Steve,stop being so mean to Jim! I went over to your website. Very nice and what a splendid voice you have!

Still, I am surprised you do not seem recognize the significance of the white rose from Campbell's version 75 E. It's your rose Steve! Jim, thanks for that tidbit about the rose being associated with secrecy and silence. I'll be reading that in now as well :-)

Whoever composed Campbell's version was high born and well-educated. They knew about the history of Viscount Lovel and the War of the Roses (btw, Lovel's wife was also named Anne). They knew, even before historical documentation was uncovered (fairly recently) that Lovel was received by the king of Scotland as opposed to the gothic tale that he was holed up in Minster Lovell where he ultimately died of starvation. They knew about the "Rough Wooing" and the fire set by the English to St. Mary's in Dundee- in detail. They knew of the ballad Lord Levett- obviously.

75E is about what happened to St. Mary's but it's also about the ongoing struggle from Lovel's time to ??? (had to be after the fire in 1547) of people who were allied and associated with the white rose. This was an ethnic mix of English, Scottish, French and Irish, on the whole with Catholic sympathies although later it was more a matter of loyalty to a system of monarchy than a particular religious outlook per se. To me this sophisticated version is where the crossover occurred. And then, once the name Lovel was attached, it was on!

I said in a previous post that the Levett name was not controversial. I was wrong about that. As it turns out, that's not the case at all. There was a William Levett who was very close to King Charles I (beheaded in 1649) and who played a key role in restoring the monarchy. That's all very controversial but I think it provides even more insight into Lord Lovel.

I think the names themselves, rather than associations to specific historical personages, are what's really important here. Think about it. If I were a balladeer who decided that I would use the ancient Irish sea ballad Lord Levett as my inspiration, the first thing I would do, in order to tip off my audience that it was a new creative effort, is change the name. Levett and Lovel have a few significant things in common. Both descended from the Normans (which is why they sound French) and both are bonafide members of the "white rose party" - so to speak. Lovel then becomes a perfect pseudonym for Levett. Now if, on the other hand, I were writing a parody, I would use Levett. I would need people to make that association in order for it to hit the mark. There are no parodies of Lord Levett, only Lord Lovel. The fact is that Lord Lovel is a ballad that was inspired by Lord Levett and from there became a parody or burlesque.

I'm sure you have heard of the Pilgrimmage of Grace right? Just checking.