Border Ballads

The publication of Sir Walter Scott’s ‘Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border’ in 1802 was the foundation for the belief that the ballads of the Scottish Borders constituted the greatest ballad tradition in Scotland. In fact, the North East of Scotland also ranks equally with the Borders in ballad making. Nonetheless, the Borders have provided some of the most memorable of ballads in the Scots language which may be divided into ballads about historical events, or supernatural stories. Ballads often survive in several versions since the ballad singers often added their own verses but we can trace some of the versions to the 13th and 14th centuries. Unsurprisingly, the Borders ballads are usually founded on the exploits of those involved in the wars between England and Scotland, or the feuds between rival families. Among the earlier subjects is the Battle of Otterburn which took place in 1388: this was a great battle in which the earl of Douglas, though mortally wounded, defeated an English army and captured its leader, Lord Percy. It was a normal device of such a ballad to include mentions of those families who took part, as a way of gaining fame:

‘The Gordons good, in English blood
They steepd their hose and shoon;
The Lindays flew like fire about,
Till all the fray was done.’

The above example also shows that the Anglicised spelling was meant to be pronounced as Scots, as indicated by the rhyming scheme. Indeed, many of those ballads printed from the 18th century onwards survive in Anglicised form only. Another example, from the 16th century, is typical of those individual characters who won fame in the Borders either through exploits or notorious incidents. Such was ‘Johnie Armstrang’ laird of Gilnockie whose activities drew the attention of King James V in 1529 and was sentenced to death by the king. During his meeting with the king he pleads for his life by promising the monarch various goods:

‘Grant me my lyfe, my liege, my king,
And a bony gift I’ll gie to thee;
Gude four-and-twenty ganging mills,
That gang throw a’ the yeir to me.

‘These four-and-twenty mills complete
sall gang for thee throw all the yeir,
And as mekle of gude reid wheit
As all their happens dow to bear.’

But King James would only insist ‘Away, away, thou traytor strang!’in face of all Johnie’s promises and the laird declared that

‘But had I kend, or I came frae hame,
How thou unkynd wadst bene to me,
I wad haif kept the border-syde,
In spyte of all thy force and thee.’

The zenith of these ballads came in the 17th century but declined thereafter as the Borders region was pacified and wars with England came to an end. But ballad singers continued to elaborate on the exsting tradition in the Scots language. There are several examples of sites on the internet which detail some of these ballads and the cultural background.

Examples of ballads, both traditional and modern, can be found on the Jedburgh website or at Gaddgedlar by following these links:

http://www.jedburgh-online.org.uk/borderballads.asp

http://www.gaddgedlar.com/ballads.htm

In addition, one might like to read about the background to Sir Walter Scott’s collection of Border ballads known as the ‘Minstrelsy’ referred to above which is at the Walter Scott library site:

http://www.walterscott.lib.ed.ac.uk/works/poetry/minstrelsy.html