US & Canada Versions: 188. Archie o Cawfield/Poor Archer/Bold Dickie/Billy Broke Locks
[Since Child included a version, "Bold Dickie" (titled, The Ballad of Bold Dickie in JAF) from Massachusetts, (Child F) in his variants, I will also be including similar American offshoots of Archie o' Cawfield here, including the ballad titles "Billy Broke Locks," "Billy Broke Bolts" and "Bold Dickie." These parodies of Cawfield were called secondary ballads by Barry, 1929, who gives them under the "John Webber" heading. According to Barry, versions of the ballad similar to Child F ("Bold Dickie") were in the New England area by 1700. Around 1740 the ballad was remodeled after John Webb (John Webber), a mint master in Colonial days, who was imprisoned. According to Barry (BFSSNE, 1933) "the hero is John Webb, who had something to do with violating the Currency Act of 1738, in the interest of cheap money. In 1739, one Webb put in circulation in Maine counterfeit five-pound Rhode Island bills, which were neyertheless accepted (Prince Society Publications, IV, 123, 132). In 1754, John Webb of Danvers, formerly of Salem, was pilloried and imprisoned as a common cheat (Essex Institute Historical Collections, XLIII, 89-90, cf. XLII, 845)."
Child F and the subsequent new ballad (mentioning John Webb) and usually titled "Bold Dickie" ("Billy Broke Locks"/"Billie Broke Bolt"/"John Webber") is rare in North America and, except for the Michigan and WPA versions, is found only in the New England area --centered in Massachusetts. The extant ballad versions are The Child F version, several versions (mostly fragments taken from Notes and Queries in 1924) from Barry published in 1929 (BBM), 1933 (BFSSNE), a version from Michigan resembling Child B and Frank Warner's version collected from Priscilla Dyer Allen of Plainfield, MA, in 1941 which was recorded by Warner on Elektra in 1958. I'm missing only the WPA version (see bottom of this page) in my collection.
It is interesting to note that a banjo rendering of "Billy Broke Locks" has been recorded by The Kingston Trio (String Along; 1960) under a new title, "The Escape of Old John Webb." The text was further arranged by Tom Drake (claims copyright but it's an arrangement), an English teacher friend of Bob Shane. This version's source was probably Lomax in 1960 which, in turn, was taken from Barry A, from BBM, 1929. Another arrangement titled "The Escape of Old John Webb," again probably from the Lomax/Trio version, was included in Burl Ives songbook in 1963. The Kingston Trio were very popular in 1960 after their multi-million selling 1958 single, Tom Dooley (also taken from Lomax and coincidentally Lomax from Warner via Frank Proffitt).
R. Matteson 2012, 2015]
CONTENTS: (To access individual versions click on highlighted blue title below)
1) Bold Dickie- J.M. Watson (MA) 1889 Child F
2) Noble Dickie- Laidlaw (MI) 1916 Gardner
3) Billy and Johnny- Thornton (ME) 1926 Barry A/ "Billy Broke Locks" Lomax
4) Billy Broke Bolts- M.D.L. (MA) 1924 Barry C
5 & 6) Billy Broke Bolts- C.E.G. (MA) 1924 Barry D and E
7) Bold Dickie- Marston (MA-ME) 1933 BFSSNE, Barry
8) Bold Dickie and Bold Archie- Hall (MA) 1941 Warner
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British Ballads From Maine, 1929, complete texts and notes; Barry et all
JOHN WEBBER
(cf. child 188)
A. "Billy and Johnny." sent in October, 1926, by Mrs. Seth S. Thornton, Southwest Harbor. Mrs. Thornton wrote, "The one about Billy and Johnny I have gathered line by line from my cousins, who remember their parents and grandparents singing it. Mrs. Thornton's contribution has been extended by a few lines in stanza 4, added by Mrs. Fred P. Barker, Brewer, who, like Mrs. Thornton, belongs to the old Carroll stock of Mount Desert, whose song it was. Mrs. Barker also contributed the air as taken down by Mr. C. carter; but later Mr. Herzog took down the air from the singing of Mrs. Thornton and her sister, Mrs. Alice Young.
MS of Mrs. C. Carter, Brewer.
[music]
[music] Recorded by Mr. George Herzog.
1. There were nine to hold the British ranks,
And five to guard the town about,
And two to stand at either hand,
I'd one to let Old Tenor out.
