Bluegrass Messengers

Recordings & Info 74. Fair Margaret & Sweet William

[The question is where to place the broadsides (dated 1711 by Child/Chappell, but also c.1680) of "William and Margeret" which take place after the 5th stanza of Child A when the ghost of Lady (Fair) Margaret is stand at the foot of William's bed. It was reworked slightly by David Mallet (Malloch) and published by Ramsey in 1924. At the bottom of this page see Ballad Index listing.

There are two version from tradition; one in the US (see Neely) 1939]

CONTENTS:

1) Alternative Titles
2) Traditional Ballad Index
3) Folk Index
4) Child Collection Index
5) Excerpt from The British Traditional Ballad in North America by Tristram Coffin 1950, from the section A Critical Biographical Study of the Traditional Ballads of North America
6) Wiki
7) Mainly Norfolk (lyrics and info)
8) Second Hand Songs: Fair Margaret and Sweet William
9) Library of Congress Recordings

ATTACHED PAGES: (see left hand column)
1) Roud Number 253: 328 Listings
2) Brown Collection

Alternative Titles

Lady Margot and Sweet Willie
Lady Maggie (Sung by Mrs. Ollie Wamble; Banner, Miss., Herbert Halpert, 1939)
Lyddy Margot
False William
Lady Margaret (Marget, Maggie, Margot, etc., etc.)
Lady Margaret's Ghost
Lady Maud's Ghost
Little Marget
Lyddy Margot
Lydia Marget
Pretty Polly and Sweet William
Sweet William
Sweet William's Bride
Sweet William and Lady Margaret
Sweet Willie
William and Margaret

Traditional Ballad Index: Fair Margaret and Sweet William [Child 74]

DESCRIPTION: Margaret learns that her lover is to be wed. After the wedding, she (or her ghost) visits the wedding chamber and asks the husband if he is happy with his wife. He says that he would prefer her. But when he calls at Margaret's home, she is dead
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1765 (Percy); c.1720 (broadside, Bodleian Douce Ballads 1(72a))
KEYWORDS: marriage questions death ghost
FOUND IN: Britain(England,Scotland(Aber,Bord)) US(Ap,MA,MW,NE,SE,So) Canada(Mar,Newf,Ont)
REFERENCES (38 citations):
Child 74, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (3 texts)
Bronson 74, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (79 versions, 4 of which are in one or another appendix, presumably because of the commonplace title and lack of text)
Lyle-Crawfurd2 93, "Lord Thomas and Ladie Margaret" (1 text)
BarryEckstormSmyth pp. 134-139, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (2 texts, 1 tune) {Bronson's #31}
Percy/Wheatley III, pp. 124-127, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text); cf. pp. 308-312, "Margaret's Ghost" (a rewritten version, possibly by the eighteenth century poet David Mallet)
Belden, pp. 48-52, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William (4 texts)
Randolph 16, "Lady Margaret" (2 texts plus 2 fragments, 3 tunes) {A=Bronson's #43, C=#20, but very possibly not this song, D=#44}
Eddy 12, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (2 texts, 1 tune) {Bronson's #25}
Gardner/Chickering 5, "Sweet William and Lady Margaret" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #58}
Flanders/Brown, pp. 213-214, "Lady Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text)
Flanders/Olney, pp. 80-85, "Prince William and Lady Margaret"/"Lady Margaret and King William" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Flanders-Ancient2, pp. 122-147, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (7 texts plys 2 fragments, 5 tunes)
Davis-Ballads 19, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (12 texts plus 3 fragments, of which the "I" and "O" fragments might not be this song; 8 tunes entitled "Sweet William and Lady Margaret," "Lady Marget," "Fair Margaret and Sweet William," Lady Margaret," "Lady Margaret and Sweet William"; 13 more versions mentioned in Appendix A) {Bronson's #30, #51, #50, #59, #14, with alterations, #55, #23, #39}
Davis-More 19, pp. 138-145, "Fair Margaret and Sweet Williams" (3 texts, 2 tunes)
BrownII 20, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (4 texts plus 2 excerpts and mention of 1 more)
Chappell-FSRA 10, "False William" (1 text)
Hudson 11, pp. 87-90, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (2 texts)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 103-105, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text, properly titled "Lady Margaret," plus a quotation; tune on p. 390)
Brewster 11, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (4 texts plus a fragment, the latter short enough that it might be from something else; 1 tune) {Bronson's #13}
Ritchie-Southern, pp. 12-13, "Sweet William and Lady Margaret" (1 text, 1 tune)
SharpAp 20 "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (8 texts plus 9 fragments, 17 tunes){Bronson's #33, #73, #24, #35, #34, #14, #59, #15, #62, #52, #12, #67, #42, #41, #70, #47, #74}
Sharp/Karpeles-80E 16, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text, 1 tune, composite and abridged) {Bronson's #67}
Karpeles-Newfoundland 8, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text, 3 tunes) {Bronson's #68}
Peacock, pp. 383-384, "Fair Marjorie's Ghost" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 7, "William and Margaret" (1 text)
Leach, pp. 247-250, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (2 texts)
Wyman-Brockway I, p. 94, "Sweet William and Lady Margery" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #9}
McNeil-SFB2, pp. 139-142, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text, 1 tune)
OBB 62, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text)
Friedman, p. 52, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William (1 text+1 fragment)
Niles 29, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Gummere, pp. 200-202+348, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text)
Chappell/Wooldridge II, pp. 131-132, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text, perhaps abridged, 1 tune) {Bronson's #78}
Abrahams/Foss, p. 180, "(Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 tune, with no source listed; partial text)
LPound-ABS, 16, pp. 40-43, "Sweet William" (1 text)
JHCox 11, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (7 texts, 2 tunes) {Bronson's #10, #26}
Silber-FSWB, p. 220, "Lady Margaret" (1 text)
DT 74, LADYMARG LADYMAR2*
Roud #253
RECORDINGS:
Daw Henson, "Lady Margaret and Sweet William" (AFS, 1937; on KMM)
Martin Howley, "The Old Armchair" (on IRClare01)
Bascom Lamar Lunsford, "Little Marget" (on BLLunsford02) {cf. Bronson's #69}
Jean Ritchie, "Sweet William and Lady Margaret" (on JRitchie02)
Pete Seeger, "Little Margaret" (on BroonzySeeger1); Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (on PeteSeeger16)
Mrs Clara Stevens, "Fair Marjorie's Ghost" (on PeacockCDROM) [one verse only]
Art Thieme, "Fair Margaret & Sweet William" (on Thieme06)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Douce Ballads 1(72a), "Fair Margaret's Misfortune" or "Sweet William's Frightful Dreams on His Wedding Night: With the Sudden Death and Burial of Those Noble Lovers," S. Bates (London), c.1720; also Douce Ballads 3(27a), "Fair Margaret's Misfortunes" or "Sweet William's Dream on his Wedding Night, With the Sudden Death and Burial of Those Noble Lovers"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "William and Margaret" (one verse and theme: jilted lover's ghost visits ex-lover) and references there
cf. "Colin and Lucy" (theme)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Lady Margot and Sweet Willie
Lady Maggie
Lyddy Margot
NOTES: A fragment of this ballad is found in John Fletcher and Francis Beaumont's 1611 play "The Knight of the Burning Pestle," Act II, scene viii:
When it was grown to dark midnight
And all were fast asleep,
In came Margaret's grimly ghost
And stood at William's feet.
Child and Bronson both have cutting remarks about the history of this song, which was rewritten "in what used to be called an elegant style" by David Malloch/Mallet, while "a print of c. 1711 was probably occasioned by someone's invention of a fresh tune, not the least folkish in character." (This is the basis of Bronson's "A" group of tunes.)
Grieg/Keith see this as much the same ballad as Child #73, and Bronson sees similarities in the tunes, but concludes that the melodies, like the texts, justify separating them. (Note that "Fair Margaret" is *not* a murder ballad!) - RBW
See a parody attributed to David Malle: broadside Bodleian, Firth b.22(f. 79), "William and Margaret" ("'Twas at the silent solemn hour"), S. Watts (London), 1785; also Harding B 5(58), "A Lamentable Ballad" or "The Tragical End of William and Margaret" ("When all was wrap'd in dark midnight"); Harding B 5(57), "William and Margaret."
Bodleian 1785 broadside Firth b.22(f. 79) which claims to be "Mallet's William and Margaret, in Dr Piercy's Collection of old Ballads" is a joke. It is in fact a line for line parody of the poem attributed to Mallet as printed by Percy (see Thomas Percy, Reliques of Ancient English Poetry (London, 1765 ("Digitized by Google")), Vol. III, Ancient Songs and Ballads, Series 3 Book 3 # 15, pp. 310-313, "Margaret's Ghost" (1 text)).
Mallet's "William and Margaret" itself was not considered a "parody" of Child 74 in any sense. Percy calls "William and Margaret" or "Margaret's Ghost", "one of the most beautiful ballads in our own or any language" and "the elegant production of David Mallet" (source: Thomas Percy, Reliques of Ancient English Poetry (London, 1765 ("Digitized by Google")), Vol. III, pp. 121, 310-313). Wheatley quotes Ritson: "It may be questioned whether any English writer has produced so fine a ballad as 'William and Margaret.'" (source: Thomas Percy, Henry B. Wheatley, editor, , Reliques of Ancient English Poetry (London, 1877 ("Digitized by Google")), Vol. III, p. 309). See the ballad indexed here as "William and Margaret" for more information. - BS

