Remains of Nithsdale and Galloway Song

I Go "W >° Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from National Library of Scotland http://www.archive.org/details/remainsofnithsdaOOcrom > REMAINS OF NITHSDALE AND GALLOWAY SONG: WITH HISTORICAL AND TRADITIONAL NOTICES RELATIVE TO THE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE PEASANTRY. NOW FIRST PUBLISHED BY R. H. CROMEK, F. A. S. Ed. EDITOR OF f THK REJ.IfttTES OF ROBERT BURNS. THE GLEN COLLECTION OF SCOTTISH MUSIC Presented by Lady Dorothea Ruggles- Brise to the National Library of Scotland, in memory of her brother, Major Lord George Stewart Murray, Black Watch, killed in action in France in 191' 28?/* January 1927. ^fcsv.J « a faithful portrait, unadorned, Of manners lingering yet in Scotia's vales,' LONDON: PRINTED FOR T. CADELL AND W. DAVIES, STRAND, Bv T. BEN'SLEY, Boll Court, Fleet Street. 1810. f • TO Mrs. COPLAND, OF DALBEATTIE. At length, my dear Madam, the grate- ful task in which I engaged, is per- formed. You well know with what anxiety I undertook my humble share in this Work, and how much your kind as- sistance smoothed my path, and your cheering approbation encouraged me to appear for a second time, before a less indulgent tribunal. What its decision may be I cannot anticipate— I respect the censures of good men, and to their favourable acceptance I submit my la- bours. R. H. CROMEK. London, 64, Newman Street, 1810. CONTENTS. Page Introduction 1 CLASS I. SENTIMENTAL BALLADS. The Lord's Marie 3 Bonnie Lady Ann g She's gane to dwall in Heaven 14 Thou hast sworn by thy God, my Jeanie 18 Lady Jean's Luve 24 The Broken Heart of Annie 30 Habbie's frae Hame 32 The Return of Spring 34 The Lovely Lass of Preston Mill 38 Fragment . 41 IV CONTENTS. Page The Auld Carle's Welcome . 46 A weary bodie's blythe whan the Sun gangs down 50 My ain Fire-side . (Note) 53 CLASS II; HUMOROUS BALLADS. The Pawky Auld Kimmer 5g The Ewe-bughts 63 The Pawky Loon the Miller 66 The Gray Cock 72 Stars dinna keek in , J6 Galloway Tam 7? Tam Bo 79 Were ye at the Pier o' Leith ? 81 Our Guid-wife's ay in the Right 82 Original of Burns's ' Carle of Kelly-burn braes' . 83 Souter Sawney had a Wife 87 Fairly shot on her 8S Original of Burns's ' Gude Ale comes/ 90 CONTKNTS. V Page There's nane o' them a' like my bonnie lassie ... 92 My Kimmer and I Q5 Variations of ' Tibbie Fowler,' 97 Cannie wi' your blinkin, Bessie 103 The Bridal Sark 106 The Bridegroom Darg 113 CLASS III. JACOBITE BALLADS, 1715. Derwentwater, a Fragment 127 Lament for the Lord Maxwell 132 The Lusty Carlin 137 Kenmure's on an' awa, Willie 139 The wee, wee German Lairdie 144 Awa, "Whigs, awa 147 The Highland Laddie 150 Merry may the Keel rowe 154 Song of the Chevalier 156 . VI CONTENTS. JACOBITE BALLADS, 1745. Page Carlisle Yetts, a Fragment 15g Were ye e'er at Crookie Den? 163 Cumberland and Murray's Descent into Hell. 165 Hame, Hame, Hame 169 The Waes o' Scodand 172 The Sun's bright in France 177 The Lamentation of an Old Man over the Ruin of his Family 179 The Lovely Lass of Inverness 180 The Young Maxwell 184 Lassie, lie near me 189 Bannocks o' Barley 192 Young Airly 195 The Highland Widow's Lament 19s Charlie Stewart 201 CLASS IV. OLD BALLADS AND FRAGMENTS. We were Sisters, we were seven 205 Two Verses of Logan Braes 218 CONTENTS. Vll Page O who is this under my Window 219 Lady Margerie 222 Young Airly 226 The Mermaid of Galloway 229 APPENDIX. Scottish Games 251 A Specimen of the Tender Mercies of Claver- house, from the Life of Alexander Peden. 255 • Taking the Beuk' 258 Description of the Stool of Repentance 263 History of Witchcraft, sketched from the popular Tales of the Peasantry of Nithsdale and Gal- loway 272 Character of the Scottish Lowland Fairies 2Q3 Particulars of the Escape of Lord Nithsdale from the Tower, in 1716 311 Account of Billy Blin', the Scotch Brownie .... 330 Vlll CONTENTS. Page Brief Memoir of the Life of John Lowe, author of ' Mary's Dream,' by the Rev. William Gillespie, Minister of Kells Parish, in Gal- loway 342 Mary's Dream 362 Old way of Mary's Dream 363 The Design on the Ti tie-Page is engraved on Wood, by Clennell, from the pencil of Stothard. It represents an Old Woman communicating to Lord Nithsdale's Tenants the news of his Escape to France. Vide p. 137- INTRODUCTION. 