Willie and Mary (Mary and Willie; Little Mary; The Sailor's Bride) [Laws N28]

DESCRIPTION: A beggar comes to Mary's door three years after Willie went to sea. He tells a fortune: Willie is shipwrecked and poor, and will never return to Mary. She says she will take him in any state. The beggar reveals himself as Willie, rich and ready to marry
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1845 (Journal from the Elizabeth)
KEYWORDS: love courting separation marriage disguise prophecy begging
FOUND IN: US(Ap,MW,NE,SE,So) Britain(England(South,West),Scotland(Aber)) Ireland Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (20 citations):
Laws N28, "Willie and Mary (Mary and Willie; Little Mary; The Sailor's Bride)"
Gardham-EarliestVersions, "WILLIAM AND MARY"
Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Gl 100, "William and Mary" (1 text)
Roud/Bishop-NewPenguinBookOfEnglishFolkSongs #74, "William and Mary" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greig/Duncan5 1035, "Willie and Mary Stood by the Seaside" (1 text)
Belden-BalladsSongsCollectedByMissourFolkloreSociety, pp. 152-153, "Mary and Willie" (1 text plus reference to 1 more)
Randolph 57, "Mary and Willie" (2 text plus a fragment, 1 tune)
Hudson-FolksongsOfMississippi 39, pp. 153-164, "Mary and Willie" (1 text)
Brewster-BalladsAndSongsOfIndiana 95, "Willie and Mary" (1 fragment, likely this though it could be any of several disguised-lover songs)
Peters-FolkSongsOutOfWisconsin, pp. 141-142, "Willie and Mary" (1 text, 1 tune)
Flanders/Brown-VermontFolkSongsAndBallads, pp. 150-151, "The Single Sailor" (1 text)
Flanders/Ballard/Brown/Barry-NewGreenMountainSongster, pp. 15-27, "Mary and Willie" (1 text)
Lane/Gosbee-SongsOfShipsAndSailors, p. 248, "Mary & Willie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Burton-TennesseeTraditionalSingers, pp. 138-139, "As Willie and Mary Strolled by the Seashore" (1 text, 1 tune)
McNeil-SouthernFolkBalladsVol1, pp. 78-79, "Little Willie and Mary" (1 text, 1 tune)
Henry/Huntingdon/Herrmann-SamHenrysSongsOfThePeople H118, pp. 315-316, "Mary and Willie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Pound-AmericanBalladsAndSongs, 93, pp. 200-202, "Mary and Willie" (1 text)
Peacock, pp. 348-349, "William and Mary" (1 text, 1 tune)
Huntington-SongsTheWhalemenSang, pp. 116-117, "The Beggarman" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 457, WILLMARY*
Roud #348
RECORDINGS:
Mrs. McCarthy, "The Beggar" (on MUNFLA/Leach)
Sam McGee, "As Willie and Mary Strolled by the Seashore" (Vocalion 5310, rec. July 25 1928)
Marc Williams, "William and Mary" (Brunswick 274, 1928)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "John (George) Riley (I)" [Laws N36] and references there
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Little Willie
William and Mary
Little Mary, the Sailor's Bride
File: LN28

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