Recordings & Info 99. Johnie Scot
CONTENTS:
1) Alternative Titles
2) Traditional Ballad Index (Two entries)
3) Folk Index
4) Child Collection Index
5) Excerpt from The British Traditional Ballad in North America by Tristram Coffin 1950, from the section A Critical Biographical Study of the Traditional Ballads of North America
ATTACHED PAGES: (see left hand column)
1) Roud No. 63: Johnie Scot (51 Listings)
Alternative Titles
Love Johnnie
Johnny Scott
Young Johnny Scott
Johnny Scots
Johnie Scot [Child 99]
DESCRIPTION: Johnny, serving at the English court, gets the king's daughter with child. He goes back to Scotland and sends for her; she sends word she is imprisoned. He comes with 500 men, fights the king's champion, and gains his lady.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1783/1799 (GordonBrown/Rieuwerts)
KEYWORDS: royalty pregnancy prison rescue battle love
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber,Bord)) US(Ap,NE,SE) Canada(Mar) Ireland
REFERENCES (14 citations):
Child 99, "Johnie Scot" (20 texts, 2 tunes) {Bronson's #10, #11}
Bronson 99, "Johnie Scot" (12 versions)
GordonBrown/Rieuwerts, pp. 90-97, "Jack the Little Scot" (2 parallel texts plus a photo of the badly-transcribed tune; also two reconstructed tunes on p. 263)
GreigDuncan5 1013, "Love Johnnie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lyle-Crawfurd2 82, "Johnie Scott"; Lyle-Crawfurd2 136, "Johnie Scott"; Lyle-Crawfurd2 179, "Johnnie Scott" (3 texts)
BarryEckstormSmyth pp. 213-224, "Johny Scot" (2 texts plus 1 fragments and sundry quotations, 2 tunes) {Bronson's #5, #1}
Flanders-Ancient3, pp. 45-55, "Johnssy Scot" (3 texts, the first being from "The Green Mountain Songster"; 1 tune) {Bronson's #9}
Flanders/Olney, pp. 101-104, "Johnny Scott" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #9}
Creighton-Maritime, pp. 15-17, "Johnie Scot" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Leach, pp. 303-308, "Johnie Scot" (2 texts)
SharpAp 29, "Johnie Scot" (3 texts, 3 tunes){Bronson's #2, #12, #4}
DBuchan 19, "Johnie Scot" (1 text, 1 tune in appendix) {Bronson's #10}
SHenry H736, p. 489, "Johnny Scot" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 99, JSCOTT1* JSCOTT2*
Roud #63
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(1921), "Johnny Scot," J. Harkness (Preston), 1840-1866
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Lang Johnny More" [Child 251] (plot)
cf. "Locks and Bolts" [Laws M13] (theme: girl locked away by father) and references there
Folk Index: Johnny Scot/Scott [Ch 99/Sh 29]
Leach, MacEdward / The Ballad Book, Harper & Row, Bk (1955), p303 (Johnie Scot)
Leach, MacEdward / The Ballad Book, Harper & Row, Bk (1955), p307
Corcoran, Sean. Sailing into Walpole's March, Green Linnet SIF 1004, LP (1977), trk# B.04
Dunagan, Margaret. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p218/# 29C [1917/09/06] (Johnie Scot)
Gentry, Jane Hicks. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p215/# 29A [1916/08/25] (Johnie Scot)
Gentry, Jane Hicks. Smith, Betty N. / Jane Hicks Gentry. A Singer Among Singers, U. Ky, Sof (1998), p155/#14 [1916/08/25]
Hensley, Nancy Alice. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p216/# 29B [1917/08/17] (Johnie Scot)
Kettner, Belle. Moore, Ethel & Chauncey (ed.) / Ballads and Folk Songs of the Southwest, Univ. of Okla, Bk (1964), p 77/# 28 [1940s] (Young Johnny Scott)
Child Collection Index- Child Ballad 099: Johnie Scott
Child Artist Title Album Year Length Have
099 Bell Duncan Love Johnnie The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
099 Jonathan Moses Johnny Scot The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection No
099 Mary Baylon Johnny Scott Early Ballads in Ireland 1968-1985 1985 4:17 Yes
099 Mrs. H.H. Power Johnie Scot The Helen Creighton Collection No
099 Seán Corcoran Johnny Scott Sailing Into Walpole's Marsh 1981 7:00 Yes
099 Susan McKeown Johnny Scott Sweet Liberty 2004 6:40
Excerpt from The British Traditional Ballad in North America
by Tristram Coffin 1950, from the section A Critical Biographical Study of the Traditional Ballads of North America
99. JOHNIE SCOT
Texts: Barry, Brit Bids Me, 213 / Green Mountain Songster , 41 / Haun, Cocke Cnty, 109 / Henry, F-S So Hgblds, 100 / JAFL, XLII, 273 / Kennedy, Effects Isolation, 321 / SharpC, Eng F-S So Aplcbns, #25 / SharpK, Eng F-S So Aplcbns, I, 215 / Wilson, Bckwds Am, 94.
Local Titles: Johnie Scot, Johnny Scots.
Story Types: A: Johnie Scot, out hunting or in service at the English court, gets a princess or noble lady with child. He returns to the North, but she is locked up by her father. After he writes and asks her to join him (sometimes this is omitted), she requests or the King summons him to come to England. He sets out to rescue the girl. As Johnie approaches the castle
he sees his love looking out. At the court, the King scorns the force that has accompanied Johnie from his home and sentences them to hang. Johnie, however, prefers to fight, and the King brings forth an Italian champion to duel Johnie. The Italian is slain, and the King is so impressed that he frees the girl and gives his permission for the marriage. In some texts Johnie
returns to Scotland, not only married, but as King.
Examples: Barry (A, B); Haun; JAFL, XLII, 273.
B: The story, if garbled, is like that of Type A, except that Johnie attacks the King (in this case Henry) and kills him along with his guards. He then takes the girl home with him.
Examples: SharpK (B).
Discussion; The Type A versions are generally similar to those in Child, but the SharpK, Eng F-S So Aplchns, B, Type B text seems to be unique. The SharpK, op. cit., C text may be of the same sort, however, although it is too incomplete to tell. The idea that King Henry flees, found in some versions, is American.
Barry, Brit Bids Me, 222 ff. breaks the Type A texts into two main divisions according to the minor details of the story, and he also notes that the Maine Lord of Salvary (B) is the result of contact with a similar Breton ballad, Les Aubrays. See also Child, II, 378.
The document of Rev. Andrew Hall (Interesting Roman Antiquities, etc., 1823, p. 216) which Child quotes, II, 378 and SharpK, op. cit. requotes, 418, reveals a story of the court of Charles II where a Scot, James Macgill, fought a professional Italian gladiator who leaped over him as if to "swallow him" and was "spitted" in mid-air. "Italian" becomes "taveren", "taillant", and
the verb "swallow", a bird.
The Green Mountain Songster text lacks mention of the Italian, a feature also missing in Child Q and R.