To Daunton Me (II)

DESCRIPTION: "D'ye ken the thing that wad daunton me? Eighty-eight and eighty-nine, And a'the dreary years sinsyne" The singer wants "banishment to a' the Whigs," the return of King James to Edinburgh, and "the usurper forc'd to flee"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1821 (Hogg-JacobiteRelicsOfScotlandVol2)
KEYWORDS: nonballad Jacobites political
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Hogg-JacobiteRelicsOfScotlandVol2 46, "To Daunton Me" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #6826
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "To Daunton Me (I)" (tune, pattern) and discussion there
cf. "To Daunton Me (III)" (tune, pattern)
NOTES [115 words]: William of Orange came to England in 1688 and formally became William III of England and William II of Scotland in 1689. - BS
The dating of this depends very much on the meaning of the word "return." Does the author mean that he wants King James II and VIII to come *back* to Edinburgh, where he was once King? In that case, it must be from before 1701, when James II died. Or does the author merely want the Stuarts back, in which case the Old Pretender, James III and VIII could be meant, and the song could come from almost any time.
For background on the Glorious Revolution of 1688-1689, see e.g. the notes to "The Vicar of Bray"; for the aftermath, see "The Battle of the Boyne (I)." - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: Hogg2046

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography