No. 183: Willie MacIntosh
[There have been two texts recovered in North America (Barry from Scotland-NB, 1928 and The Moores, Scotland-OH-OK, pre1949); both were recited, neither with a melody. Bronson prints one tune from a recording by Ewan MacColl.
R. Matteson 2012, 2015]
CONTENTS:
1. Child's Narrative
2. Footnotes (Found at the end of Child's Narrative)
3. Brief (Kittredge)
4. Child's Ballad Texts A-B (A b changes are found in Additions and Corrections)
5. Endnotes
6. Additions and Corrections
ATTACHED PAGES (see left hand column):
1. Recordings & Info: 183. Willie Macintosh
A. Roud No. 4010: Willie Macintosh (10 Listings)
2. Sheet Music: 183. Willie Macintosh (Bronson's gives one music example)
3. English and Other Versions (Including Child version A with additional notes)]
Child's Narrative: 183. Willie Macintosh
A. 'Burning of Auchindown.'
a. A The Thistle of Scotland, p. 106.
b. Whitelaw, The Book of Scottish Ballads, p. 248.
B. 'Willie Mackintosh,' Finlay's Scottish Ballads, II, 89.
The murder of the "Bonny Earl of Murray" was the occasion of serious commotions in the North Highlands. Towards the end of the year 1592, the Macintoshes of the Clan Chattan, who of all the faction of Murray "most eagerly endeavored to revenge his death," invaded the estates of the Earl of Huntly, and killed four gentlemen of the surname of Gordon. Huntly retaliated, "and rade into Pettie (which was then in the possession of the Clan Chattan), where he wasted and spoiled all the Clan Chattan's lands, and killed divers of them. But as the Earl of Huntly had returned home from Pettie, he was advertised that William Macintosh with eight hundred of Clan Chattan were spoiling his lands of Cabrach: whereupon Huntly and his uncle Sir Patrick Gordon of Auchindown, with some few horsemen, made speed towards the enemy, desiring the rest of his company to follow him with all possible diligence, knowing that if once he were within sight of them they would desist from spoiling the country. Huntly overtook the Clan Chattan before they left the bounds of Cabrach, upon the head of a hill called Stapliegate, where, without staying for the rest of his men, he invaded them with these few he then had. After a sharp conflict he overthrew them, chased them, killed sixty of their ablest men, and hurt William Macintosh with divers others of his company."[1]
Two William Macintoshes are confounded in the ballad. The burning of Auchindown is attributed, rightly or wrongly, to an earlier William, captain of the clan, who, in August, 1550, was formally convicted of conspiracy against the life of the Earl of Huntly, then lieutenant in the north, sentenced to lose his life and lands, and, despite a pledge to the contrary, executed shortly after by the Countess of Huntly.[2]
Auchindown castle is on the banks of the Fiddich, B 1. By Cairn Groom, A 4, is meant, I suppose, the noted Cairngorm mountain, at the southern extremity of Banffshire.
Footnotes:
1. The History of the Feuds and Conflicts among the Clans, etc., p. 41 f, in Miscellanea Scotica. Spottiswood, ed. 1666, p. 390.
2. Lesley, History of Scotland, p. 235; Gregory, History of the Western Highlands, ed. 1881, p. 184; Browne, History of the Highlands, IV, 476. For the traditional story, Finlay, II, 95, note; Laing's Thistle of Scotland, p. 107 f.; Whitelaw, p. 248.
Brief Description by George Lyman Kittredge
The murder of the "Bonny Earl of Murray" (see No, 181) was the occasion of serious commotions in the North Highlands. Towards the end of the year 1592, the Macintoshes of the Clan Chattan, who of all the faction of Murray "most eagerly endeavored to revenge his death," invaded the estates of the Earl of Huntly, and killed four gentlemen of the surname of Gordon. Huntly retaliated, "and rade into Pettie (which was then in the possession of the Clan Chattan), where he wasted and spoiled all the Clan Chattan's lands, and killed divers of them. But as the Earl of Huntly had returned home from Pettie, he was advertised that William Macintosh with eight hundred of Clan Chattan were spoiling his lands of Cabraeh: whereupon Huntly and his uncle Sir Patrick Gordon of Auchindown, with some few horsemen, made speed towards the enemy, desiring the rest of his company to follow him with all possible diligence... Huntly overtook the Clan Chattan before they left the bounds of Cabraeh, upon the head of a hill called Stapliegate, where, without staying for the rest of his men, he invaded them with those few he then had. After a sharp conflict he overthrew them, chased them, killed sixty of their ablest men, and hurt William Macintosh with divers others of his company." Two William Macintoshes are confounded in the ballad. The burning of Auchindown is attributed, rightly or wrongly, to an earlier William, captain of the clan, who, in August, 1500, was formally convicted of conspiracy against the life of the Earl of Huntly, then lieutenant in the north, sentenced to lose his life and lands, and, despite a pledge to the contrary, executed shortly after by the Countess of Huntly.
Child's Ballad Texts
'Burning of Auchindown'- Version A a; Child 183 Willie Macintosh
a. The Thistle of Scotland, p. 106, 1823.
b. Whitelaw, The Book of Scottish Ballads, p. 248; from an Aberdeen newspaper of about 1815.
1 'Turn, Willie Macintosh,
Turn, I bid you;
Gin ye burn Auchindown,
Huntly will head you.'
2 'Head me or hang me,
That canna fley me;
I'll burn Auchendown
Ere the life lea me.'
3 Coming down Deeside,
In a clear morning,
Auchindown was in flame,
Ere the cock-crawing.
4 But coming oer Cairn Croom,
And looking down, man,
I saw Willie Macintosh
Burn Auchindown, man.
5 'Bonny Willie Macintosh,
Whare left ye your men?'
'I left them in the Stapler,
But they'll never come hame.'
6 'Bonny Willie Macintosh,
Whare now is your men?'
'I left them in the Stapler,
Sleeping in their sheen.'
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'Willie Mackintosh'- Version B; Child 183 Willie Macintosh
Finlay's Scottish Ballads, II, 89, 1808, as recollected by a lady and communicated by Walter Scott.
1 As I came in by Fiddich-side,
In a May morning,
I met Willie Mackintosh,
An hour before the dawning.
2 'Turn again, turn again,
Turn again, I bid ye;
If ye burn Auchindown,
Huntly he will head ye.'
3 'Head me, hang me,
That sall never fear me;
I'll burn Auchindown
Before the life leaves me.'
4 As I came in by Auchindown,
In a may morning,
Auchindown was in a bleeze,
An hour before the dawning.
* * * * *
5 Crawing, crawing,
For my crowse crawing,
I lost the best feather i my wing
For my crowse crawing.
End-Notes
A. b. 12. Turn, turn.
13. If you.
22. That winna.
3. wanting.
41. But wanting.
After 4:
Light was the mirk hour
At the day-dawing,
For Auchindoun was in flames
Ere the cock-crawing.
5, 6 wanting.
Additions and Corrections
P. 456. The account in 'The History of the Feuds' is taken from Sir Robert Gordon's History of Sutherland, p. 217.
Jamieson, writing to Scott, in November, 1804, says: "I have heard a scrap of the rude ballad on the burning of Achindoun, 'Bonny Willie Mackintosh You've tint a feather frae your cap By the day dawing,' etc., or something of this kind, from the Revd John Grant of Elgin. The Duchess of Gordon applied to him about it some years ago, but he could never recover it." (Letters addressed to Sir W. Scott, I, No 117, Abbotsford.)