Richie Story is

Child ballad The Child Ballads are 305 traditional ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, anthologized by Francis James Child during the second half of the 19th century. Their lyrics and Child's studies of them were published as '' ...

232 (

Roud The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of around 250,000 references to nearly 25,000 songs collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is compiled by Steve Roud (born 1949), a former librarian in the London ...

97), existing in several variants.

Synopsis

Of a group of sisters (three, five, or seven in different variants), one (the youngest, the oldest, the bonniest) falls in love with Richie Story (or some variant on the name Richard) and rejects an earl for him. She runs off with him. In one variant, he proves rich, but in most, she lives in poverty with him, and on being asked if she regretted it, asks how could she, when she gained her heart's desire. In another variant 'Richie' turns out to be the 'King of all England'.

Commentary

Falling in love with an apparently poor suitor is common in ballads -- ''

The Beggar-Laddie The Beggar-Laddie is a traditional English ballad existing in several variants. It was collected by Francis James Child as Child ballad 280 (Roud 119Sehere). Synopsis A man tells a woman that he is a beggar, making his living from spindles or sim ...

'', ''

Dugall Quin Dugall Quin is Child ballad 294. Synopsis Dugall Quin woos Lisie Meanes, asking her how she likes him in his ragged dress; she answers that she likes him and asks how he likes her in her fine clothing; he likes her and asks her to come with him. ...

'', ''

Lizie Lindsay Lizie Lindsay is Child ballad 226 (Roud 94), existing in several variants (also known as "Lizzie Lindsay" or "Leezie Lindsay"). Synopsis A highland Laird courts Lizie Lindsay in Edinburgh, sometime after his mother had warned him not to hide his ...

'', ''

Glasgow Peggie Glasgow Peggie or Glasgow Peggy is Child ballad 228 (Roud 95), existing in several variants. Synopsis A Highlander comes to steal Peggie. In most variants, her father (and in some, her mother), declare that he might steal their animals, but not ...

''—but he generally proves a rich man after all; often this is after she regrets the poverty they travel in. This ballad usually shows a rare actual rejection of wealth for true love. A similar motif is found in the ballad ''

Tom Potts Tom Potts is #109 of the Child Ballads, the collection of 305 ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, collected by Francis James Child in the late nineteenth century. The collection was published as ''The English and Scottis ...

''.Francis James Child, ''The English and Scottish Popular Ballads'', v 2, p 441, Dover Publications, New York 1965

References

Child Ballads {{Folk-song-stub