Bow Lamkins- Riffey (VA) 1921 Stone/Davis C
[Title could be "Bo' Lamkins," for Bold Lamkins. From Davis, Traditional Ballads of Virginia, 1929. His notes follow.
R. Matteson 2015]
LAMKIN (Child, No. 93)
The first evidence that this ballad survived in America came from Virginia. Child's Additions and Corrections (III, 515) report that "the negroes of Dumphries, Prince William County, Virginia, have this ballad, orally transmitted from the original Scottish settlers of that region, with the stanza,
Mr. Lammikin, Mr. Lammikin,
Oh, spare me my life,
And I'll give you my daughter, Betsy,
and she shall be your wife."
It is to be noted that all the Virginia variants, except, of course, the fragment D, have the stanza which makes this unnatural offer (A 14, B 7, C 5). Of the twenty-six versions printed by child, this stanza.is found in only three (I 19, T 15, K 16), but the resemblance is not otherwise close to any one of these three, or indeed to any Child version. The Virginia texts seem to represent at least two separate version, (A and B) not found in Child.
The story, however, does not differ materially from that of the Child versions, thus summarized by Child: " A mason has built a castle for a nobleman, cannot get his pay, and therefore seeks revenge. The name given the builder is Lamkin [in Virginia, also Lampkin, Ward Lampkin, Beaulamkins, or Bow Lamkins] . . .The Lord, having occasion to leave his family fears mischief from the man whom he has wronged, and enjoins his wife to keep the castle well fastened. Precautions are taken, but nevertheless his enemy effects an entrance through some apperture that has not been secured or by connivance with a nurse. Most of the servants are away. To get at the lady, Lamkin, as we may call him, by advice of the nurse afflicts some hurt on the babe in the cradle stabbing it, or 'nipping' it, and the cries bring the mother down. The lady proffers large sums of gold to save her life, but Lamkin does not care for gold now. [She also offers her daughter. See above.] He gloats over his opportunity, and bids the nurse, or maid-servant, or even one of the daughters of the house, to scour a silver basin to hold the lady's noble blood. The lord has a presentment of calamity at home, and returning, finds his house red with the blood of his wife and child. Lamkin is hanged, or burned, or boiled in a pot full of lead. The nurse is burned, or hanged, or boiled in a cauldron." In Virginia texts, Lamkin is always hanged, the nurse always burned.
The tale has been localized in various parts of Scotland, as pointed out by Motherwell in his Minstrelsy, p. lxx, note 27, and p. 291. The name Lamkin Child explains a either (1) a soubriquet applied in derision of the meekness with which the builder had submitted to his injury," or (2) "a simply ironical designation for the bloody mason, the terror of countless nurseries."
Four Virginia texts and one tune are here, given. Of these, A and B are new and different versions, C is a badly mangled variant of A, and D is a fragment corresponding to Child D 13. The tune to B is conjecturally interpreted, but the original notation is also given.
C. "Bow Lamkins." Collected by Mr. John Stone. Recited by Mr. S. L. Riffey, of Park, Va. Grayson County. November 8, 1921. The stanza divisions are irregular and bad, but they are given just as they were sent in and presumably as recited. This is a fragmentary variant of A.
1 Bow Lamkins built a fine cation[1],
Every load stone,
Pay he got none.
Bow Lamkins has gone to Merry England
To buy me a ring."
2 "Keep your windows bolted
And your door fast locked.
For Bow Lamkins will ketch you unbeknowns."
3 Bow Lamkins rose and knocked at the door
False nurse she came stepping downstairs,
Thinking no harm;
There stood Bow Lamkins ready
For to catch her in his arms.
4 "Spare my life, Bow Lamkins,
Spare it one hour[2];
And I'll give you as much gold
As your horse can tote away."
5 "O spare my life, Bow Lamkins,
Just listen how mournful my baby do cry;
O spare my life, Bow Lamkins,
And I'll give you my daughter Betsy,
One blooming star.
6 "O spare my life, Bow Lamkins,
And just listen how mournful my baby do cry."
False nurse she said, "Stick her little baby,
Full of needles and pins."
7 False nurse she rocked,
And she sung;
The tears and the red blood
From the cradle did run.
8 "O daughter Betsy, stay where you be,
And tell your dear father,
When he comes riding [his] horse by,
Tell him Bow Lamkins has killed his lady."
9 Bow Lamkins was hung
At the gallows so high;
False nurse was burnt
At the stake a-standing by.
1 For castle, or a clipping short of (fortif-)cation?
2. day- rhymes with away.