Lord Banner's Wife- Blanchard (ME) 1933 Flanders C
[From Flanders' Ancient Ballads; 1961. Notes from Coffin follow.
R. Matteson 2015]
Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard
(Child 81)
This ballad has a vigorous American oral tradition but, in spite of the fact that Phillips Barry, British Ballads from Maine, 173, reports his H version to have been learned in Scotland, seems to have died out in Britain. Here it is known everywhere, from Nova Scotia to Jamaica and west. Barry, op. cit., 180 f., and Helen Pettigrew, University of West Virginia Studies, III philological papers, II, 8 f., both spent much effort on the American heritage of Child 81. Barry feels there-was a pre-American split in the tradition of the ballad, one form featuring the "away, Musgrave, away" lines and the "bugle-blowing" scene, the other retaining mention of King Henry. The Henry type he believes to date back to the time of Henry VIII and to be the progenitor of almost all the American texts. The "away, Musgrave" type, he feels, gave birth to the Anglo-Scottish texts and a few late American arrivals. Pettigrew attacks this thesis vigorously, among other things, attributing the visit to King Henry to romanticization and citing a host of American texts, such as the Flanders ones below, that retain "bugle-blowing" scenes. Whoever is right, one thing seems sure: Barry was nor far wrong in stating the song has been in America a long time and that the texts here are more vivid and generally better than those in Child, some of which are pretty old.
The Flanders texts demonstrate Barry's two types. Flanders A includes a strong "bugle-blowing" scene, the "away" lines (stanzas 18-20), and opt"s with a church-gathering like Child A, C, H, and many of the southern American texts. This version is similar to the one in Belden, 58 (also printed in British BaIIads from Maine, 177), but is unusual for the New World in its inclusion of Lady Barnard's effort to bribe the page as in Child C-F, H-L, and O. Edwards it should be noted, wanted to leave these lines and some of the "bugle" material out (see the letter below). The Flanders B-J series is more typical of the northern tradition of the ballad and starts like-Child D, E, K, L with a "ball-playing" scene. The "bugle-blowing" is presented, but briefly, and there are no "away, Musgrave" lines.
See Coffin, 84-86, for the bibliography of the American texts and summaries of the scholarship done on the song. It is interesting that American versions do not mention any past relationship between the lovers, although Musgrave needs no encouraging when the Lady flirts with him in one Southeastern text. He embraces her at once. PMLA xxxlx,4ssf.,contains a report on the Jamaican tradition of Child 81. The ballad as known in the West Indies is closer to Child A-C than it is to the American material. In Act V, scene 3, of Francis Beaumont's The Knight of the Burning Pestle, Merrythought quotes lines from the song.
The seven tunes given are related except for the Edwards tune, which seems separate. The rest fall into two related groups: 1) Colsie and Walker, and 2) Syphers, Merrill, Finnemore, and Burditt. The following runes show general relationship to the second of these related groups: Sharp I, 166 (D), 181 (L); and BES, 150. The New England tunes seem more closely related to the second group, while those in the collections from the southern United States seem largely to belong to another family exemplified by the majority of the tunes in Sharp I.
C. Lord Banner's Wife- Sung by Mrs. Roy Blanchard of Vanceboro, Maine, as known to her Scotch forebears. Printed in the Bangor, Maine, Daily News, December, 30, 1933. Mrs. Fannie Echstorm, Collector; December 30, 1933.
Four and twenty ladies
Being at a ball,
Lord Banner's wife a-being there,
The flower of them all.
And Young MacGrew from fair Scotland,
As fair as the raising sun,
She looked on him and he looked on her,
The likes were never known.
Saying, "Will you take a ride with me,
O, will you take a ride?
And you shall have servants to wait on you
And a Lady by your side."
"O, no, I dare not ride with you,
No, not for all my life,
For [by] the ring you have on your finger
You are Lord Banner's wife."
"And what if I am Lord Banner's wife?
Lord Banner is not at home,
He has gone to Redemption
To serve King Henry's throne."
Just then one of Lord Banner's merry men
Heard what they said and done,
He said, "I mean Lord Banner shall know
Before the raising[1] sun."
He ran down to the river side
And he jumped in and swam,
He swam till he came to the other side,
Then took to his heels and ran.
He ran till he came to the castle door,
He knocked so long and shrill
There was no one there so eager as
Lord Banner to let him in.
Saying, "Are there any of my castles down,
Or any of my towers three,
Or is my lady brought to bed
With a daughter or a son?"
"Ah, no, there are none of the castles down,
Or none of your towers three,
By (but) Young MacGrew from fair Scotland
Is in bed with your fair Lady."
"Now, if this be a lie
As I suppose it to be,
I will not rig any gallows,
But hang you to a tree."
"And now if this be a lie,
As you suppose it to be,
You need not rig any gallows
But hang me to a tree."
Then Lord Banner called to his merry men
By ones, by twos, by threes.
Saying, "We'll ride to fair Scotland
This couple for to see."
But there was one of Lord Banner's merry
Who loved his Lady well;
He raised his bugle to his lips
And sounded it loud and shrill.
"Hark, what music is that that I dost hear,
That sounds so loud and shrill?
I believe it's Lord Banner's bugle horn:
If it is I shall come to my end."
"Lie down, lie down and keep me warm,
And keep me from the cold;
'Tis only Lord Banner's shepherd boy
A-calling the sheep to fold."
They huddled, they cuddled,
Till they were fast asleep;
Early the next morning
Lord Banner stood at their feet.
Saying, "How do you like my blankets fine,
And how do you like my sheets,
And how do you like my fair lady
That lies in your arms asleep?"
"It's well I like your blankets fine,
And well I like your sheets,
But better I like your fair Lady
That lies in my arms asleep."
"Arise, arise and put on your clothes
As quick as ever you can;
For I'll never have it said in fair Scotland
I fought with a naked man."
"O, no, I dare not get out of bed,
No, not for all of my life;
For you have sharp swords and sheafs
And I not a single knife."
"Well, what if I have sharp swords and sheafs,
They cost me deep in purse,
But you can have the very best one
And I will take the worst.
"And you will strike the very first blow
And strike it like a man,
And I will strike the second blow
And kill you if I can."
MacGrew he struck the very first blow
And struck Lord Banner full sore;
Lord Banner struck the second blow
And killed him in his gore.
He ran back to the bedside
Where lay his fair Lady
Saying, "Which one do you like the best
Young MacGrew or me?"
"It's well I like your rosy cheeks,
It's well I like your hair
But better I liked young MacGrew,
For he is twice as fair."
He grabbed her by the hair of the head
And dragged her onto the floor,
He cut her head from her shoulders.
She never spoke any more.
And then he took the point of the sword
And pointed to his breast,
Saying, "There never were three lovers
Went to a more peaceful rest.
"Go, dig me a grave; go dig me a grave;
Co dig it both long, wide, and deep,
And place my Lady by my side
And young McGrew at my feet."
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1. usually rising.