2 And Billy broke locks and Billy broke bolts,
And Billy broke all that he came nigh,
Until he Lame to the dungeon door,
And that he broke right manfullye.
3 There was eighty weight of good Spanish iron
Between his neck-bone and his knee;
But Billy took Johnny up under his arm
And lugged him away right manfullee.
4 They mounted their horses and away they rode,
[And who but they rode gallantly,
Until they came to the riverbank,
And there they were most. . .] [text from Mrs. Fred Barker]
5 And when they came to the river bank,
The swam its waters deep and wide,
. . . .
And safely reached the other side.
6 And then they called for a room to dance,
And who but they danced merrilee;
And the best dancer among them all
Was old John Webb, who was just set free.
"This was sung by my great grandmother, Hannah (Boynton) Lurvey, who came here from Byfield, Mass., about 1800. John Webb was (I think) a mint master in Colonial days and lived in or near Salem. He was unjustly imprisoned by the Government and his friends set him free." so writes Mrs. Thornton. But who John Webb, or Webber, was does not so much matter until we have placed the ballad itself as a derivative of an older song.
The reference to old Tenor suggests that the song was made over from an older ballad about 1740, when there was considerable excitement about the change in Massachusetts currency. This disturbance produced one broadside, "The Death of old Tenor," which brought from the authorities a public advertisement of reward for information about the author and the printer (Ford, 915 and 939). Another early broadside, "The Dying speech of old Tenor" (Ford 912) is reproduced in facsimile in Ford's Massachusetts Broadsides, p. 129. It has nothing in common with our song, which shows old Tenor not dead, but escaping, to a very merry tune. The original ballad was Child's "Archie o' Cawfield," and the parody containing the reference to old tenor proves that this ballad must have been well known in Massachusetts before 1750, perhaps as early as 1787, when New Tenor first came in. Judging by the fragments recovered, the song about John Webber must have been much sung in Massachusetts. On February 9, 1924, in the "Notes and Queries" of the Boston Evening Transcript, "T.C.I." asked for "an old ballad which begins somewhat as follows":
B.
1 As I walked out one morning in May,
Just before the break of day,
I heard two brothers making their moan
And I listened awhile to whit they did say.
2 "We have a brother in prison," said they,
"Oh, in prison lieth he,
If we had but ten men just like ourselves,
The prisoner we should soon set free."
C. To this "M.D.L." responded, February 23: "My grandmother used to sing this swashbuckling old ballad, and some lines of it remain in my memory. If anyone recalls any other parts of it, I should much like to have them. I have no idea of the origin of the ballad.''
As I walked out one merry May morn,
As it was near the break of day,
I heard three brothers a-making their moan
l"d I listened awhile to what they did say.
"We have a brother in prison so strong,
This day he is condemned to die,
If we ha"d ten men just like ourselves
This prisoner we could soon set free."
"Oh no! O no!" then Billy he cried;
"O no! O no! That never could be!
For forty men is full little enough
And I to ride in your company."
Then they mounted their horses and away they rode,
And away they rode so merrily,--
Until they all came to the broad prison gate
And then they alighted so manfully.
There were ten to hold the horses there,
And ten to guard the city about,
And ten to stand at the broad prison door,
And ten to bring John Webber out.
6 Then Billy broke bolts and Billy broke bars.
And Billy broke all that came in his way,
Took little John Webber right under his arm
And carried him out so manfully.
7 Then they mounted their horses and away they rode,
And away they rode so manfully,
Until they all came to the broad riverside,
And there they alighted so merrily.
8 They danced a dance upon the green, . . .
"But then my memory fails on the verses which tell how the high sheriff followed them. I only remember the exultant end":
9 "Come back ! come back !" the high sheriff he cried,
"You are a great rogue as ever I see,"
"I thank you for nothing," then Billy replied.
"You are a great fool for following me."
D. In the same "Notes and Queries," June 11, 1924, a new correspondent, "C.E.G." writes, ..I shall be grateful for the missing lines and words of the following old song, and should also like to know its origin":
1 John Webber he is in prison so strong,
This day he is condemned to die.
. . . .
. . . .
2 "Oh, no, oh, no," then Billy replied,
"Oh, no, oh, no, this never can be;
Had I forty good fellows just like myself
I'd carry him off right manfully."
3 They mounted their horses and away they rode,
Away they rode so gallantly,
Until they all came to the high prison gates,
And there they all lighted so manfully.
4 Then Billy broke bolts and Billy broke bars,
And Billy broke all that came in his way,
Took little John Webber right under his arm
And carried him off so gallantly.
They mounted their horses and' away they rode,
Away they rode right gallantly,
Until they all came to the broad river's side,
And in they all plunged so . . .
"You are an old rogue," the sheriff he cried,
"You are an old rogue as ever I see!"
"I thank you for nothing," then Billy replied,
"You are an old fool for following me."
E.
To this query, "F.C.D." replied, June 28, 1924: "This seems to be the same ballad a part of which appeared lately in these columns, numbered 7516. It is traditional in my family, and I can add a few more lines."
1 "Oh, no, oh, no," then Billy replied,
"Oh, no, oh, no, that never shall be,
For I see the high Sheriff with his bounty-bountee
And a hundred men in his company."
2 "Oh, no, oh, no," John Webber then cried
"Oh, no, oh, no, that never can be,
For I've full twenty pounds of good Spanish iron
Betwixt my ankle and my knee.
3 "Remember me to my wife," said he,
"My wife that I love and children three;
For my horse grows lame, I cannot swim,
And this is the place where I must die."
4 "Oh, no, oh, no," then Billy he cried, etc.
"And this near the end":
5 "Give back my iron," the sheriff he cried,
'ooh, give me back my iron," said he.
6 "Oh, no, oh, no," then Billy replied,
"Oh, no, oh, no, that never shall be,
For the iron will do to shoe all our horses
And a blacksmith rides in our company."
If the stanzas, from the fragments given here, were arranged in their proper order, they would very nearly complete the ballad, barring some repetitions, ballad fashion, which lengthen the singing. They may be compared with Child's F-text of "Archie o' Cawfield" (Child 188, III, 494) from Mr. J. M. Watson of Clark's Island, Plymouth Harbor, Mass.
Yet the fragments are nearer Child A-E than is a Pitts broadside found in England by the late Prof. Frank Egbert Bryant, and printed by him in his History of English Balladry (pp. 435-437). It was entitled "The Bold Prisoner" and the hero was called Arthur instead of Archie. It was probably printed about 1804-1805 and its nine stanzas are weaker than the American texts recovered. It may be regarded as an abbreviated form of the longest Massachusetts text, of no special interest except as showing that the ballad was less virile in England than here.
The name "Billy" seems to have worked its way into the song from the lines in Child A, where the rescuers go stealthily to the prison door and try quietly to arouse the prisoner, saying:
"O sleeps thou, wakest thou, Archie, my billy,
O sleeps thou, wakes thou, dear billy?"
"Sometimes I sleep, sometimes I wake;
But who's that knows my name so well?"
"I am thy brother Dicky," he says,
"This night I've come to borrow thee."
The same word is retained in Child B, which our texts more nearly resemble:
"O sleepst thou, wakest thou, Archie laddie?
O sleepst thou, wakest thou, dear billie?"
The affectionate "billy," meaning a comrade, was unknown in New England and so passed for a proper name.
Here we have five more or less complete texts from Massachusetts, and the Maine text which certainly split from Massachusetts stock much more than a century ago. Moreover, by its allusion to troublous times of a known date, the Maine text carries back, by u long distance, both the derived text of "John Webber" and the time when "Archie o' Cawfield" under its own name (which exists in the form of Child F), must have been introduced into Massachusetts. This can hardly have been much later than 1700. On the other hand, no southern texts of the ballad have been reported, which indicates that the song was not brought over with the first great migration. There seems to have been a period about 1700 when there was a great influx of songs into New
England from Old England. For example, "Captain Kidd," composed by a man who was executed in England, was so much more popular here that to this day it is still known everywhere in New England, though almost, if not quite, obsolete in England. The way in which the songs in D'Urfey's collection still are common here, is another instance.
A6i the way in which ballads 'were made in New England about this time--Ben Franklin with his two songs on Blackbeard the Pirate and the Lighthouse Tragedy; the songs of Captain Lovell's Great Fight of Captain Moulton's Fight and of Tilton's Fight, all about 1720, of native growth, indicate a deep interest in new songs. This was the time when the Rev. Cotton Mather was lamenting the vogue of "foolish Songs and Ballads, which the Hawkers and Peddlers carry into all portions of the Country" ("Diary," Sept. 27, 1713, in Massachusetts Historical Society Collections, VIII, 242). It is another period from that of the early ballads, and we do not find these later songs in the South.