Folk Index: Fair Margaret and Sweet William [Ch 74/Sh 20]

Rt - Matty/Matthy/Matha Groves
Rm - Shady Grove ; Willie Moore
Pound, Louise (ed.) / American Ballads and Songs, Scribner, Sof (1972/1922), p 40/# 16 [1910s] (Sweet William)
Friedman, Albert B. (ed.) / Viking Book of Folk Ballads of the English-S, Viking, sof (1963/1957), p 52
Johnson, James & Robert Burns (eds) / Scots Musical Museum, Amadeus, Bk (1991/1853), #536 [1803] (William and Margaret)
Leach, MacEdward / The Ballad Book, Harper & Row, Bk (1955), p247
Leach, MacEdward / The Ballad Book, Harper & Row, Bk (1955), p249 (Sweet William)
Arbaugh, Hank. Selfridge, Anna B.(ed.)/ Great Black Swamp Dulcimer Festival 1979-1989.., Black Swamp, Sof (1989), p19 (Lady Margret/Margaret)
Ayers, Charles L.. Cox, John Harrington (ed.) / Folk-Songs of the South, Dover, Sof (1967/1925), p 75/# 11g [1923/12] (Sweet William)
Baber, Carrie. Randolph, Vance / Ozark Folksongs. Volume I, British Ballads and Songs, Univ. of Missouri, Bk (1980/1946), p109/# 16A [1922/02/13] (Lady Margret/Margaret)
Bennett, Virginia. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p145/# 20P [1918/09/12]
Boelyn, Maud. McNeil, W. K. (ed.) / Southern Folk Ballads, Vol 2, August House, Sof (1988), p139 [1962/09/01]
Boone, Julie. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p145/# 20Q [1918/09/25]
Bradley, Bob. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p144/# 20N [1918/06/09]
Broghton, Mollie. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p142/# 20I [1917/05/09]
Brown, Mrs. F. W.. Cox, John Harrington (ed.) / Folk-Songs of the South, Dover, Sof (1967/1925), p 67/# 11B [1915ca] (Lady Margret/Margaret)
Chisholm, N. B.. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p139/# 20G [1916/09/23]
Couch, Mrs. Hallie Barnes. Moore, Ethel & Chauncey (ed.) / Ballads and Folk Songs of the Southwest, Univ. of Okla, Bk (1964), p 54/# 19A [1930s]
Cowan, Debra; and Acie Cargill. Songs and Ballads of Hattie Mae Tyler Cargill, Folk Legacy CD 128, CD (2001), trk# 19 (Sweet William and Lady Margaret)
Dodd, Margaret Jack. Sharp, Cecil & Maude Karpeles (eds.) / Eighty English Folk Songs from th, MIT Press, Sof (1968), p 38 [1917ca]
Dodd, Margaret Jack. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p143/# 20L [1918/05/24]
Donald, Laura. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p144/# 20M [1918/06/06]
Gibson, Lizzie. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p143/# 20K [1918/04/26]
Hall, Barry. Virtuoso 5-String Banjo, Folkways FG 3533, LP (1964), trk# A.08 (Lady Margret/Margaret)
Hayes, Mrs.. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p143/# 20J [1917/05/28]
Hensley, Louisa. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p134/# 20B [1910]
Hensley, Rosie. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p137/# 20D [1916/08/08]
Holcolm, Granny. Niles, John Jacob / Ballad Book of John Jacob Niles, Bramhall House, Bk (1961), p157/N 29A [1932/07] (Lady Margot and Sweet Willie)
Hunter, Max. Ozark Mountain Folksongs, Folk Legacy FSA 011, Cas (1963), trk# B.03 (Lady Margret/Margaret)
Jackson, Judy. Edwards, Jay; and Robert Kelley / Coffee House Songbook, Oak, Sof (1966), p 44 (Lady Margret/Margaret)
Johnson, Martha. Cox, John Harrington (ed.) / Folk-Songs of the South, Dover, Sof (1967/1925), p 71/# 11D [1916/04/15] (Lady Margaret's Ghost)
Jones, Sallie D.. Cox, John Harrington (ed.) / Folk-Songs of the South, Dover, Sof (1967/1925), p 69/# 11C [1917/01] (Sweet William)
Keeton, Orilla. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p139/# 20F [1916/09/26]
Kelley, Lizzie. Cox, John Harrington (ed.) / Folk-Songs of the South, Dover, Sof (1967/1925), p 65/# 11A [1917/01] (Sweet William)
Kennison, Josiah S.. Flanders, Helen H. & George Brown / Vermont Folk Songs and Ballads, Folklore Associates, Bk (1968/1931), p213 [1930/10] (Lady Margaret and Sweet Willia
Kinnaird, Cinderella. Randolph, Vance / Ozark Folksongs. Volume I, British Ballads and Songs, Univ. of Missouri, Bk (1980/1946), p112/# 16C [1934/04/20] (Pretty Polly)
Lane, Rose Wilder. Randolph, Vance / Ozark Folksongs. Volume I, British Ballads and Songs, Univ. of Missouri, Bk (1980/1946), p110/# 16B [1930/05/16] (Lydia Margaret)
Lloyd, A. L. (Bert). English and Scottish Popular Ballads (The Child Ballads) Vol. 3, Washington WLP 717, LP (1961/1956), trk# B.02
Lowe, Estelle. Cox, John Harrington (ed.) / Folk-Songs of the South, Dover, Sof (1967/1925), p522/# 11 [1916ca] (Lady Margret/Margaret)
McAtee, Nancy McDonald. Cox, John Harrington (ed.) / Folk-Songs of the South, Dover, Sof (1967/1925), p 72/# 11E [1917] (Lady Margret/Margaret)
McKinney, Polly (F.). Cox, John Harrington (ed.) / Folk-Songs of the South, Dover, Sof (1967/1925), p 74/# 11F [1919] (Lady Margret/Margaret)
Morris, Polly. Scarborough, Dorothy(ed.) / A Song Catcher in the Southern Mountains, AMS, Bk (1966/1937), p103,390 [1930] (Lady Margret/Margaret)
Moser, Artus M.. North Carolina Mountain Folksongs and Ballads, Folkways FD 5331, LP (1974), trk# 12 (Lady Margaret and Sweet William)
Mullens, Carson. Niles, John Jacob / Ballad Book of John Jacob Niles, Bramhall House, Bk (1961), p161/N 29B [1933/07] (Lady Margot and Sweet Willie)
Ray, May. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p140/# 20H [1917/04/29]
Richards, Frances (Mrs.). Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p145/# 20O [1918/08/16]
Riddle, Almeda. Ballads and Hymns from the Ozarks, Rounder 0017, LP (1972), trk# 1 (Lady Margret/Margaret)
Riddle, Almeda. Abrahams, Roger D.(ed.) / A Singer and Her Songs. Almeda Riddle's Book o, Louisiana State U. Press, Bk (1970), p138 [1964-67] (Lady Margaret and Lord William
Ritchie, Jean. British Traditional Ballads in the Southern Mountains (Vol. 2), Folkways FA 2302, LP (1961), trk# A.03 (Sweet William and Lady Margaret)
Ritchie, Jean. Saturday Night and Sunday Too, Riverside RLP 12-620, LP (1956), trk# A.08 (Lady Margaret)
Rogers, Sally. In the Circle of the Sun, Flying Fish FF 413, LP (1986/1982), trk# A.05 (Lady Margret/Margaret)
Sainte-Marie, Buffy. Little Wheel Spin and Spin, Vanguard VRS 9211, LP (1966), trk# B.04 (Lady Margret/Margaret)
Sands, Mary. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p135/# 20C [1916/07/31]
Seeger, Pete. American Ballads, Folkways FA 2319, LP (1957), trk# 5 (Lady Margret/Margaret)
Seeger, Pete. We Shall Overcome, Columbia C2K 45312, CD (1989), trk# 1.03 [1963/06/08] (Lady Margret/Margaret)
Seeger, Pete. Sing Out Reprints, Sing Out, Sof, 10, p39 (1968) (Lady Margret/Margaret)
Seeger, Pete. American Favorite Ballads, Smithsonian/Folkways SFW-CD 40155, CD( (2009), trk# 4.20 [1957] (Lady Margret/Margaret)
Shelton, Wonnie. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p139/# 20E [1916/08/11]
Short, Charley. Randolph, Vance / Ozark Folksongs. Volume I, British Ballads and Songs, Univ. of Missouri, Bk (1980/1946), p112/# 16D [1941/08/22] (Lady Margret/Margaret)
Smith, Miss R. Dice. Cox, John Harrington (ed.) / Folk-Songs of the South, Dover, Sof (1967/1925), p523/# 11C [1917/01]
Stockton, Jeff. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p132/# 20A [1916/09/04]
Tabor, June. Echo of Hooves, Topic TSCD 543, CD (2003), trk# 7
Whisenhunt, M. E.. Moore, Ethel & Chauncey (ed.) / Ballads and Folk Songs of the Southwest, Univ. of Okla, Bk (1964), p 56/# 19B [1930s] (Sweet William and Lady Margaret)

