In 2004 I printed an article "Two Problematical Scottish Ballads" in the on-line magazine Musical Traditions. Part of the article concerned a text of "Mary Hamilton" that I had gathered from the Scottish storyteller George Macpherson of Skye. George had learnt it in 1946 from his great-aunt, Annie Gibb, of Crumnock, Ayreshire. There were three verses that were new to me:

I took a message frae ma Queen,
Lord Bothwell for tae see;
But when he cast his een o'er it,
Richt weel he beddit me.

Tae Edinboro I then returned,
His answer for tae gie;
But when she kent that I was bairn't,
Richt black she glowered on me.

'Ye bear the fruit o my ain love,
This treason is tae me;
And for the blot o shame ye bring,
On the gallows ye shall dee.'

I didn't know if any other version of the ballad had suggested that Lord Bothwell, lover to Mary Queen of Scots, was the father of Mary's child. So I printed the "new" text.

I also mentioned that, according to Gavin Greig,there were "modern" additions to the ballad, although he did not give examples. So, did George's text contain three "modern" verses or not? I look forward to any comments that readers may have.