______________________________
['Bold Dickie'] Version F; Child 188 Archie o Cawfield
Communicated by Mr. J. M. Watson, of Clark's Island, Plymouth Harbor, Massachusetts, April 10, 1889, as remembered by him from the singing of his father.
1 As I walked out one morning in May,
Just before the break of day,
I heard two brothers a making their moan,
And I listened a while to what they did say.
I heard, etc. (repeat last two lines)
2 'We have a brother in prison,' said they,
'Oh in prison lieth he!
If we had but ten men just like ourselves,
The prisoner we would soon set free.'
3 'Oh, no, no, no!' Bold Dickie said he,
'Oh no, no, no, that never can be!
For forty men is full little enough
And I for to ride in their companie.
4 'Ten to hold the horses in,
Ten to guard the city about,
Ten for to stand at the prison-door,
And ten to fetch poor Archer out.'
5 They mounted their horses, and so rode they,
Who but they so merrilie!
They rode till they came to a broad river's side,
And there they alighted so manfullie.
6 They mounted their horses, and so swam they,
Who but they so merrilie!
They swam till they came to the other side,
And there they alighted so manfullie.
7 They mounted their horses, and so rode they,
Who but they so merrilie!
They rode till they came to that prison-door,
And then they alighted so manfullie.
8 . . . .
. . . .
'For I have forty men in my companie,
And I have come to set you free.'
9 'Oh no, no, no!' poor Archer says he,
'Oh no, no, no, that never can be!
For I have forty pounds of good Spanish iron
Betwixt my ankle and my knee.'
10 Bold Dickie broke lock, Bold Dickie broke key,
Bold Dickie broke everything that he could see;
He took poor Archer under one arm,
And carried him out so manfullie.
11 They mounted their horses, and so rode they,
Who but they so merrilie!
They rode till they came to that broad river's side,
And there they alighted so manfullie.
12 'Bold Dickie, Bold Dickie,' poor Archer says he,
'Take my love home to my wife and children three;
For my horse grows lame, he cannot swim,
And here I see that I must die.'
13 They shifted their horses, and so swam they,
Who but they so merrilie!
They swam till they came to the other side,
And there they alighted so manfullie.
14 'Bold Dickie, Bold Dickie,' poor Archer says he,
'Look you yonder there and see;
For the high-sheriff he is a coming,
With an hundred men in his companie.'
15 'Bold Dickie, Bold Dickie,' High-sheriff said he,
'You're the damndest rascal that ever I see!
Go bring me back the iron you've stole,
And I will set the prisoner free.'
16 'Oh no, no, no!' Bold Dickie said he,
'Oh no, no, no, that never can be!
For the iron 'twill do to shoe the horses,
The blacksmith rides in our companie.'
17 'Bold Dickie, Bold Dickie,' High-sheriff says he,
'You're the damndest rascal that ever I see!'
'I thank ye for nothing,' Bold Dickie says he,
'And you're a damned fool for following me.'
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Ballad of Bold Dickie (Child F, complete stanza 8)
by G. P. Bradley
The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 8, No. 30 (Jul. - Sep., 1895), pp. 256-258
THE BALLAD OF BOLD DICKIE. Written from memory by J. M. Watson of Clark's Island, Mass. Communicated by Miss Mary P. Frye.
1 As I walked out one morning in May,
Just before the break of day,
I heard two brothers making their moan,
And I listened a while to what they did say.
(Chorus: repeat last two lines.)
2 "We have a brother in prison," said they;
" Oh! in prison lieth he.
If we had ten men just like ourselves,
The prisoner we should soon set free."
3 "Oh, no ! no ! " bold Dickie said he;
"Oh, no ! no ! that never could be;
For forty men is full little enough,
And I for to ride in their companie."
4 "Ten to hold the horses in,
Ten to guard the city about,
And ten for to stand at the prison door,
And ten to fetch poor Archer out."
5 They mounted their horses, and so rode they, -
Who but they so merrilie.
They rode till they came to a broad river-side,
And there they alighted so manfullie.
6 They mounted their horses, and so swam they,-
Who but they so manfullie.
They swam till they came to the other side,
And there they alighted so drippinglie.
7 They mounted their horses, and so rode they, -
Who but they so gallantlie.
They rode till they came to that prison door,
And there they alighted so manfullie.
8 "' Poor Archer! poor Archer!" bold Dickie says he;
"Oh! look you not so mournfullie;
For I've forty men in my companie,
And I have come to set you free."
