The Bonnie Lass o Bennachie
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1956.41.A2
Original Tape ID
Summary
In this song, a wealthy young heiress and a poor farmer's son are in love. Her father objects to their relationship, believing the young man to be of low degree, and he arranges for the capture, imprisonment and then drafting of the young man into the army. He is sent to fight in Germany. The father intercepts the young man's letters and tells his daughter that her lover has been killed. At this, she herself goes to Germany in search of her beloved, whom she manages to find. Realising his daughter is gone, the father has a change of heart and writes to her bidding them both return. The couple do so, and live in happiness.
The contributor learned the song at age 7 from a transcription made by her brother of the singing of "an aul travillin man".
Item Notes
20 verses of 4 lines. Short pauses or hesitations after verse 4, at the start of verse 5, in the middle of verse 8, after verse 9 (long pause), in the middle of verse 11, in the middle of verse 13, and after verse 16 (which is repeated).
This song is loosely based on the historical events involving the marriage in 1770 of Miss Erskine, daughter of the Laird of Pittodrie, to a soldier considered beneath her by her parents. Two other songs based on the same events are grouped under Roud Folk Song Index no. 406. Not to be confused with another well-known North-East song,'The Back o Ben(n)achie'/'Gin I were whaur Gadie rins'.
See:
Greig-Duncan vol. 5, pp. 255-259
'Traditional Ballad Airs' vol. 1 (W. Christie, 1876) pp. 32-33
Language
English
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Fair