Child Ballad Collection 074: Fair Margaret and Sweet William

Child #--Artist-- Title--- Album-- Year-- Length-- Have Recording
074 A.L. Lloyd Fair Margaret and Sweet William The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (The Child Ballads) - Vol. 2 1956 4:15 Yes
074 A.L. Lloyd Fair Margaret and Sweet William The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (The Child Ballads) - Vol. 3 [Reissue] 196?  No
074 A.L. Lloyd Fair Margaret and Sweet William Bramble Briars & Beams of the Sun 2011  No
074 Alice Stuart Lady Margaret All the Good Times 2002 2:54 Yes
074 Almeda Riddle Lady Margaret Ballads and Hymns from the Ozarks 1972  No
074 Almeda Riddle Lady Margaret The John Quincy Wolf Folklore Collection - Ozark Folksongs  4:23 Yes
074 Almeda Riddle Lady Margret The Max Hunter Folk Song Collection  7:21 Yes
074 Amps for Christ Sweet William and Lady Margret Circuits 1999 6:37 Yes
074 Angie C & Friends Little Margaret MoonShine Memories 2010  No
074 Art Thieme Fair Margaret & Sweet William The Older I Get, the Better I Was 1998 3:01 Yes
074 Artus Moser Lady Margaret and Sweet William North Carolina Mountain Folksongs and Ballads 1974 3:09 Yes
074 Asa Davis Lady Margaret and King William (1) The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection  No
074 Asa Davis Lady Margaret and King William (2) The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection  No
074 Asa Davis Lady Margaret and King William (3) The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection  No
074 Barry Hall Lady Margaret The Virtuoso 5-String Banjo 1964  No
074 Bascom Lamar Lunsford Little Margaret Smoky Mt. Ballads 1953 2:46 Yes
074 Betty Smith Little Margaret For My Friends of Song 1977 2:38 Yes
074 Big Medicine Little Margaret Fever in the South 2004 2:53 Yes
074 Boogertown Gap Lady Margaret Smoky Mountain Ballads [Boogertown Gap] 2010  No
074 Boogertown Gap Lady Margaret Fried Okra 2009  No
074 Bruce Greene & Kore Loy McWhirter Lady Margaret Come Near My Love - Mostly Quiet & Dark Songs 2006  No
074 Buffy Sainte-Marie Lady Margaret Little Wheel Spin and Spin 1966 1:39 Yes
074 Carol Ponder Lady Margaret Little Journeys - A Cappella Ballads and Folk Songs 2000 5:32 Yes
074 Carolina Chocolate Drops Little Margaret Dona Got a Ramblin' Mind 2006 2:07 Yes
074 Cassie Franklin Lady Margret Cold Mountain - Music from the Miramax Motion Picture 2003 3:02 Yes
074 Celtic Breeze Lady Margaret Live at Calico Rock Music Hall 2010  No
074 Colleen Raney Fair Margaret & Sweet William Linnet 2008  No
074 Cordelia's Dad Little Margaret How Can I Sleep? 1992 2:57 Yes
074 Cordelia's Dad Little Margaret Double Live 2011  No
074 Custer LaRue Fair Margaret and Sweet William The True Lover's Farewell - Appalachian Folk Ballads 1995 5:57 Yes
074 Dan Keding Lady Margaret In a Dead Man's Company - Dark Spirits & Savage Truths 2000  No
074 Dave Arthur, Pete Cooper & Chris Moreton Little Margaret Return Journey - Old Time Ballads & Tunes from the British Isles & America 2003  No
074 Daw Henson Lady Margaret and Sweet William Kentucky Mountain Music - Classic Recordings of the 1920s & 1930s 2003 3:28 Yes
074 Debra Cowan, Acie Cargill & Susan Brown Sweet William and Lady Margaret The Songs and Ballads of Hattie Mae Tyler Cargill 2001 4:06 Yes
074 Dee Strickland Johnson Fair Margaret and Sweet William The Unquiet Grave and Other British Ballads 1976  No
074 Denise O'Sullivan Lil' Margaret Celebrating the 75th Mountain Dance and Folk Festival 2004  No
074 Dirk Powell, Tim O'Brien & John Herrmann Fair Margaret and Sweet William Songs from the Mountain 1999 2:21 Yes
074 Doc Watson Little Margaret Live at Club 47, Cambridge, MA 1963 2:48 Yes
074 Duncan Williamson Lady Margaret and Sweet William (1) John Howson Collection 1970-1995  No
074 Duncan Williamson Lady Margaret and Sweet William (2) John Howson Collection 1970-1995  No
074 Edward Dragon Fair Margaret and Sweet William The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection  No
074 Ellen Gozion Little Margaret Awake, Awake 2004 2:55 Yes
074 Ellen Gozion Little Margaret Across the Blue Mountains 2008  No
074 Emile Benoit Lady Margarette Vive La Rose 1992 2:44 Yes
074 Emma Shelton Sweet William (Lady Margaret) Black Is the Colour - Maud's Appalachian Collection, Vol. 1 1976  No
074 Evelyn Ramsay Little Margaret Root & Branch 1 - a New World 1999  No
074 Evelyn Ramsay Little Margaret Crazy About a Song - Old-Time Ballad Singers and Musicians from Virginia and North Carolina 1992  No
074 Evelyn Ramsey Little Margaret Far in the Mountains, Vol. 1 & 2 - Songs, Tunes and Stories from Mike Yates' Appalachian Collections 1979-1983 2002 2:45 Yes
074 Florence Martin Lady Margret The Max Hunter Folk Song Collection  3:53 Yes
074 Fran Majors Lady Margret The Max Hunter Folk Song Collection  3:57 Yes
074 Frank Fairfield Fair Margaret and Sweet William Frank Fairfield 2009 4:53 Yes
074 Frankie Duff Lady Margaret The William H. Tallmadge Collection 1968 6:50 Yes
074 Fred Bradbury Fair Margaret and Sweet William <website> 2006 6:38 Yes
074 Fred Bradbury Lady Margaret <website> 2006 1:54 Yes
074 Gerry McGandy Lady Margaret Child Ballads 2006 8:45 Yes
074 Gus & Kati & The Mighty Ghosts of Heaven Lady Margaret Werewolf 2004  No
074 Hank Schwartz Lady Margaret Banjo Addiction - 3:36 Yes
074 Hazel Dickens Little Margaret 1st Annual Brandywine Mountain Music Convention 1975  No
074 Hazel Dickens Little Margaret Folk Festival of the Smokies, Vol. 1 1972  No
074 Hedy West Little Margaret Hedy West Accompanying Herself on the 5-String Banjo + Hedy West, Vol. 2 1963 3:16 Yes
074 Henry Ashford Fair Margaret The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection  No
074 Jack Hinshelwood Little Margaret If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O 2003  No
074 James Griffett Margret's Ghost Will Ye Go to Flanders - Folksongs of the British Isles 1995  No
074 Jean Ritchie Lady Margaret Saturday Night and Sunday Too 1956 6:07 Yes
074 Jean Ritchie Sweet William and Lady Margaret British Traditional Ballads in the Southern Mountains - Child Ballads, Vol 2 1961 6:40 Yes
074 Jean Ritchie Sweet William and Lady Margaret Ballads from Her Appalachian Family Tradition 2003 6:52 Yes
074 Jeanie West Little Margaret Roamin' the Blue Ridge 1961  No
074 Jeanie West Little Margaret Country Bluegrass 2000  No
074 Jen Larson Fair Margaret and Sweet William The English and Scottish Popular Ballads - Digital Child Companion CD 2003 2:16 Yes
074 Jewel Hawkins Lady Margaret The John Quincy Wolf Folklore Collection - Ozark Folksongs  4:40 Yes
074 John & Mary Lady Margaret & Sweet William The Pinwheel Galaxy 2002 5:12 Yes
074 June Tabor Fair Margaret and Sweet William An Echo of Hooves 2003 5:47 Yes
074 Karen Dalton Little Margret Green Rocky Road - The Loop Tapes - Pine Street Recordings 2008 5:08 Yes
074 Laura Boosinger Little Margaret Down the Road 1998  No
074 Lily Delorme Lord William and Lady Margaret The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection  No
074 Lorna MacDonald Czarnota Margaret's Ghost Dancing in Dark Waters 2003  No
074 Mark Hiscock Lady Margaret The Music Takes Me Back 2003  No
074 Martin Howley Knight William Early Ballads in Ireland 1968-1985 1985 4:06 Yes
074 Martin Howley The Old Armchair (Fair Margaret and Sweet William) Around the Hills of Clare 2004  No
074 Mary Humphreys & Anahata Fair Margaret & Sweet William Floating Verses 2005  No
074 Mary Jane Lady Margaret Tacit 2002  No
074 Maude Horton King William and Lady Margaret The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection  No
074 Max Hunter Lady Margaret Max Hunter of Springfield, Missouri - Ozark Songs and Ballads 1963  No
074 Merry Mischief Lady Margaret Kismet 2004  No
074 Mike (Ichingiching) Lady Margaret <website> 2007 6:58 Yes
074 Mike Kent Lady Margaret (1) MacEdward Leach and the Songs of Atlantic Canada 1951  No
074 Mike Kent Lady Margaret (2) MacEdward Leach and the Songs of Atlantic Canada 1951  No
074 Mike Cooney Lady Margaret and Sweet William John Howson Collection 1970-1995  No
074 Mountain Hoodoo Lady Margaret and Sweet William All Natural Ingredients 2008  No
074 Mrs. Arimintie Sutton Lady Margaret The John Quincy Wolf Folklore Collection - Ozark Folksongs  2:39 Yes
074 Mrs. G.C. Erskine King William and Lady Margaret (1) The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection  No
074 Mrs. G.C. Erskine King William and Lady Margaret (2) The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection  No
074 Mrs. Nettie Huddleston Barnes Lady Margaret The John Quincy Wolf Folklore Collection - Ozark Folksongs  2:31 Yes
074 Mrs. Pearl Brewer Lady Margret The Max Hunter Folk Song Collection  4:37 Yes
074 Mrs. Salina Norrie King William (1) The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection  No
074 Mrs. Salina Norrie King William (2) The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection   No
074 Mrs. Virginia Morris Lady Margret The Max Hunter Folk Song Collection  2:02 Yes
074 Obray Ramsey Little Margaret Blue Ridge Banjo 1957 2:51 Yes
074 Obray Ramsey Little Margaret Obray Ramsey Sings Folksongs from the Gateway to the Great Smokies 196? 3:30 Yes
074 Obray Ramsey & Byard Ray Little Margaret Obray Ramsey & Byard Ray - from the collection of Ray Alden 2009  No
074 Ollie Gilbert Lady Marget The Max Hunter Folk Song Collection  2:57 Yes
074 Paul Clayton Lady Margaret Folksongs and Ballads of Virginia 1956 1:20 Yes
074 Peggy Seeger Fair Margaret Peggy Alone 1967 5:29 Yes
074 Peggy Seeger Lady Margaret [American] The Long Harvest, Vol. 10 - Some Traditional Ballads in Their English, Scots and North American Variants 1968 1:21 Yes
074 Peggy Seeger Little Margaret [American] The Long Harvest, Vol. 10 - Some Traditional Ballads in Their English, Scots and North American Variants 1968 2:50 Yes
074 Pete Coe Fair Margaret & Sweet William Backbone 2010  No
074 Pete Seeger Fair Margaret and Sweet William American Ballads 1957 2:59 Yes
074 Pete Seeger Fair Margaret and Sweet William American Folk Anthology [Pete Seeger] 2008 2:52 Yes
074 Pete Seeger Lady Margaret We Shall Overcome: The Complete Carnegie Hall Concert 1989 3:30 Yes
074 Pete Seeger Lady Margaret American Favorite Ballads, Vol. 4 [2006] 2006 2:55 Yes
074 Pitt Kinsolving Lady Margaret & Demonstration of Dulcimer The John Donald Robb Field Recordings 1944-1979  3:45 Yes
074 Rick Lee Lady Margaret Natick 1995 4:15 Yes
074 Sally Rogers Lady Margaret The Unclaimed Pint 1986 3:31 Yes
074 Sheila Adams Little Margaret and Sweet William Digital Library of Appalachia: Warren Wilson College Collection 197?-198? 2:08 Yes
074 Sheila Adams Little Margaret Sitting in Her.. Digital Library of Appalachia: Warren Wilson College Collection 197?-198? 2:28 Yes
074 Sheila Kay Adams Little Margaret Loving Forward, Loving Back 1987  No
074 Sheila Kay Adams Little Margaret All the Other Fine Things - Traditional Love Songs, Hymns and Fiddle Tunes from the Novel My Old True Love 2004  No
074 Shirley Collins Lady Margaret and Sweet William The Power of the True Love Knot 2000 5:10 Yes
074 Shirley Collins Lady Margaret and Sweet William A Favourite Garland 1974  No
074 Simply English Fair Margaret A Story So Merry 1997 3:20 Yes
074 Straight Furrows Little Margaret In Uneven Ground 1973  No
074 Sweetwater Little Margaret The Ballads from Sharyn McCrumb's Ballad Novels 2003 2:26 Yes
074 The Eighteenth Day of May Lady Margaret The Eighteenth Day of May 2005 6:49 Yes
074 The Knitters Little Margaret The Modern Sounds of the Knitters 2005 3:07 Yes
074 The Mammals Lady Margaret Evolver 2002 3:56 Yes
074 The Spectral Light and Moonshine Firefly Snakeoil Jamboree Little Margaret Scarecrow Stuffing 1999 2:32 Yes
074 Tom, Brad & Alice Little Margaret Holly Ding 2003 3:35 Yes
074 Tony & Irene Saletan Lady Margaret Folk Songs and Ballads 1970 8:06 Yes
074 Trees Lady Margaret The Garden of Jane Delawney 1970 7:14 Yes
074 Unidentified Singer Lady Margaret The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection  No
074 Vikki Clayton Lady Margaret Lost Lady Found 1997 3:52 Yes
074 W.H. Stockton Lady Marg'et & Sweet William Black Is the Colour - Maud's Appalachian Collection, Vol. 1 1976  No
074 Walter Forbes Little Margaret Ballads & Bluegrass + Folk Song Festival 2003 3:50 Yes
074 Wendy Grossman Lady Margaret <website> 2005 6:50 Yes
074 White Lightning Little Margaret Fresh Air 1970 2:56 Yes
074 Winifred Haskins Prince William and Lady Margaret The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection  No