9 " Oh, no ! no ! no! " poor Archer says he;
"Oh, no! no ! no! that never can be;
For I have forty weight of good Spanish iron
Betwixt my ankle and my knee."
10 Bold Dickie broke lock, bold Dickie broke key;
Bold Dickie broke everything he could see:
He took poor Archer under one arm,
And he carried him out so manfullie.
They mounted their horses, and so rode they, -
Who but they so merrilie.
They rode till they came to that broad river,
And there they alighted so manfullie.
"Bold Dickie ! bold Dickie !" poor Archer says he;
"Take my love home to my wife and children three;
For my horse grows lame, he cannot swim,
And here I see that I must dee!"
They shifted their horses, and so swam they,-
Who but they so daringlie.
They swam till they came to the other side,
And there they alighted so shiveringlie.
"Bold Dickie! bold Dickie " poor Archer says he;
"Look you yonder there and see;
For the High Sheriff he is a-coming,
With an hundred men in his companie."
" Bold Dickie! bold Dickie! " High Sheriff says he,-
" You are the worst rascal that ever I see;
Go bring me back the iron you stole,
And I will set the prisoner free!"
" Oh, no! no ! no!" bold Dickie says he;
"Oh, no! no! no! that never can be;
For the iron will do to shoe the horses, -
The blacksmith rides in our companie."
"Bold Dickie! bold Dickie !" High Sheriff says he,
"You are the worst scoundrel that I ever see."
"I thank you for nothing," bold Dickie says he, -
"And you are a big fool for following me!"
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Billy Broke Locks- From The folk Songs of North America, in the English language; Alan Lomax - 1960
There were nine to hold the British ranks,
And five to guard the town about,
And two to stand at either hand,
And one to let the Old Tenor out.
CHORUS: Billy broke locks and Billy broke bolts,
And Billy broke all that he came nigh,
Until he came to the dungeon door,
And that he broke right manfully.
There was eighty weight of good Spanish iron
Between his neck-bone and his knee,
But Billy took Johnny up under his arm
And lugged him away right manfully.
CHORUS
They mounted their horses and away did ride.
And who but they rode manfully,
Until they came to the river bank
And there they alighted right manfully.
CHORUS
And then they called for a room to dance,
And who but they danced merrily,
And the best dancer amongst them all
Was old John Webb who was just set free.
CHORUS
Source: The Folk Songs of North America (Alan Lomax, 1960), #4, page 14
taken from page 393 of British Ballads from Maine (Phillips Barry, 1929). As sung by Mrs. S.S. Thornton and Mrs. F.P. Barker of Maine
Note: the Digital Tradition version doesn't sing the chorus until after Billy has been introduced in the second verse. Don't know if the DT is right about that, but it makes sense to me.
Here are the notes from Lomax:
PHILLIPS BARRY believes that, about the year 1700, a new wave of colonists from Britain brought a group of ballads into New England which did not reach the southern states. Among these he cites Captain Kidd, and the Scots Archie o’ Cawfield, upon which the present ballad is based, and whose story runs as follows...
Archie Hall of Liddesdale, one of three reiving (cattle rustling) brothers, lies prisoner in Dumfries jail. Dickie and Jockie Hall ride to his rescue. Jockie, a man of Homeric stature and strength, bursts the iron bolts of the dungeon with a blow, and though the prisoner has ‘fifteen weight of good Spanish iron on his fair bodie,’ picks him up in his arms, observing, ‘I count him lighter than a flea.’ The three brothers make good their escape by swimming their horses across a river that daunts their English pursuers. In the Scots ballad they refer to each other affectionately as ‘billie.' In Scots dialect ‘billie' meant comrade or buddy; thus, in our ballad, ‘Billy' takes the place of 'Jockie.'
Very likely Archie o’ Cawfield was one of the ballads Cotton Mather had in mind when in 1713 he lamented ‘the vogue of the foolish Songs and Ballads which hawkers and pedlars carry into all portions of the Country.' There is no doubt that it served as the model for Billy Broke Locks, composed around 1737, when the colonists of Massachusetts became involved in a currency dispute with the crown.
