Rothiemay

DESCRIPTION: The singer praises "bonnie Rothiemay" on the banks of the Deveron. He tells about the seasons' effects, Milltown, the churchyard and other landmarks including the "Hoose" that "shelter lent" Mary, Queen of Scots. He recalls growing up in Rothiemay.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1909 (Greig/Duncan3)
KEYWORDS: pride nonballad home
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Greig/Duncan3 518, "Rothiemay" (1 text)
Roud #6002
NOTES [194 words]: Mary, Queen of Scots, visited Rothiemay Castle in 1562 (source: "Mary's Progresses" at Marie Stuart Society site).
Milltown of Rothiemay is about 40 miles northwest of Aberdeen. - BS
Mary's visit to Rothiemay took place on the night of 4 September, according to Rothiemay's web site (http://tinyurl.com/tbdx-Rothiemay). The date is interesting. According to Magnus Magnusson, Scotland: The Story of a Nation, Atlantic Monthly Press, 2000, p. 347, "In the summer of 1562 Mary went with Lord James Stewart on a campaign against the most powerful Catholic family in Scotland, the Gordons of Huntly; George Gordon, the fourth Earl of Huntley (the 'Cock of the North,' as he was called) and one-time Chancellor of Scotland, died of apoplexy after being captured in a skirmish in October."
George Gordon, it has been suggested, was the hero of "Geordie" [Child 209].
The events in "The Fire of Frendraught" [Child 196] also involved the lord of Rothiemay.
At least one of the landmarks in the song, the castle of Rothiemay, was demolished in 1963. But it appears, from the town web site, that they are still proud of their history. And there were many mills there. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: GrD3518

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