Excerpt from The British Traditional Ballad in North America

by Tristram Coffin 1950, from the section A Critical Biographical Study of the Traditional Ballads of North America

74. FAIR MARGARET AND SWEET WILLIAM

Texts: Barry, Brit Bids Me, 1 34 / Belden, Mo F-S, 48 / Brewster, Bids Sgs Ind, 71 / Brown Coll / Bull Tenn FLS, VIII, #3, 66 / Chappell, F-S Rnke Alb, 25 / Child, V, 293 / Cox, F-S South, 65 / Cox, W. Va. School Journal and Educator, XLV, 378 / Cutting, Adirondack Cnty, 64 / Davis, Trd Sid Va, 221 / Eddy, Bids Sgs Ohio, 34 / Flanders, Vt F-S Bids, 213 / Focus, IV, 426 / Gardner and Chickering, Bids Sgs So Mich, 40 / Harper's Mgz (June, 1903), 272 / Haun, Cocke Cnty, 94 / Hudson, F-S Miss, 87 / Hudson, Spec Miss F-S, :j 1 1 / Hummel, Oz F-S I JAFL, XIX, 281; XXIII, 381 5 XXVIII, 154; XXX, 3035 XXXI, 74; XXXV, 340;
XLVIII, 301 / Leach-Beck Mss. / Lunsford and Stringfield, 30 & j F-S So Mis, 2 / Luther, Amcns Their Sgs, 20 / MacKenzie, Bids Sea Sgs N Sc, 25 / MacKenzie, Quest Bid, 124 / Me Gill, F-S Ky Mts, 71 / Minish Mss. / Neely and Spargo, Tales Sgs So III, 141 / North American Review, CCXXVIII, 221 / Pound, Am Bids Sgs, 40 / Randolph, Oz F-S, I, 108 / Randolph, The Ozarks, 181 / Scarborough, Sgctchr So Mts, 103 / SharpC, Eng F-S So Aplchns, #*7 / SharpK, Eng F-S So Aplchns, I, 139 / Shearin and Combs, Ky Syllabus, 8 / SFLQ, II, 69 / Va FLS Bull, =[s 26, 8 10 / Wyman and Brockway, Lnsme Tunes, 94.

