In variants the
localities are much altered, and, in one version, the scene is
transferred to Ayrshire, and Loudoun Castle. All the ballads of
fire-raising, a very usual practice, have points in common, and
transference was easy.
LADY ANNE BOTHWELL'S LAMENT
Tradition has confused the heroine of this piece with the wife of
Bothwelhaugh, who slew the Regent Murray. That his motive was not
mere political assassination, but to avenge the ill-treatment and
death of his wife, seems to be disproved by Maidment. The affair,
however, is still obscure. This deserted Lady Anne of the ballad
was, in fact, not the wife of Bothwelhaugh, but the daughter of the
Bishop of Orkney; her lover is said to have been her cousin,
Alexander Erskine, son of the Earl of Mar. Part of the poem (Mr.
Child points out) occurs in Broome's play, The Northern Lass
(1632). Though a popular favourite, the piece is clearly of
literary origin, and has been severely "edited" by a literary hand.
This version is Allan Ramsay's.
JOCK O' THE SIDE
A Liddesdale chant. Jock flourished about 1550-1570, and is
commemorated as a receiver by Sir Richard Maitland in a poem often
quoted. The analogies of this ballad with that of "Kinmont Willie"
are very close. The reference to a punch-bowl sounds modern, and
the tale is much less plausible than that of "Kinmont Willie,"
which, however, bears a few obvious marks of Sir Walter's own hand.
A sceptical editor must choose between two theories: either Scott
of Satchells founded his account of the affair of "Kinmont Willie"
on a pre-existing ballad of that name, or the ballad printed by
Scott is based on the prose narrative of Scott of Satchells.
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