unfortunate Rake." All use the same tune and metre, and all involve a person dying as a result of a wild life, but the nature of the tragedy varies according to local circumstances. There is a certain amount of cross-fertilization between versions; see the cross-references. - RBW
Legman provides extensive notes to the entire "Unfortunate Rake" song cycle in Randolph-Legman II. - EC
There is a particular sub-family of this type, which I've heard done up-tempo with a rather different tune. The Darling "One Morning in May" text appears to belong here. If there is a characteristic line, it seems to be the one "My body is elevated [by the mercury treatments for venereal disease] and I am bound to die." - RBW
Without hearing Platt's & Baker's recordings, I can't tell whether this is "Bad Girl's Lament" or "Unfortunate Rake," but I'm playing the percentages and putting them here. - PJS
For the treatment of syphilis prior to the twentieth century, see the notes to "The Unfortunate Rake." - RBW
File: LQ26

Bad Lee Brown (Little Sadie) [Laws I8]


DESCRIPTION: The singer goes out one night to "make his rounds." He meets his (girlfriend/wife), Little Sadie, and shoots her. He flees, but is overtaken and sentenced to (a long prison term/life)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1922 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: murder prison
FOUND IN: US(Ap,So,SE)
REFERENCES (9 citations):
Laws I8, "Bad Lee Brown"
Randolph 155, "Bad Lee Brown" (2 fragments, 1 tune)
Cambiaire, p. 22, "Little Sadie" (1 text)
MWheeler, pp. 109-111, "Late One Night" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownII 252, "Sadie" (1 text)
MHenry-Appalachians, pp. 39-40, "Little Sadie" (1 text)
Scarborough-NegroFS, p. 243, (no title) (1 fragment)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 89-91, "Bad Man Ballad" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 659, LILSADIE*
Roud #780
RECORDINGS:
Clarence Ashley, "Little Sadie" (Columbia 15522-D, 1930; rec. 1929; on RoughWays1)
Blue Heaven, "Bad Man Ballad" (AAFS 384 B)
Mrs. Lloyd Bare Eagle, "Little Sadie" (AAFS 2851 B1)
Louise Foreacre, "Little Sadie" (on Stonemans01)
Wendell Hart & group of convicts, "Bad Man Ballad" (AAFS 2591 B2)
Willie Rayford, "Bad Man Ballad" (AAFS 2591 B2)
Wade Ward, "Little Sadie" [instrumental] (on Holcomb-Ward1)
Clarence Ashley & Doc Watson, "Little Sadie" (on Ashley03, WatsonAshley01)
Unidentified Negro convict, "Bad Man Ballad" (AAFS 1859 A1-10)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Bad Man's Blunder
File: LI08

Bad Luck Attend the Old Farmer


DESCRIPTION: A warning to servant boys seeking employment by farmers at hiring fairs. You are badly fed and "cold as lead." The singer will not hire for another half year. "Don't hire with any farmer ... But sail off to Amerikay, To a land where you'll be free"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1980 (IRHardySons)
KEYWORDS: emigration hardtimes farming food America servant
FOUND IN: Ireland
Roud #17894
RECORDINGS:
James Halpin, "Bad Luck Attend the Old Farmer" (on IRHardySons)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Hiring Fair at Hamiltonsbawn" (subject: hiring fair servant's half-year term hard times)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Ingy Buck
NOTES: The alternate title, "The Ingy Buck," refers to maize or "Indian Buck." (source: Notes to IRHardySons)
File: RcBLATOF

Bad Man Ballad


See Bad Lee Brown (Little Sadie) [Laws I8] (File: LI08)

Bad Mind


DESCRIPTION: "In every home that you can find There are people who have bad mind. (x2) Certain bad mind that sit and lie, Sit and criticize people who go by." Other stanzas offer examples, e.g. "You kneel in your home to pray; They say a hypocrite you did play."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1963
KEYWORDS: accusation nonballad
FOUND IN: West Indies
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Courlander-NFM, p. 74, (no title) (1 text)
File: CNFM074

Bad Tom Smith


DESCRIPTION: "I am passing through the valley here in peace (x2), O when I am dead and buried in the cold and silent tomb, I don't want you to grieve after me." "I am leaving all my friends here in peace... I don't want you to grieve after me."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1967
KEYWORDS: death grief burial
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
June 28, 1895 - Hanging of "Bad" Tom Smith in Jackson, Kentucky for the murder of Dr. John E. Rader
FOUND IN: US(Ap,SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Combs/Wilgus 162, p. 187, "Bad Tom Smith" (1 text)
Roud #4300
NOTES: Reported to be the last "goodnight" of Tom Smith, but obviously based on "Don't You Grieve After Me." - RBW
File: CW187

Bad Wife, The


See Scolding Wife (IV) (File: HHH145)

Badai na Scadan (The Herring Boats)


DESCRIPTION: Gaelic. The singer recalls that his son was killed when his herring boat was wrecked on a submerged rock. He names the men drowned and their mourning family members. He hopes that the bodies will be found.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1976 (OBoyle)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage grief death fishing sea ship wreck moniker
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
OBoyle 2, "Badai na Scadan" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: O Boyle does not translate the text. There is an English translation by Eamonn O Donaill on RootsWeb site Transcriptions-Eire-L Archives. The description follows that translation. The notes on that site say this "is a song from Donegal which was composed by a grief stricken father whose sons were killed in a shipwreck near Inisfree Island." - BS
File: OBoy002

Badger Drive, The


DESCRIPTION: A song of praise to logdrivers. It mentions the hardships of the job. It praises manager Bill Dorothy, and points out that drivers supply the pulpwood for paper. The drive on Badger is described. The singer hopes that the company will continue to succeed
AUTHOR: Words: John V. Devine
EARLIEST DATE: 1933
KEYWORDS: logger river work
FOUND IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Fowke/Johnston, pp. 84-86, "The Badger Drive" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greenleaf/Mansfield 160, "The Badger Drive" (1 text, 1 tune)
Doyle2, p. 29, "The Badger Drive" (1 text, 1 tune)
Doyle3, p. 13, "The Badger Drive" (1 text, 1 tune)
Blondahl, pp. 49-50, "The Badger Drive" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST FJ084 (Partial)
Roud #4542
RECORDINGS:
Omar Blondahl, "The Badger Drive" (on NFOBlondahl01)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Drive" (theme)
File: FJ084

Baffin's Bay


See Hurrah for Baffin's Bay (File: Harl230)

Baffled Knight, The [Child 112]


DESCRIPTION: A (knight/shepherd) sees a lady (bathing), and wishes to lie with her. She convinces him not to touch her until they reach her father's gate. She jumps in, locks him out, and scolds him for his base thoughts and/or his lack of assertiveness.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1609 (Ravenscroft)
KEYWORDS: seduction escape trick knight
FOUND IN: Britain(England(All),Scotland(Aber,Bord)) US(MW,NE,SE) Canada(Mar,Newf)
REFERENCES (19 citations):
Child 112, "The Baffled Knight" (6 texts)
Bronson 112, "The Baffled Knight" (40 versions+3 in addenda) -- but #26-33 (his Appendix A) are "The New-Mown Hay," which may be separate, and #34-#39 (his Appendix B) are "Katie Morey" [Laws N24] which is certainly separate
Percy/Wheatley II, pp. 336-342, "The Baffled Knight, or Lady's Policy" (1 text; tune in Chappell)
GreigDuncan2 301, "The Shepherd's Son" (3 texts, 2 tunes) {A=Bronson's #9, B=#8}
Stokoe/Reay, pp. 112-113, "Blow the Winds I-Ho!" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #6}
BarryEckstormSmyth pp. 454-456, "The Baffled Knight" (notes plus a modified version from Ravenscroft=Child A, also a claimed link to "Katey Morey")
Flanders-Ancient3, pp. 89-99, "The Baffled Knight" (5 texts, but the "A" text is from "The Charms of Melody" rather than tradition and "B-I" through "B-IV" are "Katie Morey" [Laws N24] rather than "The Baffled Knight")
Creighton/Senior, pp. 63-65, "The Baffled Knight" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #25}
Peacock, pp. 272-275, "The Foolish Shepherd" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Karpeles-Newfoundland 16, "The Baffled Knight" (1 text fragment, 1 tune)
Leach, pp. 320-321, "The Baffled Knight" (1 text)
Friedman, p. 154, "The Baffled Knight" (1 text)
PBB 35, "Blow the Winds, I-Ho" (1 text)
Sharp-100E 19, "Blow Away the Morning Dew" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #16}
Chappell/Wooldridge I, p. 136, "Yonder Comes a Courteous Knight" (1 tune, partial text) {Bronson's #1}; Chappell/Wooldridge II, pp. 69-70, "The Baffled Knight" (1 tune, partial text; full text is in Percy/Wheatley) {Bronson's #2}
Silber-FSWB, p. 190, "Blow Away The Morning Dew" (1 text)
BBI, ZN2505, "There was a Knight was drunk with Wine"; cf. ZN2506, "There was a knight was wine-drunke"
DT 112, MORNDEW* MORNDEW2
ADDITIONAL: [Ambrose Phillips?,] A Collection of Old Ballads Vol III, (London, 1725), #31, pp. 178-186, "The Baffled Knight, or the Lady's Policy"
Roud #11
RECORDINGS:
Emily Bishop, "The Baffled Knight (Clear Away the Morning Dew" (on FSB5, FSBBAL2)
Sam Larner, "Blow Away the Morning Dew" (on SLarner02)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Johnson Ballads 739 [mostly illegible], "Blow the Wind, I, O", J. Pitts (London), 1802-1819; also Harding B 13(224), Harding B 11(337), Harding B 15(21b), Firth b.27(27), "Blow the Winds I[.] O"; Harding B 5(5), Douce Ballads 3(52b), "The Baffled Knight" or "The Lady's Policy"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Katie Morey" [Laws N24] (plot)
cf. "The New-Mown Hay" (plot)
cf. "The Lovely Banks of Mourne" (plot)
cf. "Jock Sheep" (plot)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Blow Ye Winds High-O
Clear Away the Morning Dew
The Shepherd Laddie
NOTES: Child relegates the Percy text, and a similar one in the Roxburghe collection, to an appendix to this piece. I really don't see why. The result is long and complex, and may well have been retouched, but it's certainly a variant of this song.
It is noteworthy that Bronson classifies most versions of this song into a large tune group -- but that none of the early printed texts (e.g. Ravenscroft's and D'Urfey's) fit this form.
A handful of versions of this end with the rather ornate couplet
If you would not when you might
You shall not when you would.
This appears to be older; according to Richard Garnett and Edmund Gosse, English Literature: An Illustrated Record four volumes, MacMillan, 1903-1904 (I used the 1935 edition published in two volumes), volume I, p. 296, the couplet
The man that will nocht whan he may,
Sall have nocht quhen he wald
is found in the so-called "lyrical pastoral" "Robin and Makyne" of Robert Henryson (fl. 1462), which has a vaguely similar plot: Makyne loves Robin, who is not interested. Makyne renounces him, which spurs him to affection, which she rejects.
The song "Jock Sheep" is clearly a rewrite of this, with an anti-feminist ending, and as such was lumped with Child 112 in earlier versions of this index. But it is distinct enough, and survives widely enough on its own, that we now split the two. As does Roud. (Thanks to Ben Schwartz for doing the research to split them.) - RBW
re A Collection of Old Ballads Vol III: Ambrose Philips, whose name does not appear in the Google Books copy is, according to Google Books, the editor. The New York Public Library catalog says "Compilation usually attributed to Ambrose Philips" - BS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: C112

Bagenal Harvey's Farewell


DESCRIPTION: Harvey bids farewell to his father's estate, his tenants, and "my true United Men who bravely with me fought." If he is executed at Wexford he asks to be buried at his father's tomb. The estate will be returned when Ireland is free.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1998 ("The Croppy's Complaint," Craft Recordings CRCD03 (1998); Terry Moylan notes)
KEYWORDS: rebellion Ireland execution patriotic nonballad recitation
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
June 28, 1798 - Bagenal Harvey is executed in Wexford. (source: Moylan)
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Moylan 90, "Bagenal Harvey's Farewell" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Kelly, the Boy from Killane" (character of Bagenal Harvey)
cf. "Croppies Lie Down (II)" (character of Bagenal Harvey)
NOTES: Moylan: "the song is modelled on the Jacobite song 'Derwentwater's Farewell'" and was sung to that tune. The last verse of "Bagenal Harvey's Farewell" begins "So farewell to Bargy's lofty towers since from you I must part, A stranger now may call you his ..."; the following lines are from "Derwentwater's Farewell": "Farewell to pleasant Dilston Hall, my father's ancient seat, A stranger now must call thee his ..."
The ballad is recorded on two of the CD's issued around the time of the bicentenial of the 1798 Irish Rebellion. See:
Sean Garvey, "Bagenal Harvey's Farewell" (on "The Croppy's Complaint," Craft Recordings CRCD03 (1998); Terry Moylan notes)
Franke Harte and Donal Lunny, "Bagnal Harvey's Farewell" (on Franke Harte and Donal Lunny, "1798 the First Year of Liberty," Hummingbird Records HBCD0014 (1998))
Harte: Harvey "was a Protestant, a popular landlord and ... a senior member of the United Irishmen in Wexford." When the rebellion collapsed Harvey tried to escape but was betrayed, taken, court-martialled, hanged and his head placed on a spike over the Wexford courthouse. "The song was written shortly after 1798 but was only heard as a recitation until an air was put to it by Tommy Mallon. Since then it has been widely sung." - BS
Bagenal Harvey was by no means the best choice to command the Wexford rebels. Although in genuine sympathy with the United Irishmen (the British had put him in prison for this; see Thomas Pakenham, The Year of Liberty, p. 188), he was a Protestant, and a landlord -- and, seemingly, a militarily inept coward. His incompetence was largely responsible for the defeat at New Ross (see the notes to "Kelly, the Boy from Killane"), which led to the gradual but inevitable decline of the Wexford rebellion. Having lost at New Ross, he fled, was captured, an eventually hanged (see the notes to "Croppies Lie Down (II)" and "The Wexford Schooner"). - RBW
File: Moyl090

Baggage Coach Ahead, The


DESCRIPTION: The passengers on the train are awakened by a child's cries. They complain to the child's father. He tells them that the child's mother is dead "in the baggage coach ahead." Upon learning this, the passengers turn helpful
AUTHOR: Gussie L. Davis?
EARLIEST DATE: 1898
KEYWORDS: family children mother death train
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Cohen-LSRail, pp. 304-315, "In the Baggage Coach Ahead" (1 text plus some excerpts, a copy of the sheet music cover, and four texts on related theme, 1 tune)
Randolph 704, "The Baggage Coach Ahead" (1 text)
LPound-ABS, 58, pp. 131-132, "The Baggage Coach Ahead" (1 text)
Spaeth-ReadWeep, pp. 155-156, "In the Baggage Coach Ahead" (fragmentary text, partial tune)
Geller-Famous, pp. 173-178, "In the Baggage Coach Ahead" (1 text, 1 tune)
cf. Gardner/Chickering, p. 477, "The Baggage Coach Ahead" (source notes only)
Roud #3529
RECORDINGS:
Fiddlin' John Carson, "The Baggage Coach Ahead" (OKeh 7006, 1924)
Vernon Dalhart, "In the Baggage Coach Ahead" (Columbia 15028-D, 1925) (Edison 51557 [as Vernon Dalhart & Co.], 1925) (Victor 29627, 1925) (Supertone 9248, 1928) (Perfect 12199 [as Bob Massey]; Perfect 12644, 1930) (CYL: Edison [BA] 5011 [as Vernon Dalhart & Co.], n.d.)
Red Evans, "In the Baggage Coach Ahead" (Vocalion 5173, 1927)
George Gaskin, "In the Baggage Coach Ahead" (CYL: Collumbia 4080, c. 1898)
George Hobson [possibly a pseudonym for George Reneau?] "The Baggage Coach Ahead" (Silvertone 3047, 1924)
Andrew Jenkins & Carson Robison, "In the Baggage Coach Ahead" (OKeh 45234, 1928)
Lester McFarlane & Robert Gardner, "The Baggage Coach Ahead" (Brunswick 200Brunswick 326/Vocalion 5200, 1928; rec. 1927)
George Reneau, "The Baggage Coach Ahead" (Vocalion 14918, 1924)
Kate Smith, "In the Baggage Coach Ahead" (Columbia 2605-D, 1932)
Ernest Thompson, "In The Baggage Coach Ahead" (Columbia 216-D, 1924; Harmony 5124-H [as Ernest Johnson], c. 1930)
NOTES: Various "real" stories have been claimed as the inspiration of this ballad -- e.g. Randolph reported it to be based on the real-life story of Dr. James B. Watson and family. Watson's daughter Nellie was born in 1867, and the girl's mother died in 1869. Watson was taking his wife's body back to her home in Pennsylvania when the events described took place.
On the other hand, Spaeth notes that Charles K. Harris wrote a song "Is Life Worth Living," with almost the same plot, some years before Davis produced "Baggage Coach." Whether based on an actual incident or not, the idea amply met the nineteenth century demand for tearjerkers.
Cohen's notes on the song include four other dead-body-on-the-train songs, and list other people on whose story the song might have been based. Adding it all up, it seems likely that there was *something* in existence before Davis worked on ths song, though the Davis text does seem to have become canonical. - RBW
File: R704

Bailie's Daughter, The


See The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington [Child 105] (File: C105)

Bailiff's Daughter of Islington, The [Child 105]


DESCRIPTION: A youth is in love with the Bailiff's daughter. He is apprenticed in London for seven years. At last she disguises herself to see if he is still true. They meet; he asks of his love. She says she is dead; he grieves; she reveals herself
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1731 (ballad opera, "The Jovial Crew"); before 1697 (broadside, Bodleian Douce Ballads 2(230a))
KEYWORDS: love separation disguise apprentice
FOUND IN: Britain(England(All),Scotland(Aber,Hebr)) US(Ap,MA,MW,NE,SE,So) Canada(Mar,Newf) Ireland
REFERENCES (25 citations):
Child 105, "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington" (1 text)
Bronson 105, "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington" (35 versions+4 in addenda)
Greig #115, p. 1, "The Bailie's Daughter" (1 text)
GreigDuncan1 168, "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington" (5 texts, 6 tunes) {A=Bronson's #12, B=#7, C=#34, D=#10, E=#14, F=#13}
BarryEckstormSmyth pp. 225-227, "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington" (1 text)
Percy/Wheatley III, pp. 135-137, "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington" (1 text)
Davis-Ballads 28, "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington" (1 text plus a fragment, 1 tune) {Bronson's #25}
Belden, pp. 68-69, "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #6}
Hudson 18, pp. 114-116, "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington" (1 text)
Flanders/Olney, pp. 41-42, (no title) (2 excerpts which the editors apparently regard as part of "The Bailiff's Daughter")
Flanders-Ancient3, pp. 67-75, "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington" (2 texts plus 2 fragments, 4 tunes, two of the tunes being from the same informant and used for the same text, with some of the differences being perhaps transcribers' variants) {A(1)=Bronson's #31b, A(2)=#31a, B=#23}
Linscott, pp. 160-162, "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington" (1 text, 1 tune) {cf. Bronson's #24, seemingly the source for the tune printed}
Creighton/Senior, pp. 58-62, "The Bailiff's Daugher of Islington" (3 texts, 3 tunes) {Bronson's #19, #20, #18}
Greenleaf/Mansfield 14, "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington" (1 fragment)
Karpeles-Newfoundland 15, "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington" (1 text, 1 tune)
Leach, pp. 313-315, "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington" (2 texts, but the second of these looks more like a George/John Riley text)
Friedman, p. 140, "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington" (1 text, 1 tune)
OBB 162, "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington" (1 text)
SharpAp 30, "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington" (2 texts, 2 tunes){Bronson's #3, #5}
Hodgart, p. 67, "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington" (1 text)
Chappell/Wooldridge II, p. 159, "The Bailiff's Daughter" (1 tune, partial text) {Bronson's #16}
Darling-NAS, pp. 73-75, "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 219, "Bailiff's Daughter Of Islington" (1 text)
BBI, ZN2549, "There was a youth, and a well belov'd youth"
DT 105, BAILDAUG*
Roud #483
RECORDINGS:
Albert Beale, "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington" (on FSBBAL1)
Tony Wales, "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington" (on TWales1)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Douce Ballads 2(230a), "True Love Requited" or "The Bayliffs Daughter of Islington", P. Brooksby (London), 1672-1696; also Douce Ballads 2(229a), Harding B 5(8), Douce Ballads 3(94a), "True Love Requited[!]" or "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington"; Firth c.26(181), "The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington"; Harding B 11(129), Harding B 11(1196), "[The] Bailiff's Daughter"
SAME TUNE:
I Have a Good Old Mother at Home (per broadside Bodleian Douce Ballads 2(230a))
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Comely Youth
Nancy the Bailiff's Daughter
True Love Requited
The Shepherd
The Hills o' Traquair
NOTES: The 1731 date is for the tune, but the the broadside, ZN2549, was published by Phillip Brooksby sometime between 1683 and 1696. - WBO
Last updated in version 2.4
File: C105

Bailiff's Daughter, The


See The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington [Child 105] (File: C105)

Bainbridge Tragedy, The


DESCRIPTION: "In Bainbridge town there dwelt of late A worthy youth who met his fate." Urial Church and girlfriend Louisa go strolling in the snow; he throws snow in her face. She playfully throws a scissors at him -- but wounds him; it festers and he dies. All grieve
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1939 (Garnder/Chickering)
KEYWORDS: injury death love courting warning
FOUND IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Gardner/Chickering 124, "The Bainbridge Tragedy" (1 text, very probably from print)
ST GC3700 (Partial)
Roud #3700
File: GC3700

Bal Chez Boule, Le (Boule's Ball)


DESCRIPTION: French: Jose wishes to go to Boule's Ball; his mother makes him stay until his chores are done. At last he finishes and hurries off to the dance -- only to fall down and be thrown out. His Lisette proceeds to dance with another swain
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1865
KEYWORDS: work dancing courting foreignlanguage
FOUND IN: Canada(Que)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Fowke/Johnston, pp. 108-109, "Le Bal Chez Boule (Boule's Ball)" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Fowke reports (at about fourth hand) that this is a true story about one José Blais. "He went to a ball without being invited, had the misfortune to trip the daughter of the house, and was thrown out bodily by her father." - RBW
The correct title of this song is "Le Bal Chez Boulé." - RBW
File: FJ108

Balaclava (I)


See The Famous Light Brigade (File: Doe276)

Balaclava (II)


See The Last Fierce Charge [Laws A17] (File: LA17)

Balbriggen Landlord


DESCRIPTION: "Low-bred landlords" raise rents and drive starving tenants. "Viva la for Hampton landlords" who voted against Union and stood with Flood, Burke, Grattan and Parnell. "Viva la" for Parnell "driving foes and Landlord Reptiles from his native land"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE:
KEYWORDS: Ireland nonballad political landlord
FOUND IN:
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 26(659), "A New Song Dedicated to an Upstart Balbriggan Landlord" ("Viva la our landlords' mounted"), unknown, n.d.
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Blackbird of Avondale (The Arrest of Parnell)" (subject of Charles Stewart Parnell)
cf. "Viva La, the French They Are Coming" (tune, per broadside Bodleian Harding B 26(659))
NOTES: Broadside Bodleian Harding B 26(659) is the basis for the description.
Zimmermann pp. 61-62: "From a moderate and somewhat ineffective party, the Home Rule movement became a decisive force when Charles Stewart Parnell rose to leadership. In forming a temporary alliance with the revolutionaries and playing an important part in the Land League agitation, he vastly increased his prestige. Old song-themes were revived in his honour." This broadside is one of the examples Zimmermann cites.
Balbriggan is in County Dublin, Ireland.
Henry Grattan (1746-1820) and Henry Flood (1732-1791) were eighteenth century Protestants who formed a Patriot Party calling for Irish independence (source: "1700 - 1800" in Ireland Information at the World Infozone site). Burke may be one of the Fenians General Thomas H Burke or Colonel Richard O'Sullivan Burke [one of whom is assumed to be the Burke of "Burke's Dream"]; Edmund Burke, though a supporter of Irish Catholic liberation, seems unlikely [to me]. [Me too. Extremely. He was too conservative. - RBW] For some information on Parnell (1846-1891) and the Land League see RBW's note to "The Bold Tenant Farmer." - BS
In addition, there is information on Grattan and Flood in the entry on "Ireland's Glory" and "Harry Flood's Election Song."
Since Saint Patrick was credited (falsely) with driving the snakes from Ireland, the reference to "driving... Landlord reptiles" is surely a way of calling then snakes. Which, in context, is largely true; while British policy toward Ireland was usually benighted, it was the landlords -- many of them Irish, we note -- who truly ruined the lot of the Irish peasants. - RBW
File: BrdBaLan

Bald Knobber Song, the


DESCRIPTION: "Adieu to old Kirbyville, I can no longer stay. Hard Times and Bald Knobbers have driven me away." He does not wish to leave family and home, but the vigilante Bald Knobbers drove him away. He describes their various villainies
AUTHOR: Andrew Coggburn?
EARLIEST DATE: 1932 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: exile crime outlaw violence
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1884 - Organization of the Bald Knobbers (according to Randolph, but see NOTES)
1889 - Dispersal of the Bald Knobbers
FOUND IN: US(Ro,So)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Randolph 154, "The Bald Knobber Song" (1 text plus a fragment, 1 tune, plus a third brief fragment of another piece)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 175-177, "The Bald Knobber" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 154A)
Burt, p. 164-165, "(Bald Knobbers' Song)" (1 text, 1 tune)
ADDITIONAL: Mary Hartman and Elmo Ingenthron, _Bald Knobbers, Vigilantes on the Ozarks Frontier_, 1988 (I use the 2002 Pelican Press edition), pp. 96-99, "The Ballad of the Bald Knobbers" (1 text plus a fragment, 1 tune)
Roud #5486
NOTES: Randolph's texts (one fairly full, one a fragment, one a mere allusion of two lines) clearly represent at least two, and probably three, songs -- but since two of them seem to exist only in his fragment, I (and Roud) see little point in splitting them.
Randolph's "B" text claims to be by Andrew Coggburn, and since Coggburn is historical and did engage in conflict with the Bald Knobbers, this is at least possible. He might also have been responsible for the "C" snippet. "A" is rather different. Hartman/Ingenthron give a text on pp. 97-99. This is closely parallel to Randolph's text for the first half dozen stanzas (except for writing the verses in eight short lines rather than four long lines), but has some verses not found in Randolph. Hartman/Ingenthron on p. 97 admit that several people thought Coggburn wrote the "A" text, and add that one person thought Coggburn's uncle Robert Coggburn originated it, but explicitly cite two people who thought one Aunt Matt Moore the writer (the tune being "Charles Guiteau"). They also suggest that several others added some lyrics to the piece.
The Bald Knobbers were named after the rise of ground on which they met. According to Randolph, they organized in 1884 to combat outlaws in Taney County, Missouri, but soon turned outlaw themselves, being regarded by some as the Ozark equivalent of the Klan.
Randolph inevitably simplifies a complex situation. There are at least two books about the Bald Knobbers, Lucile Morris Upton's Bald Knobbers, published 1939, which Randolph knew, and Hartman/Ingenthron, which Randolph of course did not know. As a matter of fact, Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 41, thinks Randolph published materials on the Bald Knobbers under the name "Harvey Castleman")
For the record: Yes, I believe Elmo Ingenthron, the co-author of Hartman/Ingenthron, was related to Charles Ingenthron, who was one of Randolph's greatest informants. Joseph Ingenthron and Eliza Cornelison had at least two sons, James Jacob Ingenthron, born 1876, and Charles Ingenthron (1883-1974). Elmo Ingenthron (1911-1988) was the son of James Jacob.
Although the Bald Knobbers were primarily vigilantes, with perhaps some Klan influence (according to the frontispiece in Hartman/Ingenthron, they wore hoods which looked like ski masks with holes for eyes, nose, and mouth and with long horns coming from the top of the head), there may have been a political dimension -- according to Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 7, the Bald Knobbers were "mostly conservative Republicans and former Unionists," (recall that Missouri was split in its sentiments in the Civil War, and even in Arkansas, the Ozarks were the most pro-Union section), while the anti-Bald Knobbers were mostly "Democrats and former Confederate soldiers" (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 8). Thus the Bald Knobbers were certainly not purely Klan-inspired -- a Klan group would never have included anyone who could even bring himself to say the word "Republican"!
The Civil War had apparently stirred up many problems in the White River area of Missouri; there was a Union garrison in Forsyth, the primary town in the area, and both Union and Confederate recruiters worked the district -- sometimes refusing to take "no" for an answer, according to Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 13-15.
In the postwar period, there was a significant increase in violence in the area, and local justice was unable to control it; criminals would flee over the Arkansas or Indian Territory (Oklahoma) border. Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 287, says that more than thirty murders were committed in Taney County in the two decades after the Civil War -- but no one was ever convicted for any of them. It appears there was a lynching in 1871 (at least, Hartman/Ingenthron on page show a grave marker reading "M KNOX HUNG MAY 71." The writing implies the person who wrote it was barely literate -- the writing is not in straight lines and the two instances of N are written backward. This did not start a trend, but it indicated the sort of thinking that occured in the county at the time.
In 1884, a man who was apparently clearly guilty of murder was acquitted by a jury which was accused of being drunk (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 21-23). This seems to have been the final straw, or nearly.
Overwhelming evidence indicates that a Union veteran named Nathaniel Kinney was the instigator (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 23-25). Born in West Virginia, he had a tendency to exaggerate his War record (he was a private, not an officer); after the war, he worked in the railroad industry, then ran a saloon, then used the proceeds of that to start a farm. Disgusted with local justice, he brought together about a dozen men in late 1884 or early 1885; they formed a secret, oath-bound society (although it seems neither oath nor by-laws were preserved). It appears that all those called to the initial meeting were former Union soldiers (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 27); several would probably have been considered carpetbaggers. But their agreed-upon goal was to control the lawlessness they observed in Taney County (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 30).
There was talk of limiting the group to 100 people, who were required to "have a clean reputation, pay taxes, and own property" (Hartman/Ingenthron,p. 32). But they also ended up recruiting men who were involved because they were rowdies who wanted to have some "fun" (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 34) -- and eventually started organizing "legions," or companies, of 75 men (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 37).
To their partial credit, these Republican reformers also worked through the ballot box, and had some success in 1884 (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 32) -- indeed, part of their purpose in organizing the Bald Knobbers may have been to influence the votes of the rank and file (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 41. This may have been why they decided to expand beyond one hundred -- and why they brought in as much riff-raff as they did. Most of their recruits "abhorred slavery, belonged to the Masonic Order, and supported the Republican Party" (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 40). But future elections could not change what they saw as past miscarriages of justice. So the Bald Knobbers held their first official meeting some time in early 1885.
The "Bald Knob" where they gathered was formally known as Snapp's Bald, near Kirbyville (Hartman/Ingenthron). It was chosen because it had a good view of the neighborhood, meaning that any spies could easily be spotted -- but, because it was outdoors, the Knobbers could claim that they were technically having "open" meetings. But they proceeded to adopt a set of by-laws and take an oath which bound them to absolute secrecy on pain of death -- and then they burned all copies and declared that there would never be any paper records (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 37-38). They seem to have made this decision stick -- few if any internal documents survive. To strengthen the secrecy, they adopted a series of handshakes and passwords and rituals (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 39).
It appears, based on Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 43, that outsiders knew about the group from the very start; the name "Bald Knobbers" came from those not part of the organization. Non-members at first didn't know what to expect. Their answer came on the night of April 6/7, 1885, when the Bald Knobbers tried to take Newton Harrell from the Forsyth jail -- an ominous act, because Harrell (who had been arrested for killing his mother's lover) had not been tried (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 44). Thus it appears the Bald Knobbers were trying to apply their form of justice even before the ordinary legal machinery had rendered its verdict. The break-in failed, however; the Bald Knobbers backed down in the face of resistance by Sheriff Polk McHaffie; they hung a noose by the jail door and left (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 44-45).
The relatively peaceful phase did not last. Around this time, two brothers, Frank and Tubal Taylor, at the very least made nuisances of themselves; Frank trashed a store (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 47), and Tubal, who was accused of maiming the cattle of someone he disliked, fled from confinement (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 48). They then shot and injured the Dickinson family, owners of the shop Frank had earlier damaged, and fled (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 49-50). The Taylors supposedly then concocted a plan to collect the reward money for themselves, and then escape or trust in a weak jury to acquit them (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 51).
Once again, the Bald Knobbers decided to anticipate justice. On the night of April 15/16, they broke into the jail, dragged out the Taylors, and hanged them (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 50-53). There may have been a notice on the bodies: "These are the first Victims to the Wrath of Outraged Citizens -- More will follow[.] THE BALD KNOBBERS" (Hartman/Ingenthron seem somewhat dubious about this, because the Bald Knobbers never put their name on anything else, but they do not footnote a source for the notice).
Apparently the Taylors were felt to be no loss, but the lynching caused people to question vigilante methods (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 58). Supposedly several of the founders never attended another meeting after the lynching (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 60). But Kinney responded by increasing recruitment; supposedly their numbers eventually reached on thousand -- although many of the new men may have been coerced (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 62). Other respectable citizens reportedly sold their land and left Taney County.
Still others decided to fight back. Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 67, note that "A month or two after the Taylor lynchings, about thirty men formed a sort of home guard or militia that quickly became known as the Anti-Bald Knobbers." Many of these people were deeply conservative -- but Nathaniel Kinney's right-wing sanctimoniusness turned them off (he condemned informal marriages, accused county officials of corruption, railed against debt, and preached sermons with guns set before him, even though he was not ordained by any sect). It seemed particularly hypocritical coming from an ex-saloon keeper.
The Anti-Bald Knobbers, however, did not have the sort of charismatic leadership supplied by Kinney (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 68), so it took much longer for them to get organized. They did not amount to much -- and they may have convinced Kinney to ramp up his activities. The Bald Knobbers increasingly took to acting *before* the law could play any role. They held trials in absentia and convicted based on hearsay (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 70) -- and they adopted a Klan-like tactic of riding past an alleged evildoer's house and ordering him to reform. Often they would leave a pile of hickory switches, indicating how many days the victim had to reform or leave (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 71). Hartman/Ingenthron suggest that they adopted this method because many of the Bald Knobbers were illiterate and could not give a written warning.
There seems to be little information available about just how much violence took place. There are reports of several victims of the Bald Knobbers being whipped to death, and also instances of them fighting back and killing individual Bald Knobbers. But Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 74, can cite no numbers and few names.
The Bald Knobbers were numerous enough, and powerful enough, that they started to take over both grand and petit juries, meaning that they decided who to indict and who to let free (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 80). As they gained power and forced property owners to flee, increasingly it was the Bald Knobbers who bought the land -- usually at fire sale (or flee-the-county-sale) prices (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 83-84).
In a very curious development, a petition was submitted to a judge, signed by many (suspected) Bald Knobbers, asking for an audit of Taney County's books. The judge granted the petition, but before the audit could proceed far, an arsonist set fire to the courthouse. No one seems to know which side was responsible (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 90-91).
The situation eventually grew so bad that people began talking about killing Kinney (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 95). Nothing came of that at the time -- but the topic would come up again.
One of Randolph's fragments claims to be by Andrew Coggburn -- although I think it more likely, if we had the whole song, that it was another person's account of his death. Coggburn was a real person; he apparently liked to make fun of the Sunday School where Kinney presided (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 78). This made him Kinney's enemy -- and Kinney didn't take well to having enemies.
Coggburn's troubles with the Bald Knobbers went back even before the founding of the organization. According to Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 95, his father had been killed in 1879 by future Bald Knobbers. Coggburn's constant insults toward Kinney finally caused the chief of the Bald Knobbers to turn against him. Supposedly Coggburn and his brother fought off a band of Bald Knobbers who came to deal with them. Kinney then induced a judge to issue a warrant against Coggburn for carrying concealed weapons -- and entrusted Kinney with enforcing it (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 100). Kinney's posse approached Coggburn in the presence of an independent witness, Sam Snapp.
Exactly what happened next is unclear, because the witnesses disagree. Kinney called on Coggburn (and Snapp) to put his hands in the air. Snapp says Coggburn did; Kinney says he put up his left hand but reached for his gun with his right. Whatever the truth, Kinney shot Coggburn dead (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 101-102) -- but let Snapp live (for a while) to tell his version of the story.
According to Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 103-104, the coroner's jury was packed with Bald Knobbers, who passed a judgment of "justifiable homicide" on Kinney -- claiming that Coggburn would have shot first but his weapon jammed. Whatever the actual facts, Kinney went free.
The level of terror was reaching the point where the opponents of the Bald Knobbers were finally forced into action. They finally drafted a petition and sent it to Missouri Governor John S. Marmaduke (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 106).
This was a major move -- and not just because it put Taney County's problems before the wider society (in years to come, there would be substantial newspaper coverage). Marmaduke was quite a character. He was a West Point graduate (1857), and had been serving on the Utah expedition against the Mormons when the Civil War broke out (HTIECivilWar, p. 475). Joining the Confederate side, he served in Missouri and Arkansas, led a regiment at Shiloh, and was promoted Brigadier General in late 1862. He spent most of the rest of the war leading cavalry in Missouri and Arkansas, and was finally appointed Major General in 1865 -- the last officer to be given that rank in Confederate service (HTIECivilWar, p. 476).
He also killed one of his junior officers, Lucius March Walker, in a duel in 1863. Boatner, p. 885, says that the reason for the duel is unknown; HTIECivilWar, p. 798, suggests that Marmaduke called Walker a coward, and Walker responded by demanding satisfaction. Marmaduke complied, despite the attempts by their superior officer to intercede.
This was the man who was elected Democratic governor in 1884. According to Settle, p. 155, he took an anti-railroad position -- and, although it was never officially stated, he was against allowing Frank James to be convicted or extradited to Minnesota for trial (Settle pp. 157-158).
Since the Bald Knobbers were largely Republican and Unionist, Governor Marmaduke would seem a natural opponent. On the other hand, he had a certain streak of small-government vigilante-ism in him.... And, although apparently initially receptive to the anti-Bald Knobbers, a delegation from the Knobbers -- who argued that the anti-Bald Knobbers were not Taney County taxpayers in good standing -- caused him to pause and send an official to investigate (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 111-112). Upon arriving, the investigator declared that *two* unlawful groups were in existence -- i.e. the Bald Knobbers and the anti-Bald Knobbers. The investigator was persuasive enough that Kinney promptly called together the Bald Knobbers and announced that they were disbanding (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 120-121). They even drew up documents to that effect (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 123-125).
The first mention of the Bald Knobber song is reported from this time. Sam Snapp, the man who had seen the murder of Coggburn, was heard singing it in the town of Kirbyville. One of those present was George Washington Middleton, who had apparently already been chosen by Kinney to eliminate Snapp. He promptly shot Snapp to death (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 131-133). Since Snapp's wife was already dead, that left his five children as orphans.
So much for the claim that the Bald Knobbers had disbanded. Other acts of vigilanteism took place at the same time. Houses were once again shot up -- and the rot was beginning to cross into other counties. A man named Cobble, who lived in Christian County, was flogged (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 126-127).
Many people in Taney County sold their lands due to Bald Knobber activities. Some of these were Kinney's political enemies -- but many were genuine social undesirables. And they had to go somewhere. Christian County, north of Taney Country, became the refuge for a large fraction of them (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 139). Eventually Kinney came north to encourage the founding of a Bald Knobber group in that county as well (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 140). He also helped found a chapter in Douglas County (next to Christian County) in 1885 (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 187).
The Douglas County chapter chose as its chieftain Joe Walker, a relative of Dave Walker who headed the Christian County chapter. The level of violence in Douglas County was less (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 189), but ironically they came under federal investigation sooner (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 190). They would eventually be charged with interfering with the operation of the Homestead Act controlling land distribution (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 191). Most of those charged pled guilty (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 191) and were sentenced to periods from two to six months in prison Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 192). Those still free seem to have tried to intimidate witnesses, but as more and more sentences came down, they gave up (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 193).
If the Douglas Country chapter never did too much harm, things grew ugly in Christian County. Unlike the Taney County group, which at least pretended to meet in the open, the Christian County branch's preferred meeting place was a cave (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 143). Their rituals were different, but by 1886 it was clear that they used much the same sort of terror techniques (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 145-146). And they were concerned with morality as well as upholding the actual law, destroying a saloon's stock in trade, beating men they considered lazy, and forcing a polygamist to give up his wives (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 148-149).
Eventually their behavior grew extreme enough that their own chairman Dave Walker tried to disband the group -- but the rank-and-file (which apparently consisted largely of ne'er-do-wells) refused to contemplate the idea (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 151-153). Instead of disbanding, they went out and committed mass murder, they targeted one man, but left two men dead on the scene, a man and a woman injured to the point of unconsciousness, and two widows and several children unharmed but witness to the slaughter of their parents (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 158-161). The Bald Knobbers had one man injured -- but he was one of their leaders.
Justice in Christian County was less feeble than in Taney. There was a real attempt to investigate the murders, and one of the participants was not only arrested but induced to talk. Others followed. (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 164). Eventually more than two dozen men were in custody, and about half confessed. There were so many of them that the existing jail couldn't hold them (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 165-167). Sixteen men were charged with two first degree murders (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 171); others were charged with assault and battery (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 172); in all, eighty men were indicted (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 173).
The course of the trials was fascinating. Most of the defendants were poor, and could not afford to post bail, but nonetheless initially hoped for a change of venue, or at least a delay until emotions died down. But one man insisted on a speedy trial, and was acquitted (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 176). One of the ringleaders, Billy Walker (the son of Dave), then decided to allow his trial to proceed -- and, after a ten day trial, was found guilty of first degree murder (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 177-180). That meant a death sentence -- and threw the remaining Bald Knobbers into confusion, because they had given up all their claims for a change of venue and such after the first acquittal.
A series of convictions followed, including even that of Dave Walker, the father of Billy. He had been the founding organizer of the Christian County Bald Knobbers -- but had argued against the massacre, and had taken no part. After it was over, however, he was said to have suggested silencing the witnesses, and that -- even though the testimony came from witnesses who were trying to save their own necks -- was enough to cause him to be convicted of first degree murder (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 180-182).
After that, many of the accused started scrambling to plead guilty to second degree murder. The pleas were generally accepted, and most of the men sentenced to more than twenty years -- although one alleged minister (of what? Satan?) was given what amounts to benefit of clergy and got off with a dozen years (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 182-184). As a side effect, most of the accused lost their land, turning it over to their lawyers in return for legal services (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 184-185). Those sentenced to death naturally appealed. This gained them a few months of life, but the first three sentences were promptly upheld (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 185).
The Federals also eventually caught up with George Washington Middleton, the man who had killed Sam Snapp. He was acquitted of first degree murder, but convicted of second degree murder. The jury sentenced him to forty years, reduced by the judge to fifteen years (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 200-203). But someone unlocked his jail cell and he simply walked away from his sentence and fled to Arkansas (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 203-204). It is apparently not known who set him free. But the Missouri government and the Snapps themselves put up some hundreds of dollars in reward money, and also hired a detective/bounty hunter to trace him (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 204-205). The bounty hunter killed him in July 1888 (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 205-207).
This was a token of disasters to come for the Bald Knobbers. The death of Middleton came as the Missouri Supreme Court was preparing to take up the Walker case. And even as this was happening, a quarrel was starting which would lead to the death of Nathaniel Kinney. It seems to have begun as a case of adultery. Two men named Berry and Taylor apparently were both involved with Mrs. Berry; Berry and Taylor on occasion took potshots at each other, and Berry filed for bankruptcy, apparently to assure that his wife didn't get his hands on his property (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 209-211). Since the sheriff didn't want to be the receiver in the bankruptcy case, a judge assigned the role to Kinney.
Kinney probably did have people watching out for Berry, who would resent Kinney's inventorying of his property. But they were not watching for Billy and Jim Miles, who earlier had been chosen by anti-Bald Knobbers to eliminate the vigilante chief. The two walked into the store when Kinney was alone. Shots were fired, and Kinney ended up dead. Billy Miles promptly announced that he had killed Kinney "in self-defence" (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 214-215). There were claims that Kinney was shot in the back, but the bullet wounds seem to have been in his chest and side. There is genuine dispute over whether his pistol was in or near his hand or was on a shelf (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 216-217).
There was fear that there would be unrest at Kinney's funeral, but it never materialized. Quite a few people attended the burial (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 218-219), but there doesn't seem to have been a real #2 in his organization. Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 220, does note that there seem to be no issues at all in existence of the August 23 edition of the Taney County News, which should have covered his death.
On October 1, some six weeks after the murder, Berry was charged with first degree murder (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 221). He faced a variety of other counts as well, on weapons charges (which were later dismissed; Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 262) and for the fight with Taylor; he was eventually sentenced to five years for that (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 263).
In the Christian County case murder case (the ones which also involved the Walkers), prisoners John and Wiley Matthews managed to make an impression in soap of the keys to their cell, and got a jailer to supply metal for a duplicate key (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 225-227). They also worked the mortar from between the bricks of their cell. In January 1889, they made their break for freedom (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 228). The Walkers refused to join them. John Matthews was soon recaptured, but Wiley and his family would remain free for decades (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 228-229).
The cases of the other Christian County defendance had by this time moved from the judicial to the political system. As the Supreme Court worked on the Dave Walker case, petitions started to reach the governor for clemency (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 230).
Governor David R. Francis (1850-1927) was a more significant character than his predecessor Marmaduke. According to his entry in the Concise Dictionary of American Biography, he was a grain merchant, then went on to the governorship. In the last months of the second Cleveland administration, he became Secretary of the Interior (1896-1897) after his predecessor Hoke Smith resigned to campaign for William Jennings Bryan. As Interior Secretary, it was his task to implement the Forest Reserve Act of 1891, establishing what became the National Forests. According to DeGregorio, p. 348, he put 20 million acres into the Reserve -- a small amount compared to what Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft would set aside, but it was Francis who got the Reserve started (and provoked some controversy by so doing -- according to Morison, p. 746, "The McKinley administration threw most of them back to the loggers," but Francis had set a precedent that future administrations would follow).
When McKinley came into office in 1897, Francis was out -- but in 1916, Woodrow Wilson called him to be Ambassador to Russia. He served at that post until 1918, thus witnessing both the February and October revolutions and the beginning of the Russian Civil War. From what I can tell, he was rather a cipher in that role -- but Moorehead, p. 165, says that America was the first nation to recognize the Provisional Government (i.e. what became the Kerensky government), and that this was largely due to Francis.
He sounds like a character out of Dickens. According to Moorehead, p. 165, "He was a remarkable figure, more attuned to the world of O. Henry than the Czarist court (and indeed O. Henry mentions him as a gourmet). He had his portable cuspidor with a foot-operated lid, his cigars, his Ford touring car for summer and his sleigh and team of horses for winter; the horses had United States flags stuck in their bridles, and according to Norman Armour, the second secretary at the Embassy, 'gave you the impression when you drove with him that you were on a merry-go-round..' At the Ambassador's dinners (which were rare; he preferred poker) a hand-cranked phonograph played from behind a screen."
In 1889, however, Francis was still new to his role, and the Bald Knobber situation was one of the first things he had to address. He did delay the executions of Billy Walker and John Matthews briefly to let the Supreme Court reach its decision in the case of Dave Walker. But the court affirmed Dave Walker's conviction (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 230). Francis then ordered the executions to go ahead (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 232). Although Francis was a Democrat and the Bald Knobbers mostly Republicans, there is no hint in Hartman/Ingenthron that this was considered political. He simply felt that it was the duty of the state to execute duly convicted criminals.
Billy Walker, shortly before his execution, was baptized in a bathtub (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 233). I can't help but note that if the new Baptist had read the words "thou shalt not kill," he wouldn't have had to worry about execution.
A extremely large crowd eventually gathered for the execution, forcing the sheriff to bring in armed guards and even to knock a hole in the jailhouse wall to bring the convicts out (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 233-235). This even though hangings in Missouri were not supposed to be public spectacles. But the onlookers did not stop the execution; at 9:55 a.m. on May 10, 1889, Billy Walker, Dave Walker, and John Matthews were hung (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 238).
It was incompetently done. A hanging is supposed to break the neck -- but only Matthews had his neck broken. Dave Walker strangled to death -- slowly. Billy Walker's rope broke and he had to be re-dropped -- after begging once more for mercy (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 238-239). Apparently nothing could ever go right where Bald Knobbers were involved. The flip side is, the condemned men brought it on themselves; the sheriff had wanted to bring in a professional executioner, but the convicts had wanted him to do it himself (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 225, 243).
As the Walker/Matthews case reached its end, Billy Miles went to trial for the murder of Kinney. The judge found local sentiment so strong that he moved the trial (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 245). There seems to have been an organized attempt -- possibly supported by the Kinney family -- to assassinate Miles, who had been bailed out by anti-Bald Knobbers despite a very high bail of $8000 (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 246-248). The new sheriff of Taney County, Galba Branson, who was pro-Bald Knobber, seems to have actively taken a hand in the attempt. After the Miles brothers went free, Branson and the hired gun he brought with him were killed in a shootout with the Miles Brothers as they attempted to bring them back, with Jim Miles being wounded (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 250-253).
In an ugly move, Bald Knobbers set out after the Miles Brothers, and in their quest to learn where they had gone, actually put a noose around a friend of the family, although they did not hang him (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 256). The wounded Jim Miles gave himself up on July 6; about a week later, Billy Miles was taken into custody, although it is not clear if he surrendered or was taken (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 257-258). On March 22, 1890, after a six day trial, Billy Miles was acquitted of first degree murder in the death of Kinney on the grounds of self-defence (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 263-265, 292). Then it was time for the trial in the Branson case. That case took almost no time, and on September 5, Billy and Jim Miles were found not guilty in the murder of Branson. The prosecution then dropped the murder charge in the case of Funk, the hired gun (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 267-269).
Billy Miles soon after left the state (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 270). That seemed to be the effective end of actual Bald Knobber activities. Jim Miles would later get into a fight and end up serving a ten year sentence for second degree murder, but not for anything related to Bald Knobberism (Hartman/Ingenthron, p. 270). Later, there was a vigilante killing of one John Wesley Bright, which also resulted in the death of an innocent man; pro- and anti-Bald Knobbers seem to have taken different sides in the case, and former Bald Knobbers were probably involved -- but there was no actual Bald Knobber organization involved (Hartman/Ingenthron, pp. 271-284). In any event, the trial for Bright's murder largely came apart because of local sentiment and prosecutorial mismanagement.
There is a certain amount of documentation about the Bald Knobbers on the web, although it adds little (as of this writing) to what is in Hartman/Ingenthron.
http://tinyurl.com/tbdx-WhiteRivQtr is an affidavit by I. J. Haworth about how the Bald Knobbers threatened him. Hartman/Ingenthron calls him John Haworth and refers to his story on pp. 82-83 and other places.
The site http://tinyurl.com/tbdx-BaldKnob summarizes the Knobbers history, and has photos of, among others, Nathaniel Kinney and a Bald Knobber mask.
I note with some disquiet that there now seems to be an act at Branson, Missouri called the "Baldknobbers show." And, no, Branson is not named after Galba Branson; the town is older than the murdered sheriff. - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 2.5
File: R154