Local Titles: Fair Margaret and Sweet William, False William, Lady Margaret (Marget, Maggie, Margot, etc., etc.), Lady Margaret's Ghost, Lady Maud's Ghost, Little Marget, Lyddy Margot, Lydia Marget, Pretty Polly and Sweet William, Sweet William, Sweet William's Bride, Sweet William and Lady Margaret, Sweet Willie, William and Margaret.

Story Types: A: Sweet William, rising and dressing in blue, denies that he and Lady Margaret are in love and states that she will see his bride the next day. Margaret, after watching the wedding procession past her window, throws down her comb, leaves the room, and is never more seen alive. That night William sees Margaret's ghost at the foot of his bed in a dreamlike
vision. (In some texts he also dreams of swine and blood.) The ghost asks how he likes his bride, and he replies that he loves the person at the foot of his bed far better. When William awakes, he tells his wife of the vision and goes to see Margaret. Her family shows him her body, and he kisses the corpse before dying himself.

Examples: Belden (A), Davis (A), Gardner and Chickering.

B : The story is the same as that of Type A, except that Margaret commits suicide by throwing herself from the window (or by some such means). The death is on-stage, instead of off-stage.

Examples: Barry (A); Belden (B); Randolph, OzF-S (A).

C: The story is the same as that of Type A, except that it is William's bride who has the dream. She tells it to William.

Examples : Barry (B), Haun.

D: The usual story is told, but the off-stage actions of Margaret after she leaves the window are described. She has her mother and sister make her "bed and bind her head because she feels ill. She then dies of a broken heart.

Examples : MacKenzie, Bids Sea Sgs N Sc.

E: The usual story is told, except that Margaret is still alive when she comes to the foot of William's bed.

Examples: JAFL, XXIII, 381.

F: An incomplete text in which the ghost comes to the foot of the bed and blesses the sleeping lovers before going to the grave has been found.

Examples: Minish Mss. (Sweet Willie, ).

Discussion: This song is very popular in America, but the New World texts are not very like any Child version. Generally (see Davis, Trd Bid Va, 221), they follow Child A in the "such dreams" stanza; Child B in the conversation of William and Margaret's ghost (but see Barry, Brit Bids Me, B and Haun, Cocke Cnty) ; and Child C in the fact the bride is not brown (a corruption from 73 when it does occur). The puzzling opening scene of Child A (the talking on the hill) is generally dropped in America (but see Haun, Cocke Cnty, 94), and usually a scene of William rising and dressing in blue replaces it. The phrase "with the leave of my (wedded) lady" of the Child texts is frequently expanded (see Cox, F-S South, G and Sharp K, Eng F-S So Aplchns, A) to a formal asking of the wife's permission to visit the dead Margaret.

Type B texts show the frequent trend toward the spectacular in the American ballad, and Type D is even more specific in the details of the death, at the same time revealing a change in narrative through the influence of convention. Type E is an excellent example of the American tendency to rationalize supernatural material, while Type F is an odd sentimentalization.

The SharpK, op. cit., versions are exceptionally interesting. A, a Type A story, has a confused beginning and a ghost which appears to both William and the bride. In B, also Type A, the wife goes with William to see Margaret the next morning. In addition, the Flanders, Ft F-S Bids, version opens with two stanzas that begin, "If you're no woman for me, and I'm no man for
you". And the whole Eddy text (J4FL, XXXV, 340) is worth note.

This song has affinities with 73, other than those mentioned above. See Child, II, 200. In the Brewster, Bids Sgs Ind, 76, C text Margaret attends the wedding against the advice of her mother, as does Annet or Eleanor in 73. The rest of the narrative of this version is the usual Type A sort.

Some incomplete texts exist which, tell the story with no mention of the ghost. These skip the events between Margaret's suicide and William's awakening the day after his wedding. See the Leach-Beck Mss.

Fair Margaret and Sweet William From Wikipedia

"Fair Margaret and Sweet William" or Lady Margaret or Lady Margaret and Sweet William is a folk song, collected by Francis James Child as Child ballad number 74.[1] It appeared in The Percy Folio as well, and Thomas Percy reported that it was quoted in the Knight of the Burning Pestle (1611).[2]

Synopsis
Sweet William tells Fair Margaret (the maid that he's in love with) that he is marrying another. She sees the bride and William together after the wedding and runs off to kill herself, because of how badly her heart has been broken. Her ghost comes into his bridal chamber and ask him if he loves his new bride, William replies telling Margaret that he loves her much more than his bride. William wakes in the morning saying he had a bad dream and in which he saw Lady Margaret's ghost and goes off looking for her. All he finds is her body in a coffin. Soon after Sweet William kills himself too. They are buried beside each other and a rose grows from her grave and a green briar from his. These two things grew together forming a lovers knot.

Variants
Numerous variations on this basic structure can be found in folk songs throughout the British Isles and the USA.

Child identified three different versions of this song, while Cecil Sharp collected numerous other variants, and considered "Sweet William's Ghost" to be a slight variation on the basic plot of this ballad. In one version Sharp collected from the Appalachians, the last two verses closely resembled those of "Barbara Allen".

Similarly to this one, in Lord Thomas and Fair Annet, the hero rejects the heroine to marry for money; Lord Lovel, containing some similar themes, has the heroine die for lack of hope.[3]

Other ballads dealing with similar themes include Lord Thomas and Fair Annet and Lady Alice.

References
1.^ Francis James Child, English and Scottish Popular Ballads, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William"
2.^ Lesley Nelson-Burns, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William: Version 2"
3.^ Francis James Child, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, v 2, p 204, Dover Publications, New York 1965

Fair Margaret and Sweet William: Mainly Norfolk

[Roud 253 ; Child 74 ; Ballad Index C074 ; trad.]

A.L. Lloyd sang Fair Margaret and Sweet William in 1956 on his and Ewan MacColl's Riverside album of Child ballads, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads Volume II.

Shirley Collins sang this ballad as Lady Margaret and Sweet William in 1976 on her album The Power of the True Love Knot; it was also included in her anthology A Favourite Garland. She commented in the original album's liner notes:

Another song from Jean Ritchie, as sung to her by Justus Begley of Hazard, Kentucky. There are more complete versions, but none I can find explain why Sweet William passed up Lady Margaret, or how she died or how he died. But with all its ambiguities, or maybe because of them, ir remains the outstanding ballad of its type where the truelover's knot triumphs over human pride, tragedy and death.

June Tabor sang Fair Margaret and Sweet William in 2003 on her CD An Echo of Hooves. Her version was collected by Cecil Sharp and Maud Karpeles from Jeff Stockton of Flag Pond, Tennessee in 1916. It is much older though; according to June Tabor's notes it was first mentioned in Beaumont and Fletcher's 1611 play The Knight of the Burning Pestle.

Shirley Collins sings Lady Margaret and Sweet William

Sweet William arose one May morning
And dressed himself in blue;
We want you to tell of something about
The long love between Lady Margaret and you.

“I know nothing of Lady Margaret's love,
I'm sure she don't love me.
But tomorrow morning at eight o'clock
Lady Margaret my bride shall see.”

Lady Margaret sat in her own hall door,
A-combing down her hair,
When she saw Sweet William come a-riding by,
Bringing his new bride home.

She first threw down her ivory comb,
Tied up her long yellow hair,
And out of the door went this lady gay,
To never return any more.

Now late that night when William was in bed,
And most all men was asleep,
lady Margaret's ghost came to Sweet William's side
And stood at his own bed feet.

Saying, “How do you like your snow-white pillow?
How do you like your sheet?
And how do you like the new found bride
That's a-lying in your arms asleep?”

“Very well, very well do I like my pillow,
Better do I like the sheet,
But the best one of all is that pretty little girl
That's a-standing at my own bed feet.”

So early next morning when William awoke,
And most all men was at work,
Sweet William said he was troubled in his head
By the dreams that he dreamed last night.

“Such dreams, such dreams I do not like,
Such dreams they are no good.
I dreamed that my hall was filled with wild swine,
Lady Margaret was drowning in blood.”

So he called his comrades to his side
And numbered them one, two, three,
And the last one of them, “Go tell my bride
Lady Margaret I've gone to see.”

He rode till he came to Lady Margaret's hall,
Pulled all on the ring.
There's none so ready as Lady Margaret's brother
For to rise and let him in.

“Now, is she in the garden?,” he said,
“Or is she in the hall?
Or is she in the upper parlour
Among them ladies all?”

“She neither is in the garden,” he said,
“Nor yet into the hall,
But yonder she lies in her cold coffin
With her pale face turned to the wall.”

