The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #60416   Message #3088824
Posted By: Steve Gardham
04-Feb-11 - 04:54 PM
Thread Name: Historical basis for Anachie Gordon
Subject: RE: Historical basis for Anachie Gordon
Don,
You've already found what you want by the looks, but just in case, Child 293 is a very light piece, certainly not a typical ballad, and as I said probably no older than 17thc if that(IMHO), hence its place at 293 amongst mostly other uncertain pieces. It is pretty obviously set in Lowland Scotland somewhere south-west of Edinburgh and could be based on a true story.

Scott took one of the verses and wrote a 4 stanza poem of his own set in Northumberland near Hexham on the Errington estate. There is there an old tower called Hazel Dean still standing which he centred it on.
None of the 293 versions have Hazel Dean. They are all Hazelgreen. There is no deception here: Scott never tried to pass it off as trad. Later it was set to music and became very popular in the 19thc.