Ellon Market

Original Track ID

SA1952.01.B9 (B20-B21)

Original Tape ID

SA1952.001

Summary

This bothy song is about a young man who goes to Ellon market to seek work as a ploughman. He meets two friends, they go for a drink together and soon afterwards they are hired by an old farmer. The song details the fine ale and brose that they receive, but regrets that through the growth of mills and mechanisation, there is less work for them to do.

Preceded and followed by conversations about the source of the song, and about actions mentioned in it. Willie Mathieson heard the song at around eight years of age, from Willie Mutch at Drakemyre, at a sing-song after tea following the threshing. Followed by conversation on threshing technique with the flail, which was used for many things including threshing bark before it went to the tannery. Further short conversation about a bearded man, John [Cumming?], who seems to have been one of the characters in the song.

Item Notes

Text and music transcribed in the School of Scottish Studies. 8 verses.

See:
Greig-Duncan vol. 3, pp. 26-27, no. 354
Willie Mathieson's MSS I:28

Recording Location

Item Location

Language

Scots

Genre

Song Information

Collection

SoSS

Classification

R5902 GD354

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Good