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Child ballads

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The Child Ballads are a collection of 305 ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, collected by Francis James Child in the late 19th century. The ballads vary in age; for instance, a version of A Geste of Robyn Hode was printed in the late 15th or early 16th century. While many of them had been individually printed, eg as broadsides, Child's collection was far more comprehensive than any previous collection.

One Child number may cover several ballads, variants on each other, although they may differ in many ways, as in James Hatley. Conversely, ballads classified separately may contain turns of phrase, and even entire verses, that are identical.

The Child Ballads deal with subjects typical to many ballads: romance, supernatural experiences, historical events, morality, riddles, murder, and folk heroes. On one extreme, some recount identifiable historical people, in known events. On the other, some differ from fairy tales solely by their being songs and in verse; some have been recast in prose form as fairy tales. A large part of the collections is about Robin Hood; some are about King Arthur. Some of the ballads are rather bawdy.

Contents

The Child Ballads

  1. Riddles Wisely Expounded
  2. The Elfin Knight
  3. The Fause Knight Upon the Road
  4. Lady Isabel and the Elf-Knight
  5. Gil Brenton
  6. Willie's Lady
  7. Earl Brand
  8. Erlinton
  9. The Fair Flower of Northumberland
  10. The Twa Sisters [or Minnorie or Binnorie]
  11. The Cruel Brother
  12. Lord Randall
  13. Edward
  14. Babylon; or, The Bonnie Banks o Fordie
  15. Leesome Brand
  16. Sheath and Knife
  17. Hind Horn
  18. Sir Lionel
  19. King Orfeo
  20. The Cruel Mother
  21. The Maid and the Palmer (The Samaritan Woman)
  22. St. Stephen and Herod
  23. Judas
  24. Bonnie Annie
  25. Willie's Lyke-Wake
  26. The Three Ravens [or Twa Corbies]
  27. The Whummil Bore
  28. Burd Ellen and Young Tamlane
  29. The Boy and the Mantle
  30. King Arthur and King Cornwall
  31. The Marriage of Sir Gawain
  32. King Henry
  33. Kempy Kay
  34. Kemp Owyne
  35. Allison Gross
  36. The Laily Worm and the Machrel of the Sea
  37. Thomas Rymer
  38. The Wee Wee Man
  39. Tam Lin
  40. The Queen of Elfan's Nourice
  41. Hind Etin
  42. Clerk Corvill
  43. The Broomfield Hill
  44. The Twa Magicians
  45. King John and the Bishop
  46. Captain Wedderburn's Courtship
  47. Proud Lady Margaret
  48. Young Andrew
  49. The Twa Brothers
  50. The Bonny Hind
  51. Lizie Wan
  52. The King's Dochter Lady Jean
  53. Young Beichan [or Young Bekie]
  54. The Cherry-Tree Carol
  55. The Carnal and the Crane
  56. Dives and Lazarus
  57. Brown Robyn's Confession
  58. Sir Patrick Spens
  59. Sir Aldingar
  60. King Estmere
  61. Sir Cawline
  62. Fair Annie
  63. Child Waters
  64. Fair Janet
  65. Lady Mairsey
  66. Lord Ingram and Chiel Wyet
  67. Glasgerion
  68. Young Hunting
  69. Clerk Saunders
  70. Willie and Lady Maisry
  71. The Bent Sae Brown
  72. The Clerk's Twa Sons O Owsenford
  73. Lord Thomas and Fair Annet
  74. Fair Margaret and Sweet William
  75. Lord Lovel
  76. The Lass of Roch Royal
  77. Sweet William's Ghost
  78. The Unquiet Grave
  79. The Wife of Usher's Well
  80. Old Robin of Portingale
  81. Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard
  82. The Bonny Birdy
  83. Child Maurice
  84. Bonny Barbara Allen
  85. Lady Alice
  86. Young Benjie
  87. Prince Robert
  88. Young Johnstone
  89. Fause Foodrage
  90. Jellon Grame
  91. Fair Lady of Wallington
  92. Bonny Bee Hom
  93. Lamkin
  94. Young Waters
  95. The Maid Freed from the Gallows
  96. The Gay Goshawk
  97. Brown Robin
  98. Brown Adam
  99. Johnie Scot
  100. Willie O Winsbury
