Lord Bateman- Henneberry (NS) 1928; published 1950 Creighton C
[My date, although not published in 1932. From Traditional Songs from Nova Scotia; Creighton and Senior, 1950. Creighton's notes follow. This ballad may be much older than 1928, because of Henneberry vast repertoire, some of his songs were not discovered during their first visit in 1928.
Benjamin Howard Henneberry (1863-1951) was a fisherman from Devil's Island Nova Scotia. His father was Andrew Thomas Henneberry of McNab's Island, NS (1817– 1876) and his mother was Maria Edwards (1820– 1871) of Popes Harbour, Nova Scotia.
Ben was first visited by Helen Creighton in 1928. He married Priscilla Seward in 1888 and they had a large family. After his wife's death he married Johanna DeYoung in 1913. Edmund (1898-1984) one of his sons, carried on the music tradition.
R. Matteson 2014]
Young Beichan
[ Child 53 ]
'The variant of this well-known ballad, as Mr. Hartlan sings it, is almost identical with one in Sharp's English Folksongs, vol. 1, and another in Professor Child's collection from a vagrant in London. Miss Karpeles' Newfoundland version is similar, too. On the other hand, Mrs. Ada Tanner, while singing the same theme, has put the story differently, and her text agrees almost word for word with MacKenzie, 5. The ballad, if not actually founded on the story of Gilbert Becket, father of St. Thomas the Martyr, has evidently been affected by it. Our Nova Scotia variants give no motive for Lord Bateman's travels. He may have suffered in the Holy Land for his Christian beliefs, or perhaps for love of the lady. It is noteworthy that in three of these variants her name was changed at the end of the ballad, suggesting that she was baptized. Lord Bateman's marriage may have been forced upon him since in all cases he was overjoyed when the Turkish lady appeared. Child suggests an affinity here with the ballad of Hind Horn. For further discussion, see Child, 53. A similar story is found in Norse, Spanish and Italian ballads and in the Gesta Romanorum, No. 5, Bohn edition.
Lord Bateman [C] Dan Henneberry, Devil's Island, NS
1. Lord Bateman was a noble lord,
A noble lord of high degree,
He sailed East and he sailed West
Until he came to proud Turkey.
2. There he was taken and put in prison
Until his life it grew quite weary.
3. The jailor had one only daughter,
One only daughter of high degree,
She stole the keys of her father's prison
And swore Lord Bateman she would set free.
4. "Have you gold or have you silver
Or have you houses of high degree?
What would you give to a fair young lady,
If she from bondage would set you free?"
5. "I have gold and I have silver
And I have houses of high degree,
All that I'd give to a fair young lady
If she from bondage would set me free."
6. They made a vow and they made it long,
For seven years, and bound it strong
That he would wed with no other woman
And she would wed with no other man.
7 "Seven years it being passed and gone
And eighteen days--being at an end,
She gathered up all her gay gold[1] clothes,
She said, "I'll go and see my friend' "
8. She sailed East and she sailed West
Until she . . .
. . . .
. . . .
9. " Oh is this Lord Bateman's castle,
Is his lordship himself within?"
"Oh yes, oh yes," cried the young proud porter,
"He's just now taking his young bride in."
10. "Tell him to send me a piece of cake
And a glass of the best of wine
And not forget that fair young lady
That did release him from close confine."
11. Then away sped the proud young-porter
And to Lord Bateman he thus did say,
"There is a lady standing at the gate,
The fairest lady e'er I did see."
12. "She has got rings upon every finger
And on to some she has got three
And as much gay gold hanging round her middle
As would buy half of Northumberlee.
13. "She says to send her a piece of cake
And a glass of the best of wine
And not forget that fair young lady
That did release him from close confine."
14. Lord Bateman in a passion flew,
He smashed a table in pieces three,
"Adieu, adieu my young wedded bride
Since Betsy Pye she has crossed the sea."
15. Then up spoke the young bride's mother,
She never was thought to speak so free,
"Will you forsake my only daughter
Since Betsy Pye has crossed the sea? "
16. "If I have made a bride of your daughter
She is none the worse of me,
She came to me on a horse and saddle,
She may ride track in a coach and three. "
17. He took her by the lily white hand
And led her over the marble stone,
She changed her name from Rosanna fair [2]
She is now the wife of Lord Bateman.
1. Published as "good"
2. Usually it's Suzanna Fair; with Fair being the last name. Here it makes little sense since her name has been established as Betsy Pye- showing that this is probably a composite version from at least two sources.