Lord Lovel- Steele (UT) 1947 Hubbard B
[Ballads and Songs from Utah; Hubbard, 1961. His notes follow.
R. Matteson 2015]
LORD LOVEL
The Utah text and fragment correspond closely to the A text from Michigan (Gardner and Chickering, p.43-45) and A from Missouri Randolph, I, 112-115). See also Child, No. 75; Sharp, I, 146-149; Davis p. 244- 259; Barry, Eckstorm and Smyth, pp. 139-149; Belden, pp. 52-54; Morris, pp, 273-277.
B. Lord Lovel. Obtained from Mrs. Zephyr Steele of Delta, Aug.20, 1947. She learned this fragment from her grandmother, Mrs. Jeanette Kelsey, who was born in Canada. Mrs. Steele added the following: "When Grandmother was sixteen years old she came to Utah with one of the Mormon companies. In the evening after a long day of traveling, the Saints played the banjo or guitar and sang 'Lord Lovel' and many other songs. They also sang them in the
evening after they came to Utah."
Lord Lovel stood at his castle gate
A-combing his milk-white steed
When along came Lady Nancy Bell,
A-wishing her lover good speed
Lady Nancy she died as it might be today;
Lord Lovel he died on the morrow.
And out of Nancy Bell's breast grew a red, red rose,
And out of Lord Lovel's a briar.