Bald-Headed End of the Broom, The


DESCRIPTION: The singer warns men against marriage: It's fun at first, but wait till you're stuck "with a wife and (sixteen) half-starved kids." "So keep away from the girls... For when they are wed, they will bang you on the head With the bald-headed end of a broom"
AUTHOR: Harry Bennett?
EARLIEST DATE: 1877 (Copyright)
KEYWORDS: courting marriage warning wife children family hardtimes poverty
FOUND IN: US(Ap,SE,So) Australia Ireland
REFERENCES (10 citations):
Randolph 386, "The Bald-Headed End of the Broom" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 313-315, "The Bald-Headed End of the Broom" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 386A)
BrownII 206, "Boys, Keep Away from the Girls" (1 text)
MHenry-Appalachians, p. 34, "Advice to the Boys" (1 fragment, only two stanzas and without a reference to the broom but with lyrics and theme much like this)
Fahey-Eureka, pp. 190-191, "The Bald-Headed End of the Broom" (1 text, 1 tune)
Kennedy 193, "The Bald-Headed End of the Broom" (1 text, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, pp. 273-274, "Baldheaded End of the Broom" (1 text)
Gilbert, p. 105, (No title) (1 partial text)
Rorrer, p. 94, "Look Before You Leap" (1 text, probably somewhat rewritten and without a chorus)
DT, BALDBROM BALDBRM2*
Roud #2129
RECORDINGS:
Grandpa Jones, "The Bald Headed End of A Broom" (King 717, 1948)
Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers, "Look Before You Leap" (probably rewritten; Columbia 15601-D, 1930; on CPoole03)
George Reneau, "Bald Headed End of The Broom" (Vocalion 14930, Silvertone 3052, 1924; Vocalion 5052, c. 1926)
Walter "Kid" Smith & Norman Woodlief with Posey Rorer, "The Bald-Headed End of a Broom" (Gennett 6887/Champion 15772 [as by Jim Taylor and Bill Shelby]/Supertone 9454 [as by Jerry Jordan], 1929)
Mike Seeger, "The Baldheaded End of a Broom" (on MSeeger01)\
File: FaE190

Baldheaded End of the Broom, The


See The Bald-Headed End of the Broom (File: FaE190)

Baldy Green


DESCRIPTION: "Come listen to my ditty... 'Tis about one Baldy Green... He was a way up six horse driver On Ben Holiday's stage line." Green is halted by robbers, but rather than yielding the gold, he restarts the team. Green is shot; the money is saved
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1958 (Burt)
KEYWORDS: robbery gold horse murder
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Burt, pp. 209-210, "(Baldy Green)" (1 text)
NOTES: Burt claims this incident actually happened, but can offer no supporting evidence, nor even cite the location of the failed robbery. - RBW
File: Burt209

Balinderry


See Ballinderry (File: HHH080)

Ball at Davidson's, The


DESCRIPTION: "There was a ball at Davidson's Just i' the mids o' Lent." There were farmers, thimble-riggers, itinerant dealers and lottery folk. The farmer couldn't sell cattle or grain but fish sellers and thimble-riggers did well.
AUTHOR: Peter McCombie (source: GreigDuncan3)
EARLIEST DATE: 1906 (GreigDuncan3)
KEYWORDS: commerce farming gambling dancing trick
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
GreigDuncan3 628, "The Ball at Davidson's" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Roud #6065
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Errol on the Green" (tune, per GreigDuncan3)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Murlin and the Creel
File: GrD3628

Ball of Kirriemuir, The


DESCRIPTION: A quatrain ballad, the scores of verses to this song describe the sexual feats at the "gathering of the clans."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: c.1938 (sung by Mikeen McCarthy on Voice14)
KEYWORDS: bawdy sex
FOUND IN: Australia Britain(England,Scotland) Ireland US New Zealand
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Cray, pp. 95-101, "The Ball of Kirriemuir" (2 texts, 1 tune)
DT, KERIMUIR*
Roud #4828
RECORDINGS:
Anonymous singers, "The Ball of Kirriemuir" (on Unexp1)
John MacDonald, "The Ball O'Kerriemeer" (on Voice07)
Mikeen McCarthy, "The Ball O'Kerriemeer" (on Voice14)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Ball at Kerrimuir
The Gatherin' of the Clan
NOTES: A few verses are attributed, with little evidence, to Robert Burns. - PJS
File: EM095

Ball of Yarn


DESCRIPTION: The narrator asks a pretty little miss "to wind her ball of yarn." He contracts gonorrhea, then is arrested nine months later, and sentenced to the penitentiary, all for "winding up that little ball of yarn."
AUTHOR: Unknown; parody of "Winding Up Her Little Ball of Yarn" (words: Earl Marble; tune: Polly Holmes)
EARLIEST DATE: 1890; original song copyrighted 1884
KEYWORDS: bawdy disease pregnancy sex punishment prison parody
FOUND IN: Britain(England) Ireland US(MA,MW,Ro,So,SW)
REFERENCES (8 citations):
Cray, pp. 89-95, "Ball of Yarn" (3 texts, 1 tune)
Randolph-Legman I, pp. 97-104, "Little Ball of Yarn" (10 texts, 3 tunes)
Hugill, pp. 533-534, "The Little Ball O' Yarn" (1 text, 1 tune) [AbrEd, pp. 385-386]
Kennedy 180, "The Little Ball of Yarn" (1 text, 1 tune)
MHenry-Appalachians, p. 249, "And She Skipped Across the Green" (1 fragment)
Gilbert, pp. 74-75, "Little Ball of Yarn" (1 partial text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 155, "Little Ball of Yarn" (1 text)
DT, BALLYARN* BALLYAR2* BALLYAR3
Roud #1404
RECORDINGS:
Mary Ann Haynes, "The Little Ball of Yarn" (on Voice20)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Little Ball of Yarn" (on NLCR14)
Southern Melody Boys, "Wind the Little Ball of Yarn" (Bluebird B-7057/Montgomery Ward 7227, 1937) [Note: Not having heard this record, I don't know whether it's the parody or the original. - PJS]
Nora Cleary, "Little Ball of Yarn" (on IRClare01)
Unidentified woman, Mena, Ark., "Little Ball of Yarn" (LC AAFS 3236 A1, 1936)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Fire Ship" (plot) and references there
cf. "Blackbirds and Thrushes (I)"
NOTES: Randolph-Legman has extensive notes on the history of this ballad, tracing it to Burns's "Yellow, Yellow Yorlin." - EC
It should be noted, however, that Cray's tune does not match the versions of "Yellow, Yellow Yorlin," and while there are lyrical similarities, the metrical pattern is also slightly different. - RBW
The song of which this is almost certainly a parody can be found [in the Library of Congress online collection]. - PJS
And said song is pretty bad; it begins
It was many years ago,
With my youthful blood aglow,
I engaged to teach a simple district school.
I reviewed each college book,
And my city home forsook,
Sure that I could make a wise man from a fool.
Mister School Committee Frye thought 'twould do no harm to try,
To see if unruly scholars I could l'arn.
When his daughter I espied, with her knitting by her side,
As she wound up her little ball of yarn.
The singer wooed and won the girl in short order, and now that he is old, he remembers the good old days every time he sees her darning socks! - RBW
A broadside id for a Library of Congress reference is LOCSheet, sm1884 20995, "Winding Up her Little Ball of Yarn," White, Smith & Co. (Boston), 1884 (tune); the sheet music attributes the words to Earl Marble and the music to Miss Polly Holmes.
Mary Ann Haynes version on Voice20 lacks the gonorrhea and arrest touches; the girl has a baby and warns other young girls to "never trust a farmer." - BS
File: EM089

Ballad of Ben Hall, The


DESCRIPTION: Ben Hall was "a peaceful, quiet man until he met Sir Fred." Then, with his homestead burnt and his cattle dead, he turned outlaw. The song describes the reward for Dunn, Gilbert, and Ben, and exhorts the listeners to toast their memories
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1905 (Paterson's Old Bush Songs)
KEYWORDS: abuse outlaw police Australia
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
May 5, 1865 - Ben Hall is ambushed and killed by police near Forbes, Australia
FOUND IN: Australia
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Fahey-Eureka, pp. 88-89, "The Ballad of Ben Hall" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manifold-PASB, pp. 55-57, "Ballad of Ben Hall's Gang" (1 text, 2 tunes)
Paterson/Fahey/Seal, pp. 75-79, "Dunn, Gilbert, an Ben Hall" (1 text)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Ben Hall" (plot)
cf. "Streets of Forbes" (plot)
cf. "The Death of Ben Hall" (plot)
cf. "My Name is Ben Hall" (subject)
NOTES: On the basis of internal references (see below), this song might be a variant of "Ben Hall." However, the metre is slightly different and there are few similarities of texts beyond the names of the robbers.
Ben Hall is widely regarded as "the noblest of the bushrangers." This song tells the common story that he was hounded from his home by the police, and only then turned to crime. Even as a bushranger, he attacked only the rich and never shed blood.
The truth is not quite so pretty; for background, see the notes to "Ben Hall."
Dunn and Gilbert, like Hall, were associated with Frank Gardiner's outlaw band. John Gilbert brought the full force of the law down on the gang when he shot a policeman, and he died along with Johnny Dunn in 1866. Johnny O'Meally, also mentioned in the song, was a member of the gang killed in 1863. (Gardiner was eventually taken, but was paroled after ten years and allowed to emigrate to the U.S., where he opened a saloon and, it is said, was shot in a poker fight in 1903.)
"Sir Fred" is Sir Frederick Pottinger, a "monumentally inept" officer of the crown who bungled the whole case -- and eventually managed to accidentally kill himself -- again see "Ben Hall" for background.
To tell this song from the other Ben Hall songs, consider this first stanza:
Come all you sons of liberty and listen to my tale;
A story of bushranging days I will to you unveil.
It's of those gallant heroes, God bless them one and all!
So let us sit and sing: 'God save the King, Dunn, Gilbert, and Ben Hall.'"
- RBW
File: FaE088

Ballad of Ben Hall's Gang, The


See The Ballad of Ben Hall (File: FaE088)

Ballad of Billy the Bull Rider


DESCRIPTION: Billy takes his girl to a rodeo where he is riding bulls. He assures her that all will be well -- but he is thrown as his girlfriend watches: "There wasn't a thing she could do But stand there and watch the boy die." She has nightmares of his last ride
AUTHOR: Johnny Baker
EARLIEST DATE: 1973
KEYWORDS: cowboy injury death dream
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ohrlin-HBT 95, "Ballad of Billy the Bull Rider" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: Ohr095

Ballad of Bosworth Field, The


DESCRIPTION: After a prayer for England ("GOD:that shope both sea and Land"), the poem describes the armies of Richard III and Henry Tudor that fought at Bosworth Field. The Stanley Brothers are highly praised for their role in the battle that made Henry the new King
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1750 (Percy folio); probably composed before 1495
KEYWORDS: royalty battle death
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Aug 22, 1485 -- Battle of Bosworth. Somewhere near Market Bosworth, the forces of King Richard III are defeated by those of Henry Tudor, and Richard is killed. Henry becomes King Henry VII
FOUND IN: Britain
REFERENCES (1 citation):
ADDITIONAL: Richard III Society Web Site, Ballad of Bosworth Field page, http://tinyurl.com/tbdx-BosworthF
NOTES: For the background to the reign of Richard III, see the notes to "The Children in the Wood (The Babes in the Woods)" [Laws Q34]. This particular entry is entirely specific to one of our few historical sources for that period, the so-called "Ballad of Bosworth Field," and the battle of Bosworth itself.
We have no absolute proof that the "Ballad" was ever sung, but it seems clear that it was intended to be. Of the sources I checked, it is cited by Ross and Bennett, but rarely used by other authors. Child mentions it in his notes to "The Rose of England" [Child 166] but does not deign to print it. Its value is debated; Wagner, p. 16, says of the three Bosworth ballads ("Bosworth Field," "The Rose of England" [Child 166], and "The Song of Lady Bessy") that some have gone so far as to treat them collectively as fiction, while others treat them as biased but genuine historical sources.
An honest assessment would treat them separately. "Lady Bessy," which shares some lyrics with this ballad, is patent fiction and (it seems to me) a late rewrite which uses elements of "Bosworth Field" (my own guess is that it was designed to flatter Elizabeth I, the granddaughter of Elizabeth of York who is the Lady Bessy of the ballad). "The Rose of England" is obvious Tudor propaganda with some Stanley flattery thrown in; while not pure fiction, it is extremely unreliable.
"Bosworth Field" is another, and much trickier, matter -- frankly, I think that this, rather than "The Rose of England," is the Bosworth ballad Child should have printed. It is probably near-contemporary; although our only copy is from the Percy Folio, there is a sixteenth century epitome which differs in some regards, making it likely that the original is earlier still.
Ross argues, since it praises Sir William Stanley, that the original is from before 1495, the year Stanley was executed (although Griffiths/Thomas, p. 134, counter-argue that ie was composed after 1495 as a justification of William Stanley). Sadly, it has clearly been damaged in transmission; the names in the surviving copy are often much muddled. It seems intended to glority the Stanleys -- who certainly didn't deserve the praise -- but its primary importance is that it is probably based on evidence gathered by a Stanley herald or spy (Bennett, p. 13) -- in other words, an eyewitness.
That the witness is biased is undeniable, and the author had very little real information about what happened in Richard III's army. If we take that into account, I agree with Ross that the "Ballad" should get more respect than it does; Ross notes that, insofar as it can be tested, it is accurate. The one major error in is it the claim that Richard had 40,000 men at Bosworth, which is impossible -- but such exaggerations are commonplace in records of the era.
It is unfortunate that the "Ballad" is not more often reprinted; while awfully long to be sung (164 four-line stanzas), it has some genuinely fascinating touches, such as a speech by Henry Tudor:
Into England I am entred heare,
my heritage is this Land within;
they shall me boldlye bring & beare,
& loose my liffe, but I[']le be King.
Iesus that dyed on good ffryday,
& Marry mild thats ffull of might
send me the loue of Lord Stanley!
he marryed my mother, a Lady bright.
(Henry Tudor's mother was Margaret Beaufort, the last of the Beauforts, through whom Henry made his claim to the throne; the Beauforts were descsended from John of Gaunt, the third son of Edward III [died 1377]). Both Lord Stanley and Margaret Beaufort, of course, had been married to others before they married each other.
The situation in August 1485 was this (again, this is a very brief summary of the notes in "The Children in the Wood (The Babes in the Woods)" [Laws Q34]): The widely respected King Edward IV, first of the Yorkist line, had died in 1483, leaving as his hear a 12-year-old boy, Edward V. Edward IV's brother Richard, until then known for his conspicuous loyalty, had produced a series of arguments to prove that the boy was in fact illegitimate, and had taken the throne as Richard III. The uncrowned Edward V and his brother Richard Duke of York then vanished.
Richard's brief reign had already produced significant positive legislation, but many were dissatisfied -- some were unhappy about the disappearance of the "Princes in the Tower" (Edward V and Richard of York); others were die-hard supporters of the Lancastrian dynasty which Edward IV had overthrown, and some, such as the Duke of Buckingham, seem simply to have wished to feather their own nests. Many of these settled on Henry Tudor as their hope. He had no real claim to the throne -- his mother was Margaret Beufort, who was descended in illegitimate line from King Edward III, who had died more than a century earlier -- but he was a technical Lancastrian, and Lancastrians would support anyone over a Yorkist.
Henry had tried to invade England in 1483, but the rebellions on his behalf collapsed. In 1485, he tried again, and this time, he landed in England. (I can't help but note the irony that he set out from Harfleur, the place where Henry V had invaded France seventy years earlier; Ross, p. 202). He and Richard gathered their forces, and finally met at Bosworth.
Whether he deserved it or not, Richard's position in 1485 was precarious, due primarily to the decimation of the nobility. There were only a few really strong nobles left, and not all of them were loyal. It left Richard largely dependent on lesser men -- and caused him to bring a relatively small army to the greatest battle of his life; estimates run from about 3,000 to 10,000 men, the majority of them the Duke of Norfolk's if you exclude the "neutrals."
Meanwhile, Henry Tudor had been very, very lucky in his friends. The Bretons had planned to turn him over to Richard (in which case this discussion probably wouldn't be necessary), but Henry was warned just in time, and escaped to France. The French were temporarily in a very anti-English phase. And, just at the time when Richard was most distracted, they gave Henry Tudor a fleet (Arthurson, p. 5) and let him invade (Pollard, pp. 160-162).
The Wars of the Roses witnessed, in all, six changes of King, but only once, at Bosworth, did the two rival claimants face each other in battle (Bennett, p. 99). And Bosworth proved decisive mostly because Richard III died in the battle. Henry's invasion force initially consisted mostly of mercenaries from countries hostile to Richard (Ross, pp. 202-203), though of course he picked up some supporters in Wales.
Ross-Wars, p. 101, notes how close the Tudor invasion came to failure: "In Brittany [Henry] narrowly managed to excape being captured and turned over to the English, and made good his escape to France. There the government, which was anxious to absorb Brittany into France, and feared that Richard would support the Bredon independence movement, decided to aid Henry's invasion. Supplied by France with money, ships, and some 3,000 French troops, he set sale for Wales in August 1485 -- but just in the nick of time, for French policy changed abruptly after his departure."
Henry landed at Milford Haven in Wales on August 7. Richard, who was based in Nottingham, apparently learned of his landing on August 11, and summoned such supporters as could reach him quickly. The two armies met on August 22.
The notes to "The Children in the Wood (The Babes in the Woods)" [Laws Q34]) describe the incredibly poor sources we have for this period. We have no complete account of the battle except the Tudor historian Polydore Vergil's, written decades later by someone who was not a witness and had never seen the battlefield (and who was so confused that he dated it to 1486, not 1485; Bennett, pp. 13-14), plus this song, which claims Richard had 40,000 troops, which is obviously impossible. The lack of data is so extreme that one author is convinced that we do not even know where the battle took place, moving it several miles away to Dadlington (Ross-Wars, p. 182; Pollard, p. 169 also mentions this as a strong possibility).
Unfortunately, Vergil's account is not very clear, at one point it appears to confuse east and west, and does not fit the ground as it now exists -- e.g. there is a mention of a vanished marsh.
The reconstruction of the battle depends very much on where the marsh is located. The map in Burne, p. 290, places it tsouth of Richard's position on Ambien Hill, making action on that flank difficult. Ross's map on p. 219 places it more to the west, putting a gap in the area where Henry Tudor might attack. Kendall's maps, pp. 438-439, approximate Burne's. St. Aubyn's map, p. 210, shows an extremely large marsh covering half the slope of Ambien Hill -- and shows details of the armies that are simply not known. Bennett, p. 108, firmly believes the marsh was on the south side of the hill although he is uncertain of the size -- but his map on p. 98 shows the marsh far from the hill and stretching all around it and implies that the armies met in a small gap. Cheetham's map is similar to Ross's. Gillingham, p. 242, delares that "all [maps] are quite worthless" but on pp. 243-244 gives a detailed restatement of Vergil that looks like a written description of St. Aubyn's map minus the mention of Ambien Hill.
The armies may have been almost as blind as we are; Bennett, p. 92, thinks that Lord Stanley, while claiming to bring his forces into Richard's army, was in fact between the King's and Henry Tudor's army, and was preventing the king from getting any useful intelligence. But his reconstruction, p. 109, also causes the Tudor forces to approach Richard's from the east -- meaning that Henry's army marched past Richard's and turned back. This is hard to believe; I mention it simply to show how little we understand of what happened in 1485.
Bosworth was a most unusual battle, for there were not two but (probably) *five* armies. Though they were small ones -- Gillingham, p. 33, notes that at this time soldiers were paid wages, but their "profit," if any, came from plunder. Since it was hard to plunder one's countrymen, most battles of the Wars of the Roses involved relatively small forces led by a few great magnates rather than the large contract forces of the Hundred Years' War. And, as the war lasted longer, wages had to go up, and the armies got even smaller (Gillingham, p. 35).
Richard's personal army seems to have been particularly small for an army led by a crowned king, perhaps because he by this time was having financial difficulties. He had not gotten much money from his 1484 parliament; (Ross, p. 178), and was having to borrow from his magnates; (Ross, p. 179). On p. 215, Ross says that "it can be suggested that the size of Henry's army has been underestimated and that of Richard's exaggerated. Allowing for the men he recruited en route from Milford Haven, Henry may have had 5,000 men, perhaps more. Potentially, Richard could have gathered far more, but, given the hasty circumstances of his array, he may have had no more than 8,000 men in his command, although 10,000 is by no means unlikely." Bennett, p. 103, suggests 10,000 to 15,000 for Richard -- but doesn't really have a place for them in his battle map.
Either total, however, includes the Earl of Northumberland, who certainly did not fight for Richard and probably was unwilling to fight. (Bennett, p. 74, even suggests that he had been in communication with Henry Tudor, although if so, nothing came of it.) In practical terms, this suggest that Richard had no more than seven thousand, and probably less; the two armies thus were close to equal in size, though Richard's was probably better equipped and led; it would certainly have had the edge in artillery.
The senior officers in the loyal army were Richard and the Duke of Norfolk, the former Lord Howard. Henry Tudor was theoretical commander of the second force, though probably the de Vere (shadow) Earl of Oxford (who, unlike the Tudor, had battle experiece) commanded in the field (Bennett, pp. 64-65, suggests that Henry Tudor might not have dared to invade without him, and notes that Richard had made an unsuccessful attempt to keep Oxford from getting away from his complacent guards at Calais); the other senior officer in the Tudor camp was Henry's uncle Jasper Tudor, another shadow earl.
Then there were the independent armies, those of Lord Stanley, his brother Sir William Stanley, and the Earl of Northumberland. Northumberland kept his troops in Richard's camp but commanded them independently. Lord Stanley, whose current wife was Henry Tudor's mother, and William Stanley kept their forces entirely separate, meeting Henry Tudor but not joining him and keeping Richard on a string. And they had a well-deserved reputation for playing both sides (see, e.g., the notes to "The Vicar of Bray") -- one reason, perhaps, why they had to produce this piece of propaganda to defend their actions.
Thus when the Battle of Bosworth started, there were four forces, arranged probably in a rough square, or perhaps we should say in a rough cross, with Richard's forces facing Henry's and the Stanley armies (which were probably as large or larger than the other two forces) occupying the other two sides of the square. Northumberland, theoretically part of Richard's force, was sitting still to Richard's rear.
It amazes me how many divergent details the various authors can discover in the very limited material available in Vergil. Ross rightly slams Kendall for turning a brief summary into a detailed, lyrical account -- but ignores the fact that St. Aubyn, p. 213, regales us with the tale of Richard's "terrible dream," or Seward-Roses, p. 305, wants us to know about Richard's "haggard appearance" and "ferocious speech." How many people, even in Richard's forces, would know of the dream, and why would they tell a biased chronicler? Cheetham, p. 187, comments "Predictably enough, our two contemporary voices -- Croyland and Vergil -- attribute to Richard a sleepless night, interrupted by 'dreadful visions' and premonitions of disaster." (Note, though, that Vergil is not contemporary, and that Croyland's description is only a few lines long.) Our third contemporary, this song, has a lot of surely-fictitious speeches, but no sign of the dreadful dreams in the transcription I've seen.
In any case, as Bennett comments on p. 97, "it seems unlikely that the young Henry Tudor... slept any better."
Burne, p. 291, believes that the scene of the battle was set when Richard's force occupied Ambien Hill very early on the fatal day (Monday, August 22, 1485). This seems likely enough -- Richard was clearly the more enterprising commander, and Ambien Hill was the dominant position in the area; St. Aubyn, p. 209, Kendall, p. 433, Cheetham, p. 187, and Ross, p. 217, all agree with Burne at least this far.
Unfortunately for Richard, Ambien Hill, while tall, is very narrow. All the authors seem to agree that, instead of forming his three divisions in a line, Richard ended up with Norfolk in front, on the slopes of the hill, Richard's own division behind him, and Northumberland somewhere to the rear (though it is hard to see how they could have gotten into that formation if the map in Kendall, p. 438, is accurate; in this, Kendall clearly seems wrong).
Bennett, p. 104, suggests that Henry placed almost all his forces in a vanguard under the Earl of Oxford, keeping only a small company of his own -- understandable, given Henry's lack of experience. His inference from this is that Henry was expecting the Stanleys to guard his flanks -- as, in effect, they did.
Based on the little we know, it appears that Richard's and Henry's armies started the battle, with the Stanleys standing aside (all authorities, including even the very anti-Richard Gillingham, p. 243, agree on the duplicitous behavior of the Stanleys). By the nature of the ground, that meant that Tudor's forces under Oxford attacking Norfolk. Despite Gillingham, this seems to me to almost assure the general accuracy of the Burne/Ross/Kendall reconstruction of the battle with Richard on Ambien Hill. If Richard hadn't been on the hill, he would surely have created a broader battle line, and the final charge would have been impossible.
Exactly what happened next is uncertain, because we know that Norfolk died in the battle, but we don't know when. If Vergil is right in saying that the whole battle lasted only two hours (Gillingham, p. 244), it must have happened fairly quickly, but that's not much to go on.
We also know that Northumberland did not participate in the battle. (Pollard, p. 171, mentions that we have this from Croyland, not just Vergil. One source, the "Spanish Letter," appears to say that Northumberland actually attacked Richard, but Ross, p. 216, rejects this as impossible. Ross, pp. 218, 221,thinks that the nature of the ground meant that Northumberland could not engage at all, but most of the other scholars think he refused to fight, and the behavior of his vassals in 1489 seems to support this. It seems to me that a refusal to fight would also explain the "Spanish Letter.")
Four years after Bosworth, Northumberland was murdered by a mob of rioters protesting over Henry Tudor's taxes -- Cunningham, pp. 79, 108 -- and while we don't have any certain knowledge of why he died, the strong indication is that his henchmen refused to rescue him because of his betrayal of Richard III (Pollard, p. 171). (Percy printed Skelton's "Elegy on Henry Fourth Earl of Northumberland" -- p. 117 of volume I of Percy/Wheatley -- but this elegy appears to have no useful information even though it is near-contemporary.)
Pollard is convinced, p. 171, that Richard would have won the battle had Northumberland fought. Presumably his own subjects felt the same -- and liked Richard better than they liked their earl.
Eventually, Richard tried a maneuver. Kendall, p. 439, thinks it came when Norfolk was killed -- bad news indeed for Richard -- and that Northumberland's neutrality had already been revealed by then. Ross does not mention Norfolk's death at this stage (on p. 218 he mentions it as merely "probable" that Norfolk was already dead when Richard died), but thinks Richard may have seen that his force was being defeated (also, he speculates on p. 223 about low morale in Richard's forces).
If Kendall is right, then the death of Norfolk left Richard in a very precarious position, with his main force disorganized and little chance that any of the three neutrals would come to his aid. Hence he decided to try a death-or-glory charge: If he could kill Henry Tudor, the battle would be won. (Ross, p. 222, agrees that this was a possible motive, though he isn't entirely sure that Richard was actually trying a charge just with his guard. He may have been trying to bring his entire division into action.)
There is an alternate account given by Young/Adair -- who are not specialists in the period. They credit -- without giving an authority -- Richard with having precisely 9640 men; p. 101. Henry's army they credit on p. 103 with 8000 troops. They suggest there was only one Stanley army, of about 2000 men; p. 102. And they place the battle entirely to the south of Ambien Hill, suggesting that the Stanleys positioned themselves at the top of the hill. They suggest that Norfolk and Oxford actually fought in single combat; p. 104. They credit Northumberland with sitting on his hands, but their map does not show how he could have done so. Allowing that Vergil's account is probably thoroughly untrustworthy, I have to say that this version strikes me as even less likely to be right -- it sounds as if it's straight out of a romance.
A more reasonable alternate suggestion comes from Ross-Wars, pp. 132-135, who suggests that Henry Tudor was concerned about the course of the battle, and rode off to appeal to the Stanleys (whom he too suggests may have had only one force, not two). Richard, observing the maneuver, chose to attack Henry as the rebel force moved. While a better fit for the known facts than the Young/Adair account -- indeed, it is a good explanation for why Richard would make what otherwise seems a foolhardy move -- this remains speculation.
Another possibility is suggested by Bennett's belief that Henry expected the Stanleys to cover his flanks: When Richard saw that the Stanleys were sitting still, he decided to do just what Henry feared and go around Oxford's flank to get at Henry and the Tudor rear.
Whatever Richard's intention in his final maneuver, what it seem to come down to was a charge by Richard and his household knights toward the Tudor flag -- a charge which came very close to succeeding. (At least, that's what Vergil thought Richard was doing; Burne, p. 295, suggests that he was actually trying to kill the traitor Lord Stanley. This seems absurd -- Richard could have gotten real revenge on Stanley by killing Stanley's son Lord Strange, who was his hostage, and in any case, if he killed Henry Tudor, he could deal with Stanley at his leisure.) But Sir William Stanley charged and managed to destroy the back of Richard's attack force (Gillingham, p. 244, thinks that Richard's companions mostly deserted him in the attack, but also notes that Richard almost managed to reach Henry Tudor -- impossible if he had truly been abandoned.). Attacked front and rear, the charge failed. Richard died in the fighting.
Why did Richard do it? To get things over with, perhaps; this seems to be Kendall's view. But we can't know. The "Ballad of Bosworth Field" declares,
He said, "giue me my battell axe to my hand,
sett the crowne of England on my head soe hye!
ffor by him that shope both sea and Land,
King of England this day I will dye!
The one thing that everyone seems to agree is that it was very courageously done: Burne, p. 295, says "Richard died like a king." Croyland said he died "like a brave and most valiant prince" (Burne, p. 296). Vergil reports, "King Richard alone was killed fighting manfully in the thickest press of his enemies... his courage was high and fierce and failed him not even at the death which, when his men forsook him, he preferred to take by the sword rather than, by foul flight, to prolong his life" (Gillingham, pp. 244-245). "Whatever he merited as man or king, as a soldier King Richard deserved a better end" (Young/Adair, p. 106).
The tendency on the part of Richard's partisans has been to blame his supporters for the defeat. Northumberland is the one usually blamed. Kendall thinks Northumberland's inertia was due to dislike for Richard. Ross, p. 167, observes that the two had had been at loggerheads from the early 1470s. He also notes that the Percies were among the oldest of the noble families, and that Richard was closely linked with the Neville family, rivals of the Percies. (He doesn't say much about the fact that the Percies had a history of rebellion against kings in power.) Cunningham, p. 75, suspects that Richard was dead by the time Henry Percy was in position to intervene -- though this doesn't explain why Northumberland's forces were so far from the field. Cunningham also suspects that it was new continental tactics which defeated Richard: Henry Tudor's mercenaries formed square to take Richard's cavalry charge, and it worked.
Gillingham goes on to call Richard a "disaster" as king. I truly don't see why -- unless one says that his death was disastrous because it put England under the Tudors. Legislatively, as we have seen, Richard's reign was unquestionably good. This is true even if one accepts the Seward/Weir view that he was a monster.
Perhaps we should give the last word to Ross-Wars, p. 100, who writes, "Richard was by no means the personification of evil which he was to become in the hands of hostile Tudor propagandists. He had charm, energy, and ability, and he worked hard to win popularity. But it took time to live down the legacy of suspicion and mistrust generated by the violence of his usurpation. Even in that ruthless age, many men were appalled by what they clearly believed to have been his crime against the princes.... Had Henry Tudor's invasion been long delayed, its outcome might have been very different, but in 1485, Richard was still far from having won the confidence of his people in general." - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 2.5
File: BdTBOBoF

Ballad of Bunker Hill, The


DESCRIPTION: "The soldiers from town to the foot of the hill... They pottered and dawdled and twaddled until We feared there would be no attack at all." The Colonials inflict heavy casualties on the British, but then "We used up our powder and had to go home!"
AUTHOR: Words: Edward Everett Hale? / Music traditional, set by John Allison
EARLIEST DATE: 1908
KEYWORDS: battle patriotic
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
June 17, 1775 - American defeat at the Battle of Bunker Hill. The Americans are pushed from their positions, but inflict heavy casualties on the British, and so feel they have earned some bragging rights.
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Botkin-NEFolklr, pp. 541-542, "The Ballad of Bunker Hill" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Recorded by John and Lucy Allison. There is no reason to believe this song ever circulated in oral tradition. - RBW
File: BNEF541

Ballad of Captain Bob Bartlett, Arctic Explorer


DESCRIPTION: "Bob Bartlett, born in Brigus, of a bold sea-faring breed, Became a master-mariner as destiny decreed; He won renown... When Peary used his services to the Northern Pole." We are told of the hardships in the arctic, and of the sealing ships he captained
AUTHOR: A. C. Wornell?
EARLIEST DATE: 1951 (Wornell, Rhymes of a Newfoundlander)
KEYWORDS: hunting ship exploration
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1875-1946 - Life of Robert Abram Bartlett
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ryan/Small, p. 85, "Ballad of Captain Bob Bartlett, Arctic Explorer" (1 text)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Captain Bob Bartlett" (subject)
cf. "The Roving Newfoundlanders (I)" (brief mention or Bob Bartlett)
NOTES: Robert Bartlett is now remembered mostly as an arctic explorer (Robert Peary took him on three expeditions, and in 1913 Bartlett, as commander of the Karluk, was wrecked, and saved his expedition by a sled trip to Alaska). But it is clear that he was well known in Newfoundland even before that; several of the poems in Ryan/Small, including those written before Peary's explorations, mention him.
It is possible that some of this is by confusion with his uncles Isaac and John Bartlett, who also were sealing captains and connected with the quest for the North Pole.
For more background, see the notes to "Captain Bob Bartlett." - RBW
File: RySm085

Ballad of Captain Kidd, The


See Captain Kidd [Laws K35] (File: LK35)

Ballad of Davy Crockett, The


See Davy Crockett (File: R423)

Ballad of Hardin Town, The


DESCRIPTION: "I'll tell you a tale of Ioway... about a crime in Hardin Town...." Barowner Thorne has betrayed an Indian chief's daughter. The chief seeks him out in the bar, but is shot by an unknown assailant. The chief's son kills a bar patron and goes to prison
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1951 (Hempel, Annals of Iowa)
KEYWORDS: murder Indians(Am.) revenge prison punishment
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1847 - The Hardin Tragedy. An old Indian was shot to death, and his son randomly killed Patrick Riley in revenge. There was no ravished daughter, and the old man was not a chief
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Burt, pp. 136-137, "(The Ballad of Hardin Town)" (1 text)
NOTES: Hardin, Iowa, is a tiny hamlet, unincorporated, almost due west of Prairie do Chien, Wisconsin, and roughly southeast of Decorah, Iowa. There is also a Hardin County, which does not contain the village of Hardin (which is in Clayton County). This is all I was able to learn about the area based on a casual Internet search. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: Burt136

Ballad of Kelly's Gang


See The Ballad of the Kelly Gang (File: FaE108)

Ballad of Major Andre, The


See Major Andre's Capture [Laws A2] (File: LA02)

Ballad of Master M'Grath, A


See Master McGrath (File: Hodg215)

Ballad of Master McGrath, A


See Master McGrath (File: Hodg215)

Ballad of New Orleans (II), The


DESCRIPTION: In 1814 Andrew Jackson recruits pirate Jean Lafitte to help his American backwoodsmen-soldiers defeat Pakenham's forces at New Orleans. They do, with many humorous tales (including an alligator converted to a cannon), then celebrate with the local girls
AUTHOR: Words: Jimmy Driftwood
EARLIEST DATE: 1958 (recording by author)
KEYWORDS: army battle war food humorous animal soldier pirate
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Jan 8, 1815 - Battle of New Orleans. Although a peace had already been signed, word had not yet reached Louisiana, which Pakenham sought to invade. Andrew Jackson's backwoodsmen easily repulsed Pakenham's force; the British commander was killed in the battle.
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (1 citation):
DT, BATNEWOR
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "Battle of New Orleans" (on PeteSeeger25)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Battle of New Orleans" [Laws A7] (subject)
cf. "The Hunters of Kentucky" [Laws A25] " (subject)
cf. "Pakenham" (subject)
cf. "The Eighth of January" (tune)
NOTES: I think this song is in the process of entering American tradition, and as such it deserves a place in the Index. - PJS
For background on this battle, see the traditional song "The Battle of New Orleans" [Laws A7]; also "The Hunters of Kentucky" and other songs celebrating the battle. - RBW
File: DTbatnew

