Francis J. Child
Ballads
Biography, Lyrics, Tunes
and Historical Information
Play Background Music 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:
- I have marked ballads with links to the text of variants in The English and Scottish Popular Ballads with an asterisk (*).
- #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*
- #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)
- #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)
- #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
- #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)
- Francis James Child
- Francis James Child
- The Child Ballads
- Early Child Ballads
- Child Ballad Database
- List of Other Contemplator History and Information Pages
Child Ballads
Volume I: 1-53
Volume II: 54-113
Volume III: 114-188
Volume IV: 189-265
Volume V: 266-305
Child Ballad Links
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
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
[Main Folk Music Page]
[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