Francis J. Child
Ballads

Biography, Lyrics, Tunes
and Historical Information

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Henry Martin (Child Ballad #250)
Lesley Nelson

I am in the process of a long overdue update of these pages. The music on all of the pages now plays.
Updated pages (noted with an asterix) have a control panel. If you right click on the control panel you can loop or download the music.
Other pages have a link to play/download the music. The music will open in a separate window to play where you can also download the music.

Welcome to Lesley Nelson (aka the Contemplator)'s Child Ballad Website.

This is part of my Folk Music of England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales & America website.

Francis J. Child's five volume work, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (1882-1898), is considered by many as the "canon" of folk music. These pages are devoted to Child's work and to the ballads therein.
For further information see:

Francis J. Child Biography
Complete List of Child Ballads

I have marked ballads with links to the text of variants in The English and Scottish Popular Ballads with an asterisk (*).

Child Ballads

Volume I: 1-53

#2: Blow, Ye Winds, Blow* (Variant of The Elfin Knight)
#3: The Smart Schoolboy* (Variant of The Fause Knight Upon the Road)
#4: The Outlandish Knight* (Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight)
#4: The Willow Tree (American)* (Variant of Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight)
#7: Earl Brand*
#9: The Deceived Maid* (Variant of the Fair Flower of Northumberland)
#10: The Twa Sisters*
#10: The Barkshire Tragedy* (Variant of The Twa Sisters)
#11:Brother's Revenge* (Variant of The Cruel Brother)
#12: Lord Rendal*
#13: Edward*
#13: The Murdered Brother* (Variant of Edward)
#14: Bonny Farday* (Variant of Babylon or The Bonnie Banks o Fordie)
#18: Sir Lionel*
#20: The Cruel Mother*
#20: Fine Flowers in the Valley* (Variant of the Cruel Mother)
#26: The Three Ravens*
#26: The Twa Corbies* (Variant of The Three Ravens)
#26: The Bird Song* (Possible variant of The Three Ravens)
#39: Tam Lin*
#44: The Two Magicians*
#46: Captain Wedderburn's Courtship
#49: The Rolling of the Stones* (Variant of The Twa Brothers)
#51: Lucy Wan* (Lizie Wan)
#53: Lord Bateman (Lord Beichan)
#58: Sir Patrick Spence*

Volume II: 54-113

#63: Child Waters
#64: Fair Janet
#65: Lady Maisry
#73: Lord Thomas and Fair Ellinor*
#74: Fair Margaret and Sweet William (1)
#74: Fair Margaret and Sweet William (2)
#75: Lord Lovel
#76: Lord Gregory (The Lass of Roch Royal)
#77: Lady Margaret* (Variant of Sweet William's Ghost)
#78: The Unquiet Grave
#79: The Wife of Usher's Well
#81: Mattie Groves (Variant of Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard)
#83: Gil Morice (Child Morice)
#84: Barbara Allen*
#85: George Collins* (Variant of Lady Alice)
#85: Earl Colvin* (Variant of Lady Alice)
#93: False Lamkin
#95: The Briary Bush (The Maid Freed From the Gallows)
#99: Johnie Scot
#100: Lord Thomas of Winesberry (Willie o Winesberry)
#105: The Bailiff's Daughter of Islington*
#106: The Highland Widow's Lament (The Famous Flower of Serving Men)
#110: The Knight and the Shepherd's Daughter
#112: Blow Away the Morning Dew* (Variant of The Baffled Knight)
#113: The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry (1)
#113: The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry (2)

Volume III: 114-188

#118: Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne*
#126: Robin Hood and the Tanner
#132: The Bold Pedlar and Robin Hood
#144: Robin Hood and the Bishop of Hereford*
#155: Little Sir Hugh
#161: The Battle of Otterburn
#162: Chevy Chase (Variant of The Hunting of the Cheviot)
#163: The Battle of Harlaw*
#167: Andrew Bartin
#170: The Death of Queen Jane
#170: The Duke of Bedford (Variant of The Death of Queen Jane)
#173: The Four Marys (Mary Hamilton)
#181: The Bonnie Earl o' Moray
#188: Bold Dickie* (Variant of Archie o Cawfield)

Volume IV: 189-265

#191: Hughie Graham
#199: Bonnie House o' Airlie
#200: The Gypsy Laddie
#200: Johnny Faa (Variant of Gypsy Laddie)
#200: The Wraggle Taggle Gypsies, O! (Variant of Gypsy Laddie)
#201: Bessie Bell and Mary Gray (Bessy Bell and Mary Gray)
#208: Derwentwater's Farewell (Lord Derwentwater)
#209: Geordie
#210: Bonnie George Campbell (Bonnie James Campbell)
#214: The Braes of Yarrow
#215: Rare Willie* (Rare Willie Drowned in Yarrow, or, The Water o Gamrie)
#217: The Broom of Cowdenknows
#226: Leezie Lindsay
#227: Bonnie Lizzie Baillie (Bonny Lizie Baillie)
#232: Huntingtower (Variant of Richie Story)
#238: Glenlogie (Glenlogie or, Jean o Bethalnie)
#243: House Carpenter (James Harris, or the Demon Lover)
#250: Henry Martin

Volume V: 266-305

#277: Ruggleton's Daughter of Iero (The Wife Wrapt in Wether's Skin)
#278: The Farmer's Curst Wife*
#278: Kellyburnbraes* (Variant of The Farmer's Curst Wife)
#279: The Gaberlunzie Man* (Variant of The Jolly Beggar)
#283: The Lincolnshire Farmer*
#285: The Coasts of High Barbary (The George Aloe and the Sweepstake)*
#286: Golden Vanity (The Sweet Trinity)*
#287: Ward the Pirate (Captain Ward, Captain Ward and the Rainbow)
#289: The Mermaid
#293: Jock O'Hazeldean (John of Hazelgreen)
#299: The Trooper and the Maid (Trooper and Maid)

Child Ballad Links

Francis James Child
Francis James Child
The Child Ballads
Early Child Ballads
Child Ballad Database
List of Other Contemplator History and Information Pages

Folk Music Links

I am in the process of a long overdue update of these pages. It's quite a challenge and I have no idea how long it will take! While I'm in the process, you may find a lot of broken links.

Folk Music Resources

Because of the many requests I receive for information on songbooks and other resources I have become an Amazon Associate (that's the book store type Amazon...) For resources click below to check out

[Introduction] [Popular Songs in American History] [Songs of the Sea]
[Turlough O'Carolan] [Taylor's Traditional Tunebook]
[Contemplator's Short History Pages] [Contemplator's Folk Microencyclopedia]

This page was created March 7, 1999

Francis J. Child Ballads

Biography, Lyrics, Tunes and Historical Information