No. 202: The Battle of Philiphaugh
[There are no known US or Canadian versions of this ballad and only one Scottish version from Selkirkshire.]
CONTENTS:
1. Child's Narrative
2. Footnotes (Found at the end of Child's Narrative)
3. Brief (Kittredge)
4. Child's Ballad Text A
5. End-Notes
ATTACHED PAGES (see left hand column):
1. Recordings & Info: 202. The Battle of Philiphaugh
A. Roud No. 4016: The Battle of Philiphaugh (6 Listings)
2. Sheet Music: 202. The Battle of Philiphaugh (Bronson has comments; no music examples)
3. English and Other Versions (Including Child versions A with additional notes)]
Child's Narrative: 202. The Battle of Philiphaugh
A. Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, III, 153, 1803, II, 166, 1833 "preserved by tradition in Selkirkshire."
After six brilliant victories, at Tippermuir, Aberdeen, Inverlochy, Auldearn, Alford, Kilsyth, gained in less than a year, September 1, 1644-August 15, 1645, Montrose was surprised by David Leslie at Philiphaugh, September 13 following, and his army cut to pieces or dispersed. This army, consisting of only five hundred Irish foot and twelve hundred Scottish horse, the last all gentry, was lying at Philiphaugh, a meadow on the west side of the Ettrick, and at Selkirk, on and above the opposite bank. Leslie came down from the north with four thousand cavalry and some infantry, was less than four miles from Selkirk the night of the twelfth, and on the morrow, favored by a heavy mist, had advanced to about half a mile's distance before his approach was reported. A hundred and fifty of Montrose's horse received and repulsed two charges of greatly superior numbers; the rest stood off and presently took to flight. The foot remained firm. Two thousand of Leslie's horse crossed the river and got into Montrose's rear, and made resistance vain. Montrose and a few friends hewed their way through the enemy. [1]
1. Harehead wood is at the western end of the plain of Philiphaugh.
2, 3. Leslie had come up from Berwick along the eastern coast as far as Tranent, and then suddenly turned south. His numbers are put too low, and Montrose's, in 10, about nine times too high.
4. The Shaw burn is a small stream that flows into the Ettrick from the south, a little north of the town.
5. Lingly burn falls into the Ettrick from the north, a little above the Shaw burn.
The 'aged father,' 6, to accept a tradition reported by Sir Walter Scott, was one "Brydone, ancestor to several families in the parish of Ettrick." This is probably the personage elsewhere called Will, upon whose advice Leslie (according to tradition again) "sent a strong body of horse over a dip in the bank that separated his advanced guard from the river Ettrick, and still known as "Will's Nick," with instructions to follow their guide up Netley burn, wheel to the left round Linglee hill, and then fall upon the flank of Montrose's army at Philiphaugh."[2] It does not appear that Leslie adopted that portion of the aged father's recommendation which is conveyed in stanzas 11, 12, notwithstanding the venerable man's unusual experience, which, as Scott points out, extended from Solway Moss, 1542, to Dunbar, where, in 1650, five years after Philiphaugh, Leslie was defeated by Cromwell.
Other pieces of popular verse relating, in part or wholly, to Montrose are 'The Gallant Grahams,' Roxburghe collection, III, 380, Douce, III, 39 back, Ebsworth, Roxburghe Ballads, VI, 587, Scott's Minstrelsy, III, 371, 1803, II, 183, 1833; 'The Haughs o Cromdale,' Ritson's Scotish Songs, 1794, II, 40, Johnson's Museum, No 488, Maidment's Scotish Ballads and Songs, 1868, I, 299, Hogg's Jacobite Relics, I, 157 ff; 'The Battle of Alford,' Laing's Thistle of Scotland, p. 68.
Footnotes:
1. This is Wishart's account. Another, by Covenanters, makes Montrose to have been more on the alert, and has nothing of the two thousand horse sent to take him in the rear. The royalists are admitted to have maintained their ground with great resolution for almost an hour. The numbers are as given by Gardiner, History of the Great Civil War, II, 335 f.