  101. Willie O Douglas Dale
  102. Willie and the Earl Richard's Daughter
  103. Rose Red and the White Lily
  104. Prince Heathen
  105. The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington
  106. The Famous Flower of Serving-Men
  107. Will Stewart and John
  108. Christopher White
  109. Tom Potts
  110. The Knight and Shepherd's Daughter
  111. Crow and Pie
  112. The Baffled Knight
  113. The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry
  114. Johnie Cock [or Johnnie O'Breadesley]
  115. Robyn and Gandeleyn
  116. Adam Bell, Clim of the Clough, and William of Cloudesly
  117. A Gest of Robyn Hode
  118. Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne
  119. Robin Hood and the Monk
  120. Robin Hood's Death
  121. Robin Hood and the Potter
  122. Robin Hood and the Butcher
  123. Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar
  124. The Jolly Pinder of Wakefield
  125. Robin Hood and Little John
  126. Robin Hood and the Tanner
  127. Robin Hood and the Tinker
  128. Robin Hood and the Newly Revived
  129. Robin Hood and the Prince of Aragon
  130. Robin Hood and the Scotchman
  131. Robin Hood and the Ranger
  132. The Bold Pedlar and Robin Hood
  133. Robin Hood and the Beggar, I
  134. Robin Hood and the Beggar II
  135. Robin Hood and the Shepherd
  136. Robin Hood's Delight
  137. Robin Hood and the Pedlars
  138. Robin Hood and Allen A Dale
  139. Robin Hood's Progress to Nottingham
  140. Robin Hood Rescuing Three Squires
  141. Robin Hood Rescuing Will Stutly
  142. Little John A Begging
  143. Robin Hood and the Bishop
  144. Robin Hood and the Bishop of Hereford
  145. Robin Hood and Queen Katherine
  146. Robin Hood's Chase
  147. Robin Hood's Golden Prize
  148. The Noble Fisherman, or, Robin Hood's Preferment
  149. Robin Hood's Birth, Breeding, Valor and Marriage
  150. Robin Hood and Maid Marian
  151. The King's Disguise, and Friendship with Robin Hood
  152. Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow
  153. Robin Hood and the Valiant Knight
  154. A True Tale of Robin Hood
  155. Sir Hugh, or, The Jew's Daughter
  156. Queen Elanor's Confession
  157. Gude Wallace
  158. Hugh Spencer's Feats in France
  159. Durham Ford
  160. The Knight of Liddesdale
  161. The Battle of Otterburn
  162. The Hunting of Cheviot (The Ballad of Chevy Chase)
  163. The Battle of Harlaw
  164. King Henry Fifth's Conquest of France
  165. Sir John Butler
  166. The Rose of England
  167. Sir Andrew Barton
  168. Flodden Field (describes the Battle of Flodden Field)
  169. Johnie Armstrong
  170. The Death of Queen Jane
  171. Thomas Cromwell (concerning Thomas Cromwell)
  172. Musselburgh Field
  173. Mary Hamilton
  174. Earl Bothwell
  175. The Rising of the North
  176. Northunberland Betrayed By Douglas
  177. The Earl of Westmoreland
  178. Captain Car, or, Edom O Gordon
  179. Rookhope Ryde
  180. King James and Brown
  181. The Bonny Earl of Murray
  182. The Laird O Logie
  183. Willie MacIntosh
  184. The Lads of Wamphray
  185. Dick o the Cow
  186. Kinmont Willie
  187. Jock o the Side
  188. Archie o Cawfield
  189. Hobie Noble
  190. Jamis Telfer of the Fair Dodhead
  191. Hughie Graham
  192. The Lochmaben Harper
  193. The Death of Parcy Reed
  194. The Laird of Wairston
  195. Lord Maxwell's Last Goodnight
  196. The Fire of Frendraught
  197. James Grant
  198. Bonny John Seton
  199. The Bonnie House o Airlie
  200. The Gypsy Laddie
  201. Bessy Bell and Mary Gray
  202. The Battle of Philiphaugh (for historical information see: Battle of Philiphaugh)
  203. The Baron of Brackley
  204. Jamie Douglas
  205. Loudon Hill, or, Drumclog (recounts the events of the Battle of Drumclog)
  206. Bothwell Bridge
  207. Lord Delamere
  208. Lord Derwentwater
  209. Geordie
  210. Bonnie James Campbell
  211. Bewick and Graham