Ballad of New Scotland, A


DESCRIPTION: "Let's away to New Scotland, where Plenty sits queen O'er as happy a country as ever was seen." The abundant riches of Nova Scotia are praised, and the lack of duties and landlords is pointed out
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1750 ("The Gentleman" magazine)
KEYWORDS: emigration Canada nonballad
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1749 - First large group of English colonists embark for New Scotland. The town they built is Halifax, Nova Scotia
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Fowke/Mills/Blume, pp. 44-45, "A Ballad of New Scotland" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Although fitted with an excellent melody (the magazine reports it to be "to the tune of 'King John and the Abbot of Canterbury'" -- the Derry Down tune), this song does not seem ever to have been found in tradition.
According to Laura M. McDonald, The Curse of the Narrows, p. 4, Halifax was founded in 1749 by 2576 (Protestant) settlers. It was intended primarily as a fortress against the French. It was a hard place to settle -- a basin in the midst of relatively infertile hills, with trees growing all the way down to the water -- but with a fine, sheltered, ice-free harbour that made it a natural seaport. - RBW
File: FMB044

Ballad of Sealing Ships and Sealers


DESCRIPTION: "Come all ye hearty Newfoundlanders, join your voices now with me: Of our sealing ships and sealers let us sing." The speaker describes how the fleet leaves port, hunts the seals, survives problems; he urges listeners to pray for crew and captains
AUTHOR: A. C. Wornell ?
EARLIEST DATE: 1954 (Wornell, Rhymes of a Newfoundlander)
KEYWORDS: hunting ship nonballad
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ryan/Small, pp. 147-148, "Ballad of Sealing Ships and Sealers" (1 text)
File: RySm147

Ballad of Springhill


See Springhill Mine Disaster (1958) (File: FSWB124A)

Ballad of the Braswell Boys


DESCRIPTION: The Braswell Boys have been sentenced to death for murder. They attempt to escape from prison, but are captured. At the scaffold, among prayers and sad relatives, they confess to the crime. They are executed and buried
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1958 (Burt)
KEYWORDS: murder trial execution burial
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Nov 29, 1875 - Murder of Russell and John Allison of Putnam County, TN. They were allegedly killed by Joe and George "Teek" Braswell (and two others) as the Braswells attempted a robbery
Mar 27, 1878 - Hanging of the Braswells. Joe confessed to his crimes, but Teek maintained his innocence to the end
FOUND IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
McNeil-SFB1, pp. 48-52, "The Ballad of the Braswell Boys" (1 text, 1 tune)
Burt, pp. 204-206, "(The Braswell Boys)" (1 excerpted text, 1 tune)
Roud #4772
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Life's Railway to Heaven (Life is Like a Mountain Railroad)" (tune)
File: MN1048

Ballad of the Drover (Death of Harry Dale)


DESCRIPTION: Harry Dale, the drover, is heading home after many months away. He comes to a river in flood. He tries to cross, but is swept from his horse. His dog leaps in to save him, but is also washed away. Now "in the lonely homestead the girl shall wait in vain"
AUTHOR: Henry Lawson
EARLIEST DATE: 1968
KEYWORDS: death river drowning dog horse Australia
FOUND IN: Australia
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 191-192, 206, 269-270, "Ballad of the Drover" (3 texts, 3 tunes)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Martha Dexter" (theme)
cf. "The Mother's Malison, or Clyde's Water" [Child 216] (theme)
NOTES: This piece has often been included in school readers in Australia, and has therefore achieved popularity perhaps beyond what its merits warrant. - RBW
File: MA191

Ballad of the Erie Canal


See A Trip on the Erie (Haul in Your Bowline) (File: Wa035)

Ballad of the Frank Slide


DESCRIPTION: "On a grim and tragic morning In nineteen hundred three A little babe lay weeping... There in the shiv'ring morning." A rockslide buries the town; a few miners dig their way out of the mine to find the little girl -- and everything else ruined and dead
AUTHOR: Robert Gard
EARLIEST DATE: 1949 (copyright)
KEYWORDS: disaster mining death
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
April 29, 1903 - A rockslide on Turtle Mountain falls on Crow's Nest Pass. Despite the legend that only one little girl survived the slide, in fact over two hundred of the town's three hundred inhabitants came out alive, and the town was only partly ruined
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Fowke/Mills/Blume, pp. 192-194, "Ballad of the Frank Slide" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Although this piece apparently fits in well with the folklore of the Frank Slide, there is no evidence that it has ever gone into oral tradition. - RBW
File: FMB192

Ballad of the Kelly Gang


DESCRIPTION: The singer tells of the large rewards offered for the Kelly Gang, but claims "if the sum were doubled, sure, the Kelly boys would live." The song goes on to describe in great detail the 1878 robbery at Euroa
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1966
KEYWORDS: outlaw Australia robbery fight escape
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1855 - Birth of Ned Kelly
1880 - Execution of Kelly. His last words are reported to have been "Such is life."
FOUND IN: Australia
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Fahey-Eureka, pp. 108-111, "The Ballad of the Kelly Gang" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manifold-PASB, pp. 73-75, "The Ballad of Kelly's Gang" (1 text, in two parts; 1 tune)
Paterson/Fahey/Seal, pp. 87-91, The Ballad of the Kelly Gag"" (1 text)
DT, KELLBYRN
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Wearing of the Green (I)" (tune)
cf. "The Kelly Gang" (subject)
cf. "Ye Sons of Australia" (subject)
cf. "Kelly Song (Farewell Dan and Edward Kelly)" (subject)
cf. "Kelly Was Their Captain" (subject)
cf. "My Name is Edward Kelly" (subject)
cf. "Stringybark Creek" (subject)
cf. "The Kelly Gang Were Strong" (subject)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Kellys, Byrne, and Hart
The Kelly Gang
NOTES: Lloyd states that the song must have been made up between 1878 (when the robbery took place) and 1880 (when Kelly was hanged). Lloyd's tune for this song is not "The Wearing of the Green," but the Irish tune "Mary from Murroo", sometimes known in Australia as "The Cherry Tree." - PJS
The association with "The Wearing of the Green" is very early, though, as several texts of the song begin with a verse such as
Sure Paddy dear and did you hear the news that's going round?
On the head of bold Ned Kelly they've placed five thousand pound'
For Dan, Steve Hart, and Joey Byrne a thousand each they'll give,
But if the sum was double sure the Kelly boys would live. - RBW
File: FaE108

Ballad of the Tea Party


DESCRIPTION: "Tea ships near to Boston lying, On the wharf a numerous crew, Sons of freedom, never dying, Then appeared in view." (The Sons of Freedom) attack the British vessel and dump the "cursed weed of China's coast."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE:
KEYWORDS: rebellion ship patriotic
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Dec. 16, 1773 - Boston Tea Party. Americans protest the British tax on tea by dumping a shipload into Boston Harbor
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Botkin-NEFolklr, pp. 538-539, "Ballad of the Tea Party" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, TEAPART
File: BNEF538

Ballad of the Virgin Sturgeon, The


See Caviar Comes from the Virgin Sturgeon (File: EM240)

Ballad of White-Water Men, A


DESCRIPTION: Singer tells of Mike Corrigan, the best white-water man. Among his deeds: breaking up logjams at Sour-na-Hunk and Ambejejus Falls, flying like a bird, landing on his pike-pole and whizzing around so fast that his hair scorched the air and fried the wind
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE:
KEYWORDS: lumbering work logger talltale river
FOUND IN: US(NE,MW)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Beck 26, "A Ballad of White-Water Men" (1 text)
Roud #8858
File: Be026

Ballad of William Bloat, The


DESCRIPTION: William Bloat's wife "got his goat" so he cut her throat. "To finish the fun so well begun He resolved himself to kill" He hangs himself with a sheet. He died but she survives: "for the razor blade was German made But the sheet was Belfast linen"
AUTHOR: Raymond Calvert (1830-1883) (source: Hammond-Belfast)
EARLIEST DATE: 1978 (Hammond-Belfast)
KEYWORDS: marriage murder suicide humorous wife shrewishness
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Hammond-Belfast, p. 59, "The Ballad of William Bloat" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, WMBLOAT*
NOTES: In an interesting twist, the Clancy Brothers made the (ineffective) razor English rather than German, and the (effective) sheet an Irish product. I am somewhat surprised to find such hostility to Germany from an author who died in 1883; at that time, English relations with Germany were relatively cordial. It was only after Wilhelm II started messing around that they turned bad.
The one thing that occurs to me is that the English royal family itself was German; George I (reigned 1714-1727) and George II (reigned 1727-1760) both spoke German as their primary language, and George III (1760-1820) was the first of the Hannoverian kings to speak English without a German accent; even Victoria (1837-1901) spoke German as her native language. So a slam on Germany, if made before about 1850, could be a dig at the Royal Family.
I was reminded a bit of this controversy in reading a story about George III, found on page 17 of James Dugan's The Great Mutiny (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1965): "Although he had never visited Germany, as the Elector of Hannover-Braunschweig George believed that everything German was superior to everything British, including discipline and underwear. He wore only German linen, unaware that one suit had been forged in Dublin as a secret joke on a monarch otherwise difficult to link to anything humorous." - RBW
File: Hamm059

Ballad to a Traditional Refrain


DESCRIPTION: "O the bricks they will bleed and the rain it will weep, And the damp Lagan fog lull the city to sleep; It's to hell with the future and live on in the past: May the Lord in His mercy be kind to Belfast" and other political statements.
AUTHOR: Maurice James Craig (b.1919) (source: Hammond-Belfast)
EARLIEST DATE: 1978 (Hammond-Belfast)
KEYWORDS: nonballad political
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Hammond-Belfast, p. 63, "Ballad to a Traditional Refrain" (1 text, 1 tune)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Be Kind to Belfast
File: Hamm063

Ballan Doune Braes


DESCRIPTION: "The laird o' the town" tells Betsy "that a father, a brother, and a husband he'd be." But "short was his courtship ... When he cam' to his own he wad own me nae mair" People mock her. Left forlorn with children she returns to die on Ballan Doune braes
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1845 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(677)
KEYWORDS: seduction promise home betrayal childbirth death
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
GreigDuncan6 1153, "Ballan Doune Braes" (1 text)
Roud #6819
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(677), "Sweet Barren Doun Braes" ("As I walked out one morning, one morning in spring"), J. Pitts (London), 1819-1844; also Harding B 26(24), "Ballandine Braes"; Firth b.28(31a), "Ballandine Breas"; Harding B 19(30), 2806 c.15(173), "Ballintown Brae"; 2806 c.14(89) , "Sweet Ballenden Braes"
Murray, Mu23-y1:049, "Ballandine Braes!" ("Over yon moorlands and down by yon glen"), James Lindsay Jr. (Glasgow), 19C
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Bessie of Ballington Brae" [Laws P28] (sequel)
NOTES: Broadside Harding B 11(677) is an abbreviated version of the story but shares its chorus ("False was his promise guile was his way, He decoyed me far far from sweet Barren Down Brae") with the longer versions. By the time it was collected in GreigDuncan6 those lines were only in the first verse. The GreigDuncan6 first line is the line from the broadsides listed other than Harding B 11(677): "Over yon moorlands and down by yon glen." - BS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: BdBaDoBr

Ballentown Brae


See Bessie of Ballington Brae [Laws P28] (File: LP28)

Ballet of de Boll Weevil, De


See The Boll Weevil [Laws I17] (File: LI17)

Ballinderry


DESCRIPTION: The singer recalls the joys of living in (Balinderry) and spending time with "(Phelim), my (diamond/demon)." But now she is sad and lonely, as Phelim died (at sea)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1840 (Bunting)
KEYWORDS: love separation death burial
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (6 citations):
SHenry H80, pp. 386-387, "Phelimy Phil" (1 text, 1 tune)
Tunney-SongsThunder, pp. 78-79, "Ballinderry" (1 text)
Hayward-Ulster, pp. l5-16, "Oh! 'Tis Pretty to be in Ballinderry" (1 text)
DT, BALNDERY*
ADDITIONAL: Edward Bunting, The Ancient Music of Ireland (Mineola, 2000 (reprint of 1840 Dublin edition)), #56 and p. 88, "Ballinderry"
Alfred Percival Graves, The Irish Poems of Alfred Perceval Graves (Dublin, 1908), Vol II (Songs and Ballads), pp. 78-79, "'Twas Pretty to Be in Ballinderry"
Roud #2983
RECORDINGS:
Robert Cinnamond, "Tis Pretty to be in Ballinderry" (on IRRCinnamond03)
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, "Ballinderry" (on IRClancyMakem02)
NOTES: Tunney-SongsThunder: "This form of song or lament is perhaps the best example of keening, or caoineadh, present in the English language. That it is derived from the Irish, there is not the slightest doubt. A most highly developed and sophisticated form of crying after the dead existed in Gaelic-speaking Ireland for centuries and had a degree of professionalism about it."
Also collected and sung by David Hammond, "'Tis Pretty To Be in Ballinderry" (on David Hammond, "I Am the Wee Falorie Man: Folk Songs of Ireland," Tradition TCD1052 CD (1997) reissue of Tradition LP TLP 1028 (1959)). According to Sean O Boyle's notes to that album, "Ballinderry is a beautiful district on the eastern shore of Lough Neagh, in which lies the lovely little Ram's Island." O Boyle quotes Bunting about the song: "it has been a favourite performance with the peasantry of the counties of Down Antrim, the words being sung by one person, while the rest of the party chant the CRONAN (ochone!) in consanance."
O Boyle's note refers to Bunting, p. 88. "CRONAN" refers to the chorus. Bunting notes that "[t]here are numerous other sets of words sung to 'Ballinderry;' they are all of a very rustic character, and uniformly refer to localities along the rivers Bann and Lagan, such as, ''Tis pretty to be in Ballinderry, 'Tis pretty to be at Magheralin,' &c. [and] ''Tis pretty to be in Ballinderry, 'Tis pretty to be at the Cash of Toome,' &c." - BS
File: HHH080

Ballinderry Marriage, The


DESCRIPTION: The singer recalls the marriage. After the priest arrives, "with long rakes and pitchforks they welcomed the bride." The feast is fine. The bride is "small round the waist as a two year old mare." They seek the bride, who has "trotted off"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1939 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: wedding humorous abandonment separation party food
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
SHenry H805, p. 73-74, "The Ballinderry Marriage" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9049
File: HHH805

Ballindown Braes


See Bessie of Ballington Brae [Laws P28] (File: LP28)

Ballintown Brae


See Bessie of Ballington Brae [Laws P28] (File: LP28)

Balls to Mister Banglestein


DESCRIPTION: "Balls to Mister Banglestein, Banglestein, Banglestein, Balls to Mister Banglestein, Dirty old man. For he keeps us waiting While he's masturbating, So balls to Mister Banglestein, Dirty old man."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1960
KEYWORDS: bawdy nonballad
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Cray, pp. 338-339, "Balls to Mister Banglestein" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Ach, Du Lieber, Augustin" (tune)
File: EM338

Bally James Duff


See Ballyjamesduff (File: RcBalJDu)

Ballyburbling


DESCRIPTION: The singer escapes the world to head for Ballymackleduff. The friends of his youth meet him. They have a wonderful time at places with improbable names. The factories are all shut, the bars open, with kissing and dancing. "Why did I stay away so long?"
AUTHOR: Paul Jennings (source: OLochlainn-More)
EARLIEST DATE: 1959 (first published in _The Observer,_ according to OLochlainn-More)
KEYWORDS: dancing drink music Ireland humorous reunion
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
OLochlainn-More 46A, "Ballyburbling" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: OLochlainn-More 46A is headed by the note "Ballymackleduff, Derryfubble, Benburb.--Address of subscriber in N. Ireland Telephone Directory." An explanatory note at the end is "A skit on Ulster place names ...." - BS
File: OLCM046A

Ballycastle, O!


DESCRIPTION: The singer recalls Ballycastle, noting, "That place is ever dear to me, no matter when or where I be." He says that no soldier has found a place more hospitable, no land knows plants so fair. Those from far away sigh because they cannot find its like
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1924 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: home nonballad
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
SHenry H28b, pp. 158-159, "Ballycastle, O!" (1 text with many variant readings, 1 tune)
Roud #13455
File: HHH028b

Ballyeamon Cradle Song


DESCRIPTION: The mother bids her child, "Rest tired eyes a while, sweet is thy baby smile, Angels are guarding and watch o'er thee." Birds sing, fairies dance, "for very love of thee." Mother loves the child, too, and bids him sleep and dream
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1935 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: mother lullaby nonballad
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
SHenry H596, pp. 6-7, "Ballyeamon Cradle Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: HHH596

Ballyjamesduff


DESCRIPTION: "The garden of Eden has vanished, they say, But I know the lie of it still": Its image survives in Ballyjamesduff. Paddy Reilly tells that he was a quiet baby because he knew he was born there. Now grown, every breeze tells him to come back
AUTHOR: Percy French
EARLIEST DATE: 1953 (recording, Margaret Barry); French died 1922
KEYWORDS: home exile baby
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (2 citations):
DT, BALLYJAM*
ADDITIONAL: _Sing Out_ magazine, Volume 32, #4 (1987), pp, 24-25, "Come Back, Paddy Reilly" (1 text, 1 tune)
RECORDINGS:
Margaret Barry, "Ballyjamesduff" (on IRMBarry-Fairs)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Bally James Duff
NOTES: In addition to a transcription of this song, there was an interesting article about Percy French, who was an Irish-born engineer and entertainer, in Sing Out magazine, Volume 32, #4 (1987), pp, 18-20, It quotes extensively from James N. Healy, Percy French and His Songs, 1966, a book which I have not seen.
Apparently this song was based on the story of a real person.
The "Sing Out!" article reports a story that French was challenged to write a song containing the name "Ballyjamesduff," and this is the result. But it may also have been based on the line of one of French's friends, who for economic reasons went the Scotland. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: RcBalJDu

Ballymonan Brae


DESCRIPTION: The singer bids farewell to Ballymonan, land of green leaves and pretty girls. He recalls the pleasant nights there. He gives his name as John by counting through the alphabet. He bids success to Ballymonan
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1936 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: home farewell wordplay nonballad
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
SHenry H643, p. 159, "Ballymonan Brae" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #13456
File: HHH643

Ballynure Ballad, The


DESCRIPTION: On the road to Ballynure the singer "heard a wee lad behind a wee ditch That to his wee lass was talking" He asks her to give him a kiss. She says "kisses are not for giving away But they are for the taking." Remember that when you go to kiss a girl
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1914 (GreigDuncan7)
KEYWORDS: courting humorous
FOUND IN: Ireland Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (3 citations):
GreigDuncan7 1319, "The Ballynure Ballad" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hayward-Ulster, pp. 43-44, "The Ballynure Ballad" (1 text)
DT, BALLYNUR*
Roud #7211
File: HayU043

Ballyshannon Lane, The


DESCRIPTION: The singer stops at Ballyshannon Lane and thinks of "scenes of ninety-eight," recalling Scullabogue on the one hand and the death of rebels on the other. Many are named. The singer says "in Ireland's need I am here to bleed in Ballyshannon Lane"
AUTHOR: Michael O'Brien (source: Moylan)
EARLIEST DATE: 1998 (Franke Harte and Donal Lunny, "1798 the First Year of Liberty," Hummingbird Records HBCD0014 (1998))
KEYWORDS: rebellion Ireland death patriotic
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1798 - Irish rebellion against British rule
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Moylan 75, "The Ballyshannon Lane" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Moylan: "This somewhat confused song seems to relate a series of outrages by government troops against the narrator's neighbors and relations."
The ballad is recorded on one of the CD's issued around the time of the bicentenial of the 1798 Irish Rebellion. See:
Franke Harte and Donal Lunny, "Ballyshannon Lane" (on Franke Harte and Donal Lunny, "1798 the First Year of Liberty," Hummingbird Records HBCD0014 (1998)) - BS
It sounds as if the idea is to measure Scullabogue against the atrocities committed by the British in 1798. This is suprisingly hard to do, given the nature of feelings about the matter (see the notes to "Father Murphy (II) (The Wexford Men of '98)"). Nonetheless, I'd have to say that Scullabogue, in which a handful of Irish killed a hundred or more loyalists in cold blood, was the single worst atrocity of 1798, and it would take quite a few acts againstt the Irish to balance this particular act of non-civilization.
File: Moyl075

Balm in Gilead


DESCRIPTION: "There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole; There is a balm... to heal the sin-sick soul." "Sometimes I feel discouraged... But then the Holy Spirit Revives my soul again." "If you can preach like Peter... Go and tell your neighbour...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1909 (recording, Fisk University Jubilee Quartet)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad
FOUND IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
MWheeler, pp. 68-70, "I Come Up Out uv Egypt" (1 text, 1 tune, with this verse and several others not found in the common versions of this song; the result is sort of a bluesy spiritual)
Fuson, pp. 199-200, "The Little Shepherd" (1 text, with this chorus and verses of the form "I am a little (shepherd/scholar/watchman/etc.), I (feed my master's sheep), Over the hills and mountains I daily do them keep")
Silber-FSWB, p. 360, "Balm in Gilead" (1 text)
DT, BALMGIL*
Roud #11967
RECORDINGS:
Harry C. Browne, "Balm of Gilead" (Columbia A-2179, 1917)
Campbell College Quartet, "There Is a Balm in Gilead" (OKeh 8900, 1931; rec. 1930)
Fisk University Jubilee Quartet, "There is a Balm in Gilead" (Victor 16487, 1910; rec. 1909)
Beverly Green, "Balm in Gilead" (on BlackAmRel1)
The King's Heralds, "Balm in Gilead" (Chapel CR 23, n.d.)\
Utica Institute Jubilee Singers, "Balm in Gilead" (Victor 21842, 1929)
NOTES: The Book of Jeremiah refers twice to Gilead's balm (Jer. 8:22, 46:11), but there is no real discussion of what it is used for nor why it is unusually effective (if it is; it is perhaps worth noting that, by Jeremiah's time, Gilead had been in foreign hands for about a century, and had been in Israelite rather than Judean hands for two centuries before that). - RBW
File: FSWB360A

Baloo My Boy, Lie Still and Sleep


DESCRIPTION: Lullaby. The singer complains that her cruel husband "cares neither for his babe nor me." Her baby's smile is like the one his father used "to cozen maids" and she sees in his eyes "the temptin' looks that ruined me"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1914 (GreigDuncan8)
KEYWORDS: infidelity lullaby nonballad children husband wife
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
GreigDuncan8 1560, "Baloo My Boy, Lie Still and Sleep" (1 text)
Roud #13509
File: GrD81560

Baltimore (Up She Goes)


DESCRIPTION: Shanty. "He kissed her on the cheek and the crew began to roar, Oh, oh, up she goes, we're bound for Baltimore." Verses continue with kissing on the neck, arms, legs, and other parts which the printed sources politely refrain from mentioning.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1938 (Colcord)
KEYWORDS: shanty bawdy nonballad sailor
FOUND IN: Germany US Britain(England(Lond))
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Colcord, p. 92, "Up She Goes" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hugill, p. 418, "Baltimore" (1 text, 1 tune) [AbEd, p. 319]
Roud #4690
RECORDINGS:
John Doughty, "Baltimore" (on Voice12)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "A-Roving" (theme)
cf. "Tickly My Toe" (theme)
NOTES: Colcord takes her version from Baltser's Knurrhahn, a book compiled for the German merchant marines. Hugill says that he never heard this on any British ships, but that it was very popular on German ones, and suggests that supports his theory that German and Scandinavian seamen adapted British and American shore-songs and turned them into shanties. - SL
Stan Hugill, Shanties from the Seven Seas (2003), p. 319: "It was a shanty very popular in German sailing ships, usually sung at the capstan.... It was never heard in British ships, and it helps to strengthen my theory that German and Scandinavian seamen adapted British and American shore-songs and turned them into shanties long after the art of 'inventing' shanties had died out aboard British and American ships... Of course many of the final verses have had to be censored!" - BS
File: Hugi418

Baltimore Fire, The


DESCRIPTION: "It was on a silver falls by a narrow That I heard a cry I ever will remember... Fire, fire, I heard the cry From every breeze that passes by... While in ruin the fire was laying Fair Baltimore, the beautiful city." About the terrible fire in Baltimore
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1929 (recording, Charlie Poole & the North Carolina Ramblers; first printed in Maury's Songster of about 1905)
KEYWORDS: disaster fire
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Feb. 7-8, 1904 - Fire wipes out practically the entire downtown section of Baltimore.
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, p. 97, "Baltimore Fire" (1 text, 1 tune)
Rorrer, p. 87, "Baltimore Fire" (1 text)
DT, BALTFIRE*
Roud #12392
RECORDINGS:
New Lost City Ramblers, "Baltimore Fire" (on NLCR03)
Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers, "Baltimore Fire" (Columbia 15509-D, 1930; rec. 1929; on CPoole02)
File: CSW097

Bambocheur, Un (A Vagabond Love)


DESCRIPTION: French. Daughterloves a bambocheur (wanderer). The mother says that she will instead marry a rich man on the morrow. The girl walks along the shore, bemoaning her slavery ("esclavage"), saying she will never stop loving "ce bambocheur"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1946 (BerryVin)
LONG DESCRIPTION: French. Daughter asks her mother if she knows "the lad I love so well", who is a bambocheur, or wanderer. The mother replies that the daughter will not wed him, but instead will marry another on the morrow, one with great wealth. The girl walks along the shore, weeping and bemoaning her slavery ("esclavage"), saying she will never stop loving "ce bambocheur"
KEYWORDS: grief courting love family lover mother money
FOUND IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
BerryVin, p. 39, "Un Bambocheur (A Vagabond Love)" (1 text + translation, 1 tune)
Cross-References:
NOTES: BerryVin states that, despite the commonness of the theme, "no close variant" is found in either Canada or France. - PJS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: BerV039

Bamboo Briars, The


See The Bramble Briar (The Merchant's Daughter; In Bruton Town) [Laws M32] (File: LM32)

Banbury Cross


DESCRIPTION: "Ride a cock horse to Banbury cross To see a fine lady upon a white horse. Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, And she shall have music wherever she goes."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1784 (Gammar Gurton's Garland, according to Opie-Oxford2)
KEYWORDS: nonballad music horse
FOUND IN: US(SE) Britain(England)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
BrownIII 140, "Banbury Cross" (1 text, a composite of "Banbury Cross," "Ring Around the Rosie," and an item about learning to ride (?))
Opie-Oxford2 29, "Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross" (2 texts)
Baring-Gould-MotherGoose #619, p. 247, "(Ride a cock-horse to Banbury cross)"; cf. #617, "(Ride a Cock Horse)"; #618, "(Ride a cock-horse)"
NOTES: This little item has prompted the usual wild speculation: That the lady is Lady Godiva, or Elizabeth I, or one Celia Fiennes (fl. 1697). For documentation, see the Opies -- but note that their #28 and #30 are similar rhymes with different endings. If the piece is about any particular person, it has clearly been much modified. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: Br3140

Band o' Shearers, The


DESCRIPTION: As shearing season approaches, the lad asks, "My bonnie lassie, will ye gang, And shear wi' me the whole day long, And love will cheer us as we gang And join the band of shearers." The two find they are happy together, and decide to wed
AUTHOR: Robert Hogg ?
EARLIEST DATE: 1904 (Ford)
KEYWORDS: love courting work sheep
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 196-197, "The Band o' Shearers" (1 text, 1 tune)
GreigDuncan3 406, "The Band o' Shearers" (8 texts, 5 tunes)
Ord, pp. 268-269, "The Band o' Shearers" (1 text)
DT, BANSHEAR*
Roud #1524
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, RB.m.143(126), "The Band o' Shearers," Poet's Box (Dundee), n.d.
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Gallant Shearers" (chorus)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Shearing
NOTES: This song and "The Gallant Shearers" share a chorus and a theme, and are undoubtedly connected, though it's not clear which is older. But the feel of the verses is different enough that I follow Ord in splitting them, as does Roud. - RBW
I'll follow Roud in putting GreigDuncan3 here rather than with "The Gallant Shearers" but it could go either way.
GreigDuncan3: "Learnt in Skene fifty-five years ago from an old Highlandman. Noted 19th December 1906." - BS
Last updated in version 2.4
File: FVS196

Band Played On, The


DESCRIPTION: Known by the chorus, "Casey would waltz with a strawberry blonde, and the band played on...." The verses concern the social club founded by Matt Casey, and the kissing, courting, and dancing which took place there
AUTHOR: Words: John F. Palmer / Music: Charles B. Ward
EARLIEST DATE: 1895 (New York World)
KEYWORDS: courting dancing music
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Spaeth-ReadWeep, pp. 163-164, "The Band Played On" (1 text, 1 tune)
Geller-Famous, pp. 75-80, "The Band Played On" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gilbert, p. 254, "The Band Played On" (1 partial text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 246, "The Band Played On" (1 text)
Fuld-WFM, p. 123, "The Band Played On"
DT, PLAYEDON*
Roud #9615
RECORDINGS:
Dan Quinn, "The Band Played On" (Berliner 0961, 1898)
NOTES: According to Gilbert, Palmer could not sell this song to anyone. One day, Ward heard him humming the tune, took it and touched it up, and thus was a hit born.
James J. Geller's story is more detailed. Palmer's sister Pauline had ordered breakfast, but her servant did not respond quickly; there was a streat band performing. Pauline tried to hurry the servant, but Palmer said, "Let the band play on." Pauline told him that that would be a good song title.
Palmer eventually evolved the story of Matt Casey, his social club, and his wooing of his strawberry blonde wife. The rest is as in Gilbert.
An 1878 song by Harrigan and Braham was called "The Casey Social Club"; I don't know if it provided a degree of inspiration. - RBW
File: SRW163

Bandit Cole Younger


See Cole Younger [Laws E3] (File: LE03)

Bandyrowe


See Kemo Kimo (File: R282)

Bang Away, Lulu (I)


DESCRIPTION: A quatrain ballad that celebrates Lulu's sexual exploits, her peccadillos, and the singer's affection for the lady in question.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE:
KEYWORDS: bawdy humorous scatological sex
FOUND IN: Canada Britain(England) US(Ap,NW,So,SW)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Cray, pp. 173-180, "Bang Away, Lulu I" (6 texts, 1 tune)
Randolph-Legman I, pp. 351-355, "Bang Away, Lulu" (7 texts, 1 tune, but the "F" text is "Bang Away, Lulu (II)")
Logsdon 25, pp. 154-159, "My Lula Gal" (1 text, 1 tune, of this form though it lacks the "Bang Lulu" chorus)
Roud #8349
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Bang Away, Lulu II, III"
File: EM173

Bang Away, Lulu (II)


DESCRIPTION: A teasing-song version of "Bang Away, Lulu I," i.e.: "Lulu's got a rooster. / Lulu's got a duck. / She put them in the bathtub / To see if they would --." Chorus: "Bang, bang Lulu," etc. (Note that the last line of each verse is left unfinished)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE:
KEYWORDS: bawdy humorous wordplay
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Cray, pp. 180-182, "Bang Away, Lulu II" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph-Legman I, p. 353, "Bang Away, Lulu" (the "F" text is this piece; the others are "Bang Away, Lulu (I)")
Roud #4835
RECORDINGS:
Bang Boys [pseud. for Roy Acuff] "When Lulu's Gone" (Vocalion 03372, c. 1937)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Bang, Bang Lulu" (on NLCREP3)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Bang Away, Lulu I, III"
NOTES: I am guessing, on circumstantial evidence, that the Bang Boys recording falls under this entry rather than the other "Bang Away, Lulu" songs -- but you should look there, too. - PJS
Robert A. Heinlein, in To Sail Beyond the Sunset (p. 144 of the Ace paperback edition) claims that this song was in existence some time before 1918. This seems likely enough, but of course (it being a work of fiction) Heinlein does not document it. And the book was written some seventy years after that, and Heinlein was only 11 years old in 1918. Sure, he might have learned it by then -- but I wouldn't bet on it. I mention it because it *might* be an earliest date, but point out how tenuous that dating is. - RBW
File: EM180

Bang Away, Lulu (III)


DESCRIPTION: This is a compromise between Lulu I and II. Typical stanza: "Lulu gave a party, Lulu gave a tea, Then she left the table To see her chicken peck."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE:
KEYWORDS: bawdy humorous wordplay
FOUND IN: US(SW)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Cray, p. 182, "Bang Away, Lulu III" (1 text)
DT, BANGLULU? BANGLU2?
Roud #4835
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Bang Away, Lulu I, II"
File: EM182

Bangidero


DESCRIPTION: Shanty. "To Chile's coast we are bound away, To my hero Bangidero. To Chile's coast we are bound away, We'll drink and dance fandango..." Verses sing the praises of Spanish girls and various sexual exploits.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1917 (_The Bellman_)
KEYWORDS: shanty bawdy
FOUND IN: Britain US
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Colcord, p. 98, "Bangidero" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hugill, pp. 53-54, "The Gals O' Chile" (1 text, 1 tune) [AbrEd, pp. 49-50]
ST Hug053 (Partial)
Roud #3222
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Timme Heave-o, Hang Her, Hilo
To My Hero Bangidero
The Girls of Chile
NOTES: Colcord got this from Captain Robinson's collection, "Songs of the Chantey Man," published during July and August of 1917 as a series in the periodical The Bellman. (Minneapolis, MN, 1906-1919). Robinson stated that the refrain given was never actually sung, but substituted for the original which was too vulgar for publication. Hugill also states that he changed both the verses and refrains to make the song printable. In addition, he makes a comment on this and other so-called "rare" shanties, that they were not so much rare in use as they were difficult to clean up and camouflage for publication and so when an opportunity came to write things down, they were left out. - SL
File: Hug053

Bangor and No Surrender


DESCRIPTION: "Let craven hearts to tyranny Their coward homage render; The watchword of the brave and free Will still be "No Surrender!" "We kept our commemoration In honour of our Hero great Who freed the British nation" "We shall up and we shall on"
AUTHOR: William Johnston (source: OrangeLark)
EARLIEST DATE: 1987 (OrangeLark)
KEYWORDS: Ireland nonballad patriotic political
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Jul 12, 1867 - William Johnston leads an Orange March in Bangor and is subsequently jailed for breaking the Party Processions Act (source: OrangeLark)
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
OrangeLark 17, "Bangor and No Surrender" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: "This song was written by William Johnston of Ballykilbeg while a prisoner in Downpatrick prison. He was serving a two months sentence for breaking the Party Processions Act as he had led Orangemen from Newtownards to Bangor on the Twelfth [of July] 1867."
"On the morning of 12th July 1867, Johnston headed a procession from Newtownards which consisted of over 10,000 Orangemen. As the parade reached Bangor it increased to such an extent that it is estimated that between 30,000 and 40,000 people took part in the final march through the town." Johnston was among those sentenced to serve one month the following February. He was released early because of poor health. (source: "Johnston, Grand Lodge and the Party Processions Controversy" at Newtownards District [of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland] site).
"The Hero" of the song is William III and the commemoration is the Boyne celebration on July 12. It would not be clear without the OrangeLark comment. - BS
For the background of the phrase "No Surrender," which arose during the siege of (London)derry, see the notes to "No Surrender (I)" and "The Shutting of the Gates of Derry."
The Party Processions Act is just what it sounds like: An attempt by the British government to control the marches and demonstrations which so often ended in violence. According to the Oxford Companion to Irish History, it was passed in 1850 in the aftermath of the Dolly's Brae conflict (for which see "Dolly's Brae (I)"). The Oxford Companion lists William Johnston (1829-1902), the author of this piece, as the measure's chief opponent. The Act was repealed in 1872. On the whole, it probably did help reduce violence -- but it also deepened the underlying resentment of both sides.
For background on William Johnston, who was once imprisoned for violating the Party Processions Act, see the notes to "William Johnston of Ballykilbeg." - RBW
File: OrLa017

Bangor Fire, The


DESCRIPTION: "It was on a Sunday afternoon, The sky was bright and clear, The people... felt no dread or fear." But a fire starts on Broad Street, and much of the town of Bangor burns. The song catalogs buildings destroyed. It praises mayor, firefighters, and God
AUTHOR: Words: John J. Friend
EARLIEST DATE: 1916 (Gray)
KEYWORDS: fire
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
April 30, 1911 - The Bangor Fire
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Gray, pp. 176-179, "The Bangor Fire" (1 text)
NOTES: For such a dramatic event, the Bangor Fire is very little mentioned in histories. Not one of the printed references I checked had any data. There is a short article in Wikipedia noting that only two people were killed, but that nearly 300 homes and 100 business were destroyed, along with most of the town's civic buildings. Damage was estimated at over three million 1911 dollars.
This account, which is accurate as far as I can tell, really does sound like the recital of an eyewitness, although there is no evidence it went into tradition. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: Gray176

Bangum and the Bo'


See Sir Lionel [Child 18] (File: C018)

Bangum Rid by the Riverside


See Sir Lionel [Child 18] (File: C018)

Banished Defender, The


DESCRIPTION: "For the sake of my religion I was forced to leave my native home." "They swore I was a traitor and a leader of the Papist band, For which I'm in cold irons, a convict in Van Diemen's Land ... as a head leader of Father Murphy's Shelmaliers"
AUTHOR: "Most probably by James Garland [d. c.1842]" (according to Zimmermann)
EARLIEST DATE: c.1800 (Zimmermann)
KEYWORDS: rebellion transportation Ireland religious
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Zimmermann 24, "The Banished Defender" (1 text, 1 tune)
Moylan 70, "The Banished Defender" (1 text, 1 tune)
Healy-OISBv2, pp. 56-58, "The Brave Defenders" (1 text)
Roud #13469
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, 2806 b.10(10), "The Banish'd Defender," H. Such (London), 1863-1885; also Harding B 15(5b), "The Banished Defender"; 2806 c.15(215), "The Brave Defenders"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Defender's Song" (some text)
NOTES: At the end of the eighteenth century the Catholic "Defenders" were opposed to the Protestant "Peep o'Day Boys" or "Orangemen" (source: Zimmermann). - BS
The attribution of this to a Defender is rather peculiar. The Defenders certainly took part in the 1798 rising (see, e.g., "Bold McDermott Roe"), and they, unlike the United Irishment, were definitely Catholic -- but they were almost all concentrated in Ulster. To encounter one serving under Father Murphy in Wexford seems somewhat improbable. One suspects the author didn't want the singer to be associated with the more secular United Irishmen.
Robert Kee quotes this in The Most Distressful Country (being Volume I of The Green Flag), p. 126. This version is unlikely on at least two counts -- notably, if the singer had indeed been taken with his weapons, as described in the song, he would most likely have been killed on the spot.
"Harry's Breed" refers to Henry VIII, who converted England (but not Ireland, nor Scotland for that matter) to Protestantism. But the charge is false; most of the troops who put down the 1798 rebellion were Irish and Catholic.
Healy's version at least refers to "Moses and Ely." That should be "Eli," the High Priest at the end of the period of the Judges; his story is intertwined with that of his young attendant Samuel in the early chapters of I Samuel.
The song also states that Jesus was crucified with "rusty" nails. There is no evidence of this in the Bible (though it's likely enough).
The song refers to "Luther's breed and Calvin's seed." The Anglican church, however, derives its doctrines neither from Luther nor Calvin. There were Calvinists in Ireland (the Dissenters of Ulster), but at least some of them were on the side of the rebels.
Finally, I can't help but comment on the strange allusion to Transubstantiation. Yes, this was a Catholic doctrine not shared by Protestants, but even if you can accept the theological twisting behind the doctine, it is based primarily not on the sixth chaptier of John (which talks about the Bread of Life but doesn't say that the communion bread becomes the flesh of Jesus) but the Last Supper (Mark 1422fff. and parallels). Nor is it likely that one of the Irish rebels could quote the relevant scriptures. - RBW
File: Zimm024

Banished Lover, The (The Parish of Dunboe)


DESCRIPTION: The singer wanders out and recalls the home from which (his parents) banished him. He recalls how the locals dislike strangers. He meets a "pretty fair maid who sore lamented." She says that her lover has been taken away. He reveals that he is her lover
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1924 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love separation mother father reunion
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
SHenry H23, p. 307, "The Banished Lover"; H726, pp. 307-308, "Learmont Grove" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Roud #2963
NOTES: The second Henry text, "Learmont Grove," is a very worn down version in which the plot barely survives; it is identified with the first based primarily upon common lyrics.
The date of this text is given incorrectly in Henry/Huntington/Herrmann; it should be 1937, not 1927. - RBW
File: HHH023

Banishment


See My Dearest Dear (File: SKE40)

Banishment of Patrick Brady, The


DESCRIPTION: Patrick Brady is "forced to banishment ... for being an upright Irishman that loved the shamrock green." At Carmanrock fair he and his comrades fought against those who swore to pull down the church. Brady is arrested but rescued and escapes to America.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: first half 19C (Zimmermann)
KEYWORDS: battle emigration escape rescue America Ireland religious
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Zimmermann 33, "The New Song on the Banishment of Patrick Brady" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Pat Brady" (subject)
File: Zimm033

Banjo Pickin' Girl


See Going Around the World (Banjo Pickin' Girl) (File: RcGAtW)

Banjo Picking, The


See Go Slow, Boys (Banjo Pickin') (File: R278)

Banjo Song, The


See De Fust Banjo (The Banjo Song; The Possum and the Banjo; Old Noah) (File: R253)

Banjo Tramp


DESCRIPTION: "Come all you people that are here tonight... I've traveled this country over... But because I'm thin they call me slim, I'm a regular banjo tramp." The singer steals a man's trunk, is imprisoned, and vows to settle down but expects he'll ramble again
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1936 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: rambling railroading food hardtimes prison judge home theft thief punishment
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
BrownIII 362, "Banjo Tramp" (1 text)
Roud #11732
File: Br3362

Banker Brown


DESCRIPTION: A girl tells her mother that she loves Jack but will marry old Banker Brown for his money. Mother advises her to "wed the man you love." Daughter marries Banker Brown and, a year later, admits to her mother that it was a mistake.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1960 (Leach-Labrador)
KEYWORDS: greed marriage husband mother money
FOUND IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Leach-Labrador 39, "Banker Brown" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST LLab39 (Partial)
Roud #9989
NOTES: The cynic in me thinks some wag rewrote this to reverse the speeches of mother and daughter. - RBW
File: LLab39

Banks o' Deveron Water, The


DESCRIPTION: The singer goes out to take the air by (Deveron) water, and chooses "a maid to be my love." He says her equal is not to be found elsewhere, describes her beauty, and says he would not trade her for great riches. He hopes they will someday wed
AUTHOR: Alexander Lesley ?
EARLIEST DATE: 1930 (Ord)
KEYWORDS: love courting river
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ord, pp. 29-30, "The Banks o' Deveron Water" (1 text)
Roud #3784
NOTES: Ord reports that this was written in 1636 by Alexander Lesley. However, there are signs of oral tradition, so I can't say with certainty whether Lesley originated or transmitted the piece. - RBW
File: Ord029

Banks o' Doon, The


DESCRIPTION: The singer asks how the banks of bonnie Doon can bloom "sae fresh and fair" when she is separated from her love. She pulled a rose, which her lover took while leaving her the thorn
AUTHOR: Robert Burns
EARLIEST DATE: 1792 (Scots Musical Museum)
KEYWORDS: love courting abandonment nonballad
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (2 citations):
ADDITIONAL: Walter de la Mare, _Come Hither_, revised edition, 1928; #55, "Ye Banks and Braes o' Bonnie Doon" (1 text)
DT, BNKSBRAE* BANKBRA2*
Roud #13889
RECORDINGS:
Henry Burr, "Ye Banks and Brae o' Bonnie Doon" (Columbia A339, 1909; rec. 1902)
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, L.C.1269(108a), "Banks of Doon," unknown, c. 1880
NOTES: Burns, curiously, seems to have written two versions of this poem, both coming out in 1791. The first begins, "Ye flowery banks o' bonie Doon, How can ye blume sae fair"; it is to the tune "Cambdelmore," which is in 4/4 time.
The other version, more familiar to me and seemingly more popular in tradition, opens "Ye banks and braes o' bonie Doon, How can ye bloom sae fresh and fair"; the tune is "The Caledonian Hunt's Delight," in 6/8 time. The two are nonetheless obviously the same song. - RBW
File: CTbnksbr