1 he Scottish poets have raised a glorious fa- bric of characteristic Lyric, the fairest perhaps any nation can boast. The foundations were laid by various unknown hands, and even of those who raised the superstructure few have attained the honour of renown; but the whole has been reformed and completed by a Man whose fame will be immortal as his genius was transcendant. The name of Robert Burns, let a Scotchman pronounce it with reverence and affection ! He produced the most simple and beautiful lyrics himself; he purified and washed from their olden stains many of the most exquisite of past ages. He collected others with all the glowing enthusiasm of an antiquary, and with the keen eye of an exquisite critic and poet. It was on these beautiful old ballads and songs that Burns laid the foundation of his greatness. Their simplicity he copied; he equalled their humour, and excelled their pathos. But that flame which a ; they helped to raise absorbed them in its supe- rior brightness ; so that the more we investigate the sources from which he drew, the more our reverence for his genius is increased. What- ever he transplanted grew up and flourished with a vigour unknown in the parent soil whatever he imitated sinks almost into insig- nificance placed by the side of the imitation. He rolls along like a mighty river, in the con- templation of which the scattered streams that contribute to its greatness are forgotten. It has been the work of the present collector to redeem some of those fine old ballads and songs, overshadowed by the genius of Burns ; such especially as have never before been published, and are floating in the breath of popular tradition. Many of these are peculiar to certain dis- tricts of Scotland, and tracts of finely situated country. Deeply founded in the manners and customs of the peasantry, they keep hold of their minds, and pass from generation to generation by these local ties: —their flashes of broad humour, their vivid description render them popular; and their strong touches of na- Ill tive feeling and sensibility make a lasting im- pression on the heart. It is worthy of remark, that in no district of England are to be found specimens of this simple and rustic poetry. The influence of com- merce has gradually altered the character of the people : by creating new interests and new pursuits, it has weakened that strong attach- ment to the soil which gives interest to the localities of popular ballads, and has destroyed those cherished remembrances of former times which impart to a rude and unpolished strain, all the pathos of the most laboured elegy. We may safely premise, that many of the most valuable traditional songs and ballads pe- rished in those afflicting times of reformation and bloodshed which belong to queen Mary, to Charles, and toJames. A great change then took place in the Scottish character : —the glowing vivacity and lightsomeness of the Caledonian Muses were quenched in the gloomy severity of sour fanatic enthusiasm, and iron-featured bigotry. The profanity of Song was denounced from the pulpit, and the holy lips of Calvinism would not suffer pollution by its touch : Dane- IV ing, to which it is nearly allied, was publickly rebuked, attired in fornicator's sackcloth. The innocent simplicity and airiness of Song gave way to holier emanations; to spiritualized dit- ties, and to the edifying cadence of religi- ous, reforming cant. Such seems to have been the state of Son"; when Allan Ramsay arose. His beautiful collections rekindled the smothered embers of Lyric Poetry—but he could not redeem the lost treasures of past ages ; nor rake from the ashes of the fallen re- ligion the sacred reliques of its songs. A few were redeemed—but they were trimmed anew, and laced with the golden thread of metaphysic foppery, over the coarse and homely hoddin- gray of rural industry. Their naivete of feeling—their humour and amiable simplicity now gave way to the gilded and varnished trappings and tasselings of courtly refinement. Scottish Humour attempted to smear his thistles with the oil and balm of polite satire, till they lost their native pungency. Love was polished, and boarding-schooled, till the rough mint-stamp of nature was furbished off it. The peasantry, however, preserved in their — : •V traditional songs and ballads a fair portion of the spirit and rough nature of the olden times. To the peasantry the Scotch are indebted for many of their most exquisite compositions. Then- judgment in the selection and preservation of Song scarcely can be sufficiently appreciated Barbour s Bruce; Blind Harry's Sir William Wallace; Ramsay's original works, and his Col- lections of Songs;— Fergusson, and Bams are to be found in every Scotish hamlet, and in every hand. Accompanying these, there are a multitude of songs, ballads, and fragments which descend by tradition, and are early im- printed on every mind ; 1 Which spinners and the knitters in the sun, And the free maids, that weave their thread with bones, Do use to chant of.' The language of Scotland is peculiarly fit- ting, pliant, and compressive for all the sweet civilities of affection.

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