Little Mosie Grove and Lord Burnett's Wife- Peel (VA) 1918 Davis A
[From: Davis; Traditional Ballads of Virginia; 1929. His notes follow.
R. Matteson 2015]
LITTLE MUSGRAVE ANN LADY BARNARD
(Child, No. 81)
THE seven variants found in Virginia have the titles, "Lord Arnold's Wife," "Lord Daniel's Wife," "Lord Vanner's Wife," "Lord Darnold," "Little Matthew Groves," and "Little Mosie Grove and Lord Burnett's wife." A general concurrence with Child A is to be noted, but the divergences are many. In the Virginia texts, the lady is more definitely the aggressor; the stanza in which Little Matthew recognizes her as Lord Barnard's wife by her rings (found in Child D, E, F, H, J, K, and L, but not in A) is included, while the stanzas in which the two lovers profess their past affection are excluded; except in Virginia A, no regret is expressed by Lord Barnett for either of his killings; except in Virginia B where the lady is shot, she dies by stroke of sword, not by the barbarity of Child A; Lord Barnett's instructions for the lovers' burial are omitted; repetition is frequent in the Virginia texts.
The story told by the Virginia texts is this: on a certain holiday Little Matthew (Mathy, Marthy, Mosie) Grove (Groves) goes to church and there sees Lord Barnett's (Burnett's, Daniel's, Arnold's, Darnold's) wife, who makes advances and invites him to lie with her that night. He at first refuses, as he sees by her ring that she is Lord Barnett's wife, but is reassured when she informs him that her husband is away. A little foot-page hears the assignation, and runs off to inform Lord Barnett, who returns and surprises the lovers in bed. He generously offers his best sword to Little Matthew and kills him in fair fight. In A, he regrets his rash act. When he finds that his lady loves little Matthew more than she loves him (B, D, and E), he kills her also.
For American texts, see Brown, p.9 (North Carolina); Bulletin, Nos. 3, 6, 7, 9, 11; Campbell and Sharp, No. 20 (North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky) Cox, No. 15; Journal, XXIII, 371 (Mackenzie, Nova Scotia); XXV, 192 (Mackenzie, Nova Scotia); XXX,309 (Kittredge, Kentucky, three texts and two melodies, Missouri, text and melody); Mackenzie, pp. 14, 88 (fragment); Mackenzie , Ballads No. 8; Pound, Ballads, No. 15; Shearin, p. 3; Shearin and Combs, p. 8, Reed Smith, No.7; Reed Smith, Ballads, No. 2; Wyman and Brockway, songs, pp. 22, 62. For additional references, see Journal, XXXI 309.
A. "Little Mosie Grove and Lord Burnett's Wife." Collected by Miss Alfreda M. Peel. sung by an old man of Salem, Va. Roanoke county. July 31, 1918.
1 One holiday, one holiday,
The highest day in the year,
Little Mosie Grove went to the church,
God's holy word to hear.
2 Some came dressed in satin fine,
Some came dressed in blue,
But the finest of all was Lord Burnett's wife,
The finest of the whole crew.
3 She stepped up to Mosie Grove
Whom she was standing by,
And asked him to go home with her,
With her all night to lie.
4 He saw by her middle finger ring
That she was Lord Burnett's wife;
He dare not go home with her
Lest he should lose his life.
5 A little foot-page was standing by
And heard what they did say.
He said Lord Burnett should hear of this
Before the break of day.
6 He had three long miles to run
And one he had to swim.
7 And when he came to Lord Burnett's door,
He jingled at the ring;
There was none so ready as Lord Burnett himself
To rise and let him in.
8 "What news? what news?" Lord Burnett said,
" What news you bring to me?"
"Little Mosie Grove is at your old home,
In bed with your fair lady."
9 He told him, if that be true
About his fair lady,
"I have not but one daughter
And you shall married be.
10 "If it was a lie you tell unto me
About my fair lady,
A new gallows shall be built so high
And you shall hang-ed be."
11 "If this be a lie I tell unto thee,
What good would it be unto me?
A new gallows you need not build,
But hang me on a tree."
12 He would not let a horn be blown
Nor yet a drum be beat.
13 One of his merry men
Who loved his daughter dear,
Put his horn unto his lips
And blew it loud and clear.
14 Little Mosie Grove in his bed
Said, "Hark, what do I hear?
I think I hear Lord Burnett's horn
Come sounding loud and clear."
I5 She said, "Lie still, lie still, little Mosie Grove,
Lie still, keep my back from the cold,
It is my father's shepherd boys
Driving the sheep from the fold."
16 He went to the house
Where in bed they lie on,
And bid him rise from out the bed
And put his garments on;
For it should not be said when he was dead
That he killed a naked man.
17 But he could not rise
For fear of his life;
For Lord Burnett had two great broadswords
And he not so much as a knife.
18 He rose up and took one sword
And wounded Lord Burnett sore;
But the very next blow Lord Burnett gave,
Little Mosie lay dead on the floor.
19 "Curses be to my merry men all
Which here around do stand;
You let me kill the prettiest man
That ever was in the land."
20 He went into the other room
Where his fair lady lav:
And seized [her] by her little white hand
And cut her head away.