Banks o' Loch Erie, The


DESCRIPTION: Jamie/Willie would leave "Clyde's bonny banks" for America. He asks Jeannie to go with him to "the banks o' Loch Erie." "Poverty ne'er shall mak enjoyment grow weary." She will leave her father's hall and go with him to Lake Erie.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1906 (GreigDuncan8)
KEYWORDS: love emigration America
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
GreigDuncan8 1521, "The Banks o' Loch Erie" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Roud #12950
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Two Emigrants
NOTES: Apparently broadside Bodleian, 2806 c.11(65), "The Two Emigrants" ("Clyde's bonny banks are a' wet wi' the e'ening dew"), unknown, no date is this song but I could not download and verify it. - BS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: GrD81521

Banks o' Skene, The


DESCRIPTION: "When I was just a rantin' girl, About the age of sixteen, I fell in love wi' a heckler lad Upon the banks o' Skene." The girl cuts her hair, puts on men's clothes, offers to be his apprentice. He sees through the disguise and offers to make her his wife
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1881 (Christie)
KEYWORDS: love courting clothes cross-dressing marriage pregnancy
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
GreigDuncan1 164, "The Banks o' Skene" (12 texts, 5 tunes)
Ord, p. 395, "The Banks o' Skene" (1 text)
DT, BANKSKEN*
ADDITIONAL: W. Christie, editor, Traditional Ballad Airs (Edinburgh, 1881 (downloadable pdf by University of Edinburgh, 2007)), Vol II, pp. 154-155, "The Banks o' Skene" (1 tune)
Roud #5613
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Soldier Maid" (theme)
NOTES: GreigDuncan1: "Learnt from father more than fifty years ago. Noted 1905." - BS
Christie: "Though the words and music ... are scarcely worth being preserved, the Editor thinks it is right to give them, as they were favourites, for years, in the Counties of Moray and Aberdeen." - BS
This seems to exist in two versions: One very short, from Ord, which matches the description above; the other, much longer, known from Grieg, in which the heckler (flax-dresser) takes the girl as an apprentice and the other girls find the new apprentice attractive. But so does the heckler himself, getting her drunk and having his way with her. In either case, they end up married. The long version is very reminiscent of things like "The Soldier Maid" and even "The Handsome Cabin Boy." - RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: Ord395A

Banks o' the Nile, The


See The Banks of the Nile (Men's Clothing I'll Put On II) [Laws N9] (File: LN09)

Banks of Allan Water, The


DESCRIPTION: "By the banks of Allan Water When the sweet springtime did fall, There I saw the miller's lovely daughter, Fairest of them all." By autumn, the girl has been betrayed by her soldier love and grieves; by winter, she is dead
AUTHOR: Matthew Lewis (1775-1818) ?
EARLIEST DATE: 1896 (Family Star & Herald)
KEYWORDS: love courting soldier betrayal death
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
DT, ALANWATR*
Roud #4260
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, L.C.Fol.70(98b), "On the Banks of Allan Water," Poet's Boz (sic.) (Dundee), c.1890; same broadside as RB.m.143(211)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Allan Water
The Miller's Daughter
NOTES: Quoted by Hardy in Far from the Madding Crowd (1874), sung by Bathsheba Everdene.
Robert Crawford (died 1733) also wrote a song called "Allan Water," which is considered one of his best works. But this song has little if any traditional attestation. It is only of note because Robert Burns admired author Crawford, whose works were found in Ramsay's Tea Table Miscellany attributed to "C" (see Stanley J. Kunitz and Howard Haycraft, Editors, British Authors Before 1800: A Biographical Dictionary, H. W. Wilson, 1952 (I use the fourth printing of 1965), p. 129). - RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: DTalanwa

Banks of Banna, The


DESCRIPTION: "Shepherds have you seen my love, Have you seen my Anna? Pride of every shady grove Upon the banks of Banna." The singer left home and herd for Anna; he will not return to them until he finds her. In some versions he finds her and they are happy.
AUTHOR: George Ogle (1739-1814) (source: Croker-PopularSongs)
EARLIEST DATE: 1795 (Journal from the Joseph Francis)
KEYWORDS: love separation separation shepherd
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 236-237, "The Banks of Banna" (1 text, 1 tune)
Croker-PopularSongs, p. 134, "Banks of Banna" (1 fragment)
ST SWMS236 (Full)
Roud #2058
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Firth c.18(50)[many lines illegible], "Anna" ("Shepherds I have lost my love"), J. Pitts (London), 1802-1819; also Bodleian, Harding B 25(56), "Anna" ("Shepherds, I have lost my love"), Jennings (?), (London), n.d. (barely legible); Harding B 12(3)=Johnson Ballads 865 (damaged), "Anna," J. Pitts (London), 1819-1844; Firth b.27(484a), Firth b.34(13), Johnson Ballads fol. 9, "[The] Banks of Banna"; Firth b.28(10a/b) View 2 of 8, "Shepherds, I Have Lost My Love"
NOTES: Huntington says that this song is found in Chappell. The closest equivalent I can find in that book is "Shepherd, Saw Thou Not." They do not appear to me to be the same song; "The Banks of Banna" is much simpler and has at least some of the qualities of a folk song, though field collections are rare - RBW
There are three variations among [the Bodleian broadsides]. All begin with the first four verses: she's lost and "perhaps she's gone For ever and for ever." Some stop there: Firth b.34(13), Johnson Ballads fol. 9 and Firth b.28(10a/b) View 2 of 8; some have her return ("Flocks did sport and lambs did play, All around my lovely Anna"): Firth c.18(50) and Harding B 25(56), named "Anna"; and one has him meet her by surprise ("With joy I clasp'd her round the waist"): Firth b.27(484a). - BS
Sir George Ogle the Younger (c. 1740-1814) was a poet and politician born in county Wexford. He served in the Irish parliament in the 1790s, and was briefly a Tory representative to Westminster. His best-known works are considered to be "Banna's Banks" (i.e. this piece) and "Molly Astore" (in this index as "Gramachree"); in this Index he is also contributed "The Hermit of Killarney." - RBW
File: SWMS236

Banks of Boyne, The


See The Lovely Banks of Boyne [Laws P22] (File: LP22)

Banks of Brandywine, The [Laws H28]


DESCRIPTION: The singer (a sailor) meets a girl and asks her to forget her lover -- telling her first that her lover is probably untrue and then that he's already married to another. She faints; he reveals that he is the long-lost lover
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1860 (broadside, LOCSinging sb10031a)
KEYWORDS: sailor disguise courting
FOUND IN: US(Ap,MW) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Laws H28, "The Banks of Brandywine"
Gardner/Chickering 72, "The Banks of Brandywine" (1 text plus mention of 1 more)
Smith/Hatt, pp. 64-66, "The Banks of Brandywine" (1 text)
Creighton-Maritime, pp. 62-63, "Banks of Brandywine" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 71, "The Banks of Brandywine" (1 text)
DT 811, BNKBRNDY
Roud #1970
BROADSIDES:
LOCSinging, sb10031a, "The Banks of Brandywine," J. Andrews (New York), 1853-1859; also as100580, as100590, "The Banks of Brandywine"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "John (George) Riley (I)" [Laws N36] and references there
NOTES: Broadside LOCSinging sb10031a: J. Andrews dating per Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site. - BS
File: LH28

Banks of Champlain, The


DESCRIPTION: Singer hears guns firing on Lake Champlain, but despite her patriotism laments the danger to her lover Sandy,without whom her life would not be worth living. The cannons cease, the British retreat; she waxes patriotic once more as other women celebrate
AUTHOR: unknown; attributed to the wife of Gen. Alexander "Sandy" Macomb
EARLIEST DATE: 1838 (Journal from the Nautilus)
KEYWORDS: love army battle fight war separation patriotic lover husband soldier
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Aug/Sept 1814 - Plattsburg campaign. As part of a three-pronged attack strategy (the other prongs being at Chesapeake Bay and the lower Mississippi), a British army of 11,000 regulars led by General Sir George Prevost and a naval force under Captain George Downie attack Lake Champlain.
Sept 6, 1814 - The British army reaches Plattsburg and awaits the navy
Sept 11, 1814 - Battle of Plattsburg. An American naval squadron under Captain Thomas Macdonough (1783-1825) defeats the British force in a fierce contest with very high casualties, compelling the British fleet to retreat in disorder. The British army retreats as well.
FOUND IN: US(MA)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 161-162, "The Banks of Champlain" (1 text)
cf. Gardner/Chickering, p. 477, "The Banks of Champlain" (source notes only)
Roud #2046
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "The Banks of Champlain" (on PeteSeeger29), a somewhat abbreviated version
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Siege of Plattsburg" (plot)
NOTES: This should not be confused with "The Siege of Plattsburgh." - PJS
For historical background on this part of the War of 1812, see "The Siege of Plattsburg" and references there.
Alexander Macomb (1782-1841) was Brigadier General in field command at Plattsburg (his superior being absent at the time of the fight). He went on to command the U. S. Army (such as it was) from 1828-1841.
Collected tunes for this piece are very few (JAF apparently printed one in 1939), but it appears to be "The Banks of the Dee/Langolee." - RBW
File: RcTBOC

Banks of Claudie, The


See The Banks of Claudy [Laws N40] (File: LN40)

Banks of Claudy (II), The


See Ten Thousand Miles Away (On the Banks of Lonely River) (File: R697)

Banks of Claudy, The [Laws N40]


DESCRIPTION: The singer meets a girl on the banks of Claudy. She is seeking her lover. He tells her Johnny is false, she rejects this. He tells her Johnny is shipwrecked; she is distressed. He tells her he is Johnny. She rejoices
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1839 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(1847))
KEYWORDS: separation reunion trick love
FOUND IN: US(Ap,MW,SE,So) Canada(Mar) Britain(Scotland(Aber)) Australia Ireland
REFERENCES (24 citations):
Laws N40, "The Banks of Claudy"
O'Conor, p. 39, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text)
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 317-319, "The Banks o' Claudy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greig #48, p. 1, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text)
GreigDuncan5 1036, "The Banks of Claudy" (12 texts, 11 tunes)
Belden, pp. 154-155, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text)
Chappell-FSRA 69, "Molly, I'm the Man" (1 text); 78, "On the Banks of Claudy" (1 fragment, which doesn't look much like this song, but it mentions the banks of Claudy, so it files here)
Randolph 47, "The Banks of Cloddy" (1 text plus 1 excerpt, 1 tune)
Hudson 38, p. 152, "The Banks of Claudie" (1 text)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 266-267, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text, with local title "The Soldier's Return"; tune on p. 426)
Eddy 55, "The Banks of Claudie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gardner/Chickering 71, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 166-167, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text, 1 tune)
SHenry H5+H693, p. 313, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Morton-Ulster 2, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Morton-Maguire 44, pp. 134-135,172-173, "The Banks of Clady" (1 text, 1 tune)
OLochlainn 58, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text, 1 tune)
LPound-ABS, 30, pp., "The Lover's Return" (1 text)
JHCox 321, "The Banks of Claudie" (1 text plus mention of 1 more)
Ord, p. 130, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text)
Creighton-Maritime, p. 65, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 19, "The Banks of Claudie" (1 text, 1 tune); 20, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 70, "The Banks of Claudie" (1 text)
DT 465, BCLAUDIE CLAUDYBK
ST LN40 (Full)
Roud #266
RECORDINGS:
Robert Cinnamond, "The Banks of Claudy" (on IRRCinnamond02)
Bob & Ron Copper, "Claudy Banks" (on LastDays)
[G. B.] Grayson & [Henry] Whitter, "Where Are You Going, Alice?" (Victor V-40135, 1929; rec. 1928)
George Maynard, "The Banks of Claudy" (on Maynard1)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(1847), "The Banks of Claudy", J. Catnach (London), 1813-1838; also 2806 c.15(164), Harding B 11(2261), 2806 b.9(257), Harding B 19(110), 2806 c.14(91), Firth b.26(281), 2806 c.18(12), 2806 c.17(15), Harding B 18(24), Firth b.25(188), Firth b.25(296), "The Banks of Claudy"; Harding B 16(22c), Harding B 11(266), "The Banks of Cludy" [only the title is spelled "Cludy"; else "Claudy"]
LOCSinging, as100610, "The Banks of Claudy!", Horace Partridge (Philadelphia), 19C; also as100600, as200200, "Banks of Claudy"
NLScotland, RB.m.143(129), "The Banks of Claudy," Lowdon McCartney/Poet's Box (Dundee), after 1905
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "John (George) Riley (I)" [Laws N36] and references there
cf. "Ten Thousand Miles Away (On the Banks of Lonely River)" (references to the Banks of Claudy in some versions)
cf. "The Woods of Rickarton" (tune, per GreigDuncan5)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Claudy Banks
The Banks of Cloudy
The Banks of Clyde
NOTES: Date for Grayson and Whitter is from Country Music Sources by Guthrie T Meade Jr with Dick Spottswood and Douglas S. Meade (Chapel Hill, 2002), p. 10.
Meade, Spottswood and Meade, page 10 has the comment that "Although no mention of the banks of Claudie is made on this recording, I feel it is closer to N40 than any other classification." I would make a stronger statement than that. Every line of "Where Are You Going Alice?" is substantially the same as, or clearly derived from a Bodleian broadside or some traditional version of "The Banks of Claudy" (such as Morton-Ulster). For example, "green lands" replaces the banks of Claudy for Grayson and Whitter ("Just stay with me in green lands, no danger need you fear.") where Morton-Ulster has "green woods" ("Oh tarry with me to yon green woods, no danger need you fear").
The matrix number for the Grayson and Whitter's "Where Are You Going Alice?" is V40135B; Meade, Spottswood and Meade has BVE 46636-2. The tune is close to, but not the same as, "Charles Guiteau." - BS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: LN40

Banks of Cloddy, The


See The Banks of Claudy [Laws N40] (File: LN40)

Banks of Cloughwater, The


DESCRIPTION: The singer loves Ellen, and cannot sleep for the love of her. But her parents oppose their match; now he is forced to "stand on guard this night to shun your company." He promises to make her his own; he has money and fears no one
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1938 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love courting lover father mother
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
SHenry H777, pp. 427-428, "The Banks of [the] Cloughwater" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7961
NOTES: This song, as it stands in the Henry collection, seems confused; if he is courting the girl, why does he stand guard against her. If her parents kept her hidden, how did he see her, and at last meet her to plan their escape? Presumably either something has been lost or extraneous material has entered this song. - RBW
File: HHH777

Banks of Clyde (IV), The


DESCRIPTION: The singer meets a girl walking along the Banks of Clyde. They talk and kiss. She sings "We'll Row Thee O'er the Clyde" perfectly. He sees her home when it begins to rain. They still walk together along the Clyde.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1908 (GreigDuncan5)
KEYWORDS: courting river home music
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Greig #109, p. 2, "The Banks o' Clyde" (1 text)
GreigDuncan5 952, "The Banks o' Clyde" (2 texts)
Roud #6267
NOTES: The reference to "We'll Row Thee O'er the Clyde" puts an earliest possible date on the GreigDuncan5 versions. The song is by Andrew Park, "in honour of Queen Victoria's visit to Glasgow, August 21, 1849" (source: The Poetical Works of Andrew Park (London, 1854), p. 259 on Google Book Search site. - BS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: GrD5952

Banks of Dundee, The (Undaunted Mary) [Laws M25]


DESCRIPTION: A rich girl, now living with her uncle, falls in love with Willie, a plowboy. Since her uncle wants her to marry a squire, he tries to have Willie pressed. The squire attempts to take Mary; she shoots him, then her uncle. Mary then is free to marry Willie
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1845 (broadside, Harding B 11(3942))
KEYWORDS: love death marriage poverty rape
FOUND IN: US(Ap,MA,MW,SE,So) Canada(Mar,Newf) Britain(England,Scotland) Ireland
REFERENCES (24 citations):
Laws M25, "The Banks of Dundee (Undaunted Mary)"
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 78-81, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greig #66, pp. 1-2, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text)
GreigDuncan2 224, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (9 texts, 9 tunes)
O'Conor, p. 68, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text)
McBride 5, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text, 1 tune)
Eddy 54, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text)
Gardner/Chickering 69, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text plus an excerpt and mention of 1 more, 1 tune)
Belden, pp. 137-139, "The Banks of Dundee" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Chappell-FSRA 58, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text)
Randolph 62, "On the Banks of Sweet Dundee" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 85-88, "On the Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 62A)
SharpAp 67, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (3 texts, 3 tunes)
Creighton/Senior, pp. 128-130, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Creighton-Maritime, p. 38, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 23, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text)
Leach, pp. 740-741, "The Banks of Dundee" (1 text)
Leach-Labrador 14, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lehr/Best 6, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text, 1 tune)
FSCatskills 50, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ord, pp. 406-407, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text)
Copper-SoBreeze, pp. 200-201, "The Banks of Sweet Dandee" (1 text, 1 tune)
JHCox 119, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (2 texts)
DT 318, SWTDUNDE* SWYDUND2*
Roud #148
RECORDINGS:
Bob Brader, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (on Voice15)
Michael "Straighty" Flanagan, "Banks of Sweet Dundee" (on IRClare01)
Tony Wales, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (on TWales1)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(3942), "Undaunted Mary" or "The Banks of Sweet Dundee," J. Pitts (London), 1819-1844; also Harding B 15(339a), Harding B 11(67), Harding B 11(834), Johnson Ballads 612A, Harding B 11(3944), Firth c.12(262), Harding B 11(2540), Harding B 11(3943), "Undaunted Mary" or "The Banks of Sweet Dundee"; Firth c.26(255), Harding B 18(25), 2806 c.14(15)[partly illegible], "Banks of Sweet Dundee" [same as LOCSinging as200230]; Firth c.12(260), "Undaunted Mary, On the Banks of Sweet Dundee"; 2806 c.16(263), "Undaunted Mary"
LOCSinging, as200230, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee", H. De Marsan (New York), 1861-1864; also as111340, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" [same as Bodleian Harding B 18(25)]
Murray, Mu23-y1:094, "Undaunted Mary on The Banks of Sweet Dundee", James Lindsay (Glasgow), 19C
NLScotland, L.C.Fol.70(110a), "Banks of Sweet Dundee," unknown, c. 1890; also RB.m.143(034), "Banks of Sweet Dundee"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Gardener Lad" (tune, according to GreigDuncan2)
cf. "The Banks of the Inverness" (sequel)
cf. "William's Return to the Banks of Sweet Dundee (Answer to Undaunted Mary)" (sequel)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Plooboy
NOTES: Greig: "There is another 'Banks of sweet Dundee,' but the story in it is different, although the hero is also William and a ploughboy."
I am following Greig, GreigDuncan and Roud in splitting this from "Answer to Undaunted Mary." The Bodleian broadsides with that title have been moved to the sequel.
Broadside LOCSinging as200230: H. De Marsan dating per Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site. - BS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: LM25

Banks of Dunmore, The


DESCRIPTION: An Englishman falls in love with a poor farmer's daughter of Dunmore. She will not marry a non-Catholic. She convinces him, by reference to the Testament, of transubstantiation and the authority of Rome. He converts. They marry and settle in Dunmore.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1862 (broadside, Bodleian 2806 c.16(159))
KEYWORDS: courting marriage England Ireland religious Bible
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Tunney-StoneFiddle, pp. 43-44, "The Banks of Dunmore" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3109
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, 2806 c.16(159), "The Banks of Dunmore" ("Ye lovers of high and low station, and gentlemen of renown")," H. Such (London), 1849-1862; also Firth b.26(413), "The Bloom of Erin"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Protestant Maid" (subject: religious conversion) and references there
NOTES: Broadside Bodleian 2806 c.16(159) is the basis for the description.
Dunmore is in County Galway.
See "Garvagh Town" for a song in which a Roman Catholic suitor fails to convert the Protestant "star of Garvagh Town"; at the end they discuss their differences over a drink, shake hands, and part without either converting. - BS
The Catholic doctrine of Transubstantiation holds that the bread and wine of the communion service are transformed into the body and blood of Christ -- admittedly not in appearance or in demonstrable chemical contest but in some sort of unmeasurable reality called "substance" or "essence" or something like that. (Apologies for sounding scornful; the concept of something that is "real" but *by definition* unverifiable by science is beyond my feeble capacity to take seriously.)
This is based primarily on the gospel language (Matt. 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:17-20) saying that the disciples ate Jesus's body and blood, which is very loosely linked to later practice of the Lord's Supper by 1 Cornthians 11:24-26. Some see incidental support in chapter 6 of John, in which Jesus said that the bread of God comes down from heaven, and adds (6:35) that he is the Bread of Life.
It should be noted that this doctrine was not found in the early church; Radbertus propounded it in 831 (Bettenson, p. 147: "In the ninth century Paschasius Radbertus published a treatise, On the Body and Blood of the Lord, in which he pushed to extremes the language of John Damascene, '...though the body and blood of Christ remain in the figure of bread and wine, yet we must believe them to be simply a figure and that, after consecration, they are nothing other than the body and blood of Christ... and that I may speak more marvellously, to be clearly the very flesh which was born of Mary, and suffered on the cross and rose from the tomb....'"). Aquinas supported this view (Bettenson, p. 148), but it did not become official Catholic doctrine until the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 (Christie-Murray, p. 99).
The Bible isn't really much help here (all statements about the Greek text of the Bible are based on the text and apparatus in Aland, pp. 436-437). The earliest Biblical statement is in 1 Corinthians 11:24. The Greek reads literally "This [of] me is the body th[at is] over you" -- which could perfectly reasonably be rendered "This my body is for you." (The majority of late manuscripts, and the late Latin translations, preface this with "Take, eat," but these words are clearly an interpolation from Matthew). The next sentence reads "This do into [i.e. for] the [of] me remembrance." In verse 25, Jesus declares, "This the cup the new covenant in the [of] me blood; this do, as often if [i.e. as] [you] drink, into [i.e. for] the [of] me remembrance."
In Mark, the earliest Gospel account, verse 14:22 described Jesus taking bread, breaking it, and saying, "take, this is the body [of] me." (The late manuscripts read "take, EAT", but the overwhelming majority of early manuscripts omit; it is clearly another intrusion from Matthew.) 14:24 reads "This is the blood [of] me [of] the covenant, th[at which] [is being] poured over many." (The late manuscripts and the Vulgate Latin, used by the Catholic Church, reads "the NEW covenant, but this is clearly an intrusion from Luke or 1 Corinthians).
Matthew and Luke expand, in various ways, on the form in Mark, but in every case the active verb is simply "estin," "is" -- plain old present tense. It implies no action (unless the action was done earlier by blessing the bread and wine). Similarly, the Latin uses "est," "is." If you just go by what the Bible says, there is no special transformation or divine action. On the other hand, by being so plain, the Bible arguably leaves open the possiblity that Jesus's blessing (which on its face appears to be just that: A blessing) performed some action. Of course, Paul's comments give no hint that that action, if it in fact occurred in the Last Supper, ever happened again.
It took less than a century and a half for Wycliffe -- the first significant theologian after the Lateran Council -- to go after the doctrine (Nigg,. p. 265). Luther, without absolutely condemning the doctrine, did not require it (Christie-Murray, p. 130), and did say that "Transubstantiation... must be considered as an invention of human reason" (Bettenson, pp. 197-198). The Augsburg Confession of 1530 expressly denied it (Bainton, p. 149). Henry VIII continued to accept transubstantiation, but after his death, the Anglican church came to a position which implicitly opposed it: "The prayer was not that the bread and wine might *become*, but only that they might *be*, Christ's body and blood, thereby at least suggesting the repudiation of transubstantiation in favor of Luther's doctrine of concommitance" (Bainton, p. 201).
It is my experience that *no one* has ever been convinced of Transubstantiation by references to the Bible. It is also my experience that attempts to do so lead to bitter fights, with non-Catholics going as far as to call the Catholics cannibals. (Observe the sarcastic Protestant response in "The Protestant Maid.") If the guy went along in this case, it was out of infatuation, not Biblical logic.
Setting all that aside, though, there are interesting political undercurrents, depending heavily on the date of the song and where it originated. Obviously it must date before 1862. The feeling on the Ballad-L mailing list, in the absence of a more detailed analysis of the data, was that it was probably post-1798. This was an interesting period in both the Church of England and in the Irish church.
Chris Brennan, whose observations are based on Paddy Tunney's version and O'Boyle's notes to Tunney's recording, thinks it an Ulster song, and places it in the context of the evangelical upsurge among Ulster protestants in the first half of the nineteenth century. In that version, it appear to be an Ulster Catholic and Protestant who meet.
On the other hand, the H. Such broadside, which predates Tunney's version by a century, makes the Protestant half of the duo a presumed Englishman. This is interesting because the Church of England at this time was going in the exact opposite direction from the evangelical Dissenters of Ulster. This was the period of the "Oxford Movement," a time when many members of the Church of England were being attracted back to Catholic tradition and ritual (Douglas/Elwell/Toon, p. 281). The single strongest example came in 1845, when John Henry Newman converted from Anglicanism to Catholicism (Douglas/Elwell/Toon, p. 266). An Oxfordite might well be so pro-Catholic as to be open to arguments about Transubstantiation; a genuine Reformed churchman would see that as the same sort of bunk that it appears to be to me.
This opens up the interesting (though unlikely) possibility that this song could have originated in England as a sort of allegory on the Oxford Movement, with Ireland standing for Catholicism and England standing for Anglicanism (referred to loosely as Protestantism, though technically Anglicans are not Protestants; Protestant is a technical term for a different branch of non-Catholic non-Orthodox Christianity).
Even if we allow that that was its original form, though, it seems clear that that was not how it was understood. The song appears to be extinct in England -- but is preserved in Ireland. There, it seems clear, the song is seen as a demonstration of the superiority of Catholicism, and Catholic doctrine, to Protestantism. This would also explain why the theological argument, so nonsensical to a true member of a Reformed denomination, is allowed to pass essentially without comment. - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 2.5
File: TSF043

Banks of Glencoe, The


See MacDonald's Return to Glencoe (The Pride of Glencoe) [Laws N39] (File: LN39)

Banks of Green Willow, The


See Bonnie Annie [Child 24] (File: C024)

Banks of Inverurie (Inverary), The


DESCRIPTION: "One day as I was walking... On the banks of Inverurie I spied a bonnie lass." He asks her to wed. She replies that she knows he is a rake. He says he has reformed, and calls his servants to demonstrate his honesty. He again appeals to her to marry.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1894 (Murison collection, according to Lyle, _Fairies and Folk_)
KEYWORDS: courting servant rejection
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 258-259, "The Banks of Inverurie" (1 text)
Ord, pp. 199-200, "The Banks of Inverurie" (1 text)
Greig #11, p. 2, "The Banks of Inverurie" (1 text)
GreigDuncan6 1263, "The Banks of Inverurie" (6 texts, 4 tunes)
DT, BNKINVER*
Roud #1415
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, RB.m.168(021), "Banks of Inverary," Batchelar (London?), c. 1820; also APS.4.95.15(1), "The Banks of Inverury," unknown, c. 1840; RB.m.143(122), "The Banks of Inverurie," Poet's Box (Dundee), c. 1890
File: FVS258

Banks of Kilrea (I), The


DESCRIPTION: The singer sees a beautiful girl (dressed in mourning?) by Kilrae. She explains that her parents are dead. He promises to care for her like a parent. She finally agrees to marry. He hopes to live happily, and prepares for an elaborate party
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1926 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love courting orphan marriage party beauty
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
SHenry H150(a), pp. 466-467, "The Banks of Kilrae (I)" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #2495
File: HHH150a

Banks of Kilrea (II), The


DESCRIPTION: The singer hears a young man begging a girl to come over the sea with him. She says that it's too dangerous to cross the ocean, and her parents are old. He reminds her of promises made, but bids her farewell; they will not see each other again
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1926 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love courting rejection emigration separation age
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
SHenry H150b, pp. 361-362, "The Banks of Kilrae (II)" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #2495
File: HHH150b

Banks of Low Lee, The


See One Morning in May (To Hear the Nightingale Sing) [Laws P14] (File: LP14)

Banks of Mourne Strand, The


See Paddle the Road with Me (File: Wa032)

Banks of Mullen Stream, The


DESCRIPTION: Sandy Grattan sings about the camp "for the firm of Edward Sinclair On the banks of Mullen Stream." The crew and driving team are named. George Amos breaks a leg under a rolling log, showing that "In the woods you're facing danger As great as in the War"
AUTHOR: Sandy Grattan of Tabusintac (Manny/Wilson)
EARLIEST DATE: 1958 (Manny/Wilson)
KEYWORDS: lumbering injury moniker horse
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Manny/Wilson 4, "The Banks of Mullen Stream" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST MaWi004 (Partial)
Roud #9205
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Edward Sinclair Song" (regarding Sinclair's lumber operation)
NOTES: Manny/Wilson: "The lumber operation probably took place between 1914 and 1920." Note the reference to World War I. - BS
This is a very peculiar song, probably indicating closeness to the original version. The scansion is weak, and the rhyme scheme defective. In most of the 8-line stanzas, the only rhymes are between lines 1 and 2 and between lines 5 and 6, and even this is violated on occasion -- including the first verse, though in dialect it might work. - RBW
File: MaWi004

Banks of My Native Australia, The


See Oxeborough Banks (Maids of Australia) (File: FaE044)

Banks of Newfoundland (I), The [Laws K25]


DESCRIPTION: The singer offers a warning to listeners: Don't sail the northern seas without stout clothes! (He and his friends had pawned their jackets in Liverpool). The singer's Irish fiancee tears up her petticoat to make him mittens. At last they reach New York
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927
KEYWORDS: sailor clothes storm
FOUND IN: Britain(England(South),Scotland(Bord)) US(MA,NE,SE) Canada(Mar,Newf)
REFERENCES (16 citations):
Laws K25, "The Banks of Newfoundland"
Doerflinger, pp. 123-125, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Colcord, pp. 173-174, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hugill, pp. 412-416, "The Banks o' Newf'n'land" (2 texts, 2 tunes) [AbrEd, pp. 315-316]
Fowke/Johnston, pp. 36-37, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greenleaf/Mansfield 116, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text)
Peacock, pp. 854-855, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Smith/Hatt, p. 18, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text)
Creighton-NovaScotia 103, "Banks of Newfoundland (1)" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 161, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text)
Ranson, pp. 118-119, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Warner 141, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Vaughan Williams/Lloyd, pp. 15-16, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Scott-BoA, pp. 145-147, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 31, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 407, NWFNDLND* NWFNDLN3
Roud #1812
RECORDINGS:
Willie Scott, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (on Voice02)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Star of the County Down" (tune) and references there
cf. "The American Aginora" (plot)
cf. "You Pretty Girls of Michigan" (form)
NOTES: Peacock believes this is "a localized version of" Van Dieman's Land (I) [Laws L18]. I think that's grossly overstating the similarity. - BS
File: LK25

Banks of Newfoundland (II), The


DESCRIPTION: The singer bids landsmen to "bless your happy lot," since they are safe from storms. His ship is wrecked off Newfoundland; when food runs short, they cast lots to see who will be eaten. The Captain's son is picked, but another ship rescues them in time
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1883 (Smith/Hatt)
KEYWORDS: ship disaster cannibalism reprieve rescue starvation sailor
FOUND IN: Ireland Canada(Mar,Ont)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
SHenry H569, p. 112, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fowke/MacMillan 11, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Smith/Hatt, pp. 56-58, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text)
DT, NWFNDLN2
Roud #1972
RECORDINGS:
O. J. Abbott, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (on Abbott1)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Ship in Distress" (plot) and references there
cf. "The Kite Abandoned in White Bay" (probable tune)
cf. "The American Aginora" (plot)
SAME TUNE:
The Kite Abandoned in White Bay (File: RySm103)
File: DTnwfndl

Banks of Newfoundland (III), The


See The Eastern Light [Laws D11] (File: LD11)

Banks of Newfoundland (IV), The


DESCRIPTION: Spring is time for fishing on the Banks. "Seas do roll tremendously ... midst heavy fog and wind." At night we risk being run down by "some large greyhound of the deep." At summer's end we return "to see our sweethearts and our wives"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1952 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: fishing sea ship lyric nonballad
FOUND IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Peacock, pp. 108-109, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #4434
File: Pea108

Banks of Newfoundland (V), The


DESCRIPTION: September 2, Irish seamen sail from Waterford for Newfoundland where "a dreadful storm is raging." Three men are lost and others are "washed from off the deck." At morning there was no help for the dead and dying; "Not a Christian here to bury the dead"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1987 (McBride)
KEYWORDS: grief death sea ship storm
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
McBride 4, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #5088
NOTES: With only one text to work from, we have not been able to tie this to an actual disaster, it sounds as if "Christian" here means specifically "Catholic." - RBW
File: McB1004

Banks of Penmanah, The


See On the Banks of the Pamanaw [Laws H11] (File: LH11)

Banks of Red Roses, The


See The Banks of the Roses (File: Doe315)

Banks of Sacramento, The


See Ho for California (Banks of Sacramento) (File: E125)

Banks of Sullane


DESCRIPTION: The singer meets "a damsel of queenly appearance" and proposes; if he were king she'd wear a crown. Her father's angry looks discourages him. He will rove alone until death "for the sake of my charming fair Helen That I met in the town of Macroom"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1973 (IRClare01)
KEYWORDS: courting separation father
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
OCanainn, pp. 70-71, "The Banks of Sullane" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9718
RECORDINGS:
Ollie Conway, "Banks of Sullane" (on IRClare01)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow" (tune)
cf. "Heather Down the Moor (Among the Heather; Down the Moor)" (theme)
NOTES: OCanainn: "One of the most popular English ballads of the Ballyvourney and Coolea area in West Cork."
Macroom is in County Cork. - BS
File: RcBaOSul

Banks of Sweet Dandee, The


See The Banks of Dundee (Undaunted Mary) [Laws M25] (File: LM25)

Banks of Sweet Dundee, The


See The Banks of Dundee (Undaunted Mary) [Laws M25] (File: LM25)

Banks of Sweet Loch Rae, The


DESCRIPTION: The singer meets a handsome soldier. He asks if she will come along with him. She says she cannot bear to leave (Loch Rae). He consents to have her stay if she will wait for him. She waits sadly for his return
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1926 (Sam Henry collection); 19C (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 26(29))
KEYWORDS: love courting soldier separation
FOUND IN: Ireland US(NE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
SHenry H158, p. 295, "Banks of Sweet Lough Neigh" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3821
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 26(29), "The Banks of Sweet Loughrea" ("I am as poor a distressed maid as ever yet was known"), Haly (Cork), 19C; also 2806 c.8(164), 2806 c.8(195), "The Banks of Sweet Loughrea"
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Banks of Sweet Loch Ray
On the Banks of Sweet Loch Raw
NOTES: "The Banks of Sweet Loughrea" tells the story from the soldier's point of view. - BS
File: HHH158

Banks of Sweet Loch Ray, The


See The Banks of Sweet Loch Rae (File: HHH158)

Banks of Sweet Lough Neagh, The


See The Banks of Sweet Loch Rae (File: HHH158)

Banks of Sweet Loughrea, The


DESCRIPTION: A soldier quartered in Boyle meets a charming lass while in Loughrae. He proposes that they marry in Boyle. She says she "never intended a soldier's wife." Devastated, he says he will ask to be discharged as he is no longer fit for service.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1955 (IRRCinnamond01)
KEYWORDS: love courting soldier rejection
FOUND IN: Ireland
Roud #6990
RECORDINGS:
Robert Cinnamond, "The Banks of Sweet Loughrea" (on IRRCinnamond01)
NOTES: "The Banks of Sweet Loch Rae" tells the story from the woman's point of view.
Loughrea is in County Galway, not far from Galway city. Boyle is in County Roscommon and is about 65 miles from Loughrea. - BS
File: RcTBOSLo

Banks of Sweet Primroses, The


DESCRIPTION: Speaker, while walking by banks of primroses, sees and courts a lovely woman. She spurns him and declares her intention to separate from men. (He tells listeners that even a cloudy, dark morning turns into a sunshiny day.)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1891
KEYWORDS: courting rejection flowers
FOUND IN: Britain(England(North,South),Wales,Britain(Scotland(Aber)) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (7 citations):
Sharp-100E 51, "The Sweet Primeroses" (1 text, 1 tune)
Vaughan Williams/Lloyd, p. 17, "The Banks of Sweet Primroses" (1 text, 1 tune)
GreigDuncan8 1841, "There's Mony a Dark and a Cloudy Morning" (1 fragment)
MacSeegTrav 68, "The Banks of Sweet Primroses" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Creighton/Senior, pp. 127-128, "As I Rode Out" (1 text, 1 tune)
Butterworth/Dawney, p. 6, "As I Roamed Out" (1 text, 1 tune, listed by Dawney as "The Banks of Sweet Primroses" although the surviving text is quite close to the "As I Roved Out" versions of "Seventeen Come Sunday" [Laws O17]; Butterworth expurgated several verses which might have clarified the origin)
DT, SWTPRIM*
Roud #586
RECORDINGS:
Bob & Ron Copper, "Sweet Primeroses" (on FSB1, HiddenE)
Louis Killen, "The Banks of Sweet Primroses" (on BirdBush2)
Phil Tanner, "The Sweet Prim-E-Roses" (Columbia FB 1570; on Voice01 as "The Sweet Primrose"; on Lomax41, LomaxCD1741)
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, L.C.Fol.70(141), "The Banks of sweet Primroses," unknown, c. 1830-1850
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Lovely Nancy (VI)" (floating lyrics)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Three Long Steps
NOTES: The GreigDuncan8 fragment is a floating "cloudy morning" verse that might as well be put here. - BS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: ShH51

Banks of the Ayr, The


See Burns and His Highland Mary [Laws O34] (File: LO34)

Banks of the Bann (I), The [Laws O2]


DESCRIPTION: Delany recalls how, when he first came to (Ireland), he fell in love with a girl (on the banks of the Bann). Her parents disapproved of his poverty and sent him away, but she promised to prove true. (Now he is returned and promises to do well by her)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1862 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(2400))
KEYWORDS: courting poverty mother father exile
FOUND IN: US(MW) Canada(Mar,Newf) Ireland
REFERENCES (9 citations):
Laws O2, "The Brown Girl"
SHenry H86, p. 443, "The Banks of the Bann" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton/Senior, pp. 139-140, "The Brown Girl" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Creighton-Maritime, p. 37, "The Brown Girl" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 9, "The Brown Girl" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 355-356, "The Brown Girl" (1 text, 1 tune)
Dean, pp. 75-76, "Brown Girl" (1 text)
DT, BNKSBAN2
ADDITIONAL: Richard Hayward, Ireland Calling (Glasgow,n.d.), p. 11, "The Banks of the Bann" (text, music and reference to Decca F-2603 recorded Oct 4, 1931)
Roud #889
RECORDINGS:
A. L. Lloyd, "Banks of the Bann" (on Lloyd1)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(2400), "Brown Girl" ("When first to this country I came as a stranger"), E.M.A. Hodges (London) , 1855-1861; also 2806 b.11(255), 2806 c.8(168), "Brown Girl"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Frowns That She Gave Me" (floating lyrics)
cf. "The Maid of Aghadowey" (plot)
cf. "The Greenwood Laddie" (lyrics)
cf. "When First To This Country (I)" ("When First Unto This Country" lyric) and references there
NOTES: In some versions of this song, the girl is compared to "Juno, the fair Grecian queen." Leaving apart the fact that Venus/Aphrodite, not Juno, was the goddess of beauty, it should be noted that Juno was a Roman goddess; the correct Greek name is Hera.
Paul Stamler notes that "[this] tune is also used for a classic Anglican hymn," which Paul Tracy reports to be "Lord of all hopefulness, lord of all joy."
Laws apparently decided to name this "The Brown Girl" on the basis of Creighton and some broadsides. I decided to use "The Banks of the Bann" instead; both titles refer to several songs, but the versions of this song I know don't call her a "Brown Girl," and the references to the Bann are certainly more prominent. And it seems to be the standard Folk Revival name. - RBW
The date and master id (GB-3357-1) for Hayward's record is provided by Bill Dean-Myatt, MPhil. compiler of the Scottish National Discography. - BS
File: LO02

Banks of the Bann (II), The


See Willie Archer (The Banks of the Bann) (File: HHH614)

Banks of the Bann (III), The


See I Never Will Marry [Laws K17] (File: LK17)

Banks of the Boyne, The


See The Lovely Banks of Boyne [Laws P22] (File: LP22)

Banks of the Clyde (I), The


DESCRIPTION: A young man comes up to a pretty girl, who reports that her Willie has gone over the sea. He asks her to marry; she replies, "Though he prove unconstant, I'll always prove true." He reveals himself as Willie; they will marry shortly
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1939 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love separation reunion disguise marriage
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
SHenry H812, p. 310, "The Banks of the Clyde/One Fine Summer's Morning" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3815
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "John (George) Riley (I)" [Laws N36] and references there
cf. "The Plains of Waterloo (I)" [Laws N32] (plot, lyrics)
cf. "The Maid of Dunmore" (partial plot, lyrics)
NOTES: Certain lyrics to the Sam Henry version of this song are effectively identical to the Greenleaf text of "The Plains of Waterloo," and of course there are also plot similarities. But "The Banks of the Clyde" is a much more generic song, with no references to a dead soldier. And the similarities in other texts of the song is less pronounced. It appears to be a case of cross-fertilization rather than actual common descent. - RBW
File: HHH812

Banks of the Clyde (III), The


See The Lad in the Scotch Brigade (The Banks of the Clyde) (File: LLab133)

Banks of the Condamine, The


See The Banks of the Nile (Men's Clothing I'll Put On II) [Laws N9] (File: LN09)

Banks of the Dee (I), The


DESCRIPTION: "'Twas summer, and softly the breezes were blowing, And sweetly the nightingales sang in the trees." The girl remembers her Jamie, now gone "to quell the proud rebels." She earnestly hopes for his speedy return to her and the banks of the Dee
AUTHOR: Words: John Tate / Music: "Langolee" (traditional)
EARLIEST DATE: 1803 (The Scots Musical Museum)
KEYWORDS: love separation soldier
FOUND IN: Britain
REFERENCES (3 citations):
GreigDuncan8 1525, "The Banks of the Dee" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
cf. Gardner/Chickering, p. 477, "The Banks of the Dee" (source notes only)
DT, BNKSDEE*
Roud #3847
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 16(13c), "The Banks of the Dee" ("'Twas summer when softly the breezes were blowing"), W. Armstrong (Liverpool), 1820-1824; also Harding B 41(1)[many illegible words], 2806 b.9(238), Harding B 20(6), Johnson Ballads 8, Harding B 11(156), 2806 c.15(67), Firth c.13(247), Firth b.26(496), Harding B 26(30), Harding B 26(31), Harding B 22(9), Harding B 25(110), "[The] Banks of the Dee"
SAME TUNE:
Langolee (DT, LANGLEE)
The Banks of Champlain (Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 161-162, probably originally sung to this tune)
Oliver Arnold's parody of Banks of the Dee (DT, BNKSDEE2, said by Spaeth to date from 1775)
NOTES: It's not absolutely clear that this song is traditional, but the tune assuredly is. The texts of "Langolee" (properly "new Langolee"; see Bruce Olson's notes in the Digital Tradition), however, are absolutely hopeless and untraditional. As a result, I decided to list "The Banks of the Dee" as the main entry.
It appears that "Banks of the Dee" was the main mechanism by which the tune became known. Huntington's song "The Banks of Champlain," for instance, although no tune is given, has "Langolee" written all over it -- and no doubt the title of Tait's piece inspired the American song.
It's interesting to note that, although there are several American songs about the American Revolution, this seems to be the only one from the British standpoint. Still more interesting, it shows little interest in the political aspect of that conflict; the girl just wants her Jamie to return. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: DTbnksde

Banks of the Dee (II), The


DESCRIPTION: The singer "heard a maid a-sighing... And, 'Johnny,' she was crying, 'oh how could you leave me?" He recalls leaving her on the spot, and how they promised to be true. He tells her her love was slain in battle, then reveals that he is her love
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1935 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love courting separation soldier disguise reunion
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
SHenry H583, p. 314, "The Banks of [the] Dee" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3814
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. esp. "John (George) Riley (I)" [Laws N36] and references there
NOTES: Huntington was of the opinion that this was the source for the song "The Banks of Champlain" which he found in the 1838 journal of the Nautilus. I disagree. There are several "Banks of the Dee" songs, and the other (to the tune "Langolee") fits "The Banks of Champlain" much better. - RBW
File: HHH583