Lady Margaret was buried in the old churchyard,
William lay anigh her,
And out of her grave grew a red, red rose
And out of his a briar.

They grew and they grew on the old church tower
Till they could grow not higher
They met and they twined in a true lover's knot,
The red rose around the briar.

June Tabor sings Fair Margaret and Sweet William

Sweet William arose on a May morning
And he dressed himself in blue;
We want you to tell of that long love that's been
Between Lady Marget and you.

“Oh, I know nothing of Lady Marget's love,
And I know she don't love me.
Before tomorrow morning at eight of the clock
Lady Marget a bride shall see.”

Lady Marget was a-sitting in her own bower room,
Combing back her yellow hair,
And she saw Sweet William and his new wedded bride
And the lawyers a-riding by.

It's down she stood her ivory comb
And back she threw her hair,
And it's you may suppose and be very well assured,
Lady Marget was heard no more.

The day being past and the night coming on,
When most all men were asleep,
Something appeared to Sweet William and his bride
And stood at their bed feet.

Saying, “How do you like your bed making
And how do you like your sheets?
And how do you like that new wedded bride
That lies in your arms and sleeps?”

“Very well do I like my bed making
Much better do I like my sheets,
But best of all is that gay lady
That stands at my bed feet.”

The night being past and the day coming on,
When most all men were awake,
Sweet William he said he was troubled in his head
By the dreams that he dreamed last night.

“Such dreams, such dreams cannot be true,
I'm afraid they're of no good.
I dreamed that my chamber was full of wild swine
And my bride's bed floating in blood.”

He's called down his waiting men
One by two by three,
Saying, “Go and ask leave of my new wedded bride
If Lady Marget I mayn't go and see.”

He's rode up to Lady Marget's own bower room
And tingled all on the ring,
And who was so ready as her own born brother
To rise and let him in.

“Is Lady Marget in her own bower room
Or is she in her hall?
Or is she high in her chambery
Amongst the ladies all?”

“Lady Marget's not in her own bower room
Nor neither is she in her hall,
But she is in her long cold coffin
Lies pale against yon wall.”

“Unroll, unroll those winding sheets
Although they're very fine,
And let me kiss them cold pale lips
Just as often as they've kissed mine.”

It's first he's kissed her ivory cheeks
And then he's kissed her chin,
And when he kissed them cold pale lips
There was no breath within.

Three times he's kissed her ivory cheeks,
Three times he's kissed her chin,
And the last time he kissed them cold pale lips
It crushed his heart within.

Lady Marget died like it might be today,
Sweet William he died on tomorrow,
Lady Marget she died for pure true love,
Sweet William he died for sorrow.

Lady Marget was buried in yons churchyard,
Sweet William was buried by her,
And out of her grave sprung a red, red rose,
Out of his a green, green briar.

And they both growed up the old church wall
Till they could not grow any higher
And they met and they tied in a true love's knot,
Red rose around green briar
_________

Second Hand Songs: Fair Margaret and Sweet William

Title Performer Release date   Info

1 Little Marget Bascom Lamar Lunsford 1953
2   Lady Margaret Jean Ritchie 1956
3 Lady Margaret Paul Clayton 1956
4   Little Margaret Pete Seeger 1956
5 Lady Margaret Max Hunter 1963
6 Little Margaret Walter Forbes 1963
7 Little Margaret Hedy West February 1965
8 Lady Margaret Buffy Sainte-Marie May 1966
9 Fair Margaret and Sweet William Peggy Seeger 1967
10   Lady Margaret and Sweet William Shirley Collins 1968
11   Lady Margaret Trees 1970
12 Lady Margaret Tony and Irene Saletan 1970
13 Little Margaret White Lightnin' [1] 1970
14 Lady Margaret and Sweet William Artus Moser 1974
15 Lady Marg'et & Sweet William W. H. Stockton 1976
16 Sweet William Emma Shelton 1976
17 Little Margaret Betty Smith 1977
18 Lady Margaret Sally Rogers 1982
19   Lady Margaret Vikki Clayton 1988
20   Little Margaret Cordelia's Dad 1992
21 Little Margaret Evelyn Ramsey 1992
22 Lady Margaret Rick Lee 1995
23 Fair Margaret and Sweet William Custer LaRue with members of The Baltimore Consort March 28, 1995
24 Little Margaret Paul Kleinwald 1997
25 Fair Margaret and Sweet William Art Thieme 1998
26 Little Margaret Laura Boosinger 1998
27 Sweet William and Lady Margaret Amps For Christ 1999
28 Fair Margaret and Sweet William Tim O'Brien March 23, 1999
29 Lady Margaret Carol Ponder 2000
30 Little Margaret Tom, Brad & Alice 2000
31 Sweet William and Lady Margaret Debra Cowan and Acie Cargill July 31, 2001
32 Lady Margaret Mary Jane October 2001
33 Fair Margaret and Sweet William Jen Larson 2002
34 Lil' Margaret Denise O'Sullivan 2002
35 Lady Margaret The Mammals June 2002
36 Lady Margaret Alice Stuart November 26, 2002
37 Lady Margaret and Sweet William John & Mary December 9, 2002
38 Fair Margaret and Sweet William June Tabor September 2003
39 Lady Margret Cassie Franklin December 16, 2003
40 The Old Armchair Martin Howley 2004
41 Little Margaret The Knitters July 12, 2005
42 Lady Margaret The Eighteenth Day of May October 2005
43   Little Margaret Carolina Chocolate Drops 2006

Library of Congress Recordings

Lady Marg'et
Lady Marg'et / H. G Robbins [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Robbins, H. G. - Lomax, Alan - Lyttleton, Elizabeth
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1938

Lady Marg'et and Sweet William
Lady Marg'et and Sweet William / Eliza Pace [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Lomax, Alan - Lyttleton, Elizabeth - Pace, Eliza
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1937

Lady Marg'et and sweet Willie
Lady Marg'et and sweet Willie / Vergie Bailey [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Lomax, Alan - Lyttleton, Elizabeth - Bailey, Vergie
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1937

Lady Marg'et and Sweet Willy
Lady Marg'et and Sweet Willy / Aunt Molly Jackson [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Lomax, Alan - Jackson, Aunt Molly
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1939

Lady Marget
Lady Marget / Charley Short [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Randolph, Vance - Short, Charley
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1941

Lady Marg'ret and sweet Willie
Lady Marg'ret and sweet Willie / Vergie Bailey [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Lomax, Alan - Lyttleton, Elizabeth - Bailey, Vergie
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1937

Lady Margaret
Lady Margaret / Vance Randolph [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Randolph, Vance
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1941

Lady Margaret
Lady Margaret / Claudia Roberts [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Moser, Artus - Roberts, Claudia
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1945

Lady Margaret
Lady Margaret / Williams, Jack, Mrs. [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Beck, Horace Palmer - Leach, MacEdward - Williams, Jack, Mrs
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio

Highlights from Prints and Photographs Online Catalog

Fair Margaret (Lady Margaret)
Fair Margaret (Lady Margaret) / Leakey Ellen Roberts Noel [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Karpeles, Maud - Cowell, Sidney Robertson - Noel, Leakey Ellen Roberts
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1950

Young Hunting (Lady Margaret)
Young Hunting (Lady Margaret) / Adolphus (Dol Small) Small [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Karpeles, Maud - Cowell, Sidney Robertson - Small, Adolphus (Dol Small)
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1950

Lady Margaret [fragment]
Lady Margaret [fragment] / Claudia Roberts [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Moser, Artus - Roberts, Claudia
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1945

Lady Margaret Sackville
1 negative : glass ; 5 x 7 in. or smaller.
Contributor: Bain News Service
Site: Prints & Photographs
Original Format: Photo, Print, Drawing
Date: 1900

Little Betty Ann (Lady Margaret)
Little Betty Ann (Lady Margaret) / Bascom Lamar Lunsford [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Library of Congress. Recording Laboratory - Lunsford, Bascom Lamar - Emrich, Duncan
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1949

Lady Margaret and sweet William
Lady Margaret and sweet William / Daw Henson [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Lomax, Alan - Lyttleton, Elizabeth - Henson, Daw
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1937

Sweet William and Lady Margaret
Sweet William and Lady Margaret / Bascom Lamar Lunsford [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Moser, Artus - Lunsford, Bascom Lamar
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1946

Sweet William and lady Margaret
Sweet William and lady Margaret / Bascom Lamar Lunsford [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Library of Congress. Recording Laboratory - Lunsford, Bascom Lamar - Emrich, Duncan
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1949

Lady Margaret and Sweet William
Lady Margaret and Sweet William / Ellie D Sibert [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Lomax, Alan - Lyttleton, Elizabeth - Sibert, Ellie D.
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1937

