Hi Julia,

The maidens in row, (sometimes lawyers or judges) is a bit perplexing. Molly/Polly stands among them like a mountain/fountain of snow. The snow is believed to be 1) her ghost 2) her swan image or 3) shining amongst them because of her great beauty- with no supernatural meaning.

I'm putting the versions on my site and will compare them looking especially at the unusual or irregular stanzas or lines.

For example, there are several Norfolk versions with "room of a swan." I found one that had "ru' of a swan" and also "ruse of a swan." This could mean that she was shot because she had changed into a swan or simply that she appeared as a swan but that line is more interesting than the standard lines because it's different. Clearly "room" is not the original meaning.

Then there's the father/uncle conundrum. Sometimes it's father sometimes it's the uncle, but I believe it's meant to be the uncle. Who then is the uncle? Does he represent her at the trial? Or is he someone that can clear Jimmy?

Richie