Banks of the Dee (III), The


DESCRIPTION: On the banks of the Dee the singer meets a 56 year old coal miner who "can't get employment, 'cause my hair it's turned grey." When young he worked hard in the pit but now he's had his notice. Young miners should save their wages, not "hew them away"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1951 (Lloyd in _Come All Ye Bold Miners_, according to Yates, Musical Traditions site _Voice of the People suite_ "Notes - Volume 20" - 15.1.04)
KEYWORDS: age poverty mining unemployment nonballad
FOUND IN: Britain(England(North))
Roud #3484
RECORDINGS:
Jack Elliott, "The Banks of the Dee" (on Voice20)
File: RcBaDee3

Banks of the Dizzy, The


See The Banks of the Roses (File: Doe315)

Banks of the Don, The


DESCRIPTION: Singer pays sarcastic tribute to the "boarding-house" by the Don: rent and taxes are paid, food is free. Inmates must turn out and work in the stoneyard; knives and forks are counted after meals. To obtain residence, listeners can get publicly drunk
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1958 (recording, O. J. Abbott)
KEYWORDS: prison punishment drink humorous nonballad prisoner
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1860s - Don Jail built
FOUND IN: Canada(Ont)
Roud #3846
RECORDINGS:
Recordings: O. J. Abbott, "The Banks of the Don" (on Ontario1)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Mountjoy Hotel" (subject)
cf. "Johnson's Hotel" (subject, lyrics)
cf. "Erin Go Bragh" (tune)
NOTES: Abbott reported learning the song as a teenager in 1890 from an Irish farmer in the Ottawa valley. - PJS
File: RcTBOTDo

Banks of the Gaspereaux, The [Laws C26]


DESCRIPTION: A logging crew comes to work the Gaspereaux. The singer (who is one of the loggers) meets a girl (nicknamed "Robin Redbreast" after her dress); they fall in love, but neither will leave home for the other, and they part
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1940
KEYWORDS: logger courting separation
FOUND IN: US(NE) Canada(Mar,Newf)
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Laws C26, "The Banks of the Gaspereaux"
Doerflinger, pp. 246-247, "The Banks of the Gaspereaux" (1 text)
Peacock, pp. 744-745, "The Banks of the Gaspereau" (1 text, 1 tune)
Leach, pp. 770-771, "The Banks of Gaspereaux" (1 text)
Manny/Wilson 2, "The Banks of the Gaspereaux (Robin Redbreast)" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 576, BNKSGASP GASPERAU
Roud #1925
NOTES: Manny/Wilson: "The Gaspereaux, or Gaspereau, is a river in Queen's County [New Brunswick], a branch of the St. John." - BS
File: LC26

Banks of the Inverness, The


DESCRIPTION: The sailor sees a girl sighing on the banks of the (Inver)ness. He asks her if she is available. She says she is engaged to Willie. He declares that Willie is "in cold irons bound" and will not return. She says she will remain faithful. He reveals himself
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1886 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(1752))
KEYWORDS: love courting separation reunion disguise
FOUND IN: Ireland Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Greig #153, p. 1, "Young William's Denial" (1 text)
GreigDuncan5 1047, "The Banks of the Inverness" (1 text, 1 tune)
SHenry H205, pp. 319-320, "The Banks of the River Ness" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3813
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(1752), "The Banks of Inverness" or "Young William's Denial" ("I am a jolly sailor bold, and just returned to shore"), H. Such (London), 1863-1885 ; also Firth c.12(279), "The Banks of Inverness" or "Young William's Denial"; Harding B 15(8Ab), "Banks of the Inverness" or "Young William's Return"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. esp. "John (George) Riley (I)" [Laws N36] and references there
cf. "The Banks of Dundee (Undaunted Mary)" [Laws M25] (prequel)
cf. "William's Return to the Banks of Sweet Dundee (Answer to Undaunted Mary)" (another Laws M25 sequel)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Young William's Return
Young William's Denial
NOTES: Greig: "In default of information as to the source of the record one must be cautious; but I am inclined to take the ditty as an attempt, on the part of a southerner probably, to make a sequel to 'The Banks of Sweet Dundee.'" I agree, considering the plot, the names and the statement by Mary that "'Twas for my dearest William I my uncle's life did take." - BS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: HHH205

Banks of the Lee, The


See Mary on the Banks of the Lee (File: DTbnksle)

Banks of the Little Auplaine, The


See The Banks of the Little Eau Pleine [Laws C2] (File: LC02)

Banks of the Little Eau Pleine, The [Laws C2]


DESCRIPTION: The singer meets a schoolmarm who is seeking her lost lover Johnny. He tells her Johnny is drowned and buried far from home. The woman curses Wisconsin and Johnny's boss, and promises to give up teaching and any home near water
AUTHOR: W. N. "Billy" Allen (writing as "Shan T. Boy")
EARLIEST DATE: 1922 (Dean); the author said he wrote it c. 1875
KEYWORDS: river death drowning curse humorous
FOUND IN: US(MW) Canada(Mar,Ont)
REFERENCES (12 citations):
Laws C2, "The Banks of the Little Eau Pleine"
Rickaby 5, "The Banks of the Little Eau Pleine" (2 texts plus a fragment, 3 tunes)
Dean, pp. 10-11, "The Banks of the Little Auplaine" (1 text)
Arnett, pp. 118-119, "The Little Eau Pleine" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-MRFolklr, p. 578, "The Banks of the Little Eau Pleine" (1 text, 1 tune)
Beck 49, "The Little Eau Pleine" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fowke-Lumbering #28, "Johnny Murphy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 61, "The Little Low Plain" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ives-NewBrunswick, pp. 23-26, "The Banks of the Little Eau Pleine" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manny/Wilson 58, "The Banks of the Little Low Plain" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 699, EAUPLEIN
ADDITIONAL: Robert E. Gard and L. G. Sorden, _Wisconsin Lore: Antics and Anecdotes of Wisconsin People and Places_, Wisconsin House, 1962, pp. 101-104, "On the Banks of the Little Eau Pleine" (1 text, presumably from Wisconsin although no source is listed)
Roud #706
RECORDINGS:
John Leahy, "Johnny Murphy" (on Lumber01)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Erin's Green Shore" [Laws Q27] (tune)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Little Auplaine
Johnny Murphy
NOTES: The Little Eau Pleine River (yes, there is also a Big Eau Pleine) flows into the Wisconsin River between Wausau and Stevens Point in central Wisconsin. About thirty miles long, it is hardly more than a creek.
Cazden et al regard this song as a parody of "Erin's Green Shore" [Laws Q27]. This is somewhat deceptive. It was set, by the author, to the tune of "Erin's Green Shore," but the lyrics are not derived from that piece, though they have links to assorted traditional pieces.
The plot description above sounds serious, and it is, but the song itself veers between humor and pathos -- e.g. the first verse notes that "the mosquito's notes were melodious," and the singer's clothes are described as "His pants were made out of two meal-sacks, with a patch a foot square on each knee."
Rickaby has extensive notes about William N. Allen, whom he met near the end of the latter's career.- RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: LC02

Banks of the Miramichi, The


DESCRIPTION: There is no river "like the rolling tide that flows 'longside The banks of the Murrymashee." The sportsmen gather to see it and the trout, salmon, and birds. The singer wouldn't trade it for gold, silver or royal robes.
AUTHOR: Patrick Hurley of Cassilis, Nor'West Miramichi (Manny/Wilson)
EARLIEST DATE: 1947 (Manny/Wilson)
KEYWORDS: lyric nonballad animal bird
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Manny/Wilson 3, "The Banks of the Miramichi" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST MaWi003 (Partial)
Roud #4622
RECORDINGS:
Marie Hare, "The Banks of the Miramichi" (on MRMHare01)
Art Matchett, "The Banks of the Miramichi" (on Miramichi1)
File: MaWi003

Banks of the Mossen, The


DESCRIPTION: "As I was a walking down by some shady grove... Young lambs were a-playing on the banks of sweet Mossen... The lark in the morning... brings me joyful tidings of Nancy my dear." The singer asks for pen and ink to write to Nancy
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1954 (recording, Jim Swain)
KEYWORDS: love separation animal river
FOUND IN: Britain(England(Lond,South))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Copper-SoBreeze, pp. 242-243, "The Banks of the Mossen" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1201
RECORDINGS:
Jim Swain, "The Banks of Sweet Mossing" (on Voice10)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Banks of the Mossom
The Banks of Sweet Mossom
NOTES: I'd bet a lot that this is one of those Johnny-the-sailor-separated-from-his-love type songs that's been collected about three hundred times -- but from the short text given (three short verses and a fairly generic chorus), I can't tell which one. - RBW
File: CoSB242

Banks of the Murray, The


See On the Banks of the Murray (File: MA258)

Banks of the Nile, The (Men's Clothing I'll Put On II) [Laws N9]


DESCRIPTION: (William) has been ordered to the banks of the Nile. Molly offers to cut her hair, dress like a man, and go with him. He will not permit her to; (the climate is too harsh or women are simply not permitted). (He promises to return and they are parted)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1859 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(158))
KEYWORDS: soldier cross-dressing separation request
FOUND IN: US(MW,So) Britain(Scotland) Australia Ireland Canada(Mar,Newf)
REFERENCES (26 citations):
Laws N9, "The Banks of the Nile (Men's Clothing I'll Put On II)"
Greig #25, pp. 1-2, "The Banks of the Nile" (1 text)
GreigDuncan1 99, "The Banks of the Nile" (13 texts, 12 tunes)
Belden, p. 340, "Plains of Mexico" (1 text)
Randolph 42, "Men's Clothing I'll Put On" (Of Randolph's 6 texts, Laws assigns only the "A" version, with tune, to this group (and even this is hidden by a typographical error), but "B" and "E" might belong with this or "William and Nancy I")
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 92-93, "Men's Clothes I Will Put On" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 42A)
Chappell-FSRA 66, "The Dolphin" (1 text, probably a confused version of "The Dolphin," a song of a sea battle, and "The Banks of the Nile" [Laws N9] or similar)
Dean, pp. 105-106, "Banks of the Nile" (1 text)
Harlow, pp. 206-207, "Dixie's Isle" (1 text, 1 tune -- a version with American Civil War references)
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 122-123, "The Banks of the Condamine" (1 text, 1 tune); probably also pp. 215-216, "The Banks of the Riverine" (the latter might go with "William and Nancy I")
Fahey-Eureka, pp. 154-155, "The Banks of the Condamine" (1 text, 1 tune)
Paterson/Fahey/Seal, pp. 273-275, "The Banks of the Condamine" (1 text)
Ord, p. 298, "The Banks o' the Nile" (1 text)
Hodgart, p. 231, "The Banks of the Condamine" (1 text)
SHenry H238a, pp. 296-297, "The Banks of the Nile" (1 text, 1 tune)
Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan 50, "The Banks of the Nile" (1 text, 1 tune)
Moylan 170, "The Banks of the Nile" (1 text, 1 tune)
Morton-Maguire 47, pp. 139-140,174, "Texas Isle" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manifold-PASB, pp. 130-132, "The Banks of the Condamine" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Fowke/MacMillan 72, "Banks of the Nile" (1 text, 1 tune, considered by Fowke states to be an abbreviated, localized version of "William and Nancy (I)" [Laws N8], but it could just as easily be a version of "The Banks of the Nile" [Laws N9])
Peacock, pp. 996-997, "Dixie's Isle" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-Maritime, p. 147, "The Banks of the Nile" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 35B, "The Banks of the Nile" (1 text); Mackenzie 36, "Dixie's Isle" (1 text)
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 266-268, "Farewell My Dear Nancy" (1 text, 1 tune, a fragment lacking the beginning. The final three stanzas appear to belong here but might be something else)
PBB 98, "The Banks of the Condamine" (1 text)
DT, BANKNILE* (BANKNIL2*?)
Roud #950
RECORDINGS:
Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, "The Banks of the Nile" (on SCMacCollSeeger01)
Pat MacNamara, "Banks of the Nile" (on IRClare01)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(158), "Banks of the Nile", J.O. Bebbington (Manchester), 1855-1858; also 2806 b.9(227), 2806 b.9(53), 2806 c.14(179), Firth b.25(245), Harding B 11(276), Firth b.26(269), Firth c.14(148), Firth c.14(149), Harding B 11(158), Harding B 11(2900), Harding B 11(2900A), Harding B 26(47)[some blurring], [The] Banks of the Nile"
LOCSinging, as100630, "The Banks of the Nile," P. Brereton (Dublin), 19C
Murray, Mu23-y1:078, "The Banks of the Nile", James Lindsay (Glasgow), 19C; also Mu23-y3:024, "The Banks of the Nile," unknown, 19C
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Jack Monroe" [Laws N7]
cf. "William and Nancy I" [Laws N8]
cf. "High Germany"
cf. "The Girl Volunteer (The Cruel War Is Raging)" [Laws O33]
cf. "When First To This Country (II)" (theme)
NOTES: What is the historical reference here? The earliest Bodleian broadside, Harding B 11(158), is printed between 1855 and 1858. One possibility (see Laws N9 notes relating that "Randolph observes that Ord" makes the connection) is the second Battle of Abukir in which "in March 1801, a British army of 5,000 under General Ralph Abercromby landed to dislodge a French army of 2,000 under General Louis Friant. They did so, but not before 1,100 British troops were lost." (Source: Wikipedia article Battle of Abukir ) - BS
Possibly supporting this is the fact that there was also a battle at Abukir (Aboukir) Bay on August 1-2, 1798, in which Nelson annihilated a French force, allowing Britain to control entrance to Egypt. This was, of course, a sea battle -- but it's often called "The Battle of the Nile." What's more, there were women involved -- they were the wives of the sailors. According to David Cordingly, Women Sailors and Sailors' Women, Random House, 2001 (I use the undated, but later, paperback edition), pp. 102-103, no fewer than four (wives of sailors) took part in the battle of Aboukir aboard the Goliath. There were probably quite a few more on other ships; it's just that the women on the Goliath were fairly well documented (and were praised for their conduct).
Britain again interfered in Egypt in 1807, and the nation (along with the Sudan) was formally freed from Ottoman rule in 1841, largely as a result of European meddling. There were enough British soldiers floating around that the song would be relevant at almost any time from 1798 until the first broadsides appeared. The song takes place *before* the battle; as a result, I never really thought to associate it with a particular event. Though I concede that Aboukir makes sense; it put Egypt "in the news." - RBW
Laws quotes Dixie's Isle as "a Civil War adaptation" of N9. The "adaptation" is illustrated by the change from
We are called up to Portsmouth, many a long mile,
All for to be embarked for the Banks of the Nile
to
They call me down to New Orleans for many a long mile
To fight the southern soldiers way down in Dixie's Isle. - BS
In some of the Australian versions, rather than Willie being a soldier, he becomes a shearer. But the plot and pathos of the song remain clear.
Belden's text appears to be an adaption of this song to the context of the Mexican War (1846-1848). In this version, the modification is so complete that the girl does not even ask to come along; Laws, in fact, does not list Belden's piece as an adaption of this song.
Nonetheless, the kinship with "The Banks of the Nile" is still patently obvious. And neither Belden nor I knows of another version of the Mexican version of the song. So it seemed sufficient to list it here. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: LN09

Banks of the Ohio [Laws F5]


DESCRIPTION: The singer takes his sweetheart walking, hoping to discuss marriage. She seemingly refuses him (because she is too young?). Rather than wait, he throws her into the river to drown. In most versions he is not caught, though in some texts she haunts him
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1915
KEYWORDS: murder river drowning
FOUND IN: US(MW,Ro,SE,So)
REFERENCES (13 citations):
Laws F5, "On the Banks of the Ohio"
Randolph 160, "Down on the Banks of the Ohio" (2 texts plus an excerpt, 2 tunes)
Eddy 104, "The Murdered Girl" (7 texts, 2 tunes, but Laws considers only the B text -- "On the Banks of the Old Pedee" -- to belong with this ballad)
Gardner/Chickering 20, "The Banks of the River Dee" (1 text plus 2 excerpts and mention of 2 more, 2 tunes)
BrownII 66, "On the Banks of the Ohio" (1 text plus 2 excerpts and mention of 5 more)
MHenry-Appalachians, p. 76, "On the Banks of the Ohio" (1 text)
Asch/Dunson/Raim, p. 110, "Down on the Banks of the Ohio" (1 text, 1 tune)
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, pp. 138-139, "Banks of the Ohio" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-MRFolklr, p. 577, "On the Banks of the Ohio" (1 text, 1 tune)
LPound-ABS, 45, p. 108, "The Old Shawnee"; p. 109, "On the Banks of the Old Pedee" (2 texts)
Darling-NAS, pp. 201-202, "On the Banks of the Ohio" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 180, "Banks Of The Ohio" (1 text)
DT 628, BNKSOHIO* BANOHIO2(*) (BANOHIO3)
Roud #157
RECORDINGS:
Clarence Ashley, Doc Watson, Clint Howard & Jean Ritchie, "Banks of the Ohio" (on WatsonAshley01)
The Blue Sky Boys, "Down On The Banks of The Ohio" (Bluebird 6480, 1933)
Callahan Brothers, "Down on the Banks of the Ohio" (Banner 5-12-60/Conqueror 8588 [as "On the Banks of the Ohio"], 1935)
[G. B.] Grayson & [Henry] Whitter, "I'll Never Be Yours" (Gennett 6373/Champion 15447 [as by Norman Gayle]/Silvertone 8160 [as by Dillard Sanders]/Supertone 9247 [as by Sanders]/Challenge 393 [as by David Foley], 1927; on GraysonWhitter01)
Clarence Green, "On the Banks of the Ohio" (Columbia 15311-D, 1928)
Bascom Lamar Lunsford, "On the Banks of the Ohio" (on BLLunsford02)
Monroe Brothers, "Banks of the Ohio" (Bluebird B-7385, 1938)
Glen & Jessie Neaves & band, "Banks of the Ohio" (on HalfCen1)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Banks of the Ohio" (on NLCR02)
Red Patterson's Piedmont Log Rollers, "Down on the Banks of the Ohio" (Victor 35874, 1928)
Pete Seeger, "Banks of the Ohio" (on PeteSeeger31)
Bill Shafer, "Broken Engagements" (Vocalion 5413, 1930, rec. 1929)
Frank Stanton [pseud. for Walter Coon], "On the Banks of the Ohio" (Superior 2544, 1930)
Ernest V. Stoneman, "Down on the Banks of the Ohio" (Edison 52312, 1928)
Ruby Vass, "Banks of the Ohio" (on LomaxCD1702)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. The Wexford Girl (The Oxford, Lexington, or Knoxville Girl; The Cruel Miller; etc.) [Laws P35]
File: LF05

Banks of the Pamanaw, The


See On the Banks of the Pamanaw [Laws H11] (File: LH11)

Banks of the Pleasant Ohio, The


See Lovely Ohio, The (File: LoF039)

Banks of the River Dee, The


See Banks of the Ohio [Laws F5]
 (File: LF05)

Banks of the River Ness, The


See The Banks of the Inverness (File: HHH205)

Banks of the Riverine, The


See The Banks of the Nile (Men's Clothing I'll Put On II) [Laws N9] (File: LN09)

Banks of the Roe, The


DESCRIPTION: "Too long have I travelled the land of the stranger...." The singer wishes to return to "the land of O'Cahan," whom he recalls with pride. But those free men are long dead; he is left, and in exile, but "How I long to return to the banks of the Roe"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1924 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: emigration exile homesickness
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1385 - Death of "Cooey-na-Gal" O'Cahan
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
SHenry H24b, pp. 217-218, "The Banks of the Roe" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Scarborough Settler's Lament" (theme) and references there
cf. "The Benady Glen" (for Cooey-na-Gal)
cf. "Gelvin Burn" (for Cooey-na-Gal)
cf. "The River Roe (II)" (for Cooey-na-Gal)
cf. "Slieve Gallen Brae" (for Cooey-na-Gal)
NOTES: The monastery of Dungiven (in Ulster) is believed to have been established in the eleventh century, well before the English invaded Ireland. Many leaders of the O'Cahans were buried in what became Dungiven Priory.
The most famous of these O'Cahans was "Cooey-na-Gal" ("Terror of the Stranger"). Legend has it that "Cooey-na-Gal" was buried in a fine tomb in Dungiven, covered by an excellent carving of a warrior with a sword, surrounded by small figures of kilted soldiers. The work is regarded as one of the finest tomb sculptures in Ireland.
Unfortunately, the tomb is almost certainly not that of Cooey-na-Gal O'Cahan, because it is firmly dated to the fifteenth century. The best bet is that the man buried there is Aibhne O'Cahan, murdered in 1492.
Cooey-na-Gal has managed to get his name into a number of songs, mostly in the Henry collection and mostly obscure; see the cross-references. But there is also "The Benady Glen," recorded by Déanta. That song is listed as by Manus O'Kane, and another Cooey song ("Slieve Gallen Brae") is listed as by James O'Kane. Coincidence? - RBW
File: HHH024b

Banks of the Roses, The


DESCRIPTION: In full form, (Jeannie) meets (Johnny) on the banks of the Roses and bids him never leave her. (Her father opposes the relationship.) Johnny takes her to a (cave) containing her grave; he kills and buries her. Many versions leave out portions of this plot
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: c. 1790 (Madden Collection); also a fragment as #7 in the _Scots Musical Museum_
KEYWORDS: courting love fiddle murder burial family father
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber)) US(MA) Ireland Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (8 citations):
Doerflinger, pp. 315-316, "The Banks of the Roses" (1 text, 1 tune -- a lyric version)
MacSeegTrav 72, "The Banks of Red Roses" (1 text, 1 tune)
GreigDuncan7 1444, "Rab the Rover" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
Greenleaf/Mansfield 105, "The Banks of the Dizzy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 497-498, "The Banks of the Roses" (1 text, 1 tune)
OLochlainn 80, "The Banks of the Roses" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 144, "Banks Of The Roses" (1 text -- a lyric version)
DT, BANKROSE BANKROS2* BANKROS3 BANKROS4* BANKROS5*
Roud #603
RECORDINGS:
Seamus Ennis, "The Banks of the Roses" (on Lomax42, LomaxCD1742)
Lizzie Higgins, "The Banks of Red Roses" (on Voice10)
NOTES: Evidently singers loved the tune of this song, and the first few verses, but didn't like the murder ballad aspect. As a result, the first half of the song circulates independently, with Jeannie and Johnny courting and either getting married or peacefully going their separate ways. The result is lyric, and I suspect survives only because of its strong melody. - RBW
Folktrax site includes the following note for "The Banks of the Roses" which might explain the Greenleaf/Mansfield title: "PETRIE 1902 #253 has Irish song to same air. 'Ta mo chleamhnas deanta' is alternative title to tune 'The Banks of the Daisies.'" - BS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: Doe315

Banks of the Schuylkill, The


DESCRIPTION: "On the banks of the Schuylkill so pleasant and gay, There blessed with my true love I spent a short day." The girl describes her happy time with the man. But now he has been taken for a soldier. She hopes they will be happily reunited
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1840 (Journal from the Fortune)
KEYWORDS: soldier love separation reunion
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Randolph 769, "The Banks of the Schuylkill" (1 text, 1 tune)
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 160-161, "The Banks of the Schuylkill" (1 text)
Roud #2045
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Banks of the Dee" (theme)
File: R769

Banks of the Spey, The


DESCRIPTION: The singer meets a girl on the banks of the Spey. He asks to see her home. She says she has only a mile to go and her true love is waiting there. He calls on her at home. She tells him she is to be married. He crosses the ocean.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1910 (GreigDuncan6)
KEYWORDS: courting marriage rejection emigration
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Greig #148, p. 2, "The Banks of the Spey" (1 text fragment)
GreigDuncan6 1237, "The Banks of the Spey" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Roud #6780
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Banks of the Don
NOTES: One of the GreigDuncan6 texts adds a seemingly gratuitous last line "I've lost my bonnie lassie by courtin ower slow."
GreigDuncan6 quoting Duncan: "Robert Alexander, learnt about 1860 in Culsalmond. A very popular song." - BS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: GrD61237

Banks of the Tweed, The


DESCRIPTION: Mary says that her Willie "plays on his flute" but he'd stop if he knew she were here. Willie meets her. She complains that she hasn't seen him recently. He proposes that they "straightway repair" "to the alter of Hymen" to "join hearts and hands"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1952 (IRPTunney01)
KEYWORDS: sex nonballad sheep marriage music
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Tunney-SongsThunder, pp. 111-112, "The Banks of the Tweed" (1 text)
RECORDINGS:
Paddy Tunney, "The Banks of the Tweed" (on IRPTunney01)
NOTES: Omitted from the description: Mary and Willie are both out tending their sheep. - BS
File: RcTBotT

Banks of the Wabash


See On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away (File: FSWB045)

Bann Water Side, The


DESCRIPTION: The singer sees a pretty girl by the Bann. He offers her a comfortable life if she will marry him. She says she would rather be poor than beguiled. He promises that, if he becomes poor, he will split his last shilling with her. They are happily married
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1886 (broadside, Bodleian 2806 b.11(265))
KEYWORDS: love courting marriage money promise beauty
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (2 citations):
SHenry H685, p. 460, "The Bann Water Side" (1 text, 1 tune)
McBride 9, "The Blackwater Side" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3037
RECORDINGS:
Robert Cinnamond, "Bannwaterside" (on IRRCinnamond01)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, 2806 b.11(265), "The Blackwater Side" ("As I roved out one evening fair down by a shady grove"), H. Such (London), 1863-1885
File: HHH685

Banna's Banks


See Gramachree (File: HHH204)

Bannocks o' Barley


DESCRIPTION: Highlanders are "the lads wi' the bannocks o' barley." They "drew the gude claymore for Charlie," "cowed the English lowns," "stood in ruin wi' bonny Prince Charlie" and suffered "'neath the Duke's bluidy paw"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1796 (Scots Musical Museum)
KEYWORDS: rebellion nonballad patriotic Jacobites
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Apr 16, 1746 - Battle of Culloden Muir ends the 1745 Jacobite rebellion: the Duke of Cumberland defeats the supporters of Charles Edward Stuart.
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Hogg2 AJ21, "Bannocks o' Barley" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: James Kinsley, editor, _Burns: Complete Poems and Songs_ (shorter edition, Oxford, 1969) #581, pp. 685-686, "Bannocks o' bear meal" (1 text, 1 tune, from the Scots Musical Museum)
Roud #5653
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Killogie" (tune, according to Burns)
cf. "Cakes o' Croudy" (tune [Hogg1 11], according to Hogg; the chorus is "bannocks of bear meal, cakes of croudy")
NOTES: The words from Hogg2 and Burns are different enough that, while both are the same song, it's not clear to me whether one is the source of the other. The description follows Hogg2. - BS
The Duke of Cumberland was known as "Butcher" Cumberland, and he was very fat, with a pushed-in face that really did cause him to resemble a bear; hence, presumably, the reference to his "bluidy paw." The reference to bannocks of bear (bare?) meal sounds to me like a reference to the poor rations of the Jacobite army.
For the Battle of Culloden, see especially the notes to "The Muir of Culloden." - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: HoggAJ21

Bannocks o' Barley Meal


DESCRIPTION: (Donald) tells of "when he was a soldier wi' Geordie the Third," and boasts of the skill of Scottish soldiers; "when put to their mettle they're ne'er kent to fail" when given "well-buttered bannocks o' barley meal." He illustrates his point from history
AUTHOR: unknown (the Vocal Companion music is credited to "Mazzinghi")
EARLIEST DATE: 1904 (Ford); compare the 1837 Vocal Companion edition
KEYWORDS: soldier war food bragging
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 142-144, "Bannocks o' Barley Meal" (1 text)
GreigDuncan3 525, "The Land o' Cakes" (1 text, 1 tune)
GreigDuncan3 526, "Bannocks o' Barley Meal" (2 texts, 1 tune)
ADDITIONAL: (no author listed), "The Vocal Companion_, second edition, D'Almaine and Co., 1937 (available from Google Books), pp. 82-83, "Bannocks o' Barley Meal" (1 text, 1 tune -- a very short, and probably cleaned-up, text, but probably derived from the same original)
Roud #5653
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Lass o' Glenshee" (tune, per GreigDuncan3 526)
NOTES: GreigDuncan3 525: ." .. 1911. Learnt thirty-five years ago."
Apparently broadside Bodleian, 2806 c.11(78), "Bannocks o' Barley Meal" ("An auld Highland couple sat bein by the ingle"), J. Scott (Pittenweem), 19C is this song but I could not download and verify it. - BS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: FVS142

Bannow's Bright Blue Bay


DESCRIPTION: The singer recalls "where Bannow's Buried City lies beneath that bright blue sky." He remembers "one midnight as the moon went down beneath Rathdonnel's hill" when "the stormy sea" broke over it and it never woke again.
AUTHOR: Rev Philip Doyle, O.S.A. of Maudlintown, Wellingtonbridge
EARLIEST DATE: 1943 (Ranson)
KEYWORDS: sea storm disaster
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ranson, p. 41, "Bannow's Bright Blue Bay" (1 text)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Rising of the Moon" (tune; I assume not "The Wearing of the Green" - BS)
NOTES: Bannow is a Wexford townland and parish. There is a "buried city" but I have no details on how it is supposed to have been lost. The Wexford tourism site does list "the Buried city of Bannow" among Bannow's attractions. - BS
File: Ran041

Bannow's Lonely Shore


DESCRIPTION: "As on my pillow I recline in a foreign land to rest, The love of Bannow's flowery banks still throbs within my breast." The singer remembers his youth, plus ships, birds, and "youthful joys."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1948 (Ranson)
KEYWORDS: homesickness emigration lyric nonballad
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ranson, pp. 26-27, "Bannow's Lonely Shore" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Ranson: "It is believed that the song was composed by John Kane, a native of Grange, Bannow, when in exile in America." - BS
File: Ran026

Bantry Girl's Lament for Johnny, The


DESCRIPTION: "Oh who will plough the field now ... Since Johnny went a-thrashing the dirty King of Spain." Everyone, even the police, miss him. "His heavy loss we Bantry girls will never cease to mourn" if he dies "for Ireland's pride in the foreign land of Spain"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1884 (Graves)
KEYWORDS: grief war lament Ireland Spain separation soldier police
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (5 citations):
O'Conor, p. 132, "The Bantry Girls' Lament for Johnny" (1 text)
OLochlainn 77, "The Bantry Girls' Lament" (1 text, 1 tune)
Moylan 176, "The Bantry Girl's Lament" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BANTRYGL BANTRYG2
ADDITIONAL: H. Halliday Sparling, Irish Minstrelsy (London, 1888), pp. 296, 509, "The Bantry Girls' Lament for Johnny"
Roud #2999
NOTES: Sparling: "Taken from Graves' collection; on ballad-slips I have only seen very confused versions." The Graves reference is to Alfred Percival Graves Songs of Irish Wit and Humour (London, 1884). I must be misreading this badly if it is an example of "Irish Wit and Humour." There are clever lines though, like the reference to the police: "The peelers must stand idle against their will and grain, For the valiant boy who gave them work now peels the King of Spain."
If the reference to "peelers" has always been part of "Bantry Girls" then it puts an earliest possible date on the ballad: Sir Robert Peel established the Royal Irish Constabulary in 1812 and its success led, in 1829, to the Metropolitan Police Act for London. Originally the term "Peeler" applied to the London constabulary. (source: Sir Robert "Bobby" Peel (1788-1850) at Historic UK site.)
Here is a note from the MySongBook site Suzanne's Folksong--Notizen English Notes: "Learned from Tim Lyons of Clare. I mistook the locale for years and didn't realise that there was another Bantry, in North Co. Wexford, where this love song from the Peninsular War comes from. (Jimmy Crowley, notes 'Uncorked!')" Jimmy Crowley is the source for the site's text. The Peninsular War, 1808-1814, is against Napoleon's brother Joseph, installed as king of Spain. The Peninsular War reference fails my peelers reference suggestion.
This seems not to refer to Irish participation on the Cristino [supporting Queen Christina] side in the First Carlist War (1835-1837), which has the right date but wrong facts. - BS
The other possibility, I suppose, would be the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714); the British troops fought almost entirely in the Low Countries, but they were fighting against France, which was supporting the Spanish monarchy. This again fails the "Peeler" test, though.
Even more improbable are the various suggestions (repeated also in the Digital Tradition, e.g.) that this dates from the Peninsular Wars against Napoleon. The Peninsular War is not only is too early for the Peelers, but it also has its kings backwards: The British in the Peninsula were fighting against Napoleon, who had pushed aside the Spanish king (replacing him with Napoleon's brother Joseph, but no one except Napoleon would have called Joseph the King of Spain). - RBW
File: OLoc077

Baptist, Baptist Is My Name


See Gabriel's Trumpet (Baptist Numbered in God) (File: MWhee071)

Bar Harbor By the Sea


DESCRIPTION: "The day was drawing to its close, The sea was calm.... The pleasure yachts they sought repose." "Bar Harbor, how I love thy hills." The poet describes the sea, the mountains above the town, and many people of the town
AUTHOR: Words: John J. Friend
EARLIEST DATE: 1016 (Gray)
KEYWORDS: home nonballad moniker
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Gray, pp. 182-185, "Bar Harbor By the Sea" (1 text)
NOTES: The subhead of this is "Where You'll Meet Tourists of Every Land." The poem itself can't seem to decide whether it is an appeal for visitors to bring in their money, or an ode to the locals -- possibly the first three verses were advertising copy, and the next nine were designed to sell copies to the local residents.
The author lists about fifteen individuals or families from Bar Harbor. Some of these are named too briefly to recognize ("Harrisons," "Livingstons"). The rest I checked in the Concise Dictionary of American Biography (1964 edition, because it was the oldest I had to hand). None of them were worthy of mention, presumably showing how obscure all these people were.
There was one partial exception. The song mentions "Mrs. Morris K. Jessup" (note the double s in the surname, which is incorrect).
Morris K. Jesup (1830-1908) was, according to CDAB, a "capitalist [and] philanthropist" who made his money in banking, then retired in 1884 to spend the money. He helped found the American Museum of Natural History, supported several colleges, helped the Audubon Society -- and funded Robert Peary's quest for the North Pole.
According to Robert M. Bryce Cook & Peary: The Polar Controversy, Resolved (Stackpole, 1997), p. 135, Jesup was "a millionaire philanthropist.... A member of the New York City Mission and Travel Society and vice president of the American Sunday School Union, he had helped found the New York YMCA and was interested in Anthony Comstock's crusades to suppress vice and obscene literature." And Bryce also mentions his support of the Museum of Natural History, and his heavy support for Robert Peary. (For more on Peary, see "Hurrah for Baffin's Bay").
Cape Morris Jesup, at the northern tip of Greenland, was named for him by Peary; it is thought to be the northernmost point of land on earth, and seems to have been Jesup's biggest surviving claim to fame.
Jesup was dead by the time Gray published his book -- and, I suspect, by the time this ode was written. Hence the praise to (I assume) his widow. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: Gray182

Bar the Door O


See Get Up and Bar the Door [Child 275] (File: C275)

Barbara Allan


See Bonny Barbara Allan [Child 84] (File: C084)

Barbara Allen


See Bonny Barbara Allan [Child 84] (File: C084)

Barbara Buck


See The Southern Soldier Boy (Barbro Buck) (File: R238)

Barber Song, The


DESCRIPTION: A young barber is admired in general and in particular by a maid named Matilda. A butcher is jealous and goes to the barber shop where they fight and the butcher is killed. Matilda commits suicide; the barber goes crazy and eventually poisons himself.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1945 (Harlow)
KEYWORDS: jealousy humorous murder suicide poison love
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Harlow, pp. 196-197, "The Barber Song" (1 text)
Roud #9158
NOTES: Harlow gives the source of this as the Vineyard Gazette (first published in 1846), but gives no date or issue. - SL
File: Harl196

Barbery Allen


See Bonny Barbara Allan [Child 84] (File: C084)

Barbro Allen


See Bonny Barbara Allan [Child 84] (File: C084)

Barbro Buck


See The Southern Soldier Boy (Barbro Buck) (File: R238)

Barbry Ellen


See Bonny Barbara Allan [Child 84] (File: C084)

Bard of Armagh, The


DESCRIPTION: "O, list to the tale of a poor Irish harper... Remember those fingers could once move much sharper To waken the echoes of his dear native land." The bard recalls the days of his youth and vigor, then makes requests for his death and burial
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1873 (broadside, LOCSheet sm1873 14657); c.1867 (broadside, Bodleian Firth b.25(11))
KEYWORDS: harp music age death burial
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Silber-FSWB, p. 320, "The Bard of Armagh" (1 text)
O'Conor, p. 50, "The Bard of Armagh" (1 text
Hayward-Ulster, pp. 65-66, "The Bard of Armagh" (1 text)DT, BARDARMA*
ADDITIONAL: Richard Hayward, Ireland Calling (Glasgow,n.d.), p. 10, "The Bard of Armagh" (text and music)
Kathleen Hoagland, editor, One Thousand Years of Irish Poetry (New York, 1947), p. 248, "Bold Phelim Brady, the Bard of Armagh" (1 text)
Roud #2654
RECORDINGS:
Margaret Barry, "The Bard of Armagh" (on IRMBarry-Fairs)
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, "The Bard of Armagh" (on IRClancyMakem02)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Firth b.25(11), "The Bard of Armagh", P. Brereton (Dublin), c.1867; also Harding B 26(35), "The Bard of Armagh"
LOCSheet, sm1873 14657, "The Bard of Armagh", E. H. Harding (New York), 1873 (tune)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Unfortunate Rake" (tune, subject) and references there
cf. "The Streets of Laredo" [Laws B1] (tune, subject) and references there
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Brady's Lament
File: FSWB320B

Bard of Culnady, The/Charles O'Neill


DESCRIPTION: Listeners are asked to weep for the "Sweet Bard of Culnady," Charles O'Neill. We are told that although he received little support or patronage, O'Neill was a much better musician than those in high favor.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1924 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: music death
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
SHenry H50, p. 139, "The Bard of Culnady/Charles O'Neill" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9449
File: HHH050

Bardy Train, The


See The Duke of Buckingham's Hounds (File: Br3218)

Barefoot Boy with Boots On, The


DESCRIPTION: Tales of the odd life of the barefoot boy with boots on. Most of the song's lyrics are either paradoxical ("The night was dark and stormy and the moon kept shining bright") or tautological ("his pants were full of pockets and his boots were full of feet")
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1928 (recording, Harry "Mac" McClintock)
KEYWORDS: paradox nonsense humorous family
FOUND IN: US(MA,So)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Randolph 447, "Popular Gag Song" (2 texts, but only the "B" text goes with this song)
FSCatskills 154, "The Barefoot Boy" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST FSC154 (Partial)
Roud #6676
RECORDINGS:
Bill Cox, "Barefoot Boy With Boots On" (Conqueror 8231, 1933; Melotone M-13058/Perfect 13014/Oriole 8349, 1934)
Otto Gray & his Cowboy Band, "Barefoot Boy with Boots On" (Vocalion 5256, 1928)
Bradley Kincaid, "Ain't We Crazy" (Decca 5025, 1934)
"Radio Mac" [pseud. for Harry "Mac" McClintock], "Ain't We Crazy?" (Victor V-40101, 1929; rec. 1928)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Ain't No Bugs on Me" (floating lyrics)
cf. "At the Boarding House (Silver Threads; While the Organ Pealed Potatoes)" (floating lyrics)
File: FSC154

Bargain With Me


DESCRIPTION: The worker is accosted by a widow, who asks him to "bargain with me." They agree on a wage, then negotiate where he will sleep. He turns down a place with the chap and the maid; she offers herself. Learning that her husband is dead, he agrees to marry
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1950
KEYWORDS: worker courting marriage home bargaining
FOUND IN: Britain(England)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Kennedy 194, "Bargain With Me" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #366
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Tam Buie (Tam Bo, Magherafelt Hiring Fair)" (plot)
NOTES: In plot, this is identical with "Tam Buie (Tam Bo, Magherafelt Hiring Fair)," but the form of the latter resembles nothing so much as "My Good Old Man," while "Bargain With Me" -- though it has a similar sung-and-spoken mechanism, seems to have some inspiration from "Billy Boy."
It seems to me best to keep "Tom Buie" and "Bargain With Me" separate, while noting their extreme similarity. Roud of course lumps them. - RBW
File: K194

Bark Gay Head, The


DESCRIPTION: "Come all you young Americans and listen to my ditty..." The singer tells of the New Bedford whaler Gay Head, whose "rules and regulations They are most awful queer." The singer describes the builders and officers
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1860 (Journal from the Stella)
KEYWORDS: whaler moniker
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 34-36, "The Bark Gay Head" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BRKGAYHD*
Roud #2008
File: SWMS034

Barking Barber, The


See references under Bow Wow Wow (File: ChWII183)

Barley Bree, The


DESCRIPTION: Old Robin goes to town to sell his wood but comes home drunk. His loving wife complains. He threatens to beat her and the children and burn the house. He falls off the chair and sleeps on the floor. Now "Robin's turned teetotaler" and she is happy.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1910 (GreigDuncan3)
KEYWORDS: drink husband wife home commerce abuse injury
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Greig #153, p. 1, "The Barley Bree"; Greig #156, p. 2, "The Barley Bree" (2 texts)
GreigDuncan3 586, "The Barley Bree" (2 texts)
Roud #5876
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "There's Nae Luck Aboot the Hoose" (tune, per Greig)
NOTES: Greig: "Miss Robertson says that it is taken from a Temperance song-book published some 50 years ago." [1910] - BS
Last updated in version 2.4
File: GrD3586

Barley Corn, The


See John Barleycorn (File: ShH84)

Barley Grain for Me, The


See John Barleycorn (File: ShH84)

Barley Mow, The


DESCRIPTION: Cumulative song toasting successive sizes of drinking vessels, and those who serve them: "The quart pot, pint pot, half-a-pint, gill pot, half-a-gill, quarter-gill, nipperkin, and the brown bowl/Here's good luck, good luck, good luck to the barley mow."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1609 (Ravenscroft's Deuteromelia, under the title "Give Us Once a Drinke")
KEYWORDS: ritual drink nonballad
FOUND IN: Britain(England(Lond,South,West)) Australia
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Sharp-100E 99, "The Barley Mow" (1 text, 1 tune)
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 70-71, "The Barley-Mow" (1 text, 1 tune)
Kennedy 265, "The Barley Mow" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BARLEYMO
Roud #944
RECORDINGS:
George Spicer, "The Barley Mow" (on Voice13)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Good Luck to the Barley Mow
NOTES: The brown bowl is to get sick into.
Sharp cites a reference noting that this was sung after a pre-Christian ritual called "crying the neck". -PJS
It was my understanding (don't know where I heard it) that the "Barley Mow" was a challenge -- if you fail to sing it through accurately and/or in one breath, you have to take another drink and, perhaps, buy a round for the house. Naturally, things tend to go downhill rapidly after the first error.
Ravenscroft's version of this is fascinating, since the final words are not "barley mow" but "balla moy," which (depending on the language) could mean something like "throw to me." Even the English version has its archaic words -- the chorus runs
The Tunne, the Butt, the Pipe, the hogshead, the barrell, the kilderkin, the verkin, the gallon pot, the pottle pot, the quart pot, the pint pot,
for and the blacke bole, sing gentle Butler balla moy,-
And, yes, a pottle is a half gallon. But I know that only because of an Isaac Asimov science essay which sneered at it. RBW
File: ShH99

Barley Raking (Barley Rigs A-Raking)