Lady Margaret and sweet William
Lady Margaret and sweet William / Justis Begley [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Lomax, Alan - Lyttleton, Elizabeth - Begley, Justis
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1937

Lady Margaret and Sweet William
Lady Margaret and Sweet William / Bryant, T. M., Mrs. [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Bryant, T. M., Mrs - Lyttleton, Elizabeth - Lomax, Alan
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1938

Sir William and Lady Margaret [textual transcription]
Textual transcription of song.
Site: American Memory-cultural
Original Format: Manuscript

Sweet William
Sweet William / Unidentified [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Chase, Richard - Unidentified
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio

Sweet William
Sweet William / Retta Harmon [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Halpert, Herbert - Harmon, Retta
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1939

Sweet William
Sweet William / Elmer George [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Lomax, Alan - Flanders, Helen Hartness - George, Elmer - Daniels, M. P., Mrs
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1939

Sweet William
Sweet William / Winifred Bundy [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Coon, Leland - Bundy, Winifred
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1946

Sweet William
Sweet William / Maud Long [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Moser, Artus - Long, Maud
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1944

Sweet William
Sweet William / Maud Long [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Library of Congress. Recording Laboratory - Long, Maud
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1947

Sweet William
Sweet William / Fields Ward [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Lomax, John Avery - Ward, Fields
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1937

Sweet William
Sweet William / Carrie Walker [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Halpert, Herbert - Walker, Carrie
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1939

Sweet William
Sweet William / Goldie Hamilton [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Halpert, Herbert - Hamilton, Goldie
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1939

Sweet William
Sweet William / Samuel P Harmon [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Halpert, Herbert - Harmon, Samuel P.
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1939

Sweet William
Sweet William / Theodosia Bonnett Long [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Halpert, Herbert - Long, Theodosia Bonnett
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1939

Sweet William
Sweet William / Griffin, G. A., Mrs. [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Lomax, John Avery - Griffin, G. A., Mrs
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1937

Sweet William
Sweet William / I. G. (Isaac Garfield) Greer [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Emrich, Duncan - Greer, I. G. (Isaac Garfield) - Greer, I. G., Mrs
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1945

Sweet William (last stanza)
Sweet William (last stanza) / I. G. (Isaac Garfield) Greer [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Emrich, Duncan - Greer, I. G. (Isaac Garfield) - Greer, I. G., Mrs
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1945

Fair Margaret and sweet William (Sweet William he arose)
Fair Margaret and sweet William (Sweet William he arose) / William Henry Stockton [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Karpeles, Maud - Cowell, Sidney Robertson - Stockton, William Henry
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1950

Sweet William and fair Margaret
Sweet William and fair Margaret / Claudia Roberts [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Moser, Artus - Roberts, Claudia
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1946

Sweet William and fair Ellender
Sweet William and fair Ellender / Griffin, G. A., Mrs. [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Morris, Alton Chester - Griffin, G. A., Mrs
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1937

Sweet William and fair Ellen
Sweet William and fair Ellen / I. G. (Isaac Garfield) Greer [sound recording] :Bibliographic Record Brief Display (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress )
Contributor: Collins, Fletcher - Greer, I. G. (Isaac Garfield) - Greer, I. G., Mrs
Site: Performing Arts Encyclopedia
Original Format: Audio
Date: 1941

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William and Margaret (I)

