The Dreary Gallows- Hayes (ME) 1940 Flanders D
[From Flanders; Ancient Ballads, III, 1963. Coffins notes follow. Flanders C-G are not versions of "Maid Freed" but of the related ballad "Derry Gaol/Streets of Derry," that Bronson lists as an Appendix. For whatever reason, these "Derry Gaol" ballads, although identified, are still listed under "Maid Freed."
R. Matteson 2015]
Excerpt from Coffin's notes, "The Maid Freed from the Gallows":
The C-G series, called "James Derry," or "The Streets of Derry," is listed by Barry, op. cit., 389-393, as a "secondary form" of child 95. This is an Irish re-writing of "The Maid Freed from the Gallows" that may be connected to the uprisings of 1798. It is a fine example of balladry and well worth inclusion in the extensive canon of the famous plot.
D. The Dreary Gallows. Sung by Hanford Hayes of Staceyville, Maine. Structure: A1 B1 A2 82 (2,2,2,2); Rhythm E; Contour: each half an arc; Scale: major H. H. F., Collector; September 21,1940. Retake by M. Olney; May 6, 1942
In December, 1940, Mr. Hayes mailed a handwritten copy entitled, "The Dreary Gallows" which included all of the above except stanza 6. His first singing to H.H.F. in September 1940 had been a fragment with no title, consisting Of Stanzas l, 2,3, and 8 above.