DESCRIPTION: The singer spies a couple "have a jovial treat" at hay-making time. After 20 weeks, "this fair maid fell a-sighing"; after 40 weeks, she is crying. She writes to her love. He rejects her, saying, "I dearly like my freedom."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1863 (broadside, Bodleian Firth c.18(297))
KEYWORDS: courting sex pregnancy rejection
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
GreigDuncan6 1154, "Barley Rigs A-Rakin'" (8 texts, 8 tunes)
Ord, p. 218-219, "Barley Rigs A-Raking" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1024
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Firth c.18(297), "Barley Raking" ("It was in the merry month of May when hay it wanted making")," H. Such (London), 1849-1862; also Harding B 11(1985), Firth c.18(296), Harding B 11(129), "Barley Raking"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Oh, No, Not I" (plot) and references there
cf. "Corn Rigs (Rigs o' Barley)" (theme)
NOTES: Roud lumps this with Burns's "Corn Rigs" ("It was upon a Lammas night"). A source it may be, but Burns has done enough rewriting that I think they must be split. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: Ord218

Barley Straw, The


See Davy Faa (Remember the Barley Straw) (File: K188)

Barnacle Bill the Sailor


See Bollochy Bill the Sailor (File: EM081)

Barney and Katie [Laws O21]


DESCRIPTION: Barney comes to his love Katie's door on a bitter winter night. Katie says that she is alone at home, and if she let him in she would tarnish her virtue. Despite the cold, he goes home proud of her pure name
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1901 (O'Conor)
KEYWORDS: courting virtue nightvisit
FOUND IN: US(MW,NE) Canada(Mar,Newf) Ireland
REFERENCES (7 citations):
Laws O21, "Barney and Katie"
Eddy 143, "Barney and Katie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Flanders/Olney, pp. 222-223, "Barney and Katie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Leach-Labrador 26, "Barney Flew Over the Hills to his Darling" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-Maritime, p. 77, "When Barney Flew Over the Hills" (1 text, 1 tune)
O'Conor, pp. 97-98, "Katty Avourneen" (1 text)
DT 480, BARNKATE
Roud #992
RECORDINGS:
Bodleian, Harding B 26(303), "Katty Avourneen"/"Barney Avourneen," unknown (Belfast), 1846-1852
File: LO21

Barney Bodkin Broke His Nose


See A Bundle ot Truths (File: OO2034)

Barney Brallaghan


DESCRIPTION: "'Twas on a frosty night at two o'clock in the morning." Barney Brallaghan courts sleeping Judy Callaghan from under her window. He recounts her charms and his possessions. He leaves when the rain starts but promises to return until she marries him.
AUTHOR: unknown (see notes)
EARLIEST DATE: before 1830 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 25(124))
KEYWORDS: courting humorous storm
FOUND IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
O'Conor, p. 45, "Barney Brallaghan" (1 text); pp. 80-81, "Charming Judy Callaghan" (1 text)
Dean, p 100, "Barney Bralligan" (1 text)
Roud #9592
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 25(124), "Barney Brallaghan", T. Birt (London), 1828-1829; also Firth b.25(69), "Barney Bralaghan's Courtship"; Harding B 17(17b), Johnson Ballads 2333, "Barney Brallaghan"; Firth b.26(451), 2806 c.15(273), Harding B 11(168), Harding B 11(2267), Harding B 11(167), Harding B 11(3020), "Barney Brallaghan's Courtship"; 2806 c.17(20), "Judy Callagan"; Harding B 15(41a), "Charming Judy Callaghan"
LOCSinging, sb10019b, "Barney Brallaghan", H. De Marsan (New York), 1859-1860; also as112630, "Barney Brallaghan"
NOTES: O'Conor has almost identical texts as "Barney Brallaghan" and "Charming Judy Callaghan." He shows Samuel Lover as author of the second and has no attribution for the first. At South Riding Folk Network site The South Riding Tune Book Volume 1, "Notes on Judy Callaghan" says that "Barney Brallaghan and Judy Callaghan were the subjects of a whole series of 'Stage Irish' comic songs." The site then quotes the text printed in O'Conor and makes the author Thomas Hudson [(1791-1844)], about 1825-1830, to a tune by Jonathan Blewitt, written between 1811-1814. None of the broadsides show an attribution.
How reliable are O'Conor attributions? See also "The Angel's Whisper."
Broadside LOCSinging sb10019b: H. De Marsan dating per Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site. - BS
Dean's text isn't much like O'Conor's, but I'massuming they're the same based on the unlikelihood of two songs with such a title. There is also a fairly well-known fiddle tune (a slip jig) with this title, though it's hard to prove that it's the same since our texts don't have tunes. - RBW
File: OCon045

Barney Bralligan


See Barney Brallaghan (File: OCon045)

Barney Buntline


See Sailor's Consolation (File: Hugi460)

Barney Flew Over the Hills to his Darling


See Barney and Katie (File: LO21)

Barney McCabe


DESCRIPTION: Young Mary and Jack go on a journey; Jack takes four grains of corn. They stop at a witch's house; she prepares to kill them. Jack throws out his grains of corn, one at a time; each turns into something which helps the children return home
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1991 (Sing Out! magazine)
KEYWORDS: recitation magic escape children
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
ADDITIONAL: _Sing Out_ magazine, Volume 35, #4 (1991), pp, 12-14, "Barney McCabe" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: This is a mix of spoken narrative with musical interludes. The source was Janie Hunter of Johns Island.
The tale is somewhat peculiar because nothing is ever explained. Why did the two young children go on their journey without their parents? Where were they going? Why did Jack take the corn? What made it magical? If he can himself make magic, why does he not use it more directly?
I rather suspect that the confusion arises because the tale is composite. The lost-children-and-witch motif of course comes from sources like "Hansel and Gretl." The magic talisman is common in stories such as "The Goose Girl." I suppose, when you mix them all up, you get this. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: SOBarMcc

Barney McCoy


DESCRIPTION: "I am going far away, Nora darling... It will break my heart in two Which I fondly give to you, And no other is so loving, kind, and true." He is going away on a ship to seek his fortune; she stays to care for her mother. They do not expect to meet again
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1879 (Journal from the A Hicks)
KEYWORDS: love separation emigration family parting
FOUND IN: US(MW,SE,So) Australia Ireland
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Randolph 776, "Barney McCoy" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownII 113, "Barney McCoy" (1 text plus mention of 2 more)
Meredith/Covell/Brown, pp. 103-105, "Barney McCoy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 302-303, "Norah Darling" (1 text, 1 tune)
O'Conor, p. 134, "Barney McCoy" (1 text)
cf. Gardner/Chickering, p. 477, "Barney McCoi" (source notes only)
ST R776 (Full)
Roud #2094
RECORDINGS:
Arkansas Woodchopper [pseud. for Luther Ossenbrink], "Barney McCoy" (Champion 15897 [may also have been issued as by West Virginia Rail Splitter]/Supertone 9569, 1929)
Ernest V. Stoneman, "Barney McCoy" (Challenge 152/Challenge 309/Gennett 3381/Herwin 75528, 1926-1927; rec. 1926)
[Ernest Stoneman &] Uncle Eck Dunford, "Barney McCoy" (Victor 20938, 1927)
BROADSIDES:
LOCSheet, sm1881 15663, "Barney McCoy", T. Harms & Co. (New York), sm1881 15663; also sm1882 14475, sm1882 12650, "Barney McCoy" or "I'm Going Far Away Norah Darling" (tune)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Nora Darling
NOTES: Everything about this song says Ireland -- except the references; I have been unable to locate a single guaranteed-traditional Irish text. There is a copyright claim from 1881, but the song is evidently older. - RBW
Might it have been "stage-Irish," American-composed? - PJS
Possible, though it's an above-average job in that case. And note the lack of a happy ending. - RBW
O'Conor not only provides an Irish claim but an indeterminate and possibly happy ending
"I am going far away, Norah, darling, And the ship is now anchored at the bay, And before to-morrow you will hear the signal gun, So be ready--it will carry us away." - BS
File: R776

Barney McShane


DESCRIPTION: As Barney McShane is passing the widow's door it begins to pour down rain. She tells him to come in; she'll fix him some tea and they can cuddle. The song praises her beauty
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1938 (recording, Warde Ford)
KEYWORDS: beauty courting storm
FOUND IN: US(MW,SW)
Roud #15469
RECORDINGS:
Bogue Ford, "Barney McShane" (AFS 4209 B2, 1939; in AMMEM/Cowell)
Warde Ford, "Barney McShane" (AFS 4204 A3, 1938; tr.; in AMMEM/Cowell)
NOTES: This has a powerful flavor of the music hall about it, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn of a Harry Lauder recording. But in his introduction, Warde Ford reports learning it from a Nevada man, and his brother Bogue from someone from Los Angeles.So it's in the oral tradition, and it's narrative, so in it goes. - PJS
File: RcBaMcS

Barney O'Hea


DESCRIPTION: "Now let me alone" says the singer to Barney O'Hea. He had "better look out for the stout Corney Creagh" and don't be impudent. Don't follow me to Brandon Fair where I'll be alone. They meet at the fair. She promises to marry "impudent Barney O'Hea"
AUTHOR: Samuel Lover (1797-1868) (Source: Hoagland)
EARLIEST DATE: before 1886 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 15(18b))
KEYWORDS: courting humorous rejection
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (2 citations):
O'Conor, pp. 65-66, "Barney O'Hea" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: Kathleen Hoagland, editor, One Thousand Years of Irish Poetry (New York, 1947), pp. 413-414, "Barney O'Hea" (1 text)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 15(18b), "Barney O'Hea", W.S. Fortey (London), 1858-1885; also Harding B 11(2155), Firth c.26(126), Firth c.19(205), "Barney O'Hea"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Common Bill" (theme)
File: OCon065

Barney O'Lean


DESCRIPTION: The singer was to meet Barney at the gate by eight o'clock. She expects him to come to propose. But he has not appeared. She hopes he is not with another girl
AUTHOR: Words: Arthur W. French / Music: George A. Persley
EARLIEST DATE: 1874 (sheet music, LOCSheet, sm1874 05564)
KEYWORDS: courting loneliness
FOUND IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Eddy 152, "Barney O'Lean" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST E152 (Full)
Roud #5347
BROADSIDES:
LOCSheet, sm1874 05564, "Barney A'Leen," J. L. Peters (New York), 1874; also sm1885 23890, "Barney A'Leen," Oliver Ditson (Boston), 1885 (tune)
File: E152

Barns o' Beneuchies, The


DESCRIPTION: "My freens, ane an' a', I'll sing ye a sang... It's about a mannie Kempie... For he rages like the deevil in the mornin'." The crew that works the barns complains about Kempie and rejoices to leave; he too will be out of work soon
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1908 (GreigDuncan3)
KEYWORDS: farming hardtimes food boss
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Greig #142, p. 2, "The Barns o' Beneuches" (1 text)
GreigDuncan3 360, "The Barns o' Beneuches" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Ord, pp. 231-232, "The Barns o' Beneuchies" (1 text)
DT, BENEUCHS*
Roud #2176
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Johnnie Cope" (tune)
NOTES: Greig: "Although we have no record of the tune we may safely take it that it is an adaptation of 'Johnnie Cope.'"
GreigDuncan3 has a map on p. xxxv, of "places mentioned in songs in volume 3" showing the song number as well as place name; Barnyards of Badenyouchers (360) is at coordinate (h6,v5-6) on that map [roughly 43 miles NW of Aberdeen]. - BS
Last updated in version 2.4
File: Ord231

Barnyard Serenade


See Hen Cackle (File: RcOHCRGC)

Barnyard Song, The


See I Had a Little Rooster (Farmyard Song) (File: R352)

Barnyard Tumble


DESCRIPTION: Singer recounts his troubles in trying to take care of his animals. His dog is missing, his bull is 'doing the barnyard tumble' with the cows, his hens and roosters have gone on strike, his horse is in the neighbor's barn and his milk cow kicks him.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: c. 1932 (recording, Bill Carlisle)
KEYWORDS: farming humorous animal chickens dog horse
FOUND IN: US(SE)
RECORDINGS:
Bill Carlisle "Barnyard Tumble" (c. 1932; on CrowTold01)
NOTES: Just barely a ballad. - PJS
File: RcBarTum

Barnyards o' Delgaty, The


DESCRIPTION: The young man comes to Turra Market to seek work. A wealthy farmer promises him good conditions at Delgaty. The promises prove false; the horses are poor and lazy, and the working conditions bad. The man boasts of his abilities and cheerfully departs
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1904 (GreigDuncan3)
KEYWORDS: work hardtimes abuse farming
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (7 citations):
Greig "Folk-Song in Buchan," pp. 70-71, "The Barnyards o' Delgaty"; Greig #4, p. 1, "The Barnyards o' Delgaty" (2 texts)
GreigDuncan3 347, "The Barnyards o' Delgaty" (13 texts, 14 tunes)
Kennedy 242, "The Barnyards o' Delgaty" (1 text, 1 tune)
DBuchan 65, "The Barnyards o Delgaty" (1 text, 1 tune in appendix)
Ord, pp. 214-215, "The Barnyards o' Delgaty" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 199, "Barnyards of Delgaty" (1 text)
DT, BARNDELG
Roud #2136
RECORDINGS:
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, "The Barnyards of Delgaty" (on IRClancyMakem02)
Jimmy McBeath, "The Barnyards O' Delgaty" (on Voice05)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Parting Glass" (floating lyrics)
cf. "The State of Arkansas (The Arkansas Traveler II)" [Laws H1] (theme)
cf. "The Feeing Time (II)" (theme)
cf. "Linton Lowrie" (tune)
cf. "Darahill" (tune)
cf. "Rhynie" (tune, chorus, theme)
SAME TUNE:
Darahill (File: Ord276)
Linton Lowrie (File: HHH640)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Jock o' Rhynie
The Barnyards
Liltin Addie
Buchan Prodigal
NOTES: GreigDuncan3 has a map on p. xxxv, of "places mentioned in songs in volume 3" showing the song number as well as place name; Barnyards of Delgaty (347) is at coordinate (h5,v7-8) on that map [roughly 32 miles NNW of Aberdeen]; Turriff (347,386,682) is at coordinate (h5,v7) on that map [roughly 31 miles NNW of Aberdeen] - BS
Last updated in version 2.4
File: K242

Baron o Leys, The [Child 241]


DESCRIPTION: The Baron of Leys leaves his home for another country, where he gets a girl pregnant. She confronts him, demanding that he marry her, pay her a fee, or lose his head. Since he is married, he perforce pays her what she asks (ten thousand pounds?)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1803 (Skene ms.)
KEYWORDS: sex pregnancy punishment
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Child 241, "The Baron o Leys" (3 texts)
GreigDuncan7 1491, "The Baron o' Leys" (6 texts including three verses for one version and one verse for another on p. 537, 1 tune) {Bronson's #2}
Bronson 241, "The Baron o Leys" (2 versions)
Kinloch-BBook XXIII, pp. 74-76, "Laird o' Leys" (1 text)
Roud #343
File: C241

Baron of Brackley, The [Child 203]


DESCRIPTION: Inverey comes to Brackley's gate, calling for Brackley to come forth. The baron, with few men on hand, would stay within, but his wife shames him into going out (with 4 men against 400). Brackley is killed; Lady Brackley rejoices. (His son vows revenge)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1806 (Jamieson)
KEYWORDS: revenge death feud betrayal
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1666 - Reported date of the fatal feud between Brackley and Inverey.
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber,Bord)
REFERENCES (9 citations):
Child 203, "The Baron of Brackley" (4 texts)
Bronson 203, "The Baron of Brackley" (3 versions+6 in addenda)
GreigDuncan2 234, "The Baron o' Braikley" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Leach, pp. 544-546, "The Baron of Brackley" (1 text)
OBB 149, "The Baron of Brackley" (1 text)
Gummere, pp. 151-154+333, "The Baron of Brackley" (1 text)
DBuchan 23, "The Baron of Brackley" (1 text)
HarvClass-EP1, pp. 119-121, "The Baron of Brackley" (1 text)
DT 203, BRNBRKLY* BRNBRKL2
Roud #4017
RECORDINGS:
Ewan MacColl, "The Baron of Brackley" (ESFB1, ESFB2)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Baron o' Braichley
NOTES: The feud between Brackley and Inverey seems to have arisen when the former raided Inverey's cattle and refused to give compensation. Inverey rode to Brackley's, and recovered both his own cattle and Brackley's own. Brackley, his brother, and two or three others rode forth and were killed.
It is worth noting that Margaret Burnet, Lady Brackley, married Brackley without her family's consent, implying that it was a love match. The rumour that she was untrue may have arisen because she later remarried. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: C203

Baron of Gartley, The


DESCRIPTION: Gartley returns from war. At his gate he is told that he has died on the battlefield and that his wife has a new husband. The Baron asks "the weird sisters" to curse his lady and her leman. At morning the castle seems burnt and none in it are alive.
AUTHOR: Reverend William Robertson (1785-1836) (source: Greig)
EARLIEST DATE: 1823 (Laing, _Thistle of Scotland_, according to Greig)
KEYWORDS: infidelity curse return death magic storm witch
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Greig #69, pp. 1-2, "The Baron of Gartley" (1 text)
GreigDuncan2 344, "The Baron of Gartley" (2 texts)
Roud #5873
NOTES: This is a long ballad with lots of supernatural elements:
The Baron's armour "we' witchin spell was bound" so that he could not be wounded in battle. The Baron is challenged on the way by a Kelpie [water spirit] who lets him pass because the youngest of his "weird sisters" loves the Baron. His trip after that is marked by "unholy sangs." When he arrives at the gate he is told by "Billy, born blind" [cf., "Billie Blin, a serviceable house-hold demon" in Child's glossary] the story of his death. When he goes to the weird sisters' home he is greeted by the porter, a goblin, who tells him the sisters are busy digging up the new laid dead in "the rotten kirkyard." When he calls on the "gaunt and grim sisters" he says "Ye promised to help a bauld Baronne, Now make your promise good. Now do to me, ye weird sisters, That deed without a name; My fause lady and her leman Hae brought my house to shame." Finally, after the curse, "lang has the castle bleached in the wing Yet whiter it cannot be."
Greig: "The development of literary consciousness has told with fatal effect on the art of ballad-writing, till a ballad in the true traditional style has become an impossible acheivement. Among imitations, however, as all modern efforts are, 'The Baron of Gartley' holds a high place." - BS
Last updated in version 2.4
File: GrD2344

Barrack Street


See The Shirt and the Apron [Laws K42] (File: LK42)

Barrack's Song, The


DESCRIPTION: "On Wednesday morning, may the third, nineteen and forty-four, We left our homes seal hunting went." Their ship is jammed in the ice. The sealers try to set out for the barracks. The T-14 finds them the next day and takes them home
AUTHOR: Nicolas Lane
EARLIEST DATE: 1973 (collected from Nicolas Lane)
KEYWORDS: ship wreck rescue hunting
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ryan/Small, p. 132, "The Barrack's Song" (1 text)
NOTES: No tune is listed, but this appears to be based on "The Greenland Whale Fishery" [Laws K21].
Lane's song does not specify what sort of ship the T-14 is, but I believe it was a submarine. - RBW
File: RySm132

Barrin' o' the Door, The


See Get Up and Bar the Door [Child 275] (File: C275)

Barrosa Plains


DESCRIPTION: The Prince's Own sail from Cadiz to Gibraltar Bay and land at Algesir. Their Spanish allies at Tarifa Bay refuse to fight. General Graham leads the Britons and Irish to escape an ambush, defeat the French and capture an eagle standard.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1970 (Winstock's _Songs and Music of the Redcoats_, according to Moylan)
KEYWORDS: army battle Spain patriotic
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
March [5], 1811 - "The battle of Barrosa took place in relief of Cadiz ... when General Sir Thomas Graham defeated a French force under Marshall Victor." (source: Moylan)
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Moylan 177, "Barrosa Plains" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST Moyl177 (Partial)
Roud #2182
BROADSIDES:
cf. "The Battle of Barossa" (subject)
cf. "Oliver's Advice (Barossa)" (subject)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Barrosa
NOTES: The "Prince's Own" is the 87th Prince of Wales Irish Regiment of Foot which captured the first French eagle standard to be taken in battle (source: "French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars 1789-1815" in The Royal Irish Regiment at The British Army site). - BS
This regiment is now the Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's); it has been combined with the 89th Foot. The 87th, according to the histories I've seen, was the regiment most praised for its work at Barrosa. The unit, in fact, earned *nine* battle honours for the Peninsular Campaign, and eventually adopted a tune called "Barrosa" (possibly this one, though I don't entirely trust that) as its quick march.
Lewis Winstock, The Music of the Redcoats 1642-1902, p. 125, writes, "[To] a French officer it was 'the most terrible bayonet fight I had ever seen' ... the 87th stabbing like demons and howling their war-cry -- 'Faught a ballagh,' ('clear the way') swung the balance of fortune to the British. Thomas Dibdin was one of several ballad writerswho celebrated the victory which cost the French 2,000 casualties out of a force of 7.000, but the song that has survived is the one the Irish themselves wrote. Its precise origin is unknown, but the Royal Irish Fusiliers have a set of handwritten verses which appear to date from early Victorian times."
For further background, see the notes to "The Battle of Barossa" (yes, that's the way it's spelled in that song, even though it's wrong). There are many parallels between that song and this; Roud lumps them, and I've thought about the same. But the differences are also substantial, since they involve different regiments. I very tentatively keep them separate. - RBW
File: Moyl177

Barrs' Anthem, The


DESCRIPTION: "Sunday the seventh of November Blackrock and Saint Finbarrs did play" St Finbarr's scored first but Blackrock led at half-time. "We pulled it right out of the fire ... The famous Blackrocks were defeated ... long life to the gallant old Blues"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1978 (OCanainn)
KEYWORDS: pride sports
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
OCanainn, pp. 114-115, "The Barrs' Anthem" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: OCanainn: "The Cork County Hurling Championship in 1926 was played between Blackrock and Saint Finbarr's. The match was generally regarded as a mere formality for Blackrock, who supplied ten players to the All-Ireland winning Cork team of the year. The result, a win for the Barrs, was a major upset." - BS
File: OCan114

Barry Grenadiers, The


DESCRIPTION: "You can tell we're bright young fellows, We're the elegants from the south, You can tell we're educated By the expressions from our mouths." The team boasts of its success in contests and with the ladies, and claim they can free Ireland
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1987
KEYWORDS: sports Ireland bragging
FOUND IN: Australia
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Meredith/Covell/Brown, pp. 253-255, "The Barry Grenadiers" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Bowery Grenadiers" (tune)
File: MCB253

Barry of Macroom


DESCRIPTION: After a dinner party the whisky-punch is brought out "and soon all 'neath the table lay" except Barry. He challenges all at each whisky shop with the same result. He comes sick, ignores doctor's warning to avoid drink, and lives many years.
AUTHOR: Richard Ryan (source: Croker-PopularSongs)
EARLIEST DATE: 1839 (Croker-PopularSongs)
KEYWORDS: drink wife doctor disease
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Croker-PopularSongs, pp. 98-101, "Barry of Macroom" (1 text)
NOTES: In the first verse the singer claims no one compares to "bold Barry of Macroom" when it comes to punch-drinking. The song names two presumed champions of the past: Dan MacCarty and Jem Nash. Croker cites Smith's History of Kerry where MacCarty, dead in 1751 at 112, is said to have drunk "for many of the last years of his life, great quantities ...."
Croker-PopularSongs: "The town of Macroom ... is about eighteen miles west of the city of Cork. Upwards of eighty years ago [before 1759], Smith, in his 'History of Cork,' observes that, 'in this town are some whisky distillers; a liquor and manufacture so pernicious to the poor, that it renders every other employment useless to them.'" - BS
File: CrPS098

Barrymore Tithe Victory, The


DESCRIPTION: "There was a poor man, and he had but one cow, The Parson had seized her." depriving the family of milk. At auction, guarded by "the Watergrass Hill boys," "no human being would Drimon dare buy." The cow is returned.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: c.1831 (Zimmermann)
KEYWORDS: poverty farming Ireland political animal family
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Zimmermann 41, "The Barrymore Tithe Victory" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Battle of Carrickshock" (subject: The Tithe War) and references there
cf. "The Moneygran Pig Hunt" (theme)
NOTES: The context is "The Tithe War": O'Connell's Catholic Association was formed in 1823 to resist the requirement that Irish Catholics pay tithes to the Anglican Church of Ireland. The "war" was passive for most of the period 1823-1836, though there were violent incidents in 1831 (source: The Irish Tithe War 1831 at the OnWar.com site)
Zimmermann: "The crops and goods seized when people refused to pay the tithes were auctioned; large crowds would often attend the forced sale, but refused to bid, and prevented anyone from purchasing."
Watergrass Hill and the barony of Barrymore are in County Cork.
See "Drimindown" for a discussion of Drimin, refering to a cow, as a metaphor for Ireland. In this case there is a chorus in Irish Gaelic that Zimmermann translates as "Dear brown fair-backed cow, O silk of the kine, Your people did not die but will survive, Daniel (O'Connell) and his friends are strong in the fight, And they will beat every strong man in the world that opposes them." - BS
For the Tithe War, see the notes and references under "The Battle of Carrickshock." For a later instance of Irish tenants outwitting those who would confiscate their livestock, see "The Moneygran Pig Hunt." - RBW.
File: Zimm041

Bas an Chroppi (The Dead Croppy)


DESCRIPTION: Gaelic. Singer finds a dying croppy. He seems transported to his mother's home. She tells him that his father has been killed. "Shall Eire never a tear bestow On the soldier who fought her fight?"
AUTHOR: Gaelic text by An Craoibhin Aoibhinn (Douglas Hyde, 1860-1949), translated by William Rooney (source: Moylan)
EARLIEST DATE: 1898 (according to Moylan)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage rebellion dying Ireland
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1798 - Irish rebellion against British rule
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Moylan 139, "Bas an Chroppi" (1 Gaelic text); 140, "The Dead Croppy" (1 English text)
NOTES: The description is from the translation by William Rooney as Moylan 140, "The Dead Croppy." - BS
Douglas Hyde was the first president of the Gaelic League (though not its founder); he held the post from 1893 to 1915, when he resigned because he thought its political direction too dangerous. He joined the Senate of the Irish Free State in 1925, and was President of Ireland (the first to hold that post under the revised constitution) from 1938 to 1944/5. - RBW
File: Moyl139

Bashful Courtship, The


See Aunt Sal's Song (The Man Who Didn't Know How to Court) (File: LoF101)

Baskatong, The


DESCRIPTION: "Oh, it was in the year eighteen hundred and one When I left my poor Kate all sad and alone" to work three months on the Baskatong. The singer praises the foreman Kennedy as fair, describes the men and the food, and prepares to write home
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1957 (Fowke)
LONG DESCRIPTION: Describes life in Baskatong lumber camp. The foreman, Kennedy, is a fair man; when Kennedy's Dan is driving his old horses, the harness breaks, and Dan tells the old man to stick it in his eye. Morissette is a good loader; the herrings are over-salty, and keep the men running to the river all night. Singer writes his wife, tells her it won't be long until he's home
KEYWORDS: work separation logger lumbering curse return work food humorous moniker animal horse boss worker
FOUND IN: Canada(Ont,Que)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Fowke-Lumbering #16, "The Baskatong" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3681
RECORDINGS:
O. J. Abbott, "The Basketong" (on Lumber01)
NOTES: Like most moniker songs, this is a disjointed collection of anecdotes, but there's just enough narrative to avoid the "nonballad" keyword. Abbott confessed to having bowdlerized several lines. - PJS
Baskatong (correct spelling) is a wetland area (now a reservoir) in Quebec. - RBW
File: FowL16

Basket of Eggs, The


DESCRIPTION: Two sailors offer to carry a girl's basket. She says it contains eggs. The sailors go to an ale-house. The landlord opens the basket and finds a baby. The sailors offer to pay any woman who will take the child. The girl takes the money and the child
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1825 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 28(166))
LONG DESCRIPTION: Two sailors, out walking, spy a young girl and offer to carry her basket for her. She accepts, telling them it contains eggs, and asking them to leave it for her at the Half-way House. The sailors, laughing at the maid's foolishness, go to an ale-house and order up bacon to go with the eggs they have stolen. The landlord opens the basket and finds, not eggs, but a baby. Appalled, the sailors offer 50 guineas to any woman who will take the child. The girl (sitting in the corner) takes the money and the child, then informs the sailor that he is the child's father. The sailor accepts his responsibility, but angrily kicks the basket, swearing he'll never like eggs anymore.
KEYWORDS: seduction money humorous baby sailor trick landlord
FOUND IN: Britain(England (Lond,South,West),Scotland (Aber,Shetland))
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Greig #100, pp. 2-3, "The Foundling Baby" (2 texts)
GreigDuncan2 307, "The Foundling Baby" (8 texts, 8 tunes)
Vaughan Williams/Lloyd, pp. 18-19, "The Basket of Eggs" (1 text, 1 tune)
MacSeegTrav 49, "Eggs In Her Basket" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ord, pp. 144-145, "The Foundling Child" (1 text)
DT, BASKETEG*
Roud #377
RECORDINGS:
Minty Smith, "The Basket of Eggs" (on Voice11)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 28(166), "Basket of Eggs" ("Through Sandbach fields two sailors walking"), W. Armstrong (Liverpool), 1820-1824
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Quare Bungo Rye" (baby in basket motif)
cf. "The Child in the Budget" (baby in basket motif)
cf. "The Parcel from a Lady (Under Her Apron)" (plot)
cf. "I Wish My Granny Saw Ye" (plot)
cf. "The Brisk Young Butcher" (plot)
cf. "The Oyster Girl" [Laws Q13] (mysterious--read female--"box" motif)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Sailor's Child
Two Sailors Walking
File: VWL018

Basket of Onions, The


DESCRIPTION: The singer engages in various activities (e.g. playing the ghost in "Hamlet"), but always thinks of the girl: "Oh, she loves another and it's no use to try, When oh, she sings out 'Sound onions, who'll buy?'"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1982
KEYWORDS: love food
FOUND IN: Australia
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Meredith/Covell/Brown, pp. 106-107, "The Basket of Onions" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Described as a music hall song, and I have no reason to doubt it. - RBW
File: MCB106

Basket of Oysters, The


See The Oyster Girl [Laws Q13] (File: LQ13)

Basket-Maker's Child, The


DESCRIPTION: "Where the green willow swayed by the brook... In a little cottage nestled in a quiet nook Dwelt the basket-maker's child." One Saturday night they told the singer that she must die. She asks to be buried by the brook, and happily goes to the Savior
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1862 (Beadle's Dime Song Book #9)
KEYWORDS: death love separation burial
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Randolph 714, "The Basket-Maker's Child" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 461-463, "The Basket-Maker's Child" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 714)
Roud #7379
NOTES: Is it just me, or have I heard this plot a few hundred times before? - RBW
File: R714

Basketong, The


See The Baskatong (File: FowL16)

Bastard King of England, The


DESCRIPTION: Philip of France is captured by a "thong on his prong"; when he is dragged to London, all the maids cheer him, for the Frenchman's pride has stretched a yard or more. The bastard king of En-ga-land is usurped.
AUTHOR: Attributed, probably falsely, to Rudyard Kipling
EARLIEST DATE: 1927
KEYWORDS: bawdy disease humorous royalty disease jealousy courting homosexuality marriage sex wedding
FOUND IN: Australia Britain(England) US(So,SW)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Cray, pp. 122-124, "The Bastard King of England" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph-Legman I, pp. 506-509, "The Bastard King of England" (2 texts, 1 tune); II, pp.655-658 (2 texts)
Silber-FSWB, p. 197, "The Bastard King Of England" (1 text)
DT, BSTDKING BSTDKNG2
Roud #8388
RECORDINGS:
Anonymous singer, "The Bastard King of England" (on Unexp1)
NOTES: Cray tells us, "As the story goes, Rudyard Kipling wrote 'The Bastard King of England' (pronounced En-ga-land') and that authorship cost him his poet laureate's knighthood. It is too bad that the attribution is apparently spurious; 'The Bastard King' would undoubtedly be Kipling's most popular work."
I'm sure none of you expect a song like this to be historical, but just in case you do, I'm going to prove it wasn't.
To start with a nitpick, there were no bastard kings of England. William the Conqueror (1066-1087) was illegitimate, and was even called "William the Bastard" as Duke of Normandy, but he won the throne of England by conquest, not birth. King Henry VII Tudor (1485-1509) also had questionable blood, but he himself was legitimate; it's just that his father was probably a bastard, and his mother's grandfather (through whom he traced his claim to the throne) was also of doubtful legitimacy. But, again, it hardly matters; Henry held the throne by right of conquest. (For more on this, see "The Rose of England" [Child 166] and "The Children in the Wood (The Babes in the Woods)" [Laws Q34]).
If you're looking for really *dirty* English monarchs, the obvious choice is the Hannoverians -- most especially George I (1714-1727). Not only was George incapable of presenting a pleasant appearance, he also was highly sexually active, and put away his wife (for having an affair) at a relatively young age.
Philip of France is only slightly clearer; France had six Kings Philip: Philip I (1060-1108, making him contemporary with William the Conqueror and his sons), Philip II Augustus (1180-1223, who warred with the English kings Henry II, Richard I, and John), Philip III the Bold (1270-1285), Philip IV the Fair (1285-1314, who also warred with England), Philip V (1316-1322), and Philip VI Valois (1328-1350).
This poses some problems. Several of these French kings were involved in wars with the English (notably Philip II, Philip IV, and Philip VI). And Philip IV, in particular, was regarded as the handsomest man in Europe. But it is noteworthy that the last of them died in 1350. However -- the kingdom of Spain did not even come into existence until the marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile in the latter half of the fifteenth century. Thus the first Queen of Spain, Isabella, did not ascend until a century after the death of the last Philip of France.
What's more, England and Spain had very few dealings. The only English queen from Spain was Catherine of Aragon (plus Mary I Tudor, who became Queen of Spain by marriage). Before the union of Spain, to be sure, Edward I had married Eleanor of Castile, but he was much too stuffy for this. Henry IV married as his second wife Joanna of Navarre, but he was rather old and weary by that time. In addition, Richard I the Lion-hearted married Berengeria of Navarre -- but there is no proof he ever slept with her! Even if the speculation that he was homosexual is wrong, they weren't together much.
So Catherine of Aragon is the chief candidate. And it is interesting to note a tale told of Henry VIII: At the time his pretty sister Mary was wed (rather against her will) to Louis XII of France, a ball was held by Henry, and he "became so animated that he thre formality to the winds by removing his gown and dancing in his doublet" (Neville Williams: Henry VIII and His Court, Macmillan, 1971, p 63). - RBW
Paul Stamler proposes to split this song in two, with the second having the following description: "The (unnamed) Bastard King of England is a man of dubious morals and hygiene. The amorous Queen of Spain cavorts with him; Philip of France tries to steal her away. The BKoE sends a duke with the clap to give it to Philip, after which the Queen of Spain dumps Philip and marries the BKoE. At the wedding all dance without their pants."
Paul's notes to this state, "Obviously this is a sibling (fraternal twin?) of 'Bastard King of England (I).' But since the plot elements of (I) don't appear in (II), and vice versa, I've split them. Besides, the other guy comes out on top, so to speak.
"Incidentally, I've assigned the keyword 'homosexuality' because Silber's version, at least, makes it sound like the 'Duke of Zippity-Zap' gives Philip the clap directly rather than through a female intermediary."
I have to think, though, that the differences between the versions are the result of two sorts of rehandling: One to make the English come out ahead of some kind of furriner or other, and the other to clean up the song. After some vacillation, and a glance at the intermediate sorts of texts, I decided to keep the two together. This is one of those songs which invites self-parodying. - RBW, PJS
The recording on "The Unexpurgated Songs of Men" is of the song I consider "Bastard King of England (II)." I suspect this is Silber's source. - PJS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: EM122

Bat Shay


DESCRIPTION: "Yes, Troy City was crowded On Independence Day All listening to the verdict of Bat Shay." "Do not electrocute Bat Say, The weeping neighbors said; It would break his mother's heart And kill his poor old dad." (Shay is condemned even so.)
AUTHOR: Tom Harrington ?
EARLIEST DATE: 1958 (Burt)
KEYWORDS: murder political punishment execution
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Burt, p. 240, (no title) (1 fragment)
NOTES: Reportedly based on an election brawl in 1894, in which Robert Ross was killed. Burt reports that no one really knows who fired the fatal shot, but Bartholomew Shay was the one tried and punished. - RBW
File: Burt240

Batchelor's Walk


See Bachelor's Walk (File: PGa055)

Batson [Laws I10]


DESCRIPTION: Batson has worked for Mr. Earle for years without being properly paid. At last he murders Earle. He is arrested and sentenced to die. Much of the ballad is devoted to details of Batson's hanging and his conversations while in prison
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1934 (Lomax collection)
KEYWORDS: murder gallows-confession execution
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Laws I10, "Batson"
Roud #4178
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Lamkin" [Child 93] (plot)
NOTES: As far as I know, [Batson] has been collected, in anything resembling complete form, only once, in Lafayette, LA, in 1934, by Lomax, from "Stavin' Chain"
(Wilson Jones). Jones said it was based on a crime that happened near Lake Charles, LA, but Lomax's inquiries failed to confirm the story.
Nearly ten years earlier, Gordon had received three verses from two informants and had briefly looked into the factual history, sufficient to establish that the ballad is based on a crime committed near Lake Charles, LA, in 1902 and the subsequent conviction and execution, by hanging, of Albert "Ed" Batson, age 22, a hired hand on the farm of one of the victims, Ward Earll. Batson was from Spickard, Grundy County, MO.
A book written about the crime in 1903 argued that Batson's conviction on purely circumstantial evidence was probably wrong and that other leads should have been investigated. The book also states that there was high prejudice against Batson and that local citizens who swore that they could be fair jurors also made statements indicating that they were convinced of his guilt. A motion for a change of venue was denied in the face of substantial indications that Batson could not get a fair trial in the venue of the crime.
I have now made contact with relatives of Ed Batson. They know about his case, and they believe him to have been innocent. They tell of a statement clearing Ed, made many years after the murder and trial by a "colored man" who had been afraid to come forward at the time. - JG
File: LI10

Battle Cry of Freedom, The


DESCRIPTION: "Oh, we'll rally 'round the flag, boys, we'll rally once again, Shouting the battle cry of freedom... The Union forever, hurrah, boys, hurrah...." Sundry boasts about the might and patriotism of the Union army marching to overcome the rebels
AUTHOR: George F. Root
EARLIEST DATE: 1862
KEYWORDS: Civilwar patriotic
FOUND IN: US Australia
REFERENCES (7 citations):
Meredith/Anderson, p. 34, "The Battle Cry of Freedom" (1 text, 1 tune, thoroughly mixed with "Marching Through Georgia")
RJackson-19CPop, pp. 18-21, "The Battle Cry of Freedom" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-CivWar, pp. 18-19, "The Battle Cry of Freedom" (1 text, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, pp. 346-347, "Battle Cry of Freedom" (1 text)
Hill-CivWar, p. 205, "The Battlecry of Freedom" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 285, "The Battle Cry Of Freedom" (1 text)
DT, BATTLCRY*
ST MA034 (Full)
RECORDINGS:
[Arthur] Harlan & [Frank] Stanley, "Battle Cry of Freedom" (Victor 4099, c. 1904) (CYL: Edison 8805, 1904)
J. W. Myers, "Battle Cry of Freedom" (Victor 3387, c. 1904)
John Terrell, "Battle Cry of Freedom" (Berliner 1854, 1898)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The People's Rally Cry" (tune)
SAME TUNE:
The People's Rally Cry (Greenway-AFP, p. 61)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
We'll Rally Round the Flag
Rally Round the Flag
File: MA034

Battle Hymn of the Republic, The


DESCRIPTION: "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord...." A hymn of praise to a martial God, who sounds forth a trumpet "that shall never call retreat," and to Christ who "died to make men holy." The listener is reminded, "Our God is marching on."
AUTHOR: Words: Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910)
EARLIEST DATE: 1861
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad patriotic war
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (9 citations):
RJackson-19CPop, pp. 22-24, "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-CivWar, pp. 36-37, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hill-CivWar, pp. 193-194, "Battle-Hymn of the Republic" (1 text)
Krythe 7, pp. 113-132, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 286, "The Battle Hymn Of The Rebublic" (1 text)
Fuld-WFM, pp. 131-135+, "Battle Hymn of the Republic (Say, Brothers, Will You Meet Us? -- John Brown -- Glory Hallelujah -- John Brown's Baby Had a Cold upon His Chest")
DT, GLORYHAL*
ADDITIONAL: Charles Johnson, One Hundred and One Famous Hymns (Hallberg, 1982), p. 90-91, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" (1 text, 1 tune)
Walter de la Mare, _Come Hither_, revised edition, 1928; #176, "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (1 text)
ST RJ19022 (Full)
RECORDINGS:
100% Americans, "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (KKK 75005, c. 1924)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "John Brown's Body" (tune & meter) and references there
NOTES: Yes, you read the recording listing correctly: a recording of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" issued by the Ku Klux Klan. I haven't heard the disk in question, but one would suspect it's been slightly, umm, folk-processed. - PJS
I'm not sure even that follows; there isn't much in the Hymn that is really anti-slavery, and military metaphors are common among reactionary conservatives.
The words to this piece were written by Julia Ward Howe in November 1861 (so Fuld; Johnson says December, as Howe watched a parade of Union troops). It was first published in 1862 with neither music nor the famous "Glory hallelujah" refrain. It was not until the text and music were combined (later in 1862) that the piece became a success. - RBW
File: RJ19022

Battle of Aboukir Bay, The


See The Powder Monkey (Soon We'll Be in England Town) (File: CrNS057)

Battle of Alford, The


DESCRIPTION: Covenanters attacked Alford and were hunted "until three hundred o' our men lay gaspin in their lair." A shot in the back -- from his own men? -- killed Gordon. "Altho' he was our enemy We grieved for his wrack" Scotland had no match for him.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1914 (GreigDuncan1)
KEYWORDS: battle rebellion death
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
GreigDuncan1 114, "The Battle of Alford" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3802
NOTES: GreigDuncan1: "In this Aberdeenshire battle fought on 2 July 1645, the Royalists under Montrose defeated the Covenanters, but lost one of their leaders, Lord George Gordon."
For some background on the Covenanters and Montrose see "The Bonnie House o Airlie [Child 199]," "The Battle of Philiphaugh [Child 202]." and "The Haughs o' Cromdale." - BS
1645 was "the Year of Miracles" for Montrose, in which he nearly overcame the Covenanters of Scotland. The most important battle of the campaign was probably Auldern/Auldearn (May 8/9, 1645), which may well be the subject of "The Haughs o' Cromdale." Alford was much less significant -- I had to go through four histories before I found a description in Magnus Magnusson, Scotland: The Story of a Nation, Atlantic Monthly Press, 2000, p. 440: "A few weeks after [Auldearn], after further sparring, the armies clashed again, on 2 July 1646 [typo for 1645], near the village of Alford, in Aberdeenshire. For once the opposing forces were almost equal in strength -- around two thousand men on each size. Montrose was able to lure the Covenanters out of a strong defensive position by feigning retreat. Once again the Royalists won the day, but this time at heavy cost to both armies." - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: GrD1114

Battle of Alma, The


See The Heights of Alma (I) [Laws J10] (File: LJ10)

