Origins: Lord Lovel (Child #75)

Subject: RE: Origins: Lord Lovel (Child #75)
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 14 May 13 - 09:35 AM

Dear anonymous and scientifically-enquiring guest

Your version from the Walpole letter leaves out the last verse according to the Yale transcripts (p469 and p470 (and other copies of the correspondence). The Yale transcript also has a footnote:

  There came an old woman by,
  Their blessing she did crave;
  She cut her a branch of this true lover's knot,
  And buried 'em both in a grave[22]

[22] 'NB. Compare this song with Giles Collin, Fair Margaret and Sweet William, Lord Thomas and Fair Annet' (MS Note in Percy's hand). The ballad with many variations from HW's text, is printed as Lord Lovel in Child's Ballads ii, 207


The fact that they are so close doesn't preclude a common ancestor. Perhaps a look at Percy's papers at the Bodleian would shed some light?

Mick

Subject: RE: Origins: Lord Lovel (Child #75)
From: GUEST
Date: 14 May 13 - 09:30 AM

And to this I must add this third version which mirrors the other two in form and content. This is a version that was given to Child by John Francis Campbell, taken down from the singing of an Englishman around 1850:

75E: Lord Lovel

'NOW fare ye well, Lady Oonzabel,
For I must needs be gone,
To visit the king of fair Scotland,
Oh I must be up and ride.'

So he called unto him his little foot-page,
To saddle his milk-white steed;
Hey down, hey down, hey derry, hey down,
How I wish my Lord Lovel good speed!

He had not been in fair Scotland,
Not passing half a year,
When a lover-like thought came into his head,
Lady Oonzabel he would go see her.

So he called unto him his little foot-page,
So saddle his milk-white steed;
Hey down, hey down, hey derry, hey down,
How I wish my Lord Lovel good speed.

He had not been in fair England,         
Not passing half a day,
When the bells of the high chappel did ring,
And they made a loud sassaray.

He asked of an old gentleman
Who was sitting there all alone,
Why the bells of the high chappel did ring,
And the ladies were making a moan.

Oh, the king's fair daughter is dead,' said he;
Her name's Lady Oonzabel;
And she died for the love of a courteous young knight,
And his name it is Lord Lovel.'         

He caused the bier to be set down,
The winding sheet undone,
And drawing forth his rapier bright,
Through his own true heart did it run.

Lady Oonzabel lies in the high chappel,
Lord Lovel he lies in the quier;
And out of the one there grew up a white rose,
And out of the other a brier.

And they grew, and they grew, to the high chappel top;
They could not well grow any higher;
And they twined into a true lover's knot,         
So in death they are joined together.

There are some significant differences in this version::

1.) Lord Lovel has a specific mission that involves the king of Scotland.

2.) Lord Lovel's manner of death is a dramatic suicide rather than implied lovesickness.

3.) A white rose springs from one of the graves rather than a rose (color and gender unspecified) springing from hers (mention of gender being a difference that seems to parallel the difference between Scottish and English versions of the rose-briar motif).

4.) The high chappel is not the high chancel. A high chappel is located in a tower whereas the high chancel is at the eastern end of the church where the high altar is situated

5.) There is no epilogue. The true lover's knot is the finale.

Subject: Origins: Lord Lovel
From: GUEST
Date: 14 May 13 - 02:13 AM

The following is the first physical proof of Child ballad 75: Lord Lovel. It is actually a comic version that was enclosed with a letter from Horace Walpole to Thomas Percy dated February 1765. It was first published in 1904 in a volume of Walpole's letters, soon after being obtained at auction by the British Museum. It had remained among Percy's papers until then. Not that Francis Child would have considered it as several comic versions of Lord Lovel had been brought to his attention and he chose to ignore them. He thought them vulgar. Instead, Percy received credit for the first published version of a "Northumbrian ballad" (c. 1770) which appears to be nothing more than a sanitized reissue of Walpole's text below:

I fare you well, Lady Hounsibelle , 
For I must needs be gone ; 
And this time two year I'll meet you again, 
To end the true love we begun. 

That's a long time, Lord Lovel, she said, 
To dwell in fair Scotland : 
And so it is, Lady Hounsibelle, 
And to leave a fair lady alone. 

He called unto his stable-groom 
To saddle his milk-white steed. 
Hey down, Hey down, Hey, hey dery down, 
I wish my Lord Lovel good speed

He had not been in fair Scotland 
Above half a year, 
But a longing mind came over his head 
Lady Hounsibelle he would go see her. 

He had not been in fair London 
Above half a day, 
But he heard the bells of the high chapel ring ; 
They rung with a Sesora. 

He asked of a gentleman 
That stood there all alone, 
What made the bells of the high chapel ring, 
And the ladies to make such a moan. 

The King's fair daughter is dead, he said, 
Whose name 's Lady Hounsibelle ; 
She died for love of a courteous young knight,
Whose name it is Lord Lovel. 

Lady Hounsibelle died on the Easter Day, 
Lord Lovel on the morrow ; 
Lady Hounsibelle died for pure true love,
Lord Lovel he died for sorrow. 

Lady Hounsibelle 's buried in the chancel, 
Lord Lovel in the choir; 
Lady Hounsibelle's breast sprung up a rose, 
Lord Level's a branch of sweetbriar. 

They grew till they grew to the top of the church, 
And when they could grow no higher
They grew till they grew to a true lover's knot, 
And they both were tied together.

Compare with the following, Percy's version, Child ballad 75A:

'AND I fare you well, Lady Ouncebell,
For I must needs be gone,         
And this time two year I'll meet you again,
To finish the loves we begun.'

'That is a long time, Lord Lovill,' said she,
'To live in fair Scotland;'
And so it is, Lady Ouncebell,
To leave a fair lady alone.'

He had not been in fair Scotland
Not half above half a year,         
But a longin mind came into his head,
Lady Ouncebell he woud go see her.

He called up his stable-groom,
To sadle his milk-white stead;
Dey down, dey down, dey down dery down,
I wish Lord Lovill good speed.

He had not been in fair London
Not half above half a day,
But he heard the bells of the high chapel ring,
They rang with a ceserera.

He asked of a gentleman,
That set there all alone,
What made the bells of the high chapel ring,
The ladys make all their moan.

'One of the king's daughters are dead,' said he,
Lady Ouncebell was her name;         
She died for love of a courtous young night,
Lord Lovill he was the same.'

He caused her corps to be set down,
And her winding sheet undone,
And he made a vow before them all
He'd never kiss wowman again.

Lady Ouncebell died on the yesterday,
Lord Lovill on the morrow;
Lady Ouncebell died for pure true love,
Lord Lovill died for sorrow.

Lady Ouncebell was buried in the high chancel,
Lord Lovill in the choir;
Lady Ouncebell's breast sprung out a sweet rose,
Lord Lovill's a bunch of sweet brier.

They grew till they grew to the top of the church,         
And then they could grow no higher;
They grew till they grew to a true-lover's not,
And then they tyed both together.

An old wowman coming by that way,
And a blessing she did crave,
To cut of a bunch of that true-lover's not,
And buried them both in one grave.

So my first question to any interested party would be:

Do you really believe that Reverend Percy's associate Reverend Parsons really took that "Northumbrian ballad" down from the singing of his poor parishioners as they sat at their spinning wheels in Wye, Kent?