Lord Daniel's Wife- Kitts (VA) 1923 Davis F
[From: Davis; Traditional Ballads of Virginia; 1929. His notes follow.
R. Matteson 2015]
LITTLE MUSGRAVE AND 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.
F. "Lord Daniel's Wife" or "Lord Vanner's wife." collected by Miss Alfreda M. Peel. Sung by Mrs. Nancy Kitts, of Bland, Va. Bland county. September 3, 1923. With music.
1 Down came a lady,
Down came two,
Down came Lord Daniel's wife,
And she was dressed in blue.
2 She spied Little Mathy
By the light,
"I must invite you
To lie with me tonight."
3 "I cannot, I will not,
By my life;
By the ring on your finger,
You are Lord Daniel's wife."
4 "If I'm Lord Daniel's wife,
Lord Daniel ain't at home.
He's gone away to the little bonnie brown cabin
Old Mackie for to see."
5 The little page was standing by,
He took to his heels and run.
6 And when he came to the river,
He smote his breast and swum;
And when he got to dry land,
He took to his heels and run.
7 "If it's a lie,
As I suppose may be.
Build me a gallows,
And hanged you shall be."
B "If it be a lie,
As you suppose may be,
You need not build a gallows,
But hang me on a tree."
9 He put a horn to his mouth,
And blew it loud and clear.
10 "Lie still and keep me
From the cold;
It is my father's horn,
Blowing his sheep to the fold."
11 They locked and they linked
And at last they fell asleep;
The first time Little Mathy woke,
Lord Daniel was at his feet.
12 "How do you like your bed, sir?
How do you like my sheet?
How do you-like my gala[1] dame
That lies in your arms asleep?"
13 "Very much I like your bed, sir;
Very much I like your sheet;
But best I like your gala dame
That lies in my arms asleep."
14 "Rise up, rise up, Little Mathew,
And put you on some clothes;
It never shall be said of me
That a naked man I slew."
15 He took Mrs. Daniel by the hand,
And led her through the half
He drew his sword, cut off her head,
And threw it against the wall.
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1. usually "gaily" or "gay lady"