Battle of Antietam Creek, The


DESCRIPTION: At Antietam, singer hears a wounded comrade tell of leaving his home, disliking his master, and running off to New Orleans, where he is concripted.After ten battles, he has been wounded. The singer realizes that the man is his own brother
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1938 (recording, Warde Ford)
LONG DESCRIPTION: At the battle of Antietam Creek, singer hears a wounded comrade tell of leaving his home and family for Ohio. The man tells of being an apprentice, disliking his master, then running off to New Orleans, where he is concripted into the army. He has been in ten battles, but has finally been wounded -- by his brother, he thinks. The singer realizes that the man is his own brother, and rushes to him as he dies. The singer buries him
KEYWORDS: army battle Civilwar war parting travel death dying burial work injury brother apprentice
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Sept 17, 1862 - Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg). Robert E. Lee's invasion of Maryland meets a bloody check at the hands of McClellan
FOUND IN: US(MW)
Roud #15487
RECORDINGS:
Warde Ford, "The Battle of Antietam Creek" (AFS 4213 A, 1939; on LC29, in AMMEM/Cowell)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "General Lee's Wooing" (subject)
NOTES: The Battle of Antietam/Sharpsburg was hardly a victory for anyone. It produced the highest casualties of any single day of battle in the war. By the time it was over, every regiment in Lee's army was worn out, and he may have had fewer than 25,000 effective soldiers left. McClellan still had unused troops, but he refused to commit them; his losses had also been immense.
After the battle, Lee headed back across the Potomac. The wooing of Maryland was over. The one good result of Antietam was that it was enough of a victory -- barely -- to allow Lincoln to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
Both the fact that the dying soldier was inducted in Louisiana and the fact that he had been in ten battles would imply that he was a member of Stonewall Jackson's corps. In all likelihood, we are to believe that he was a member of either Hays's "Louisiana Tigers" (division of Ewell/Early) or Starke's/Stafford's brigade (division of Jackson/Winder/Talliaferro/Stark; later commanded by Edward Johnson). These were, apart from a few artillerymen, the only Louisiana troops in Lee's army.
What's more, the divisions of Ewell and Jackson had had harder fighting than almost any others in the army. A truly veteran regiment from other parts of Lee's army -- say the First North Carolina -- might have fought seven or eight battles by then (First Bull Run, Fair Oaks/Seven Pines, Seven Days, Second Bull Run, and Antietam, plus perhaps one or two skirmishes such as Big Bethel or Williamsburg) -- but Jackson's and Ewell's troops had also had a part in the dozen or so battles of Jackson's Valley Campaign. - RBW
File: RcBoAC

Battle of Ballycohy, The


DESCRIPTION: Billy Scully "turn'd from the Church." He gave notice to tenants who had paid their rent. Armoured, he was shot by "the boys of Ballycohy" and Gorman and a peeler Scully had for help were killed. "Here's success to brave Moore, says the Shan Van Voch"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1868 (Zimmermann)
KEYWORDS: battle death farming Ireland landlord police
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Zimmermann 7D, "The Battle of Ballycohy" (1 text, 1 tune)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, 2806 c.7(1), "The Battle of Ballycohy," P. Brereton (Dublin), c.1867; also Johnson Ballads 2243c, "The Battle of Ballycohy"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Shan Van Voght" (tune)
cf. "The Shan Van Voght" (1828) for Shan Van Voght song on another subject.
cf. "The Shan Van Voght" (1848) for Shan Van Voght song on another subject.
cf. "The Shan Van Voght" and references there, including Shan Van Voght broadsides on other subjects
cf. "Rory of the Hill" (subject: the shooting of Billy Scully)
NOTES: Zimmermann 7D: "William Scully purchased a property in Ballycohey, County Tipperary. Scully soon became the terror of his tenantry. He turned Protestant when the Catholic priest remonstrated against his conduct. In 1868, he decided to evict his twenty-one tenants, but when he went to serve his notices, he was severely wounded. His steward and a constable were killed. It is believed that the landlord wore a suit of chain-mail which saved his life. Before Scully recovered from his wounds, Charles Moore, then Member for Tipperary, purchased the Ballycohey estate." - BS
File: Zimm07D

Battle of Barossa, The


DESCRIPTION: "On the second day of February, from Cadiz we set sail." They travel via Gibraltar and Algiers to "the Reef o' Bay." General Graham encourages the British army. The 92nd and 81st regiments fight valiantly. The soldiers anticipate seeing home and women
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1820 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(181))
KEYWORDS: soldier battle Spain
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
March 5, 1811 - Battle of Barrosa
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Greig #94, pp. 2-3, "The Battle of Barossa" (1 text)
GreigDuncan1 148, "The Battle of Barossa" (4 texts, 4 tunes)
Ord, pp. 291-293, "The Battle of Barossa" (1 text)
Roud #2182
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(181), "Battle of Barossa" ("On the 21st of February from Cadiz we set sail"), J. Pitts (London), 1802-1819; also Harding B 11(181), "Battle of Barossa"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Oliver's Advice (Barossa)" (subject)
cf. "Barrosa Plains" (subject)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Battle of Trafalgar
Barossa's Plains
NOTES: GreigDuncan1: "Learnt twenty-five years ago. Noted 13th September 1907." - BS
Roud lumps this with the poorly-attested "Oliver's Advice (Barrosa)," but the two are clearly separate songs.
The "battle" of Barrosa was more of a skirmish; the forces involved were small, though the British won a clear victory. Most histories of the Napoleonic Wars don't seem even to mention it, and the sources can't even agree on whether to call it "Barrosa" or "Barossa." (The former seems to be correct.)
The battle was part of the attempt to relieve the French siege of Cadiz. By the time the British and Spanish arrived in March 1811, Cadiz had been under siege for 13 months. But shortly before (by coincidence), the besieging commander Claude Perrin Victor (1764-1841) had had to detach about a third of his forces for use elsewhere in Spain.
Thomas Graham (1748-1843) had meanwhile brought some 5000 troops from Britain (the fleet setting sail on February 21, not February 2); they landed at Algeciras (called "Algiers" in the song) and joined a rather larger Spanish force under La Pena.
When the combined force encountered French troops on March 5, the Spanish fled, as described in the song, but Graham rallied the British and shoved aside a somewhat larger French force. He was not able to relieve Cadiz, but the British had a nice little victory to boast about.
The siege of Cadiz finally ended in August 1812. Marshal Soult, French commander in Spain, had lost at Salamanca and decided to withdraw the troops to reinforce his weakened army.
For the 92nd Regiment (Gordon Highlanders), mentioned in the song, see the notes to "The Gallant Ninety-Twa." The 81st Regiment (Loyal Lincolnshire Volunteers), has had an even more complex history, being raised in 1741 and receiving its number in 1793. It was amalgamated into the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment in 1881, and then in 1970 into the Queen's Lancashire Regiment; obviously there isn't much continuity in its history. It fought throughout the Peninsular Campaign but did not serve in the Hundred Days.
Interestingly, the song (at least the versions I've checked) does not mention the 87th Regiment (Royal Irish Fusiliers), officially regarded as the unit most responsible for the British success, which captured an eagle and celebrate March 4 (Barrosa Day) as a regimental anniversary. That regiment is, however, strongly praised in "Barrosa Plains," also about this battle.
The spelling ÒBarossaÓ in the title is Ord's; and seems to occur a lot in traditional sources (so much so that I called the battle by that name in earlier editions of the Index); I have bestowed the name "The Battle of Barossa" on that basis, even though that is not the correct name of the battle. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: Ord291

Battle of Boulogne, The


DESCRIPTION: "On the second of August, eighteen hundred and one, We sailed with Lord Nelson to the port of Boulogne." The forces attack a strongly entrenched position, and suffer heavy casualties. Nelson and crews work for better times for the wounded
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1826 (broadside, Bodleian 2806 c.18(216))
KEYWORDS: sea sailor battle death ship
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Aug 2, 1801 - Battle of Boulogne
FOUND IN: Britain(England(North),Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Stokoe/Reay, pp. 178-179, "The Battle of Boulogne" (1 text, 1 tune)
GreigDuncan1 145, "The Battle of Boulogne" (1 text)
ST StoR178 (Partial)
Roud #3175
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, 2806 c.18(216), "A new song, composed by the wounded tars at the seige of Boulogne" ("On the second of August eighteen hundred and one"), Angus (Newcastle), 1774-1825; also Firth c.13(46), Harding B 11(3670A), Firth c.13(45), Firth b.25(81), "The Battle of Boulogne"; Harding B 25(139), "The Battle of Boulougne"
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Second of August
NOTES: For a conflict involving Lord Nelson (1758-1805), most histories have little to say about the Battle of Boulogne -- many histories of the Napoleonic Wars don't mention it at all. Nelson, always aggressive, attempted an attack on the French fortifications, and was bloodily repulsed, much as described in the song.
This song is known primarily from broadsides, but Greig at least had a traditional version. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: StoR178

Battle of Bridgewater, The


DESCRIPTION: "On the twenty-fifth of July, as you may hear them say, We had a short engagement on the plains of Chippewa." Although the British have 8000 men, and American generals Brown and Scott are wounded, the Americans win the day
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1916 (Cox)
KEYWORDS: battle soldier death
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
July 25, 1814 - Battle of Lundy's Lane (Bridgewater)
FOUND IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
JHCox 61, "The Battle of Bridgewater" (1 text)
Roud #4030
NOTES: This is item dA32 in Laws's Appendix II.
The first year of the War of 1812 went very badly for the Americans on the Canadian front, with every move repulsed (see the notes to "The Battle of Queenston Heights" and "Brave General Brock [Laws A22]"). In 1813, things went better for the Americans, as they won the Battle of Lake Erie (see the notes to "James Bird" [Laws A5]) and managed to move into Canada. But that year also saw the war turn ugly. An American militia officer named George McClure (1770-1851), left to garrison Fort George on the Canadian side of the Niagara River, decided he had to evacuate (according to Heidler/Heidler, p. 332, he had only "60 sick regulars, 40 volunteers, and a band of Canadians who favored the United States") -- and burned the town of Newark as he left.
McClure's order from the War Department gave him authority to burn the town, according to Heidler/Heidler, p. 332, but his sunordinates disapproved. It probably does qualify as an atrocity -- it was December, and the 400 civilian residents of the town were turned out into snow-covered ground in sub-freezing tenmperatures. From then on, Canadian apathy turned to anger, and the British -- with Napoleon soon to be out of the picture -- were able to escalate the war. On December 30, they burned Buffalo (Borneman, pp., 170-171).
1814 saw the Americans start their last offensive; a new commander, Jacob Brown, sent his chief subordinate Winfield Scott across the Niagara River on July 3 (Borneman, p. 185; Hickey, p. 185). They quickly swallowed up the British garrison at Fort Erie. Major General Phineas Riall, the British commander at Fort George (the main base in the area), brought together what troops he could on the Chippewa River, but of course Brown was also bringing up troops. Brown's army on July 4 marched the 16 miles to the Chippewa River (Fort Erie is on the shores of Lake Erie, the Chippewa about half way between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, just above Niagara Falls)
The two armies met on July 5. It appears, from the numbers in Borneman (p. 189), that neither army was fully engaged; most of the fighting on the American side was done by Scott's brigade -- who, however, heavily pounded Riall's troops. That encouraged Brown to bring his entire force across the Niagara River (Hickey, p. 187).
Brown then started to march toward Queenston, the town near Lake Ontario which the Americans had signally failed to take in 1812. This time, they took Queenston Heights -- and retreated.. Brown requested naval support from Commodore Isaac Chauncey, the American commander on Lake Ontario. It was not forthcoming (Borneman, p. 189; Hickey, p. 187), meaning that Brown's supply line was the tenuous one from Fort Erie. The British, as it turned out, weren't getting naval support either -- but they were getting help. Lt. General Gordon Drummond, the British commander in Upper Canada, arrived to take charge, and troops were also trickling in. There were rumors that the British were sending forces to the American side of the Niagara. Brown fell back to the Chippewa (Borneman, p. 190).
Brown did not sit tight, though. On July 25, he sent Scott on a reconnaissance. Scott had marched only a couple of miles north toward Queenston when he ran into nearly the entire British army in position at Lundy's Lane (which was just what it sounded like: A minor dirt road). Heavily outnumbered, Scott nonetheless stood his ground and called for help from the rest of the American army. Brown brought forward his other two brigades (though he committed only one of them).
The result was chaotic. On the American side, Scott was wounded, then Brown, leaving the army under the commandof a junior brigadier, who interpreted one of Brown's orders as a command to retreat. He did so, even leaving some British guns in the field (Borneman, p. 195). The British had their own casualties -- Riall had lost an arm and Drummond suffered a lesser wound -- but they held the field, and they had perhaps the slight advantage in casualties suffered: They lost about 875-900, representing probably 25-27% of their forces in the field (Borneman, p. 195; Hickey, p. 188); American losses were about 850, but thatÕs something like a third of their total force (I read somewhere that American casualties may even have been in the 40-50% range).
The British later besieged Fort Erie (August 2-September 1); they were unable to capture it (they conducted a very costly assault on August 15, costing them another 900 or so casualties; Borneman, p. 197; Hickey, p. 189). But in November, the new Amerrican commander, George Izard, evacuated and blew up the post, and the Niagara front was finally quiet (Borneman, p. 198; Hickey, p. 189). - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 2.5
File: JHCox061

Battle of Bull Run, The [Laws A9]


DESCRIPTION: [Irvin] McDowell leads a Union army to defeat at Bull Run (Manasses Junction). The valiant rebels are compared with the cowardly Unionists, who are so completely routed that many fine Washington ladies must flee with them.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1928 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: Civilwar battle patriotic
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
July 21, 1861 - First battle of Bull Run/Manasses fought between the Union army of McDowell and the Confederates under Johnston and Beauregard
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Laws A9, "The Battle of Bull Run"
Randolph 210, "Manassa Junction" (2 texts, 1 tune)
DT 799, MANASJCT
Roud #2202
NOTES: Although the Confederates won the Battle of Bull Run (and its successor a year later), the insults they flung at their opponents were rather unfair. Both armies were raw, and had a number of inept general officers; the Confederates won more because they were on the defensive than because of any superiority on their part.
It is true, however, that the Federal army wound up in rout, and that many fine Northern ladies who had gone out to see the show fled with them. They hardly need to have hurried, however; the Confederates were so disorganized that they could not follow up their victory.
The truth is, neither side was ready for the battle, and both fought rather poorly. Union commander Irvin McDowell was well aware that his men were not ready for combat. But it was a case of "use them or lose them"; the Federal government, in its folly, had initially enlisted soldiers for only ninety days, and by July, their terms were expiring (see, e.g., Catton, p. 445). So, ready or not, McDowell marched. At least he expected to have the advantage in numbers -- roughly 40,000 men to 25,000 Confederates (Catton, p. 444).
He did not realize that he would also have an enemy who played right into his hands. The Confederates were concentrated at Manassas Junction, near a creek known as Bull Run, a few dozen miles south of Washington. Their commander was the famous Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, who had commanded the bombardment of Fort Sumter that started the war. Beauregard had shown himself a competent engineer, and later would reveal some skill in defensive warfare. But whenever Beauregard was in position to plan a set piece battle, the results were pretty dreadful. Bull Run was his masterpiece. His objective was simply to hold off McDowell. But his battle plan made that nearly impossible.
The Federals would inevitably come down from Washington to a town called Centreville, about three miles away from Bull Run. From there, they would deploy and attack -- somewhere.
Beauregard had under his command the equivalent of about eight brigades. A logical approach would have been to spread them out along Bull Run, with a strong central reserve to resist where McDowell attacked. But a glance at Freeman, p. 47, shows that he did no such thing. His left was hanging in midair. In what should have been his center, he posted about two and a half brigades to guard the entire Bull Run front. The rest of his force, roughly two-thirds of the whole, he concentrated around Blackburn's Ford for a counterattack on Centreville once the Union force was defeated. Unless he received reinforcements, he had no general reserve; it was all at Blackburn's Ford.
And the Federals didn't go that way. They went around Beauregard's left, and were in position to roll up his flank (Johnson/McLaughlin, p. 33).
Beauregard was lucky. Reinforcements were coming. There were actually two armies on the Virginia front: One between Washington and Richmond, commanded by Beauregard, and one in the Shenandoah Valley, commanded by Joseph E. Johnston. The Federals had an army in the Valley also, and it was supposed to pin Johnston down, but the Union army was commanded by an officer by the name of Robert Patterson, who had actually fought in the War of 1812 (Catton, p. 445). Patterson, old and given confusing orders, simply sat, and Johnston took four brigades -- one led by a fellow by the name of Thomas Jonathan Jackson -- to Bull Run by railroad (Catton, pp. 446-449; McPherson, pp. 339-340).
Few generals had even been luckier than Beauregard. With his army about to be defeated in detail, Johnston showed up, and they sent their troops to where the Federals were attacking. They set up a defensive line, anchored by Jackson whose brigade stood Òlike a stone wall" (earning him the nickname "Stonewall" Jackson; Catton, p. 460; McPherson, p. 342. There is controversy about exactly what happened there -- see Freeman, pp. 733-734 -- but no doubt that the Confederate line drawn by Jackson held).
Attacking is harder than defending. It's especially hard for inexperienced troops. The Union forces had done fine when they were rolling up the Confederate flank. Confronted with real opposition, they ran out of steam, and gradually the assault turned into a retreat, which turned into a rout (Freeman, p. 72; McPherson, pp. 344-345).
This should have been Beauregard's big hour. Those five brigades at Blackburn's Ford? If they could get to Centreville and hold it, they could capture nearly the entire Federal army.
No dice. Beauregard's command arrangements were so bad, and his planning so incomplete, and his forces so ill-trained, that nothing much happened (Freeman, pp. 73-78). Johnston would lter write, "Our army was more disorganized by victory than that of the United States by defeat" (McPherson, p. 345). First Bull Run was an overwhelming Confederate victory. But it was a victory that accomplished almost nothing except to show that neither army was really ready to fight.
The Union flight back to Washington involved more than soldiers. A number of congressmen and other dignitaries had come out to see the show. After the battle, the various impedimenta they took along caused the retreat to become even more disorganized as their coaches and such fouled and blocked the bad and muddy roads.
It is ironic to observe that the only surviving versions of this seem to be Randolph's, from Missouri and Arkansas. McDonald. pp. 186-191, lists the Confederate Order of Battle. The overwhelming majority of the soldiers were from east of the Appalachians. Hardly any came from west of the Mississippi. There were a few Louisiana regiments (6th, 7th, 8th Louisiana, 1st Louisiana Battalion) and one Arkansas unit (1 Arkansas), plus perhaps a few western artillery sections. Of these units, only the 7th Louisiana and the 1st Louisiana Battalion were engaged. There were no Missouri soldiers at all (they were busy fighting a war-within-a-war in Missouri). On p, 185, McDonald breaks down Confederate killed and wounded by state. Louisiana lost 11 killed, 58 wounded. Tennessee lost 1 killed, 3 wounded. Arkansas had no casualties at all.
Possibly the fact that the Ozarks were remote from the field explains the extraordinary number of errors in Randolph's texts. Some of the errors are probably Randolph's hearing, but others are clearly part of the informant's tradition. In the "A" text, we find the following (where noted, these are corrected in the "B" text):
ÒMacDowell": misspelled; should be Irvin McDowell, the Federal commander (corrected in B)
"With regular troops from Tennessee": A very strange line. The Federal army did indeed have regular soldiers (the equivalent of about a brigade, plus a lot of artillery; McDonald, p. 185, lists the regulars as taking losses of 41 killed, 91 wounded) -- but they wouldn't have been from Tennessee
"General Scott from Chesterville": Winfield Scott was the commander-in-chief of the Federal armies, but he was based in Washington and too feeble to travel with the army to Centreville (not Chesterville). Scott is mentioned only once in McDonald's whole book; his only contribution to the battle was to send and receive telegrams. Corrected in "B" to "Old General Scott from Centerville," which as noted is almost correct.
"German Gulf": The "B" text makes it clear that this is "Sherman's guns." William T. Sherman commanded a brigade which was heavily engaged (105 killed, according to McDonald, p. 192) which had an effective regular artillery battery attached.
"Kirby": Presumably Confederate general Edmund Kirby Smith, who commanded Johnson's fourth brigade (Johnson/McLaughlin, p. 39) and was badly wounded in the battle. - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 2.5
File: LA09

Battle of Carrickshock, The


DESCRIPTION: The Irish are liberated: "They'll pay no more the unjust taxation, Tithes are abolished on Sliav na Mon." The Catholics exult. The battle was bloody and Luther's candle now is fading. We'll banish the oppressors and traitors.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1965 (OLochlainn-More)
KEYWORDS: battle death Ireland political police
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Dec 14, 1831 - Carrickshock, County Kilkenny: Peasants attack tithe process servers, killing at least 13 (source: Zimmermann)
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
OLochlainn-More 91, "The Battle of Carrickshock" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9772
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "A Discussion Between Church and Chapel" (subject: The Tithe War)
cf. "The Sorrowful Lamentation of Denis Mahony" (subject: The Tithe War)
cf. "Daniel O'Connell (II)" (subject: The Tithe War)
cf. "Fergus O'Connor and Independence" (subject: The Tithe War)
cf. "The Castlepollard Massacre" (subject: The Tithe War)
cf. "The Barrymore Tithe Victory" (subject: The Tithe War)
cf. "The Ass and the Orangeman's Daughter" (subject: The Tithe War)
cf. "Slieve Na Mon" (subject: The Tithe War and the Carrickshock Riot)
cf. "The Three O'Donnells" (subject: The Tithe War)
NOTES: OLochlainn-More: "Our song celebrates a famous victory by the peasants over the 'Peelers' [police] in the Tithe war, 1831-4."
"The event occurred on an isolated road in south Kilkenny in December 1831 when an armed police column clashed with a large crowd, resulting in the deaths of 17 people. Unlike most incidents of this kind, the majority of the victims (13) were constables." (source: 1831: Social Memory and an Irish cause celebre by Gary Owens, copyright The Social History Society 2004, pdf available at the Ingenta site) - BS
Starting in 1778 and continuing through the nineteenth century, the British gradually liberalized its policy toward Catholics in Ireland, as it was also doing (more rapidly) in Britain itself. By the 1830s, only two major components were left: Catholics were barred from certain offices by the Test Act (which primarily required them to deny transubstantiation; Bettenson, p. 298), and they were forced to pay the tithe.
The objectionable part of the latter was that the tithes were paid to Protestant priests of the established (Anglican) Church of Ireland, which was -- at least legally -- the official church of Ireland from 1537 until disestablishment in 1870 (OxfordCompanion, p. 90).
Starting in 1830 in Kilkenny, many Catholics refused to pay the tithes. What followed wasn't really a war; it was more of a boycott, with people simply withholding their payment. But the British responded by seizing property to pay the tithes. Occasionally this led to scuffles, with this riot and one at Newtownbarry (June 18, 1831) being the biggest and best-known. There were also quite a few casualties at Castlepollard (see the notes to "The Castlepollard Massacre").
In June 1833, the government effectively gave in: It no longer forced payment of the tithe, paying off the Protestant clergy with revenue from other sources (OxfordCompanion, pp. 543-544). (Unfortunately, for the next third of a century, the source was the Landlords, who raised rents accordingly, making the conflict between landlords and tenants even worse. It wasn't until the Disestablishment of the Church of Ireland -- for which see "The Downfall of Heresy" -- that Protestant clergy were entirely cut off from revenue derived from Irish Catholics.)
The Tithe War was famous. Carrickshock, however, wasn't particularly; I checked four histories of Ireland without finding an index reference.
And, of course, Anglicans are not Lutherans. They are not even, in formal terms, Protestant; they form one of the three major branches of post-Catholic Christianity. "Protestantism divided into three general confessions, the Lutheran, the Reformed [Calvinists, including Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and ultimately even Baptists], and the Anglican [formally including Methodists]" (Qualben, p. 286). The Presbyterians of Ulster aren't Lutherans, either; they go back to Calvin - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 2.5
File: OLcM091

Battle of Corrymuckloch, The


DESCRIPTION: Gaugers and [six] Scottish Greys surround Donald the smuggler to seize his whisky. Donald and his men fight back with sticks and stones, knock a soldier from his horse until "the beardies quit the field [and] The gauger he was thumped"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1905 (GreigDuncan2)
KEYWORDS: fight Scotland injury drink soldier
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Greig #131, p. 2, "The Battle of Corriemuchloch" (1 text)
GreigDuncan2 239, "The Battle of Corrymuckloch" (1 text)
Roud #5843
NOTES: The battle appears to have taken place in the first half of the 19th century. Greig: "Corriemuchloch [currently Balmashanner?] is a hamlet in the north of Crieff parish, Perthshire, and is within a mile and a half of Amulree. The story of the repulse of the Scots Greys by the smugglers is authentic, and is here vigorously rehearsed by the balladist, who must have had some fair measure of literary skill."
A "gauger" is an exciseman: one who collects alcohol taxes and enforces the law on people who don't pay those taxes. - BS
Last updated in version 2.4
File: GrD2239

Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, The, or The Pea Ridge Battle [Laws A12]


DESCRIPTION: A Union/Confederate soldier (Dan Martin) tells of how he fled from the rebels/federals at Elkhorn Tavern
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1928 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: Civilwar war
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Mar 7-8, 1862 - Battle of Pea Ridge (Elkhorn Tavern), Ark. Federal forces under Samuel Curtis had advanced into Arkansas, and were met by the larger Confederate forces of Earl Van Dorn. Van Dorn's envelopment strategy was too complex for his raw troops, and Curtis was able to beat them off and eventually counterattack
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Laws A12a, "The Battle of Elkhorn Tavern"/Laws A12b, "The Pea Ridge Battle"
Belden, pp. 368-369, "The Battle of Elkhorn Tavern" (1 text)
Randolph 209, "The Pea Ridge Battle" (1 text plus a fragment, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 200-203, "The Pea Ridge Battle" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 209A)
Darling-NAS, pp. 162-163, "The Battle of Pea Ridge" (1 text)
DT 685, ELKHORNT
Roud #2201
NOTES: The officers referred to in this ballad include:
[Samuel] Curtis (1877-1866), Union commander at Pea Ridge. He was field commander of Union forces in Missouri and Arkansas for most of the war. Although badly outnumbered at Pea Ridge, he asked far less of his raw troops than Van Dorn, and so was able to win the battle
"Mackintosh" (so Belden): Probably James McIntosh (1828-1862), a Confederate general killed March 7.
[Ben] McCulloch (1811-1862), who had held field command of Confederate forces west of the Mississippi until the arrival of Van Dorn. Now relegated to command of a de facto division, he was killed on March 7
[Sterling] Price (1809-1867), former governor of Missouri and commander of Missouri's Confederate troops
"Rain": Neither army had a general named "Rain," but the Confederates had three generals named "Rains," The reference is probably to James E. Rains (1833-1862), who served in the west though he was still only a colonel (11th Tennessee) at the time of Pea Ridge
[Franz] Sigel (1824-1902), a wing and division commander under Curtis. He had attained his rank by bringing many German immigrants to the Union colors; other soldiers (both Union and Confederate) had a very low opinion of his "Dutchmen." Generally inept, Sigel had his one good day of the war at Pea Ridge. He is probably Belden's "Segal"
[William Y.] Slack (died 1862), a Confederate brigadier killed on March 7
[Earl] Van Dorn (1820-1863), commander of Confederate forces beyond the Mississippi. He was appointed to soothe the squabbles between Price and McCulloch over who was senior (the two had been squabbling about this for over a year; Price was made Major General earlier, but by the government of Missouri; McCulloch was appointed by the Confederate government). For more on his rakish personal life, see the notes to "Oh You Who Are Able...." - RBW
File: LA12

Battle of Fisher's Hill


DESCRIPTION: "Old Early's Camp at Fisher's Hill Resolved some Yankee's blood to spill, He chose the time when Phil was gone." Early attacks the Union troops, but Sheridan hears the fight, rides back, and rallies his troops to brush Early aside
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1939 (Thomas)
KEYWORDS: battle Civilwar
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Sep 22, 1864 - Battle of Fisher's Hill.
Oct 19, 1864 - Battle of Cedar Creek
FOUND IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Thomas-Makin', p. 58, "Battle of Fisher's Hill" (1 text)
ST ThBa058 (Partial)
NOTES: This song appears to conflate two battles, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek. Phil Sheridan (the "Phil" of the song) was appointed in August 1864 to command Union forces in the Shenandoah. They had about a 3:1 edge over the understrength corps of Jubal A. Early, who had earlier raided Washington and continued to be viewed as a major threat.
The campaign began in earnest in September, with Sheridan winning a battle at Winchester on September 19 and following it up with another at Fisher's Hill on September 22.
The Union forces thought Early no longer a threat, but he regrouped and counterattacked at Cedar Creek a month later. Sheridan was away at the time, and made his famous ride back to his army to rally the troops. Early's forces (most of them starving) had scattered to plunder the Union camp, and Early had not tried hard enough to rally them to finish off the Federals; as a result, Sheridan was able to gather his forces and crush Early finally and completely.
As "Old Early Camped at Fisher's Hill," this is item dA40 in Laws's Appendix II. Thomas doesn't indicate a tune, but I suspect "Old Dan Tucker." - RBW
File: ThBa058

Battle of Fredericksburg, The


See The Last Fierce Charge [Laws A17] (File: LA17)

Battle of Gettysburg (I), The


See The Last Fierce Charge [Laws A17] (File: LA17)

Battle of Harlaw, The [Child 163]


DESCRIPTION: A Highland army marches to Harlaw (to claim an earldom for their leader). The local forces oppose them on principle, and a local chief kills the Highland commander. The battle is long and bloody, but the defenders hold their ground
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1823 (Laing)
KEYWORDS: battle nobility
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1411 - Donald, Lord of the Isles, gathers an army to press his (legitimate) claim to the Earldom of Ross. Both sides take heavy losses, but the Highlanders suffer more and are driven off
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber),England(South))
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Child 163, "The Battle of Harlaw" (2 texts, 1 tune) {Bronson's #7}
Bronson 163, "The Battle of Harlaw" (21 versions+1 in addenda)
GreigDuncan1 112, "The Battle of Harlaw" (14 texts, 11 tunes) {A=Bronson's #6, B=#8, C=#11, E=#9, F=#3, G=#5, H=#12, I=#10, J=#4}
Ord, pp. 473-475, "Harlaw" (1 text)
DT 163, BATHARLW*
Roud #2861
RECORDINGS:
Jeannie Robertson, "The Battle of Harlaw" (on FSBBAL2) {Bronson's #14}
Lucy Stewart, "The Battle of Harlaw" (on FSB5, FSBBAL2) (on LStewart1) {Bronson's #13}
NOTES: Most ballad books discussing Harlaw mention only the immediate cause: The conflict over the Earldom of Ross. This follows Child (whose notes, in this case, are rather inadequate).
The conflict was real but hardly the whole story: The only heir of William, Earl of Ross, was a daughter Euphemia Ross. (Not to be confused with the Euphemia Ross who was the wife of King Robert II.) There were some questions about the legality of her inheriting the title -- the Earldom of Ross had been a male entail (see, e.g., Boardman, p. 47), but that could be changed.
Interestingly, there was a question about whether she would marry at all -- Thomson, p. 23, says that she possessed "severe disabilities," adding on p. 24 that she was a hunchback; apparently she was at one time destined for a convent. But given the land she controlled, that could hardly stand. King David II married her to Walter Lesley, an elderly crusader, in 1366, and changed the entail so that the earldom could pass in female line (Boardman, pp. 46-47). All might have been well had not Euphemia outlived Lesley.
In 1382, Euphemia married Alexander the "Wolf of Badenoch," a younger son of King Robert II. (Boardman, pp. 77-79). This produced a new set of complications, because the marriage to Alexander had ended in divorce (Boardman, pp. 179-180). Magnusson, p. 211, says that the Wolf was "flagrantly unfaithful," leading Euphemia to denounce the marriage and demand her land back. In the end, Euphemia left no heir.
The exact date of Euphemia Ross's death is unknown, but it was probably around 1395. Alexander of Badenoch, being the sort of man he was, held onto the earldom after her death, but he died in 1406 -- and while he had sons, they were not by Euphemia and not heirs to Ross. Donald of the Isles (died 1423), as husband of Mary/Margaret Lesley, the sister of the old Earl of Ross (Euphemia's father), was the obvious heir (Fry/Fry, p. 94) -- and he set out to make good that claim. Hence the events resulting in the Battle of Harlaw.
But the conflict was in fact much more important than a conflict over an earldom. Since the death of Robert Bruce, Scotland's central government had been weak even by Scottish standards: David II Bruce had spent much of his reign in English hands, his successor Robert II the Steward was a tired old man, Robert III was crippled and had limited ability to rule, and the King at the time of Harlaw was James I, who was still only a teenager and in English custody as well (Cook, p. 151). The country, since the time of Robert III, had been ruled by Robert Duke of Albany, the younger brother of Robert III (they shared the name Robert because Robert III was born John but took a different throne name; he thought "John" unlucky).
Albany was energetic, but his government was not strong (Magnuson, p. 226, documents the vicious way in which he maintained power); Scotland was degenerating into a collection of quarreling baronies. (The mess was so bad that, when James I got loose, he would destroy as many of Albany's descendants as he could lay his hands on; Ashley-Stuart, p. 41) The Highlands were almost completely beyond central control. The Lords of the Isles were in effect independent kings, with a dynasty going back to the Irish-born prince Somerled (c. 1105-1164), who during the 1150s managed to lay claim to most of the Hebrides by conquest or negotiation (Ashley-Kings, p. 432). The title of "Lord of the Isles" became official with "Good John," Lord of the Isles 1330-1387 (Thomson, p. 16). Donald, the Lord of the Isles in this song, was John's heir.
The Lords of the Isles were often very conservative, holding fast to the old Gaelic ways, and they were willing to ally with anyone or anything, including the English, against the lowland government (Thomson, p. 17). As a result, they had great influence in the western Highlands. Give them control of Ross, in the central Highlands, and Scotland would likely have split into two nations -- or, possibly, the Lords of the Isles could have been able to take control of the whole thing. After all, Donald was the grandson of Robert II by his daughter Margaret (see the genealogy in Boardman, p. 41).
Ordinarily Donald would not have been much threat to the monarchy; he stood rather low in the succession -- he trailed the current king James I, James's successors if he had any, Albany and his son Murdoch and his heirs, John earl of Mar (the son of the Wolf of Badenoch, and hence Donald's step-nephew or something like that), and Mar's heirs. (Note that Mar was the leader of those who fought MacDonald at Harlaw.). Still, a sufficiently strong lord could easily get around that. Harlaw allowed the government to retain just enough control to prevent either possibility.
Magnusson, p. 231, says of the battle itself that it "has become a byword for savagery and valour... and became known in ballad and folk-tale as the Battle of Red Harlaw.... It was the fiercest and bloodiest battle ever fought by the Gaels; it was also a battle which nobody won."
Magnusson, p. 232, claims that MacDonald selected six thousand men at a Christmas feast in the Isles and shipped them to the mainland. There he picked up four thousand more followers. Thus he had perhaps ten thousand men to fight at Harlaw -- fully half the figure typically quoted in the ballad, which makes the song relatively accurate compared to some histories of the time.
Magnusson adds that Mar's forces, though outnumbered, were better-armed. The uncoordinated fight consisted mostly of mobs of Highlanders charging the massed lowlanders, who held off the attacks by staying in tight formation (Magnusson, p. 233). Magnusson estimates MacDonald's losses at one thousand, Mar's at six hundred -- ten percent or more of the forces engaged.
That was Donald's last serious attempt to claim the Earldom of Ross. Albany managed a strong counter-push after that, and the Lord of the Isles was mostly quiet for the remaining dozen years of his life. Though it was a tactical draw, Harlaw was a great strategic victory for Mar and the lowlanders -- and for Albany and the central government. As well as for the Earl of Mar, who in the aftermath picked up the Earldom of Ross as well (Thomson, p. 29).
It was not the end of the conflicts between the Lords of the Isles and the central government; Alexander, the successor of Donald MacDonald, rebelled against King James I almost as soon as his father died. He had a great deal of success, and almost managed to capture Inverness -- but James I was not Albany. He gathered an army and captured Alexander MacDonald (Thomson, p. 30). It seemed as if the power of the Lords of the Isles would be broken. It probably would have been, had James lived longer. But he was murdered, and his heir was a minor, and the pro-government Earl of Ross was killed at Verneuil (the last great victory of the English over the French in the Hundred Years' War; Thomson, p. 32, says Ross died in 1436, but Verneuil was fought in 1424 -- and Seward, p. 201, says explicitly that John Stewart, Earl of Mar, was one of many killed at Verneuil.)
Alexander of the Isles -- who seems to have escaped his captivity quickly (Ashley-Stuart, p. 42) was able to regain much of his power as a result. The regency, to earn his support, finally gave him the Earldom of Ross (Thomson, p. 32; Ashley-Stuart, p. 47, adds that he was appointed Judiciar as well, the idea being to get him to control the Highlands). He supported the regency (probably out of self-interest) until his death in 1449. But John MacDonald, who succeeded him as Lord of the Isles and Earl of Ross while still a teenager (Thomson, p. 35), was reckless and not particularly wise in his gambles. When his correspondence with the English was revealed, he lost the Earldom of Ross (Thomson, p. 37). And his (political) marriage was childless (Thomson, p. 36). John had illegitimate children, including a son Angus Og whom he managed to have legitimized, but Angus Og rebelled against his father.
In the aftermath of the war between James III and James IV, Angus Og was murdered, meaning that John's heir was his grandson Donald Dhu -- a young man already a prisoner in a Cambell castle (Thomson, p. 40). John was by now so distrusted (and so ineffective) that he was stripped of the title "Lord of the Isles"; the title was never really revived (Thomson, p. 41). Donald Dhu's death in 1545 marked the effective end of the MacDonald dynasty in any event (Ashley-Kings, p. 541); there were collateral branches, of course, but no longer a true clanleader. The Battle of Harlaw thus marked, in a sense, the pinnacle of MacDonald power. And, hence, the turning point that would ultimately make the Campbells the great clan of Scotland.
This ballad is generally regarded as historically unreliable, on several counts -- a charge dating back to Child. David Buchan, however, takes a different view (in the article cited as "Buchan").
The first objection to the song lies in the prominence of the Forbeses in a battle directed by the Earl of Mar. Buchan, however, alludes to Dr. Douglas Simpson's book The Earldom of Mar, which attempts to reconstruct this battle.
According to this view, the citizens of Aberdeenshire were concerned about the invasion by Highlandmen, and sought to block it. But they could not know which route MacDonald would take to the city -- via Harlaw or Rhynie Gap, several hours' march apart. Simpson argues that Mar garrisoned Harlaw and assigned the Forbeses, strong vassals situated in the area, to guard Rhynie.
When the Highlandmen arrived at Harlaw, Mar sent for the Forbeses. They arrived on the scene, defeated the nearest Highland forces, and partly retrieved the battle. The ballad then makes sense if seen as a description from the Forbes standpoint.
The second objection, to the presence of Redcoats, Buchan meets by assuming the song has been confused with an account of the Jacobite rebellions. This strikes me as less convincing.
The third argument that the song is recent comes from the similarity of versions. Buchan argues that this could have been caused by broadsheets distributed by Alexander Laing, who printed the earliest (B) fragment known to Child. This is possible though by no means sure (no such early broadsheet, to my knowledge, has been found) -- but in any case the objection is weak, because Bronson's #15, at least, represents a text well removed from the common stream. Most texts of "Harlaw" are from Aberdeenshire; they could be close together simply because many singers knew the song and could compare their texts.
Ord reports a claim that the chorus is derived from a druidic chant. Uh-huh. - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 2.5
File: C163

Battle of Jericho


See Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho (File: LxU110)

Battle of Kilcumney, The


DESCRIPTION: The rebels are routed at the Battle of Kilcumney. Afterwards, nine British troops burn John Murphy's house. Four Wexford pikemen kill five of the nine. Teresa Malone escapes from the house to rebel lines after shooting one more of the attackers.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1998 (Kinsella, Moran and Murphy's _Kilcumney '98--its Origins, Aftermath and Legacy_, according to Moylan)
KEYWORDS: battle rebellion escape death soldier
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
June 26, 1798 - "The western division of the United army, under Fr John Murphy, was attacked upon Kilcumney Hill, near Goresbridge, by General Sir Charles Asgill, and dispersed. The troops did not confine their attention to the rebel army, but carried out a slaughter of the inhabitants of Kilcumney itself." (source: Moylan)
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Moylan 93, "The Battle of Kilcumney" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Father Murphy (I)" (subject of Father Murphy) and references there
NOTES: This particular affair was the last spasm of a dying cause, and hardly is mentioned in most histories. The Big Event had been five days earlier, at Vinegar Hill, where General Lake had dispersed the Wexford rebels. But his encirclement had been incomplete, and a handful including Father Murphy fled toward Kilkenny (see Robert Kee, The Most Distressful Country, being volume I of The Green Flag, p. 122). Their victory at Kilcolmney (as Kee spells it) was only a skirmish, an did no real good; the locals offered no help, and the rebels continued their flight, ending eventually in the death of Murphy and others (see the notes to "Father Murphy (I)" and "Some Treat of David").
General Asgill, it is generally agreed, is as brutal as Moylan's note implies; even the pro-British Thomas Pakenham calls him "as insensitive and negligent as [British Commander in Chief General] Lake." (Pakenham, The Year of Liberty, p. 282). Given that Lake could at least as well have been called "snake" (with apologies to all reptiles, which possess neither guile nor treachery nor Lake's peculiar stupidity), this will give you a clear view of Asgill. - RBW
File: Moyl093

Battle of Mill Springs, The [Laws A13]


DESCRIPTION: A wounded soldier speaks fondly of his family and sweetheart. He wonders who will care for them. He recalls how soldiers looked so gallant when he was a little boy. He kisses the (Union) flag and dies.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1925 (Cox)
KEYWORDS: patriotic battle death Civilwar
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Jan 19, 1862 - Battle of Logan Cross Roads (Mill Springs), Kentucky. A small battle (about 4000 troops on each side) which ended in a Confederate retreat but little substantial result except for the death of the Confederate commander Zollicoffer
FOUND IN: US(Ap,SE)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Laws A13, The Battle of Mill Springs
JHCox 65, "The Battle of Mill Springs" (1 text)
Thomas-Makin', pp. 83-86, "Wounded Soldier" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 775, MILSPRNG
Roud #627
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Young Edward
Young Edwards
NOTES: This isn't really about the Battle of Mill Springs, or any other battle; that's just a convenient title. Thomas's text, e.g., calls the conflict "Humboldt Springs," which is no battle at all (at least according to Phisterer's comprehensive list of 2261 Civil War battles) and implies that the boy is from England. It's really just a platform for a lot of familiar themes: The dying soldier bidding his family farewell, etc.
Mill Springs may have been chosen because it was one of the first battles of the war (the only prior battles of significance were First Bull Run and Wilson's Creek; Mill Springs was the first real battle on the Kentucky front). - RBW
File: LA13

Battle of New Orleans, The [Laws A7]