At that time exchange in the colonies was based upon Spanish coinage, which brought a different price in the various colonial capitals. Parliament attempted to resolve this confusion by several issues of paper money called ‘tenors’; but when the ‘new tenor’ replaced the ‘old tenor,' disturbances broke out in Massachusetts, and two satirical broadsides entitled The Death of Old Tenor and The Dying Speech of Old Tenor were published -- and suppressed. John Webb (or Webber) then mint-master of Salem, Massachusetts, apparently stuck to ‘Old Tenor' and for this offence was sent to prison. When his friends broke into jail and rescued Webb, someone celebrated the event by re-making Archie o’ Cawfield to tell the story of the escape of the man who had stood up for ‘Old Tenor,' and so is identified with ‘Old Tenor’ in the chorus.
Thus the rebellious fire of a sixteenth-century Scots border rant passed into a new song of social conflict, producing what is certainly the best of our early colonial ballads. Billy Broke Locks must have been extremely popular in New England for Barry found five good versions of it, two hundred years after the event.
________________________________
Broadsides often described current events. According to the Burl Ives Songbook John Webb and Bill Tenor were jailed in Salem, Massachusetts around 1730. The imprisonment was unpopular and a mob freed them. A twenty verse broadside appeared shortly after the raid. The government advertised for information as to the author and publisher, but the information was never discovered.
Historical records indicate John Webb was a counterfeiter. He printed counterfeit notes that were evidently well known as counterfeit, but accepted as currency for a time - probably because of the shortage of money in New England in the 1730s. The Boston Evening Post of October 16, 1738 relates that John Webb, of Salem Massachusetts, was apprehended passing counterfeit five pound notes of Rhode Island. He escaped but was found hiding in his mother's attic in Salem. Webb was released from jail in November 1738 due to insufficient evidence. There is no indication that a mob broke him out of jail.*
The name "Bill Tenor" is possibly a play on words. The common name for pound notes was old tenor bills of credit.*
It is possible that John Webb became a folk hero because his "old tenor" notes (Bill Tenor?) got many debtors out of debtors prison.*
The ballad is similar to Child Ballad #187 (Jock o the Side) which probably dates to the 1550s. Jock is taken prisoner and is broken out of jail. Child Ballad #186 (Kinmont Willie) also relates the escape of a prisoner. Both ballads are from the Scottish border. It is also related to Child #188 (Archie o Cawfield).
--------------
According to Alan Lomax's "Folk Songs of North America," the song (which is titled "Billy Broke Locks" in his volume) dates back to about 1737.
Quoting Lomax: "At that time exchange in the colonies was based upon Spanish coinage, which brought a different price in the various capitals. Parliament attempted to resolve this confusion by several issues of paper money called 'tenors'; but when the 'new tenor' replaced the 'old tenor,' disturbances broke out in Massachusetts... John Webb (or Webber) then mint-master of Salem, Massachusetts, apparently stuck to 'Old Tenor,' and for this offence [sic.] was sent to prison."
Anyway, Webb's friends broke into the jail, helped him escape, and the rest we know.
Lomax then prints the lyrics as he got them--from "British Ballads from Maine" by Phillips Barry (Yale University Press,1929). The first verse in Lomax is as follows:
There were nine to hold the British ranks,
and five to guard the town about,
And two to stand at either hand,
and one to let Old Tenor out.
"Old Tenor" (as opposed to "Bill Tenor") makes sense because it is clearly a reference to John Webb who stood up for the old currency. But apparently, somewhere between the publication of the Barry book in 1929 and the Trio's recording in 1960, "Old Tenor" got changed to "Bill Tenor." Thus the prisoner ended up with his mysterious double-identity!
Regards, Pete Curry
___________________________________
Posted to the Kingston Crossroads by Fred on 12/22/2001, 10:30 am FOLK SONGS OF NORTH AMERICA by Alan Lomax refers to the song as "Billy Broke Locks" and has the following to say about it:
"Phillips Barry believes that, about the year 1700, a new wave of colonists from Britain brought a group of ballads into New England which did not reach the southern states. Among these he cites "Captain Kidd," and the Scots 'Archie o' Cawfield,"' upon which the present ballad is based, and whose story runs as follows . . .
"Archie Hall of Liddesdale, one of three reiving (cattle rustling) brothers, lies prisoner in Dumfries jail. Dickie and Jockie Hall ride to his rescue. Jockie, a man of Homeric stature and strength, bursts the iron bolts of the dungeon with a blow, and though the prisoner has "fifteen weight of good Spanish iron on his fair bodie," picks him up in his arms, observing, "I count him lighter than a flea." The three brothers make good their escape by swimming their horses across a river that daunts their English pursuers. In the Scots ballad they refer to each other affectionately as 'billie'. In Scots dialect, 'billie' meant comrade or buddy; thus in our ballad, 'Billy' takes the place of 'Jockie.'
