The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #80264   Message #1462835
Posted By: Peace
16-Apr-05 - 05:17 AM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: The Witches' Reel (Scots)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scots Song: 'the witches' reel'
BINGO maybe.

http://www.culburnie.com/albums/Chantan/primary.htm

See #7. However, there is a small-print statement at the bottom which says all songs traditionally credited.

"7. The Witches' Reel
A song from 1591 and the witch trials of King James VI of Scotland. A time when any woman could be accused of being a witch on a whim. The words came from the transcripts of one of the trials in connection with a plot by Francis Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, and others to kill the king. It is the first written record of a reel in Scotland. Christine has a theory that some local worthy trumped up charges to "frame" the women and claim their possessions."

This jives with what Jim found in the Swedish remmarks.