Tom Potts [Child 109]

DESCRIPTION: A high-born lady loves Tom Potts, a serving man. She refuses Lord Phoenix's offer of marriage but her father overrides her. She sends word to Tom, who, aided by his master, challenges Phoenix. After several forms of contest he wins her.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1657 (broadside, according to Child)
KEYWORDS: nobility servant courting contest father
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Child 109, "Tom Potts" (3 texts)
Hales/Furnival-BishopPercysFolioManuscript, volume III, pp. 135-150, "Thomas of Potte" (1 text)
Olson-BroadsideBalladIndex, ZN3263, "All you lords of Scotland fair"
ADDITIONAL: Joseph Ritson, _Pieces of Ancient Popular Poetry_, second edition, William Pickering, 1833, pp. 133-155, "The Lovers Quarrel: or, Cupids Triumph" (1 text)
MANUSCRIPT: {MSPercyFolio}, The Percy Folio, London, British Library, MS. Additional 27879, page 409
Roud #66
NOTES [106 words]: In addition to the broadside cited by Child, the Stationer's Register for March 1, 1675 mentions a piece, "Tommy Potts" (see Hyder E. Rollins, An Analytical Index to the Ballad-Entries (1557-1709) In the Register of the Company of Stationers of London, 1924 (I use the 1967 Tradition Press reprint with a new Foreword by Leslie Shepard), p. 231, #2666), though there is no way to know if it's related.
Rollins also claims that his #2757 (p. 238), "The two constant lovers in Scotland, or, a patterne of true love between an Earles daughter in Scotland, & a poore sservingman, &c," registered May 11, 1657 by Thomas Broad, is this. - RBW
Last updated in version 5.3
File: C109

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