The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #86823   Message #1617192
Posted By: Abby Sale
30-Nov-05 - 09:46 AM
Thread Name: happy? – Nov 30 (Lang A-growing)
Subject: happy? – Nov 30 (Lang A-growing)
Jno (John) Urquhart of Craigstoun, better known as Tutor of Cromarty died November 30, 1634.

Urquhart's son having died in 1631, the heir was his grandson. Young Craigstoun became the ward of Urquhart's brother-in-law (or maybe daughter-in-law's brother), Sir Robert Innes. Innes secretly married him off to his eldest daughter, Elizabeth Innes. Young Craigstoun died at about age 13. The cause was "melancholy," in consequence of Sir Robert Innes refusing to pay old Craigstoun's debts. Seems the three creditors kept cursing him out until he couldn't take it any more.

Details provided by John Spalding, Memorialls of the Trubles in Scotland and England, A.D. 1624 - A.D. 1645.

        In his twelfth year he was a married man,
        In his thirteenth year there he got a son,
        And in his fourteenth year his grave grew green,
        And that was an end of his growing –

                Growing, deary, growing, growing
                Growing, said the bonny maid,
                Slowly's my bonny love growing.

                        "Lang A-growing" (not Child)

Well, that's one story about the song, anyway.
On the other hand, there are some who think the song predates these events.

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