The Haughs o Cromdale
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1954.32.A6
Original Tape ID
Summary
In this song, the singer meets a man "wi tartan trews" near Auchindoun, whom he asks for news [of the battle at the Haughs o Cromdale]. The man replies that "the hielan army rues / that e'er it focht at Cromdale". Montrose [James Graham, Marquess of Montrose] then rides into battle, turning the tide in his favour. Various Jacobite clans are listed as among the victors.
Item Notes
Recorded at a public cèilidh in Edinburgh. 2 verses of 6 lines then 1 verse of 4 lines. This is a somewhat confused performance with the first 2 stanzas condensed from what are usually 4 individual verses, and the last verse appearing out of order (it should come before the listing of the clansmen).
This song refers to the Battle of Cromdale (1690), in reality a significant Jacobite defeat, but which this traditional song describes as a resounding victory. This song was first printed in James Hogg's 'Jacobite Relics', appearing as a rewrite of an earlier traditional song, supposedly composed as propaganda by the losing Jacobites sometime after 1690. Bizarrely, the song refers to James Graham, Marquess of Montrose, who died some forty years before the events mentioned in the song. There is some speculation that the song in fact mixes the events of the Battle of Cromdale (1690), with the much earlier events of the Battle of Auldearn (1645), in which Montrose did take part.
See:
Greig-Duncan vol. 1, pp. 314-316
'101 Scottish Songs' (N. Buchan, 1962) pp. 91-92
'The Jacobite Relics of Scotland' (J. Hogg, 1819) pp. 3-5
'Ballads of Scotland' vol. 2 (W. E. Aytoun, 1858) pp. 269-273
'Scot(t)ish Songs' vol. 2 (J. Ritson, 1794; 1869 edn.) pp. 382-385
'The Scots Musical Museum' vol. 5 (J. Johnson, R. Burns, 1853 edition) pp. 502-503 (No. 488)
Item Subject/Person
Graham, James [1st Marquess of Montrose]
Recording Location
County - Midlothian
Parish - Edinburgh
Village/Place - Edinburgh
Item Location
County - Moray
Parish - Cromdale, Inverallan and Advie
Village/Place - Cromdale
Language
Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Fair