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Binnorie

Date 1961
Track ID 46819
Part 1

Track Information

Original Track ID

SA1961.88.A2

Original Tape ID

SA1961.088

Summary

In this version of 'Binnorie', two sisters are courted by a miller, and the younger wins his favour. The jealous older sister invites the younger to walk by the miller's dam, and there pushes her into the water, where she drowns. The miller's servant discovers the body and alerts the miller, who recognises the young sister by her silken gown, and grieves for her.

Ethel Findlater learned this tragic ballad from her cousin, who learned it from her grandmother.

Item Notes

8 verses of 4 lines (second line is refrain). This version is somewhat truncated - other versions typically end with the revealing of the elder sister's crime.

See:
Greig-Duncan vol. 2, pp. 76-92, no. 213
'Scottish Ballads' (E. Lyle, 1994) pp. 113-115
'Bothy Songs & Ballads' (J. Ord, 1930) pp. 430-432
'Singing Island (E. MacColl & P. Seeger, 1960) p. 85
'Scottish Tragic Ballads' (J. Pinkerton, 1781) pp. 72-74
'Book of Scottish Ballads' (A. Whitelaw, 1845) pp. 260-261
'Vagabond Songs & Ballads' vol. 2 (R. Ford, 1901) pp. 189-194
'Ballads of Scotland' vol. 1 (W. E. Aytoun, 1858) pp. 194-199
'Ancient Ballads and Songs' vol. 2 (P. Buchan, 1828) pp. 122-125
'Everyman's Book of British Ballads' (R. Palmer, 1980) pp. 91-92
'The Scottish Folksinger' (N. Buchan & P. Hall, 1973) pp. 84-85
'A Collection of Scots Songs' (A. Munro & H. Henderson, 1972) p. 36
'Last Leaves of Traditional Ballads' (A. Keith & G. Greig, 1925) pp. 9-13
'Ancient & Modern Scottish Songs' vol. 2 (D. Herd, 1869, 1973) pp. 306-307
'Travellers' Songs from England and Scotland' (E. MacColl & P. Seeger, 1977) pp. 51-53
'Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads' vol. 1 (B. H. Bronson & F. J. Child, 1959) pp. 143-184
'Andrew Crawfurd's Collection of Ballads & Songs' vol. 2 (E. Lyle, 1996) pp. 48-49, 103-105

Recording Location

County - Orkney

Parish - Birsay and Harray

Island - Orkney Mainland

Language

English, Scots

Collection

SoSS

Classification

R8 GD213 C10

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Good