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The Young Tradition: Betsy the Serving Maid
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The Grazier's Daughter
Betsy the Servant/Serving Maid / The Grazier's Daughter
[
Roud 156
; Laws M20
; G/D 6:1094
; Ballad Index LM20
; Bodleian
Roud 156
; trad.]
Harry Cox sang Betsy the Servant Maid in a recording made by Mervyn Plunkett in September 1958. This was published on his Topic anthology The Bonny Labouring Boy. Paul Marsh commented in the liner notes:
When Harry sang this for Charles Parker in 1963 he said: “That's my old grandfather's song. Yes, that been sung about here, well, that's over two hundred years ago… There's a lot of people ain't heard that. Unless people have got it from me or round about, I bet you won't find one in a day's march will know it… Where he got it from God above know! My grandfather he knew hundreds of songs, he did; he knew a lot. Where they came from, God above know where they came from. That's how that came into the family.”
and Steve Roud commented in the liner notes:
One of Harry's favourite songs, with a strong narrative line on the perennial theme of parental opposition to young lovers' choices (see also Bonny Labouring Boy). The song has been collected a few times in Britain, but more commonly in North America, and a handful of known broadside printings suggest an early 19th century provenance. Nevertheless, two 17th century broadsides in the Pepys collection, entitled Love Overthrown: The Young Man's Misery and the Maids Ruine tell the same story, occasionally in the same words, and it seems likely that the later song stems directly from a re-written version of the older broadside.
Peter Bellamy sang Betsy the Serving Maid on the Young Tradition's eponymous first album in 1966, The Young Tradition. The album sleeve notes commented:
A fine ballad, almost certainly of broadside origin, and therefore very widespread, versions differing very little from that used here having been collected in East Anglia, Dorset, Hampshire and as far afield as Massachusetts. The tune used here is derived from that sung by Harry Cox from whom Peter learned the song, but 'derived' is the word as he seems to have altered it a lot, not altogether intentionally. Harry's tune is thought by Lloyd to be a poor relation of that collected in Suffolk by Moeran to The Isle of Cloy. Harry claims that Betsy has been sung in his family for at least two hundred years.
Isabel Sutherland sang this song as The Betrayed Daughter in 1966 on her Topic album Vagrant Songs of Scotland. She commented in her sleeve notes:
This song I learned from the singing of Ewan MacColl who had it from his mother Betsy Miller of Auchterarder. A young girl comes to the north to take domestic work and earns her mistress's disfavour by falling in love with her son.
Sam Richards sang Betsy the Servingmaid in 1977 on his and Tish Stubbs' Saydisc album Invitation to North America. They noted:
“I known people be sent off to America when they’d been a-getting too thick. I know’d things to happen like that in my time, where they thinks she weren’t good, enough for him. Cleared her out—that’s almost like in the slave times.” This was Norfolk folk singer Harry Cox’s comment on the tragic song of Betsy and the squire’s son. And how right he was, for the song indeed relates to slave times. Early printed versions make it plain that innocent Betsy is sent to Virginia as a slave, and it’s only more recent versions that make ‘Virginia’ into ‘Amerikee’. This folk song classic is of some age. It originated in England and has remained popular with English singers although it also has some considerable currency in North America. Indeed, it was circulating around Massachusetts in the 17th century for certain. The version here is mainly based on that noted from Robert Barratt of Dorset at the beginning of the 20th century. His melody is of rare quality.
June Tabor sang this ballad as The Grazier's Daughter in 1988 on her CD Aqaba. Martin Simpson, who played on June's album too, recorded Betsy the Serving Maid in 2001 for his Topic CD The Bramble Briar. The album sleeve notes commented:
Peter Bellamy has been a great influence on me over the years, and I learned three of these songs from his performances. Betsy the Serving Maid, which Peter learned from Harry Cox of Catfield, Norfolk, appeared as a solo rendition on a Young Tradition record. The timing variations insisted upon by the lyrics made arranging this for guitar a real joy. The song pre-dates the nasty business with the loss of American colonies, after which England was forced to invent Australia.
Faustus sang this song as The Betrayed Maiden in 2008 on their eponymous CD Faustus.
Mossy Christian sang The Thresher's Daughter on his 2020 CD Come Nobles and Heroes. He noted:
Norfolk farmworker Harry Cox sang this as Betsy the [Servant] Maid to Mervyn Plunkett in 1958.
Lyrics
Harry Cox sings Betsy the Servant Maid | Peter Bellamy sing Betsy the Serving Maid |
---|---|
A thresher's daughter living near |
A thresher's daughter living near |
She went till she came to a squire's hall, |
So she went till she came to some squire's hall, |
The squire having one only son, |
Now the squire had one only son, |
On Sunday evenings he took his time |
So one Sunday evening he took his time |
Now the old woman hearing her son say so, |
But the old woman hearing him say so, |
On Monday morning madam arose, |
So next Monday morning the old woman arose, |
They went till they came to a seaport town, |
So they went till they came to some seaport town, |
A few days the woman returned, |
And a few days the old woman come home, |
“Oh son, oh son, on son,” said she, |
“Oh son, oh son, on son,” said she, |
A few days later the son fell sick, |
But a few days later this boy fell sick, |
Now the old woman seeing her son laid dead, |
And when she see her son all lying dead, So you cruel parents listen to me, |
June Tabor sings The Grazier's Daughter | |
Oh the grazier's daughter living near Her master having but one son, One Sunday evening he stole her thyme His mother then bein' standing nigh Sayin',“Rise up, rise up, my fair Betsy And as they were crossing o'er the plain Then a few days after the mother returned “Oh son, oh son, I plainly see In a few days after the son lies sick And in a few days after the son lies dead; Oh the grazier's daughter living near |