DESCRIPTION: American troops under Andrew Jackson easily repulse the British attempt to capture New Orleans. After three unsuccessful charges, the British are forced to retire.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1935 (Brewster in SFQ 1)
KEYWORDS: war battle
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Jan 8, 1815 - Battle of New Orleans. Although a peace had already been signed, word had not yet reached Louisiana, which Pakenham sought to invade. Andrew Jackson's backwoodsmen easily repulsed Pakenham's force; the British commander was killed in the battle.
FOUND IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Laws A7, "The Battle of New Orleans"
Botkin-MRFolklr, p. 560, "The Battle of New Orleans" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 380, BATNWOR2*
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Hunters of Kentucky" [Laws A25] " (subject)
cf. "The Battle of New Orleans (II)" (subject)
cf. "Pakenham" (subject)
NOTES: Not to be confused with the Jimmy Driftwood song of the same name. - PJS
For the general background of the final campaigns of the War of 1812, see the notes on "The Siege of Plattsburg."
The force which attacked New Orleans had previously been involved in the Chesapeake campaign; see the notes to "The Star-Spangled Banner." The British thought to send them to Louisisana in no small part because they thought the French and Spanish residents would be unhappy with the Americans running things (Hickey, p. 204). They don't seem to have done much to take advantage of that, though, and Robert Ross, who was initially supposed to command the attack, had been ordered not to make any substantial promises to the locals (Hickey, p. 205). It was one of many advantages the British voluntarily handed over to Andrew Jackson, the American commander on the Gulf of Mexico.
Jackson had had a difficult time in the War of 1812; the administration distrusted him (Borneman, p. 136) and tried to keep him in the background. The Seventh Military District, which he commanded, consisted of Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi Territory, and the lands of the Creek Indians (Patterson, p. 115) -- a backwater. But he got lucky: That put him in the right place at the right time to fight the Creek War (for which see "Andrew Jackson's Raid"), and after that, he was too politically significant to be shuttled aside. When the final thrust of the war began, it came in Jackson's district.
Jackson wasn't the greatest strategist; when the British force headed for New Orleans, he was convinced it was heading for Mobile, and tried to distribute his forces accordingly (Borneman, p. 265. To be sure, the British had made an earlier probe at Mobile, which was easily repulsed; Hickey, p. 206). Fortunately, Jackson's subordinates resisted his plans, which in the end saved him a great deal of trouble. When the British arrived at the mouth of the Mississippi, Jackson's forces were scattered -- but the British were slow to attack, and Jackson was able to concentrate. Jackson also did a good job of instilling discipline into the disastrously disorderly Appalachian militia, though it took several executions to bring it about. (As it was, most of those famous "Hunters of Kentucky" would break when they first faced British troops in December.) Plus he fortified the city and its approaches, something which had been neglected until then (Hickey, p. 206).
The British failure was one of those things that was no one person's fault. The campaign had begun as early as November 26, 1814, when British Admiral Alexander Cochrane set sail from Jamaica (Borneman, p. 276). He had with him a new Army commander; the veteran Robert Ross had been killed in Maryland. His replacement was Sir Edward Pakenham, Wellington's brother-in-law Patterson, p. 60), a veteran of the Napoleonic Wars whose record till then had been good (Hickey, p. 208) but who was new to the Americas and whose command experience was limited. And the weather was generally to prove terrible, much debilitating the attackers (Hickey, p. 209).
The biggest single problem was logistic. The British fleet was not really equipped for Louisiana operations -- it needed shallow-bottomed vessels to maneuver in the marshes, and it didn't have them. This closed off some of the best routes into New Orleans. (There were three basic routes to New Orleans: By shallow boat across Lake Ponchartrain, by ship up the Mississippi, and by land across the Plain of Gentilly. The lack of boats closed off Lake Ponchartrain, and there were enough forts along the Mississippi that the admirals didnÕt want to try that. That left Gentilly, which unfortunately for the British was both marshy and narrow).
On December 23, the British advance guard met the first American militia, and routed them. The British veterans won a quick victory (Hickey, p. 209, says that the British suffered more casualties while conceding that they held the field), but their commander, not knowing the size or location of JacksonÕs main force, failed to push on (Borneman, p. 277). It would eventually prove a fatal decision by the British brigade commander John Keane. A French-speaking plantation owner, who was also a militia officer, managed to escape and bring word to Jackson (Patterson, pp. 197-199)
It is rarely mentioned that Jackson brought up his troops that evening and tried a counterattack, which failed (Borneman, pp. 277-278, although Patterson, p. 208, observes that British casualties, mostly taken early in the attack, were slightly higher than American). Still, as general Pakenham discovered when he arrived on Christmas Day, the British troops had put themselves in something of a box: The Mississippi was on their left, the impassible swamps not-quite-connecting Lakes Ponchartrain and Borgne on their right, and the Americans in their front. There were only two ways out: To go through Jackson, or to retreat -- and, by this time, with Jackson alert to their presence, it would be much harder to mount a new attack. Still, Pakenham was not ready to give up (Hickey, p. 210).
Pakenham did his best to improve the situation. His plan did not call for a simple head-on attack. Rather, he planned to send a brigade to the west bank of the Mississippi, to take over the American guns there and use them to enfilade the American lines. He also had a regiment equipped with fascines to get his troops across the Rodriguez Canal which guarded the American front. He set up several artillery batteries in field fortifications of sugar barrels to attack the American lines. (Hickey, p. 210). And he planned to attack in darkness and fog (Borneman, pp. 280-282).
None of it worked. The sugar barrels set up to guard the artillery were a disaster; it had been thought that sugar would be as good a protection as sand. It wasnÕt. The American batteries, which were emplaced in real fortifications, quickly silenced the British guns (Hickey, pp.210-211).
The lack of transport ruined the move across the Mississippi -- a canal intended to bring up boats, demanded by the navy, proved impossible to build in the mud; instead of enough boats for a brigade, the western force crossed only a few hundred men. And the Mississippi current washed them so far downstream that they were hours late. They eventually did reach and capture the American gun emplacements -- but they were few enough that the Americans managed to spike the guns, so the west bank artillery could not have participated in the battle even had they been on time (Borneman, pp. 290-291; Hickey, p.211)
Worse still, the regiment with the fascines needed to cross American trenches apparently disappeared for a time. Daylight on January 15 was approaching, and the key to Pakenham's assault was missing (Borneman, p. 285). Pakenham probably should have called off the assault, but he cannot have known all the details of the situation across the river -- and the cross-river raid was a trick he could probably try only once. He ordered the main attack to go ahead, somewhat late. By the time the assault was fully underway, the sun was rising. And then the fog burned off (Borneman, p. 286; Hickey, pp. 211-212).
And even the attack was botched. There were two brigades involved in the assault: Gibbs's and Keane's. Keane started late and also ended up cutting across the field rather than attacking straight on; it was slaughtered and the commander wounded. Gibbs went straight on, and found his front ranks slaughtered. Pakenham showed up, having finally found the troops with the fascines, but was wounded. He ordered up his reserves -- but, before they could arrive, he was killed. General Gibbs also fell at the head of his troops. That left no general officers in the field (Borneman, p. 289). When General Lambert arrived with the reserve brigade, he decided to rescue what he could rather than try another fatal assault. Half an hour after Pakenham had fired the signal rocket to start the assault, the battle was over (Borneman, p. 290).
With their commander and two out of four brigadiers dead or wounded, the British reports on the battle were not especially clear, but they probably suffered about 300 killed, 1300 wounded, and 500 captured. ThatÕs roughly two-thirds of the forces committed to the actual assault on the American lines, and nearly half their total force. Jackson listed his losses as seven killed and six wounded -- though, because much of his force was militia that came and went at will, he probably didn't know the exact numbers (Borneman, p. 291). And the forces across the river had taken fifty or sixty casualties (Hickey, p. 212).
In partial defence of Pakenham (1778-1815), he was in a very unfamiliar situation; most of his best work had been as a staff officer, and although he had served in the line (including some time as a division commander in the Peninsular War), he didn't have any real experience as an independent commander. And this *was* the era of commission by purchase.
Had the war gone on, the British might still have done some damage. Lambert and Cochrane took their surviving forces to Mobile, and the city was in danger of falling when word came that peace had been made (Hickey, p. 214).
Of the whole affair, Morison (p. 395) concludes, "The Battle of New Orleans had no military value since peade had already been signed at Ghent on Christmas Eve, but it made a future President of the United States, and in folklore wiped out all previous American defeats, ending the "Second War of Independence" in a blaze of glory. - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 2.5
File: LA07

Battle of Otterbourn, The


See The Battle of Otterburn [Child 161] (File: C161)

Battle of Otterburn, The [Child 161]


DESCRIPTION: As armies under Earls Douglas of Scotland and Percy (aka Hotspur) of Northumberland battle, the dying Douglas asks Montgomery to conceal his corpse under a bush. Percy refuses to surrender to the bush but does yield to Montgomery
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: c. 1550
KEYWORDS: battle borderballad death nobility
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1388 - Battle of Otterburn. Scots under Douglas attack England. Although Douglas is killed in the battle, the Scots defeat the English and capture their commander Harry "Hotspur" Percy
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES (8 citations):
Child 161, "The Battle of Otterburn" (5 texts, 1 tune) {Bronson's #1}
Bronson 161, "The Battle of Otterburn" (2 versions)
Percy/Wheatley I, pp. 35-51+notes on pp. 53-54, "The Battle of Otterbourne" (1 text)
Leach, pp. 436-446, "The Battle of Otterburn" (2 texts)
OBB 127, "The Battle of Otterburn" (1 text)
Gummere, pp. 94-104+323-325, "The Battle of Otterburn" (1 text)
HarvClass-EP1, pp. 88-93, "The Battle of Otterburn" (1 text)
DT 161, OTTRBURN*
Roud #3293
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Hunting of the Cheviot" (subject)
NOTES: Needless to say, despite texts such as Child's "A" and "C," it was not Harry "Hotspur" Percy who killed Douglas at Otterburn. It is likely that Douglas's raid would not have been so successful had not the English been divided; as often happened, the Percies of Northumberland were feuding with the other great border family, the Nevilles (of Raby and Westmoreland).
Scottish sources are not really clear what was happening here. Stephen Boardman, in The Early Stewart Kings, notes that the Scots and French were creating a semi-coordinated attack on the English, with the inept government of Richard II not really able to do much about it (John of Gaunt had recently conducted a very damaging raid on Scotland, but the war in France was going badly).
It appears that the Scots sent down two armies, one into Cumbria toward Carlisle and one toward Northumberland.
It has been theorized that the two Scottish armies were supposed to meet for an attack on Carlisle. But Douglas decided to go his own way. Without Douglas's troops, the western army ended up turning back. Possible, but hard to prove. For that matter, it might have been the other way: The western army might have been intended to turn east; Boardman argues that all our Scottish sources are biased by a political quarrel in Scotland between pro- and anti-Douglas factions.
Indeed, the death of Douglas almost certainly caused Scotland more harm than his victory gained them; apart from pushing Richard II of England to try harder to defeat them, the Earl had no son, and the quarrels over the Douglas succession led to many political difficulties.
Sir Philip Sidney, in his Apologie for Poetrie of 1595, write, "I neuer heard the olde song of Percy and Duglas (sic.), that I found mot my heart mooued more then with a Trumpet." It is not possible, however, to tell whether this is a reference to "The Battle of Otterburn" [Child 161] or "The Hunting of the Cheviot" [Child 162]. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: C161

Battle of Pea Ridge


See Laws A12, "The Battle of Elkhorn Tavern" (File: LA12)

Battle of Philiphaugh, The [Child 202]


DESCRIPTION: Sir David [Leslie] comes to Philiphaugh with 3000 Scots. They find a man to lead them to Montrose's army. The man, concerned by Leslie's small numbers, reveals why he hates Montrose and reveals how to defeat him. The defeat duly takes place
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1803 (Scott)
KEYWORDS: battle hate
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Sept 13, 1645 - Battle of Philiphaugh
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Child 202, "The Battle of Philiphaugh" (1 text)
Bronson 202, comments only
Roud #4016
NOTES: The Battle of Philiphaugh saw a royalist force under Montrose defeated by Scottish Covenanters led by David Leslie. This was almost the only time Montrose was defeated in battle (Leslie's forces, hidden by a mist, surprised Montrose).
This was hailed as a great victory for the Covenanters, even though Montrose's was outnumbered (by an even larger factor than usual, since the best of his MacDonald allies had deserted him, according to Oliver Thomson, The Great Feud: The Campbells & the MacDonalds, Sutton, 2000, p. 75), ill-supplied, and surprised. Still, Montrose had won a half dozen battles against equally long odds in the preceding year. so any victory against him was treated as a triumph.
In fact, Montrose was only slightly worse off than if he had won another of his unlikely victories; his armies always disintrigrated win orlose. But it took only one battle to ruin his reputation as invincible. From that time on, King Charles I's position in Scotland deteriorated rapidly, and of course the situation in England was very bad for other reasons. - RBW
File: C202

Battle of Point Pleasant, The


DESCRIPTION: "Let us mind the tenth day of October, Seventy-four, which caused woe." "Captain Lewis and some noble Captains" engage in battle with the Indians by the Ohio River; "seven score," including the officers, are casualties, but the battle is won
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1913 (Aplington)
KEYWORDS: Indians(Am.) battle death
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Oct 10, 1774 - Battle of Point Pleasant
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
LPound-ABS, 40, p. 93, "The Battle of Point Pleasant" (1 text)
Roud #4029
NOTES: This song is item dA31 in Laws's Appendix II. - RBW
The Battle of Point Pleasant was the culmination of "Lord Dunmore's War." John Murray, Earl of Dunmore (1732-1809), was governor of Virginia, but determined to control territories beyond the Appalachians (a plan completely contrary to official British policy). His maneuvers pushed the Shawnee and Ottowa Indians to war.
The Battle of Point Pleasant was fought when the Shawnee chief Cornstalk was caught between two converging columns of Virginia soldiers, led by Dunmore and Colonel Andrew Lewis. Cornstalk, realizing his plight, attacked Lewis's force at Point Pleasant (at the mouth of the Great Kanawha River), but was defeated.
After Point Pleasant, there was little the Shawnee could do, and diplomats had already convinced other tribes to leave them to their fate. Negotiations secured the Europeans free passage of the Ohio and hunting rights in Kentucky. - RBW
File: LPnd093

Battle of Prestonpans, The


See Tranent Muir (File: DTtranmu)

Battle of Queenston Heights, The


DESCRIPTION: "Upon the heights of Queenston one dark October day, Invading foes were marshalled in battle's dread array." General Brock, intent on repelling the invaders, leads his troops up the hill and is killed. The soldiers mourn
AUTHOR: Music: Alan Mills
EARLIEST DATE: 1960 (Fowke/Mills/Blume)
KEYWORDS: Canada soldier death
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
October 13, 1812 - American troops cross the Niagara River and take up a position on Queenston Heights in Canada. General Brock, the victor at Detroit, moves to drive them off. His soldiers succeed, but Brock is killed
FOUND IN: Canada
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Fowke/Mills/Blume, pp. 66-67, "The Battle of Queenston Heights" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #4524
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Brave General Brock" [Laws A22] (for the earlier career of General Brock)
NOTES: Theoretically, the Americans wanted to open the War of 1812 by attacking Canada on three fronts simultaneously (Hickey, p. 80; Mahon, p. 38). The main thrust was intended to be toward Montreal, with diversions along the Detroit and Niagara fronts. The idea was to cut off traffic on the Saint Lawrence, isolating Canada from Britain.
Very little of it worked. The Montreal assault started late, and the other two probes, which might have amounted to something had they been simultaneous, instead took place weeks apart -- long enough that Isaac Brock could personally deal with both of them. (Indeed, there was actually a cease-fire on the Niagara front while the Detroit campaign was going on; Mahon, pp. 75-76.)
For Brock's first success in the War of 1812, see "Brave General Brock" [Laws A22]. Having bluffed the Americans out of Michigan, and captured their army with vastly inferior forces, Brock hurried back to defend the Niagara front. Here again the Americans muffed a chance to use their superior forces.
Queenston Heights was one of those battles where the key was which side made the last mistake. The British forces were on the north side of the Niagara River (actually the west side, given that the river flows south to north), the Americans on the south (east), with their leaders itching to invade but suffering from divided command between officers who did not get along (Borneman, pp. 70-72; Hickey, p. 86). What was supposed to be a double-pronged assault on Queenston and Fort George (the latter to the south and the former to the north) turned into a single assault on Queenston, led by the political appointee Stephen Van Rensselaer (who had no military experience; Borneman, p. 70); General Alexander Smyth (himself a political appointee some years earlier), who should have attacked Fort George, refused direct orders to cooperate in the attack (Mahon, p. 76, tells of how Smyth avoided meeting van Rensselaer so he couldn't possibly be given orders).
The Canadian town of Queenston is about eight miles north of Niagara Falls, about half way between the Falls and Lake Ontario. The Americans in the vicinity had 3500 troops to face Brock's 2000, most of whom were about six miles away at Fort George (near Lake Ontario) rather than at Queenston, but the Americans had a horrid time finding boats to get across the river and for a time lost all their oars (Hickey, p. 87); they never did find enough transportation to move their full force (Mahon, p. 77).
The Americans eventually managed to push about 200 soldiers across the river west of the town. There was a British redoubt part-way up the Heights, which inflicted heavy casualties on the forces in its front, but Captain John Wool's company of regulars circled up the heights and came at it from above. Brock gathered the forces he could and counter-attacked. The motley crew did retake the redoubt, but Brock was dead on the field (Borneman, p. 73; Mahon, p. 79).
That wasn't the end of the battle. General Van Rensselaer sent Winfield Scott's troops across to reinforce Wool. Wool had by then retaken the redoubt (Borneman, p. 74), and Scott had 600 men to hold the position (though only 350 of them were regulars; Mahon, p. 80). Had they been reinforced, Queenston Heights might have held. But the rest of the American militia refused Van Rensselaer's pleas to cross the river (Hickey, p. 87), and British artillery was making the crossing perilous anyway, so few of the boatman were willing to go on the river (Mahon, p. 80).
From that time on, it all went bad for the Americans. Brock's second-in-command, Major General Hale Sheaffe, brought up the garrison of Fort George, giving him probably a three to one edge over Scott's forces on the Heights.
Van Rensselaer ordered Scott to retreat, and promised to have boats to evacuate his troops. But he had no boats. Scott, pinned on the river bank rather than in the strong position on the heights, was forced to surrender (Borneman, p. 75; Hickey, p. 87; Mahon, p. 80). In terms of casualties, it was an overwhelming British victory: 14 British killed, 84 wounded, and 15 missing; the Americans had 90 killed, 100 wounded, and 958 prisoners (Mahon, pp. 80-81; Jameson, p. 537, agrees that there were190 killed and wounded but suggests that there were only 900 prisoners; he inflates British losses to 130 -- which still means the Americans lost eight men for every British casualty). The only thing spoiling it for the British was the death of Brock.
In the aftermath, Van Rensselaer asked to be relieved, and Smythe (who blamed Van Renssalaer for not using his troops when he by his own actions made cooperation impossible; Mahon, p. 81) took his place and produced an even bigger mess at Fort Erie, after which he too was out of a job (Hickey, p. 88; Mahon, pp. 83-85. Mahon on p. 85 reports that his reputation after this was so bad that he was threatened by some of his own troops).
Van Rensselaer would later serve as a congressman for New York, and he founded Rensselaer Polytechnic (Jameson, p. 675), but the only officers to come out of the affair with any credit were Wool and Scott -- both of whom would actually still be around to serve not only in the Mexican War (where Scott was the commander-in-chief and Wool the second-in-command to General Taylor; Jameson, p. 725) but even in the Civil War. By contrast, "If English-speaking Canada has a national hero (and it is not a people to recognize such things readily) he is Sir Isaac Brock. Certainly it is difficult to imagine that Upper Canada could have survived without Brock's combination of sound strategy and courageous tactics" (McNaught, p. 73).
The third thrust of the American offensive, the one toward Montreal (led by Henry Dearborn), was so badly organized that it didn't start until November, never made it past the Canadian border, and at one point on the way American troops fired on each other (Hickey, p. 88). So Brock, even though dead, had won another victory -- and by doing so permanently saved Canada from American occupation. The Americans would try again in 1813 (see the notes to "The Battle of Bridgewater") but while that involved much heavier fighting, it still left the Americans on their side of the Niagara. By 1814, it was the British who were invading New England (see "The Siege of Plattsburg").
These lyrics are associated with the memorial raised to General Brock in 1824. There is no reason to believe they were ever sung.
And yes, Brock's charge is the incident Stan Rogers wrote a song about (but from the standpoint of Lt. Colonel John Mcdonell, the #2 man in the field behind Brock, who also died at Queenston). I have to dispute that song's contention that Mcdonell, had he lived, "might be what Brock became"; Brock had already done far more by his campaigns in the Ontario peninsula -- victories which had earned him a knighthood, though word had not reached Canada when he died (Borneman, p. 75). And Mcdonell would soon have been superseded by Sheaffe even had he lived. And, at best, Mcdonell might have drrven the Americans back into the river before Scott could cross. But, given how the battle turned out, that would probably have made the campaign less of a British victory. - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 2.5
File: FMB066

Battle of Shiloh Hill, The [Laws A11]


DESCRIPTION: A survivor of the Battle of Shiloh describes the difficult and bloody campaign, hoping that there will be no more such battles. The sufferings of the wounded men are alluded to, as are the prayers of the dying.
AUTHOR: Words credited to M. B. Smith, 2nd Texas Volunteers
EARLIEST DATE: 1914 (cf. Brown)
KEYWORDS: Civilwar battle
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
April 6-7, 1862 - Battle of Shiloh. The army of U.S. Grant is forced back but, reinforced by Buell, beats off the army of A.S. Johnston. Johnston is killed. Both sides suffer heavy casualties (Shiloh was the first battle to show how bloody the Civil War would be)
FOUND IN: US(So,SE)
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Laws A11, "The Battle of Shiloh Hill"
Randolph 220, "The Battle on Shiloh's Hill" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownII 229, "The Battle of Shiloh Hill" (1 text)
Lomax-FSNA 181, "The Battle on Shiloh's Hill" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-CivWar, pp. 56-57, "The Battle of Shiloh Hill" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 674, SHILOHIL
Roud #2200
NOTES: The battle of Shiloh is named for Shiloh Church, around which much of the fighting centered. It is also called Pittsburg Landing, after the site where Grant made his last stand before reinforcements arrived from Buell.
Some versions of this song refer to the "second battle that was fought on Shiloh hill." This actually refers to the second day of the battle, when the reinforced Yankees drove the Confederates back.
To tell this song from Laws A10, consider this first stanza:
"Come all you gallant soldiers, a story I will tell
About the bloody battle that was fought on Shiloh hill;
It was an awful struggle and will cause your heart to chill,
It was the famous battle that was fought on Shiloh hill." - RBW
File: LA11

Battle of Shiloh, The [Laws A10]


DESCRIPTION: A southerner tells of the southern "victory" at Shiloh and the Yankee "retreat"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1918 (Cecil Sharp collection)
KEYWORDS: Civilwar battle
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
April 6-7, 1862 - Battle of Shiloh. The army of U.S. Grant is forced back but, reinforced by Buell, beats off the army of A.S. Johnston. Johnston is killed. Both sides suffer heavy casualties (Shiloh was the first battle to show how bloody the Civil War would be)
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Laws A10, "The Battle of Shiloh"
SharpAp 136, "The Battle of Shiloh" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 587, BATSHILO*
Roud #2199
NOTES: The Confederates could claim victory on the first day at Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing); they had thrown Grant's army back to the edge of the river and left him with only a few thousand soldiers in hand. On the second day of the battle, however, reinforcements from Buell allowed Grant to counterattack and repel the Confederates.
What's more, while the battle was close to a draw in terms of casualties, it was an overwhelming strategic defeat for the Confederates; had Grant's superior General Halleck pursued his win, the war might have been over in 1862. - RBW
File: LA10

Battle of Stone River, The


DESCRIPTION: Confederate General Bragg tells his men to hold the line at Stone River. Union Gen. Johnson is prepared to cut and run, but Rosecrans and Van Cleve stand firm. Singer sees the ground red with blood; Sills is killed. They fight until the rebels retreat
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: Late 1930s (AFS recording, Oscar Parks)
KEYWORDS: army battle Civilwar fight violence war
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Dec 31, 1862-Jan 2, 1863 - Battle of Stones River/Murfreesboro
FOUND IN: US(MW)
Roud #16820
RECORDINGS:
Oscar Parks, "The Battle of Stone River" (on AFS 1727, late 1930s) (on FineTimes)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Ohio" (subject: The Battle of Stones River/Murfreesboro)
NOTES: The battle took place along the banks of the Stone River near Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The generals: Braxton Bragg, of the Confederate Army of the Tennessee; William Rosecrans, Richard Johnson, Horatio Van Cleve and Joshua Sills, of the Union Army of the Cumberland. Gen. Sills was killed by one Col. Perry, a rebel in an area with Union sympathies. Parks tells of singing a snatch this song in the woods one day when Col. Perry himself came up and made him sing the whole thing, then said, "I'm the very goddam man that shot him." - PJS
Despite the title of the song, the correct name of the battle was not Stone River but Stones River, or Murfreesboro to the Confederates -- and it was actually a multi-part battle spread over three days. On the first day, Bragg's Confederate army hit the Union right flank. The division of Brigadier General Richard W. Johnson (1827-1897) was the extreme flank element in the union line, and naturally was driven hardest in the assault in which Hardee's Confederate corps drove McCook's through a 180 degree angle and almost back onto the Union left rear (see the map in Boatner, p. 804),
It's odd to see Van Cleve (Horatio Phillips Van Cleve, 1809-1891) mentioned as one of the key props of the Union line (if we had to name one officer, it would surely be Philip Sheridan, whose division held on under intense pressure before buckling; Catton, p. 40; McPherson, p. 580, notes that Sheridan lost a third of his men and all three of his brigadiers. George H. Thomas, a corps commander, also deserves great credit for anticipating the final Confederate assault and making dispositions to stop it; Catton, p. 41). Van Cleve's troops were on the Union left, intended to attack the Confederate right, and served only to strengthen the final Union line (Harpers, p. 322, or see the map in Randall/Donald, p. 408) -- and Van Cleve was wounded anyway (Boatner, p. 866).
To speculate wildly: Van Cleve had been colonel of the 2nd Minnesota Regiment, which he had led at the Battle of Mill Springs (for which see "The Battle of Mill Springs [Laws A13]). This regiment was one of the most heavily involved in that battle (Carley, p. 36). Van Cleve became fairly famous in the Midwest as a result. The songwriter was probably a Midwesterner -- perhaps a Minnesotan -- who wanted to celebrate a favorite son. It is to be noted that the song was preserved by Oscar Parks, also a Midwesterner (from Illinois).
"Sills" is properly Joshua Woodrow Sill (1831-1862), a brigadier killed on December 31 (Boatner, p. 762) Fort Sill, Oklahoma was named for him.
December 31 was the big day at Stones River, but Bragg did mount a minor second assault on January 2, 1863, which failed. The Confederates had achieved a significant tactical victory, having driven the Union troops badly, but they could not exploit the win (according to Randall/Donald, p. 409, Bragg had about 8200 casualties out of 34,000 engaged; Rosecrans lost 9200 out of 41,000 engaged; McPherson, p. 582, says that Bragg lost over a third of his men and Rosecrans 31%, making Stones River, in terms of percentage casualties, the deadlies battle of the war).
Bragg apparently expected Rosecrans's army to retreat (Catton, p. 42), but when it failed to do so, he retreated himself (McPherson, p. 582), making the battle at least look like a Union strategic victory. On the other hand, Rosecrans and his army had been so stunned that they spent six months licking their wounds (Catton, p. 44; McPherson, p. 583) -- a lull that the Confederates could have made good use of had they had a true central command to coordinate their efforts. - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 2.5
File: RcTBoSR

Battle of the Boyne (I), The


DESCRIPTION: Battle began "upon a summer's morn, unclouded rose the sun." Williamites Schomberg, Walker, and Caillemotte are killed. James deserts his supporters who are "worthy of a better cause and of a bolder king." William would not pursue the fleeing Jacobites
AUTHOR: Lieut. Colonel William Blacker (1777-1853)
EARLIEST DATE: battle Ireland royalty rebellion
LONG DESCRIPTION: "It was upon a summer's morn, unclouded rose the sun." On William's side, Duke Schomberg ["the veteran hero falls, renowned along the Rhine"], Rev George Walker ["whose name, while Derry's walls endure, shall brightly shine"], and Caillemotte were killed. James deserted his supporters ["O! worthy of a better cause and of a bolder king ... many a gallant spirit there retreats across the plain, Who, change but kings, would gladly dare that battle field again"]. William would not pursue the fleeing Jacobites [.".. vanquished freemen spare"].
KEYWORDS: battle Ireland royalty rebellion
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
July 1, 1690 - Battle of the Boyne. William III crushes the Irish army of James, at once securing his throne and the rule of Ireland. Irish resistance continues for about another year, but Ireland east of the Shannon is his, and the opposition is doomed.
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (3 citations):
O'Conor, pp. 71-72, "Battle of the Boyne" (1 text)
Edward Hayes, The Ballads of Ireland (Boston, 1859 (reprint of 1855 London edition)), Vol I, pp. 210-211, "The Battle of the Boyne"
DT, BATLBOYN
ST PGa014A (Full)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Boyne Water (I)" (subject: The Battle of the Boyne)
cf. "The Boyne Water (II)" (subject: The Battle of the Boyne)
cf. "Schomberg" (subject: The Battle of the Boyne)
cf. "The Bright Orange Stars of Coleraine" (subject: The triumph of William of Orange)
NOTES: Hayes's footnotes on p. 210 confirm that the allusions are to Schomberg and Walker.
Huguenot Colonel Caillemotte was killed just before noon, at about the same time Schomberg was killed. James left the field and de Lauzun sent Sarsfield's Horse and Maxwell's Dragoons to insure his safety, compromising the remaining forces's effectiveness against the Williamite cavalry (McNally, pp..82, 86). - BS
Panic and indecision was, indeed, a strong characteristic of James VII and II (1633-1701) -- easy traits to understand in a younger son of an imperious father (Charles I) whose self-importance was thoroughly dealt with when he was deposed and executed when James was still only 16.
After the Restoration of the Monarchy, James's older brother Charles II (reigned 1660-1685) had managed to control parliament by many years of skillful maneuvering, and the use of French subsidies to allow him to rule without parliament. But Charles had advantages James did not: He had come in on the groundswell of support following the downfall of Oliver Cromwell's "Protectorate" (religious dictatorship) -- and Charles was, at least nominally, Protestant. Whereas James was openly Catholic, and there were rumors that he was behind the "Popish Plot" -- a story concocted in 1678 by one Titus Oates, which claimed the Catholics were trying to assassinate Charles and bring a Catholic takeover (Clark, pp. 88-92). It was basically a series of lies by Oates for personal gain, but it made the whole nation nervous.
Of James II, Clark writes (p. 111), "If tragedy is the story of a man of high worldly rank whose sufferings are due to his virtues as well as to his vices, then the reign of James II was tragic, and it is not surprising that historians... should take his personal share in them as the guiding thread through the events." Clark describes Charles as an "easy, clever temporizer" and James as "inadaptable, indeed obstinate."
James faced a rebellion at the very beginning of his reign by Charles II's illegitimate son the Duke of Monmouth; it was easily crushed (see, e.g. the notes to "Bothwell Bridge" [Child 206] and, for this whole messy period, the notes to "The Vicar of Bray."). But then James made the first of his many mistakes: Rather than disband his army, he kept it together, even giving it many Catholic officers. This at the very time that Louis XIV of France was revoking the Edict of Nantes which had granted toleration to Protestants (Clark, p. 116). Naturally the Protestants were afraid. But this did not keep James from appointing more and more Catholics to high offices (Clark, p. 117).
According to Foster, p. 141, "[T]he uneasy political strife was tipped over by a deus ex machine from another quarter. This was the birth of a Catholic heir in June 1688, and the escalation of the political tempo caused by James's importation of Irish regiments in the autumn."
The heir was the real surprise. James's second wife Mary of Modena had long been barren, but now she gave birth to a son. James had two daughters by his first wife who were safely Protestant. But this child -- the so-called Old Pretender, or James III -- would be Catholic. This came as a "bombshell" to the Protestants, including the supporters of James's protestant daughter Mary and her Protestant husband William III of Orange (Prall, p. 173).
So concerned were many of the Protestants that they invited William III -- who was King of the Netherlands in his own right -- to invade England and depose James. And, by sheer luck, William was in position to do so -- Louis XIV of France, who had been planning to invade Williams's kingdom, went haring off after other objectives in 1688 (Clark, p. 129) when the German princes came to William's support (Bardon, p. 151). William then was free to sail to England, helped by the famously fortunate "Protestant wind" (Clark, p. 132). Representatives of Parliament came to him after his landing (Prall, p. 234), and in effect a new form of government was agreed upon -- a much more limited monarchy, and one which placed greater stress on what we would call "human rights."
But the invasion finally made James realize his difficult position. All was not necessarily lost. He could stay and try to convince parliament to stay on his side -- and, in the opinion of Kenyon, p. 251, he was likely to have succeeded: "James's position was still strong, probably stronger now that the idea of a military campaign had virtually been abandoned. William was in the position of aggressor, and James was free to renounce any settlement at a later date on the grounds that it had been imposed on him by force."
But James was afraid. Kenyon, p. 252, points out that all the Protestants' problems would be solved if James were dead --they could raise the infant James as a Protestant (perhaps with William and Mary as regents), or they could simply crown William and Mary as king and queen in their own right; either way, Protestantism would prevail. It was true that no sitting English king had been assassinated since at least 1100 (when William Rufus died in suspicious circumstances) and possibly since 978 (when Edward the Martyr was killed) -- but Edward II, Richard II, Henry VI, and Edward V had all died after being deposed, and Richard III had died in a civil war. And there were still alive men who had ordered James's father executed forty years before. James simply didn't want to risk it; he took his family and fled England (Clark, pp. 136-138), burning the writs of summons to the parliament while he was at it (Prall, pp. 237-238).
Technically, it was a smart move; Parliament was not in session, and had not been called, so formally the government was non-functional; it could not take action without James (Trevelyan, p. 67). But England was not as bureaucratically paralyzed as, say, France; Parliament in effect summoned itself (Prall, p. 247), calling the meeting a "convention" to satisfy the legal niceties (Clark, p. 139).
It was decided that James had abdicated (Clark, p. 140; Kenyon, pp. 254-257; Prall, p. 261; Trevelyan, p. 77). With the Old Pretender also missing, it was decided that he could not be the heir; in February the throne was awarded jointly to William III and Mary II (Bardon, p. 151) with the understanding that William was in charge for the moment, but that Mary would succeed him if she outlived him, and their children after her, and the princess Anne if William and Mary had no children. (And, as it would turn out, William and Mary didn't have offspring. Anne had quite a few, but they all predeceased her, which would lead to another set of problems.)
James, not too surprisingly, wasn't willing to give up that easily -- at least not once his personal safety was assured and he could start thinking again. His mistakes meant that England was almost universally happy with the settlement the Parliament created (the Whigs had of course long wanted to reduce the power of the monarchy, which they had, and even the Tories, who would ordinarily have supported James, were Protestants and so preferred a Protestant monarch). But there was discontent in Scotland -- and then there was Catholic Ireland.
Plus there was Louis XIV of France. In the reign of Charles II, he had used cash to keep England out of his way. But William III would not be bought -- so Louis used distraction instead. Foster, p. 141, notes that "[t]he impetus that led to James's last stand at the Boyne came from Louis XIV's encouragement rather than his own ambition." Clark, p. 291, adds that "Within three months of his arrival [in France,James] was packed off again, and on 22 March he landed at Kinsale.
"His aims still diverged from those of the Irish. He wanted to return to Britain, merely taking Ireland on his way, and once he had got back to England or Scotland, he would no doubt have looked on Ireland as before" [i.e. as a dependency].
James spent the next few months fiddling around with Irish politics. His military situation deteriorated badly in that time; the siege of Londonderry failed (see the notes to "The Shutting of the Gates of Derry"), and his troops had been defeated at Newtownbutler (Clark, p. 294); the battle ended in a massacre which almost destroyed the Jacobites of Ulster (Bardon, p. 159).
James lasted as long as he did only because William of Orange didn't really think his invasion was of much significance: "King William had at first been disposed to regard [Ireland] as altogether subsidiary to the continental was, and he did not yield to the English statesmen who urged him to lead an army against James in person. It was even with reluctance that he sent his best general, Schomberg, with a force which should have amounted to 20,000 men, or more than double the contingent sent in that year to the Low Countries. Schomberg landed on August 23 on the cost of County Down near Bangor. His army was far below its nominal strength, ill-provided and, except for the foreign regiments, untrained and badly officered.... None the less he made a good start, capturing Carrickfergus and moving forward in September to Dundalk. Here, however, he had to halt. Rain and very heavy losses from disease were added to his troubles" (Clark, pp. 294-295).
Schomberg landed in Ballyhome Bay on August 13, 1689 by the modern calendar; there was no opposition, only a great crown of Protestants giving thanks for their deliverance (Bardon, p. 159). Unfortunately, Schomberg -- who was 74 or 75 and a former Marshal of France expelled for being a Protestant (Hayes-McCoy, p. 222) -- was slow to follow up his success that year (Bardon, p. 160). Some of the soldiers on James's side thought that Schomberg was trapped, but James refused to do anything about it. Schomberg, his forces reduced to about 7000, sat tight for the winter (Hayes-McCoy, p. 223).
After half a year of inaction, the English King decided that Schomberg was not getting the job done (William reportedly met him with coldness; Bardon, p. 161); on "24 June 1690 William himself landed at Carrickfergus" (Clark, p. 295), not long after Schomberg had captured Charlemont, the last holdout for James in Ulster. (Fry/Fry, p. 161, and Bardon, p. 161, however, give William's landing date as June 14, and most other sources I checked say simply "June 1690." It appears this is the usual difference between Old Style and New Style dates, since Clark also uses the date of July 11 for the Battle of the Boyne itself.)
The Battle of the Boyne soon followed. Clark, p. 295, reports, "The Protestant army numbered something less than 40,000 men, including six Dutch, eight Danish, and three hugenot battalions, so that the greater part of the infantry were foreign. Against them James had a somewhat smaller force, of which seven battalions were Frenchmen who had come over in the winter under the command of the romantic and incompetent duc de Lauzun."
However, the Irish force was ill-equipped and ill-trained; Hayes-McCoy, p. 218, reports "There was no lack of men, 'the finest men one could see,' said D'Avaux, strong, tall and capable of enduring fatigue; but they were poorly armed -- some whom D'Avaux saw carried only staves; their opponents noticed that 'some had scythes instead of pikes' -- and they were inadequately trained and most inadequately equipped." And this at a time when even pikes were going out of use -- although the habit for some time had been to mix muskets and pikes, the ratio of muskets to pikes was steadily increasing -- a ratio of 5:1 or more was becoming standard in the regiments in William's army (Hayes-McCoy, p. 219), since the only purpose of the pikes was to resist cavalry. A portion of William's troops had the new flintlock muskets; the rest of his forces, and nearly everyone on James's side, had to use matchlocks (Hayes-McCoy, p. 220).
Foster, p. 148, observers, "The most striking thing about this confused battle is the internationalism of both sides: Irish, French, German, and Walloon [for James] versus Irish, English, Dutch, Germans, and Danes [for William]." Bardon, pp. 162-163, adds French Huguenot to this list; William's's army "represented the Grand Alliance against France."
According to Fry/Fry, p. 161, "William review his army of 36,000 men in Co. Down on 22nd June. Then he moved south toward Dublin, which was the immediate prize, and reached Dundalk. James decided to make his stand upon the river Boyne. He was only slightly outnumbered, he had had all winter to train his Irishmen, and he picked his ground well." The battlefield site is just west of the town of Drogheda (Bardon, p. 162). Hayes-McCoy, p. 224, reports that "To defend the line of the Boyne was the only practicable course open to James if he was to prevent an opponent who had come as far as Dundalk from reaching Dublin. The ground between Dundalk and the capital is in general low lying and easily traversed." The Boyne was the only significant east-west obstacle in the area.
Hayes-McCoy, p. 225: "The Boyne was fordable in many places in 1690; still, William's progress might be contested on its banks. The Jacobite army which occupied the south bank with its centre at Oldbridge, Co. Meath, its right at Drogheda and its left towards Slane was in position to make the attempt. It would have been impossible for William, if the Jacobites were to stand, and he was to retain anything of his reputation, to avoid the battle. Unfortunately, the Jacobite position, although it was the only one that could have been taken up on the river, had two serious defects. The river Boyne... forms a large loop around [a] ridge of high ground...." In other words, there was a salient in the center of James's line, which William could attack from three sides with his artillery.
"The second weakness of the terrain as far as James was concerned lay in the fact that an enemy force on the south bank at Rosnaree would be nearer to Duleek [a town in James's rear that offered the only good crossing of the river Nanny] than he was at Donore" (Hayes-McCoy, p. 226). In other words, a maneuver around James's left could block his retreat to Dublin and take him in rear. As a result, "James's security depended on guarding his left." And, according to Hayes-McCoy, he had only about 25,000 men. That meant that William would have a big advantage somewhere along the line.
William himself nearly became the first casualty of the batle; he was among his Dutch Guards when they came under Jacobite artillery fire, and his shoulder was grazed -- but he continued his inspection (Hayes-McCoy, p. 226).
Reportedly the day began with mist, "but the day brightened with the mounting sun and the words of the song that the victors were to sing -- 'July the first, in a morning clear' -- were justified" (Hayes-McCoy, p. 230).
There is a map of the battle on p. 217 of Hayes-McCoy, William, though not known for his generalship, fooled James: He sent a feint upstream (west), around James's left, which drew off James's Frenchmen, meanwhile using his much-superior artillery to bombard James's front at Oldbridge. William's army then crossed the stream for a frontal attack on the Jacobite center (Bardon, p. 163).
According to Hayes-McCoy, p. 228, about two-thirds of the army made the attack at Oldbridge, and one-third made the encircling movement. The latter proved a smashing success; James had only a regiment of dragoons guarding the crossings on his left, and they were forced back and their commander killed (Hayes-McCoy, p. 230). The entire 10,000 troops of William's flanking maneuver were soon across the stream. James responded by sending roughly half his army there. But, of course, that left that big salient in his center relatively weak -- and under attack by twice its numbers.
The main attack went in at 10:00, timed to coincide with a tide that lowered the river somewhat. The first assault was met by an Irish counterattack that stopped them. (For a brief moment, the lack of pikes in the Williamite army helped the Irish cavalry.) It was at this point that Caillemotte, the Huguenot commander of a regiment in the second line, was killed; his troops had neither pikes nor bayonets nor any sort of obstacles to stop cavalry. (Hayes-McCoy, p. 232).
There is confusion about what happened to Schomberg, though he too fell at about this time; Bardon, p. 163, reports, "Schomberg was killed by mistake by a French Huguenot who 'shot him in the throat, and down he dropped dead,' according to Southwell; however, Danish and Irish accounts say the Duke was slain by one of Tyrconnell's Life Guards. The Reverend George Walker was also killed." (Walker was, according to Bardon, p. 154, "Church of Ireland rector of Donoughmore," famous for his part in organizing the successful defence of Derry; he managed to find time before his death to write a True Account of the Siege of Derry.)
But William had other troops available, and a second column crossed the Boyne (at a place the Jacobites thought unfordable) and attacked at 11:00. A third force joined the attack around noon. Finally, the Jacobite center was forced back. The left, now threatened with attack in front and back, had to follow. The Irish cavalry performed magnificently -- but they were not enough (Hayes-McCoy, pp. 234-235).
Fry/Fry, p. 162: "James' Irish infantry could not hold them, though his cavalry under Tyrconnell (now a duke) charged with reckless valour again and again. The French had been positioned too far away to be of much help; they only lost six men in the whole battle, but hey checked William's men sufficiently to give James the chance of a fairly orderly retreat. Dublin was evacuated, and Tyrconnell ordered the French and Irish forces to Limerick, while James slipped quietly back to France."
Clark, p. 295, estimates James's losses at 1500 (or 6% of his force), and William's at 500 (less than 2%).
Clark, p. 296: "[James] himself, despairing too soon, spent only one night in Dublin, made off to Waterford and Kinsale, and landed in France before the end of the month."
The fight in Ireland continued until the Battle of Aughrim -- which, unlike the Boyne, was a complete defeat for the Irish and French. For the aftermath, see "After Aughrim's Great Disaster."
Bardon notes, pp. 163-164, "The Battle of the Boyne was not a rout.... The Irish and French retired in good order to fight doggedly behind the Shannon for another year. Yet the battle was decisive; it was a severe blow to Louis XIV's pretensions to European hegemony... James, who made a precipitate flight to France, could no longer think of Ireland as a springboard for recovering his throne; for the English the Glorious Revolution and parliamentary rule were made secure... and for Ulster Protestants the battle ensured the survival of their plantation and a victory for their liberty to be celebrated from year to year."
Hayes-McCoy, pp. 235-236: "The Boyne was a significant rather than a great battle. As a result of it William won Dublin and Leinster and more than half of Munster -- priceless advantages. It was reckoned a great victory by that part of Europe that opposed Louis XIV... but its real significance was, after all, Irish. Although the defeated army continued to fight for more than a year after the date of its discomfiture, it did so with diminishing hope of success. Militarily the Boyne was the decisive battle of the war. Yet the fact that it became the rallying cry of the ascendancy that it served to set up was to suggest that it hadn't really been decisive after all."
Trevelyan, p. 121: "The destruction of James's army [at the Boyne]... and his own too early flight first from the field and then back to France, put the victors in possession of Dublin and three-quarters of Ireland. The English Revolution was saved, and England had set her foot on the first rung of the latter that led her to heights of power and prosperity in the coming years. And by the same action Ireland was thrust back into the abyss."
Author Blacker also wrote "No Surrender (II)" in this Index. - RBW
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