2. T. Craig-Brown, History of Selkirkshire, 1886, I, 188.
Brief Description by George Lyman Kittredge
After six brilliant victories, gained in less than a year, September 1, 1644 — August 15, 1645, Montrose was surprised by David Leslie at Philiphaugh, September 13 following, and his army cut to pieces or dispersed. This army, consisting of only five hundred Irish foot and twelve hundred Scottish horse, was lying at Philiphaugh, a meadow on the west side of the Ettrick, and at Selkirk, on and above the opposite bank. Leslie came down from the north with four thousand cavalry and some infantry, was less than four miles from Selkirk the night of the twelfth, and on the morrow, favored by a heavy mist, had advanced to about half a mile's distance before his approach was reported. A hundred and fifty of Montrose's horse received and repulsed two charges of greatly superior numbers; the rest stood off and presently took to flight. The foot remained firm. Two thousand of Leslie's horse crossed the river and got into Montrose's rear, and made resistance vain. Montrose and a few friends hewed their way through the enemy.
Child's Ballad Text
'The Battle of Philiphaugh'- Version A Child 202; The Battle of Philiphaugh
Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, III, 153, 1803, II, 166, 1833 "preserved by tradition in Selkirkshire."
1 On Philiphaugh a fray began,
At Hairheadwood it ended;
The Scots outoer the Graemes they ran,
Sae merrily they bended.
2 Sir David frae the Border came,
Wi heart an hand came he;
Wi him three thousand bonny Scots,
To bear him company.
3 Wi him three thousand valiant men,
A noble sight to see!
A cloud o mist them weel conceald,
As close as eer might be.
4 When they came to the Shaw burn,
Said he, Sae weel we frame,
I think it is convenient
That we should sing a psalm.
5 When they came to the Lingly burn,
As daylight did appear,
They spy'd an aged father,
And he did draw them near.
6 'Come hither, aged father,'
Sir David he did cry,
'And tell me where Montrose lies,
With al his great army.'
7 'But first you must come tell to me,
If friends or foes you be;
I fear you are Montrose's men,
Come frae the north country.'
8 'No, we are nane o Montrose's men,
Nor eer intend to be;
I am Sir David Lesly,
That's speaking unto thee.'
9 "[If you're Sir David Lesly,
As I think weel ye be,
I am sorry ye hae brought so few
Into your company.
10 'There's fifteen thousand armed men
Encamped on yon lee;
Ye'll never be a bite to them,
For aught that I can see.
11 'But halve your men in equal parts,
Your purpose to fulfill;
Let ae half keep the water-side,
The rest gae round the hill.
12 'Your nether party fire must,
Then beat a flying drum;
And then they'll think the day's their ain,
And frae the trench they'll come.
13 'Then, those that are behind them maun
Gie shot, baith grit and sma;
And so, between your armies twa,
Ye may make them to fa.'
14 'O were ye ever a soldier?'
Sir David Lesly said;
'O yes; I was at Solway Flow,
Where we were all betrayd.
15 'Again I was at curst Dunbar,
And was a prisner taen,
And many weary night and day
In prison I hae lien.'
16 'If ye will lead these men aright,
Rewarded shal ye be;
But, if that ye a traitor prove,
I'll hang thee on a tree.'
17 'Sir, I will not a traitor prove;
Montrose has plunderd me;
I'll do my best to banish him
Away frae this country.'
18 He halvd his men in equal parts,
His purpose to fulfill;
The one part kept the water-side,
The other gaed round the hill.
19 The nether party fired brisk,
Then turnd and seemd to rin;
And then they a' came frae the trench,
And cry'd The day's our ain!
20 The rest then ran into the trench,
And loosd their cannons a':
And thus, between his armies twa,
He made them fast to fa.
21 Now let us a' for Lesly pray
And his brave company,
For they hae vanquishd great Montrose,
Our cruel enemy.
End-Notes
44. Var. That we should take a dram: Scott. Probably a jocose suggestion.