"Very likely 'Archie o' Cawfield' was one of the ballads Cotton Mather had in mind when in 1713 he lamented 'the vogue of the foolish Songs & Ballads which hawkers and pedlars carry into all portions of the Country.' There is no doubt that it served as the model for 'Billy Broke Locks,' composed around 1737, when the colonists of Massachusetts became involved in a currency dispute with the crown.
"At that time exchange in the colonies was based upon Spanish coinage, which brought a different price in the various colonial capitals. parliament attempted to resolve this confusion by several issues of paper money called 'tenors;' but when the 'new tenor' replaced the 'old tenor,' disturbances broke out in Massachusetts, and two satirical broadsides entitled 'The Death of Old Tenor' and 'The Dying Speech of Old Tenor' were published--and suppressed. John Webb (or Webber) then mint-master of Salem, Massachusetts, apparently stuck to 'Old Tenor' and for this offence was sent to prison. When his friends broke into jail and rescued Webb, someone celebrated the event by re-making 'Archie o' Cawfield' to tell the story of the escape of the man who had stood up for 'Old Tenor,' and so is identified with 'Old Tenor' in the chorus".
The Lomax version has some slight wording differences from the KT version. For example in the first verse instead of the phrase ". . . And one to let Bill Tenor out," found in the KT version, the Lomax version has "And one to let the Old Tenor out," which makes sense in light of the historical basis on the song.
It's an interesting song and one of my favorite KT numbers.
--Fred
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The Escape of Old John Webb (Kingston Trio, text from Mudcat; not Ives exact text)
There were nine to guard the British ranks,
And five to guard the town about
And two to stand at either hand
And one to let old Tenor out.
There was eighty weight of good Spanish iron
Between his neckbone and his knee
But Billy took Johnny under his arm
And lugged him away right artfully.
chorus: And Billy broke locks and Billy broke bolts
And Billy broke all that he came nigh,
Until he came to the dungeon door
And that he broke right manfully.
They mounted their horse and away did ride
(And who but they rode gallantly)
Until they came to the river bank
And there they alighted most merrily.
And then they called for a room to dance
(And who but they danced merrily)
And the best dancer among them all
Was old John Webb, who was just set free.
Recorded by Burl Ives.
Note: According to Ives, this is part of a 20-verse broadside about a jailbreak in Salem, Mass. in 1730. If true, someone
co-opted a 16th Century Scottish border ballad, and made it fit. RG
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THE BOLD PRISONER. (ARCHIE O CAWFIELD). [English Broadside]
The following ballad, a version of Archie o Cawfield, Child, No. 188, forms the first column of a broadside printed by Pitts probably in 1804-5. The date, my friend Professor Becker thinks, is fairly sure from a song printed on the same sheet as a second column. This song, The Land we Live in, begins:
Since our foes to invade us have long been preparing,
'Tis clear they consider we've something worth sharing,
And for that mean to visit our shore;
It behoves us with spirit to meet 'em,
And tho 'twill be nothing uncommon to beat 'em,
We must try how they'll take it once more.
The first three lines of the second stanza read:
Here's a health to the tars on the wide ocean ging (sic),
Perhaps even now some broadsides are exchanging,
We'll on shipboard and join in the fights.
This doggerel is so limited as to occasion that it hardly seems probable that it would continue to be printed long after the specific scare was over. Each column of the broadside has its own wood-cut, each much worn. That for The Bold Prisoner is a picture of a man carrying a basket. It is framed in a double lined circle an inch and a half in diameter. This broadside is at present in my possession; I obtained it last summer in London with several others. I did not suppose that any were of value and gave the lot no particular attention. It was not much over a month ago that I first read this specimen and perceived it as traditional. I sent a copy to Professor Kittredge, who of course recognized it as a version of Archie o Cawfeld. My broadside is most like Professor Child's version F, III, 494. My copy is much shorter, but this may be due to the stall trick of cutting a ballad to fit the column. There are no identical stanzas though four are very similar, and it is to be further noted that the title of F, as given by Mr. Watson, is Bold Dickie, Child, III, 495, E (= F). Never-the-less the treatment, it seems to me, is independent enough in F and in the following copy to permit one's considering them independent versions.
