Francis J. Child
Ballads

Biography, Lyrics, Tunes
and Historical Information

The background music is
Henry Martin (Child Ballad #250)
Sequenced by Lesley Nelson-Burns

This page was created March 7, 1999

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 (*).
If you wish to use any of these tunes in an archive or on a webpage READ THIS.

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)

Folk Music 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

The Contemplator's Folk Music and Carolan Resource Center!

[Introduction] [Use of Tunes]
[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]
[Resource Center] [Links] [Webrings]

Francis J. Child Ballads

Biography, Lyrics, Tunes and Historical Information