Servants in Child (and other) Ballads

Subject: Servants in Child (and other) Ballads
From: GUEST,Pseudonymous
Date: 01 Jun 19 - 03:41 AM

Steve Gardam kindly referred me to the work of Roger de V Renwick, an American writer on folklore. I found a piece of his on servants in Child Ballads. I though this might be an interesting topic. Questions posed via De Renwick's piece include the following:

Servants do appear in ballads but are rarely the heroes or heroines. Why?

"Many Child ballad servants are unable to think for themselves". Is this a fair statement?

If, as has been assumed, ballads were principally a 'working-class' cultural possession (his words not mine) how come servants get a bad press in so many ballads (my words, his idea)?

I found the piece on JSTOR. Stable URL: Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46nrm0.10

It comes from a book called 'The Flowering Thorn'.

Subject: RE: Servants in Child (and other) Ballads
From: Stanron
Date: 01 Jun 19 - 04:44 AM

It seems to me to be fairly obvious. All the servants would have been Saxon. Nearly all the lords would have been Norman. These songs would have been popular with the commoners because they show covert resistance to Norman arrogance and intolerance. The servant isn't stupid. The servant is cunning. The lord isn't the noble figure of Christian right he is the oppressor and the all powerful enemy.

It's the lord who is stupid. The servant is a freedom fighter. These are songs of covert resistance.

Subject: RE: Servants in Child (and other) Ballads
From: Jack Campin
Date: 01 Jun 19 - 04:58 AM

I think it's more often the other way round. The servant is somebody who's likely to prick your kids to death and collect a bowlful of their blood any chance they get. There are more ballads that see the working classes as a threat to the ballad-commissioning classes.

Subject: RE: Servants in Child (and other) Ballads
From: GUEST,Pseudonymous
Date: 01 Jun 19 - 05:56 AM

Interesting already! De V Renwick cites specific ballads in support of his various assertions about the various qualities and characteristics of servants as depicted in Child's collection. I think he is tongue in cheek, given his conclusions. But can we cite specific songs featuring servants?

Re Stanron's point: Interesting, and I agree up to a point, but maybe much depends upon what you mean by 'servant', as my thinking is that some in the service of a Norman Lord might be sons of other Norman Lords.

Generally, What might one say about a ballad where two servants seem to have different ideas on what's the right thing to do Eg Child Ballad 83 E? The messenger and the nurse being the two characters in question. This is one mentioned by De V Renwick.

http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/child/ch083.htm