  212. The Duke of Athole's Nurse
  213. Sir James the Rose
  214. The Braes o Yarrow
  215. Rare Willie Drowned in Yarrow, or, the Water o Gamrie
  216. The Mother's Malison, or, Clyde's Water
  217. The Broom of Cowdenknows
  218. The False Lover Won Back
  219. The Gardener
  220. The Bonny Lass of Anglesey
  221. Katharine Jaffray
  222. Bonny Baby Livingstone
  223. Eppie Morrie
  224. The Lady of Arngosk
  225. Rob Roy
  226. Lizie Lindsay
  227. Bonny Lizie Baillie
  228. Glasgow Peggie
  229. Earl Crawford
  230. The Slaughter of the Laird of Mellerstain
  231. The Earl of Errol
  232. Richie Story
  233. Andrew Lammie
  234. Charlie MacPherson
  235. The Earl of Aboyne
  236. The Laird o Drum
  237. The Duke of Gordon's Daughter
  238. Glenlogie, or, Jean o Bethelnie
  239. Lord Saltoun and Auchanachie
  240. The Rantin Laddie
  241. The Baron o Leys
  242. The Coble o Cargill
  243. James Harris (The Daemon Lover)
  244. James Hatley
  245. Young Allan
  246. Redesdale and Wise William
  247. Lady Elspat
  248. The Grey Cock, or, Saw You My Father?
  249. Auld Matrons
  250. Henry Martyn [aka Henry Martin]
  251. Lang Johnny More
  252. The Kitchie-Boy
  253. Thomas o Yonderdale
  254. Lord William, or, Lord Lundy
  255. Willie's Fatal Visit
  256. Alison and Willie
  257. Burd Isabel and Earl Patrick
  258. Broughty Wa's
  259. Lord Thomas Stuart
  260. Lord Thomas and Lady Margaret
  261. Lady Isabel
  262. Lord Livingstone
  263. The New-Slain Knight
  264. The White Fisher
  265. The Knight's Ghost
  266. John Thomson and the Turk
  267. The Heir of Linne
  268. The Twa Knights
  269. Lady Diamond
  270. The Earl of Mar's Daughter
  271. The Lord of Lorn and the Flas Steward
  272. The Suffolk Miracle
  273. King Edward the Fourth and a Tanner of Tamworth
  274. Our Goodman
  275. Get Up and Bar the Door
  276. The Friar in the Well
  277. The Wife Wrapt in Wether's Skin
  278. The Farmer's Curst Wife
  279. The Jolly Beggar
  280. The Beggar-Laddie
  281. The Keach i the Creel
  282. Jock the Leg and the Merry Merchant
  283. The Crafty Farmer
  284. John Dory
  285. The George Aloe and the Sweepstake
  286. The Sweet Trinity (The Golden Vanity)
  287. Captain Ward and the Rainbow
  288. The Young Earl of Essex's Victory over the Emperor of Germany
  289. The Mermaid
  290. The Wylie Wife of the Hie Toun Hie
  291. Child Owlet
  292. The West Country Damosel's Complaint
  293. John of Hazelgreen
  294. Dugall Quin
  295. The Brown Girl
  296. Walter Lesly
  297. Earl Rothes
  298. Young Peggy
  299. Trooper and Maid
  300. Blancheflour and Jollyflorice
  301. The Queen of Scotland
  302. Young Bearwell
  303. The Holy Nunnery
  304. Young Ronald
  305. The Outlaw Murray

Popular culture references to the Child Ballads

Many Child Ballads remain a live part of contemporary post-folk culture. British Folk rock groups such as Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span drew heavily on the Child Ballads in their respective repertoires; they figured prominently in the early recordings of Joan Baez, and they crop up even in the work of bands not usually associated with folk material, such as Ween's recording of "The Unquiet Grave" (Child 78) under the title "Cold Blows the Wind", or versions of "Barbara Allen" (Child 84) recorded by both the Everly Brothers and (on the soundtrack of the 2004 film A Love Song for Bobby Long) John Travolta.

Besides the use of individual ballads, in Peter Beagle's The Last Unicorn, Captain Cully, a robber chief, sets out to make himself another Robin Hood by immortalizing himself in ballads. He misidentifies another character as "Mr. Child" and tries to get him to collect the songs, and tells him that writing them himself is legitimate.

Media

See also

External links

 

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