Rannsaich

Little Sir Hugh

Ceann-latha 11 October 1979
Àireamh a’ chlàir 66258
Pàirt 1

fiosrachadh a' chlàraidh

Àireamh a' Chlàir Thùsail

SA1979.141.A2

Àireamh an Teip Thùsail

SA1979.141

Notaichean a' Chlàir

5 verses of 4 lines. Sung to a variant of the melody familiar as the tune Robert Burns used for his song 'Ye Banks and Braes o Bonny Doon' (Roud Folk Song Index no. 13889). In more complete versions of this ballad, the murder is described in detail, and in the supernatural dialogue that follows the discovery of the boy's body in a well, the boy's ghost instructs his mother to make preparations for his burial.

This ballad is said to reflect the circumstances surrounding the death of a young boy, Hugh of Lincoln (1247-1255). The accusation, threatening and execution of a Jewish man for this crime, coupled with the rampant anti-semitism of the time, began a pogrom in which many Jews were murdered. Hugh became a martyr for Christians, and sites associated with him became places of pilgrimage. In some versions, the murderer is not a Jew, but a Gypsy.

As noted in the booklet accompanying 'The Muckle Sangs' album (CDTRAX 9005), the character Rebecca in this Traveller version of the song is probably inspired by the character in Walter Scott's novel 'Ivanhoe'.

See:
'Tocher' 40 (1986) pp. 193-194
'Scottish Ballads' (E. Lyle, 1994) pp. 246-248
'A Scottish Ballad Book' (D. Buchan, 1973) pp. 80-81
'Scottish Tragic Ballads' (J. Pinkerton, 1781) pp. 50-52
'Book of Scottish Ballads' (A. Whitelaw, 1845) pp. 30-31
'Ballads of Scotland' vol. 1 (W. E. Aytoun, 1858) pp. 221-223
'Gleanings of Scarce Old Ballads' (P. Buchan, 1825) pp. 33-35
'A Scots Musical Museum' vol. 6 (J. Johnson & R. Burns, 1853 edition) no. 582
'Ancient & Modern Scottish Songs' vol. 1 (D. Herd, 1869, 1973) pp. 96-98, 155-157
'Andrew Crawfurd's Collection of Ballads & Songs' vol. 1 (E. Lyle, 1975) pp. 31-33
'Travellers' Songs from England and Scotland' (E. MacColl & P. Seeger, 1977) pp. 86-88

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