Burns and His Highland Mary/Far Over the Forth

Contributors

Higgins, Lizzie Ann, 1929-1993 (2900) Stewart, Elizabeth, 1939-2022 (3439)

Fieldworkers

Cooke, Peter Rich (3279) (1930-2020) Takamatsu, Akiko, 1963- (7815)

Date 25 February 1987

Track ID 80524

Part 1

Track Information

Original Track ID

SA1987.16.2; SA1987.16.3; SA1987.16.4; SA1987.16.5

Original Tape ID

SA1987.016

Summary

Elizabeth Stewart sings a song about the parting of Robert Burns and his lover, Mary Campbell, and her tragic death shortly afterwards.

Lizzie Higgins comments on the similarity of the melody to the one she sings for the courtship song 'Far Over The Forth', which she sings for comparison.

Item Notes

Several breaks owing to emotion.

Robert Burns (1759-1796) met Mary Campbell (1763-1786) in 1786, and they pursued a brief, but intense love affair. She died shortly afterwards at Greenock.

See:
Greig-Duncan vol. 6, pp. 488-492
National Library of Scotland, RB.m.143(030)
'Bothy Songs & Ballads' (J. Ord, 1930) pp. 354-355
'Vagabond Songs & Ballads' vol. 1 (R. Ford, 1899) pp. 124-126
'Till Doomsday in the Afternoon' (E. MacColl & P. Seeger, 1986) pp. 193-195
'Folk-Song of the North-East' (G. Greig, K. Goldstein & A. Argo, 1963 reprint) art. LXXVI
Murray Collection (Broadsides), Glasgow University Library, mu23-y1:009, mu23-y1:026, mu23-y4:024

Item Subject/Person

Burns, Robert; Campbell, Mary [Highland Mary]

Recording Location

County - Aberdeenshire

Parish - Longside

Village/Place - Mintlaw

Item Location

County - Ayrshire

Language

Scots

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Good