Sir James the Rose 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 '' ...
213. It was published as a
broadside ballad
A broadside (also known as a broadsheet) is a single sheet of inexpensive paper printed on one side, often with a ballad, rhyme, news and sometimes with woodcut illustrations. They were one of the most common forms of printed material between the ...
.
Synopsis
The broadside opens with the account of Sir James the Rose's love for a lady named Matilda, how her family tried to marry her off, and how he killed her brother for spying on them.
Child's version merely opens with the news that Sir James the Rose killed a squire and asked his lover to hide him.
In both versions, the woman tells him where to spend the night and eventually betrays him to those seeking to avenge the death. James is killed, and she, full of remorse for her deed, dies of grief.
See also
*
The Duke of Athole's Nurse
Versions
*
Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival, and we ...
recorded a version of this song on the album ''Rocket Cottage''. It can also be found on the collection ''Original Masters''. A later rerecording of it is on their album ''Present''.
External links
''Sir James the Rose''''Sir James the Rose''
as a broadside
Child Ballads
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