My True Love's House- J. Woodrich (Devon) c.1880
[From Sabine Baring-Gould MSS collection: SBG/1/1/302, labeled A. This is the earliest extant "traditional" version- although it has possibly been rewritten and it's value is suspect since similar texts have not been recovered.
The first stanza was quoted in Songs of the West where the Rev. Baring Gould renamed this The Orchestra and changed the melody and rewrote the text completely (not a fan of gruesome murders I suppose)- a single stanza of Woodrich's text remained (see notes of Songs of the West).
His notes from Songs of the West follow. At the bottom of this page are Baring-Gould's B (copy of broadside- Cruel Miller) and C (partial copy and notes of Berkshire)
R. Matteson 2016]
LXIII. The Orchestra. The melody taken down from John Woodrich, of Thrushleton. The words began : —
“I went unto my true love’s house
At eight o’clock at night,
And little did my true love know,
I owed her a despite.”
It then went on to describe a singularly brutal murder. The words exist in a broadside by Catnach and Such, “ The Cruel Miller. ”The earliest form, however, is in a broadsheet by Pitts, of Seven Dials, “ The Berkshire Tragedy, or the Wittam Miller,” and this is in 22 verses. It begins : —
“Young men and maidens give ear
Unto what I shall relate,
O mark you well, and you shall hear
Of my unhappy fate.
Near famous Oxford town,
I first did draw my breath, &c.”
As the tune clearly did not belong to these words I ventured to write fresh words, and Mr. Bussell has somewhat developed the original melody which was limited to four lines
“I went unto my true love’s house
At eight o’clock at night,
And little did my true love know,
I owed her a despite.”
A. I Went to my True Love's House- Taken down from J. Woodrich, Thrushelton, c. 1880
1. I went unto my true love's house
At eight o'clock at night
And little did my true love know
I owed her a despite.
I asked her forth to come & walk
All in the meadows gay
The moon shone bright & we would talk
About our wedding day.
2. I took a stake from out the hedge
I struck her to the ground.
And soon her sweet & innocent blood
Ran trick’ling from the wound
Upon her bended knees fell she
For pity loud did cry
“My love, O do not murder me,
I am unfit to die.”
3. I drew her curly flowing hair
Thro' woods & meadows green.
All to a river’s side & there,
I threw my true love in.
I then returned to Master's house
At twelve o' clock at night
My master rose & let me in
But first he struck a light.
4. My master spoke as me he eyed
What stains your hands & clothes?
Then boldly I to him replied
The blood ran from my nose.
But when, abed, I tried to sleep
I saw her face arise,
I saw her white, & bitter weep,
With blood drops in her eyes.
5. In about three days after that
The fair maid she was missed.
The water cold did her enfold
And cheek & forehead kissed[1].
In about nine days after that
Her body it was found
It floated to her sister's door,
They said that she was drowned.
1. This line was imported from Distressed Maid ballads
_______________________________________
B.
1. My parents educated, good learning gave to me,
They bound me to a miller, to which I did agree,
I fell a courting a pretty maid, with a black & rolling eye.
I told her I would marry her, if she would with me lie.
2. I courted her for six long months, & little now & then
I was ashamed to marry her, I was so young a man.
At length this fair maid proved with child, & loud to me did cry
Saying, Johnny dear, come marry me, or else for you I’ll die.
3. I went unto her sister’s house at ten o’clock at night
And little did this fair maid think I owed her such a spite,
I asked her to take a walk all in those meadows gay,
And there to sit & talk awhile, & name our wedding day.
4. I took a stick out of the hedge, & struck her to the ground,
And soon the blood of innocence came trickling from the wound.
She fell upon her bended knees, & did aloud for mercy cry,
Saying, Johnny dear, don’t murder me, for I’m not fit to die.
5. I took her by her curly locks, & dragg’d her through the glen,
Until I came to a river’s side, & there I threw her in.
Now with the blood of innocence my hands & clothes were dyed
Instead of being a breathless corpse, she might have been my bride.
6. Arriving at my master’s house at twelve o’clock at night
My master rose & let me in by striking of a light.
He asked me & questioned me, what stained my hands & clothes
I made him answer as I thought fit, by the bleeding of my nose.
7. I asked for a candle to light myself to bed,
And all that long night my true love laid dead.
And all that blessed long night, no comfort could I find,
For the burning flames of torment all round my eyes did shine.
8. In two or three days after this fair maid was missed
I was taken on suspicion, & into prison cast,
Her sister prosecuted me, for my own awful doubt,
Her sister prosecuted me, for taking of her out.(!)
9.In two or three days after, this fair maid was found,
Came floating to her mother’s door, that was near to Wexford town.
When the judge & jury quickly did agree
For the murder of my true love, that hanged I should be.
Broadside Birt of 7 Dials circ 1830. “The Cruel Miller.” also & Such No. 622.
C.
A long ballad “The Berkshire Tragedy, or the Witham Miller” this is in 22 stanzas, printed by Pitts Wholesale Toy & Marble Warehouse Gt. S. Andrews St. 7 Dials circ. 1785
This begins :
Young men & maidens give ear unto what I shall now relate
O mark you well, & you shall hear of my unhappy fate.
The resemblance begins in v. 5
About a month since Christmas last, Oh cursed be the day
The devil then did me persuade to take her life away.
I called her from her sister’s door, at eight o’clock at night,
Poor creature she did little dream I owed her such a spite.
I told her if she’d walk with me aside a little way
We both together would agree about our wedding day.
Thus I deluded her again, unto a private place,
Then took a stick out of the hedge, & struck her in the face.
&c.&c.
The story is the same.
Baring-Gould Ms. Ref. PC 1. 139 (63)