DESCRIPTION: Margaret's ghost visits William at midnight. "How could you promise love to me And not that promise keep?" She leaves at daybreak: "Come see, false man, how low she lies, Who died for love of you" He falls on her grave "and word spoke never more"
AUTHOR: unknown (see notes for discussion of David Mallet's claim)
EARLIEST DATE: before 1715 (probably 1711, according to Chappell; but see Simpson's comment below); 1724 (Hill's modification); 1724 (Ramsay's publication of Mallet's early text)
KEYWORDS: love seduction virginity accusation questions beauty death ghost
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber)) US(MW)
REFERENCES (8 citations):
GreigDuncan2 337, "William and Margaret" (1 text, 2 tunes) {A=Bronson's #65, B=#66}
Whitelaw-Ballads, pp. 78-79, "William and Margaret" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: W. Chappell, The Roxburghe Ballads, (Hertford, 1880 ("Digitized by Google")), Vol. III Part 3 [Part 9], pp. 667-676, "William and Margaret. An old Ballad" (1 text: "1711 broadside" text, pp. 671-673, 1 tune)
David Mallet, Frederick Dinsdale, editor, Ballads and Songs (London, 1857 ("Digitized by Google")), pp. 79-83, "William and Margaret" (1 text: Mallet's final text, pp. 79-83).
Charles Neely, "Four British Ballads in Southern Illinois" in Journal of American Folklore, Vol. LII, No. 203 (Jan-Mar 1939 (available online by JSTOR)), #4 pp. 80-81, "William and Margaret" (1 text)
Thomas Percy, Reliques of Ancient English Poetry (London, 1765 ("Digitized by Google")), Vol. III, Ancient Songs and Ballads, Series 3 Book 3 # 15, pp. 310-313, "Margaret's Ghost" (1 text)
Allan Ramsay, The Tea-Table Miscellany: or, A Collection of Scots Sangs (in three vols) (London, 1733 (ninth edition) ("Digitized by Google")), Vol I pp. 218-220, "William and Margaret, an Old Ballad" (1 text: Mallet's early text; apparently the same as in 1725 first edition)
The Hive: A Collection of the Most Celebrated Songs (London, 1725 ("Digitized by Google")), Vol. III pp. 148-150, "William and Margaret" (1 text)
Roud #253
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 5(58), "A lamentable ballad, or the tragical end of William and Margaret" ("When all was wrap'd in dark midnight"), D. Wrighton (Birmingham), 1812-1830; also Harding B 5(57), "William and Margaret"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Fair Margaret and Sweet William [Child 74]" (one verse and theme: jilted lover's ghost visits ex-lover)
cf. "Once They Said My Lips Were Red" (one verse)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Lady Marrit
NOTES: Percy calls "William and Margaret" or "Margaret's Ghost", "one of the most beautiful ballads in our own or any language" and "the elegant production of David Mallet" (Percy, pp. 121, 310). Wheatley quotes Ritson: "It may be questioned whether any English writer has produced so fine a ballad as 'William and Margaret.'" (Percy/Wheatley, p. 309). So, at least in the 18th Century, "William and Margaret" was taken seriously.
There are at least six issues to be discussed in connection with "William and Margaret":
1) How well can we establish authorship for the 18th Century versions?
Dinsdale makes the case for authorship by David Mallet; Chappell makes the case that Mallet made minor changes to an existing ballad.
Mallet's editor: "David Mallet was born about the beginning of the present century, but neither the place of his nativity, nor the situation of his parents can be precisely ascertained" (Mallet, p. vi). If Chappell's dating of a broadside version to 1711 is correct -- though that is in question -- then Mallet's priority as author would immediately be in question. Simpson notes that a British Museum copy of Mallet's version "states that Mallet wrote his ballad 'while he was Janitor of the High School of Edinb.'" (Simpson, p. 786, fn 4). In a letter to his first publisher, Aaron Hill, at the time ignorant of the author's identity, Mallet claimed that "['William and Margaret'] was founded on the real History of an unhappy Woman...," and he tells the tale which ends, "And, in a few Days after, I saw her and her Child laid in one Grave together"; then, inspired some time after this, by Merry-Thought's 'When it was grown to dark midnight ...' in "The Knight of the Burning Pestle", he wrote the poem (KBP II.1, p. 191; Mallet/Dinsdale, pp. 85-86 [II.viii,1 in Wine, p. 333 - RBW]).
By 1723 Allan Ramsay had seen and commented on Mallet's poem, and he published it as Mallet wrote it in the 1724 edition of The Tea-Table Miscellany (Brewster, p. 173; Chappell, p. 668; from evidence in Chappell, the version printed by Ramsay in 1724 seems the same as Ramsay, pp. 218-220). Before it was printed by Ramsay a copy had been found by Aaron Hill who did not know the author, assumed the work to be an old ballad, and, as Brewster says, "he took the liberty of altering 'an obsolete low phrase here and there,'" and printed it in his The Plain Dealer of July 24, 1724 (Brewster, pp. 174-176; Mallet/Dinsdale, pp 72-73). You can see Hill's modified version in Hive, pp. 148-150. None of Hill's major changes appear in subsequent texts; Hill, for example, ends the poem as William "dy'd and lov'd, too late." Mallet continued to make minor changes and either the Percy version or Mallet/Dinsdale version -- which have minor differences -- is probably the final version (Percy, pp. 310-313; Mallet/Dinsdale, pp. 79-83; the differences I see are in lines 27 [Percy "Now yawning graves" vs Mallet/Dinsdale "When yawning graves"], 35 ["mine eyes" vs "my eyes"], 46 ["these lips" vs "those lips"], 54 ["last adieu" vs "late adieu"] and 59 ["William shook" vs "William quak'd"]).
Chappell's Appendix to Vol. III of The Roxburghe Ballads is a brief announcement that the remaining volumes will be undertaken by Ebsworth and a long analysis of "William and Margaret": "not only is it one of the best of our old ballads, but also there is literary interest attached to it, the authorship having been claimed by David Mallet in 1723, and this edition refuting that claim" (Chappell, p. 667). Chappell begins with a broadside that he dates to about 1711 and certainly no later than 1714: the broadside has a stamp required by an Act of Parliament passed in 1711 requiring stamps; however, "the Act was not intended to apply to ballads, and they were speedily exempted from its operation." He has a 1714 example of a stamp-free ballad (Chappell, p. 668). Considering Mallet's story and age, it would be unlikely that a 1711-1714 broadside could have been copied from Mallet's text. Simpson throws a problem at Chappell's analysis: "It is true that stamps are seldom found on ballads, but in the very portfolio containing the 'William and Margaret' under discussion ... is a broadside dated 1735 on which is an identical tax stamp" (Simpson, p. 786, fn 3). Nevertheless, Simpson says, "Scholars are now generally agreed in giving precedence to the black-letter text and crediting Mallet only with the merest touching up" (Simpson, p. 786).
2) Should "William and Margaret" be lumped with Child 74?
Roud assigns #253 to both. Child, in his head notes to Child 74, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William," says "'William and Margaret' is simply 'Fair Margaret and Sweet William' rewritten in what used to be called an elegant style." Nevertheless, of the 68 lines in each of the 18th and 19th Century texts of "William and Margaret," the only lines shared with any of the Child 74 texts are four of the six "Knight of the Burning Pestle" lines. In Child 74 Margaret's ghost either wishes "William and his bride joy," or asks William whether he prefers herself to his bride. After the "William and Margaret" ghost is described in 16 lines, she spends 36 lines blaming William for her death. In Child 74 William sees the dead Margaret in her bower and dies; in "William and Margaret" he visits and falls on her grave, "and words spoke never more." I would not consider these the same ballad.
3) Is the "Knight of the Burning Pestle" fragment a reference to "William and Margaret" or Child 74?
Child, Percy (p. 121) and Chappell (p. 675) point out that there are six lines of "The Knight of the Burning Pestle" close to lines in Child 74. Specifically, "When it was grown to dark midnight, And all were fast asleep, In came Margaret's grimly Ghost, And stood at William's feet" (KBP Act II Sc. 1 p. 191; cf., Child 74A ll. 17-21, Child 74B ll. 25-29, Child 74C ll. 9-12 [II.vii.3-4 in Wine, p. 333 - RBW]) and "You are no love for me Marget, I am no love for you" (KBP Act III Sc. 1 p. 208; cf. Child 74A ll. 5-6, Child 74B ll. 11-14 [III.v.96-97 in Wine, p. 354 - RBW]). Chappell would have Child 74A/Percy p. 122 follow KBP, and considers its "I see no harm by you, Margaret, Nor you see none by me" lines a "foolish alteration [of the KBP lines that] deprives the ballad of the very subject of its story" (Chappell, p. 675)[compare, for example, Child 74B ll. 11-16]. In any case, there is nothing like the Act III Sc. 1 lines in any "William and Margaret" text.
4) What is the likely source for each of the two 19th Century Bodleian broadside versions recovered so far?
All of the Mallet texts, as well as the Chappell text, are seventeen verses of four lines each. Excluding Hill's changes, the differences, line by line, are minor. However, verses nine and ten of Chappell are verses ten and nine of all the Mallet texts. Both Bodleian broadsides are seventeen verses of four lines each, but the sequence of verses follows Chappell. The broadsides are not identical but their differences are like the differences listed between Percy and Mallet/Dinsdale.
5) What is the likely source for each the two 20th Century versions recovered so far from oral sources (GreigDuncan2 and Neely)?
GreigDuncan2 has no comment about the relationship of the text to versions of "William and Margaret." The GreigDuncan2 text has twelve verses and one of the missing verses is one of the sequence test verses. In other words, based on sequence alone, GreigDuncan2 could follow either Chappell or Mallet. Most lines are very close to both Chappell and Mallet and a few do not match either. However, GreigDuncan2's
-- l. 1, "When a' was wrapt in dark midnight," follows Chappell and the broadsides, rather than Mallet "Twas at the fearful midnight hour" or "'Twas at the silent solemn hour"
-- l. 2, "And a' was fast asleep," follows Chappell and the broadsides (Chappell versions) and Ramsay (a Mallet version) but not Percy and Mallet/Dinsdale, "When night and morning meet."
-- l. 43, "And stretchexd him on the green grass turf" is close to line 63 of Chappell and the broadsides and Ramsay but not Percy and Mallet/Dinsdale "And strech'd him on the grass-green turf."
-- l. 47, "Then laid his cheek to the cold earth," agrees with l. 67 of Chappell and the broadsides, but not with Ramsay, Percy or Mallet/Dinsdale, "Then laid his cheek to her cold grave."
GreigDuncan2 seems not to be a Mallet version.
Neely says his text, "must have been learned originally from Percy's Reliques or from some volume which reprinted Mallet's ballad. Although less than half of 'Margaret's Ghost' [an alternate title for 'William and Margaret'] remains, one is forced to the conclusion that the ballad was transmitted by people with remarkable memories, or that it has not long been a part of oral tradition" (Neely, pp. 80-81). Of Neely's eight verses, four and five are the sequence test verses and follow the Mallet structure. Of Neely's 32 lines, few are clearly Ramsay, Percy, or Mallet/Dinsdale lines. Specifically,
-- l. 2, "When all were fast asleep" is Ramsay's line, not Percy's and Mallet/Dinsdale's "When night and morning meet."
-- l. 23, "Pale William quaked in every limb," agrees with l. 59 of Ramsay and Mallet/Dinsdale, but not Percy "Pale William shook in ev'ry limb."
This seems to me to be too close to call, but the Ramsay text is closest to Neely's text.
6) What is the connection with the Morris "Once They Said My Lips Were Red"?
--A Morris dance begins, "Once they said my lips were red, Now they're scarlet pale, When I, like a silly girl, Believed his flattering tale." Williams-Thames p. 302 notes the similarity to Mallet's "William and Margaret"; of the texts listed above the closest is Bodleian Harding B 5(58) ll. 41-44, "How could you say my lips were red And make their scarlet dale [sic]? And why did I, young witless maid, Believe thy flattering tale?" If that were all we had of "Once They Said My Lips Were Red" I would have thought it was a "William and Margaret" fragment. However, "Once They Said My Lips Were Red" continues, "But he vow'd he'd never deceive me, And so fondly I believ'd he, While the stars and the moon So sweetly shown Over the willow tree." Williams speculates that the Morris lines may predate Mallet. - BS
Bibliography


    Brewster: Dorothy Brewster, Aaron Hill: Poet, Dramatist, Projector, Columbia University Press, 1913 ("Digitized by Google")
    Chappell: W. Chappell, The Roxburghe Ballads Vol. III Part 3 [Part 9], The Ballad Society, 1880 ("Digitized by Google")
    Mallet: David Mallet, (unknown editor), The Poetical Works of David Mallet with the Life of the Author ,C. Cooke, n.d. (after 1764; 1798?) ("Digitized by Google")
    Hive: The Hive: A Collection of the Most Celebrated Songs Vol. III, J. Walthoe, 1725 ("Digitized by Google")
    (The) KBP: Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, "The Knight of the Burning Pestle" in A.R. Waller, editor, Beaumont and Fletcher, Cambridge University Press, 1908 ("Digitized by Google")
    Mallet/Dinsdale: David Mallet, Frederick Dinsdale, editor, Ballads and Songs, Bell and Daldy, 1857 ("Digitized by Google)
    Neely: Charles Neely, "Four British Ballads in Southern Illinois" in Journal of American Folklore Vol. LII No. 203, Jan-Mar 1939 (available online by JSTOR)
    Percy: Thomas Percy, Reliques of Ancient English Poetry Vol. III, J Dodsley, 1765 ("Digitized by Google")
    Percy/Wheatley: Thomas Percy, Henry B. Wheatley, editor, Reliques of Ancient English Poetry Vol. III, Bickers and Son, 1877 ("Digitized by Google")
    Ramsay: Allan Ramsay, The Tea-Table Miscellany: or, A Collection of Scots Sangs (in three vols) ninth edition Vol I, A. Millar, 1733 ("Digitized by Google")
    Simpson: Claude M. Simpson, The British Broadside Ballad and Its Music , Rutgers University Press, 1966
    Wine: M. L. Wine, editor, Drama of the English Renaissance, Modern Library, 1969