The Bold Prisoner,[1] Pitts, Printer, Wholesale Toy and Marble warehouse, 6, Great st. Andrew street, 7 dials.
As I was a walking for my recreation,
Across the green meadows one morning in May;
There I heard two brothers a talking,
And I listened awhile to what they did say.
Says one to the other, 'I have got a brother,
In prison so strong confined is he;
But if I had forty brave fellows like myself,
'We soon would set the bold prisoner free.
'Ten of them should hold our horses head,
Ten at the prison door should be,
And ten should guard the prison all round,
While the rest should set the bold prisoner free.'
Dicky broke locks, and Dicky broke bolts,
And Dicky made all before him to flee,
And Dicky took Arthur all up in hiis arms
And carried him off most manfully.
Dicky looked over his left shoulder,-
'You little do think what I do see;
Here comes the bold sheriff of bonny down dale
And a hundred bold traps in company.'
'O stop, 0 stop,' the sheriff he cries,
'O stop, 0 stop, whosoever you be;
Only give us the irons from off his legs,
And you may have the bold prisoner free.'
'O no, O no, you are vastly mistaken,
O no, 0 no, that never can be;
The irons will serve to shoe our horses,
For we have a farrier in our company.
'O I will leave houses and I will leave lands,
I will leave wives and children three;
But before I'd leave my own dearest brother,
I sooner would die under yonder green tree.'
To dancing, to dancing they went,
To dancing they went most merrily:
'Twas the very best dance that ever they had,
Because they had set the bold prisoner free.
FRANK EGBERT BRYANT.
University of Kansas.
Footnote:
1. In the broadside, quotation marks are lacking and the punctuation is very faulty. Otherwise no changes have been made.
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Trad. Ballad index notes: An American rework of "Archie o' Cawfield," with which Roud lumps it; the revised version dates perhaps from the 1730s. It may have arisen out of an attempt at currency reform. In the early days of the English colonies, there was no universal system of coinage; Spanish money was common, but there was no fixed exchange rate.
Parliament decided to settle the matter by issuing a paper money, the "tenor." However, after a time the "Old Tenor" (referred to in the song) was replaced by the "New Tenor" -- resulting in civil disturbance. One of the chief culprits was one John Webb (Webber), a mint-master, who ended in prison but was rescued by friends. - RBW
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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
188. ARCHIE CAWFIELD
Texts: Barry, Brit Bids Me, 393 / BFSSNE, VI, 7 / Child, III, 494 / Gardner and Chickering, Bids Sgs So Mich, 217 / Linscott, F-S Old NE, 172,
Local Titles: Bold Dickie.
Story Types: A: Two brothers bewail a third brother who is in prison. They muster forty men and, under the leadership of one brother, Dickie (Hall), cross a river and break into the jail. The inmate, Archer, is chained and pessimistic, but Dickie frees him. They ride to the river, where Archer loses courage because his horse is lame and cannot swim. However, the mount is changed, and he gets over. The sheriff then appears with one hundred men, and when Archer sees them in pursuit his courage wavers again. Dickie, however, just mocks his pursuers.
Examples: Child F, Linscott.
Discussion: The ballad resembles Jock o the Side (Child 187) quite closely, more so in Child A-E than in the American Child F. For a complete treatment of the English stories in comparison with F see Child, III, 484ff. See also the fragment, similar to Child F, in BFSSNE, VI, 7.
Barry, Brit Bids Me, 393 ff. prints four Massachusetts and one Maine derivatives of Archie o Cawfield which probably reveal the Child ballad adapted to the imprisonment of a Massachusetts mint-master, John Webb, by the Government in 1800. Webb was freed by friends. Barry states that these fragments, if placed together, "would very nearly complete the ballad" and suggests a comparison to Child F, although resemblances to Child A and B are noted. The titles John Weller and Billy and Johnny are used.
Gardner and Chickering, Bids Sgs So Mich, print a long secondary version which was collected in Michigan and which they feel follows Child B.
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Missing versions:
Bold Dickie and Bold Archie
Forms part of: Marshall F. Granros Collection.
Collected and sung by Frank Warner.
Our singing heritage. Volume three
Author: Frank Warner; Marshall F. Granros Collection.
Publisher: New York, N.Y. : Elektra Records, [1958]
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BOLD DICKIE
Source WPA Collection, Univ. of Virginia, Charlotteville, No.37
Performer Kilgore, Mrs. W.J.
Place collected USA : Virginia : Wise
Collector Adams, John Taylor