Tinkler's Waddin, The (The Tinker's Wedding)

DESCRIPTION: Amid drink and celebration, bridegroom Norman Scott is wed for the fourth time (no mention of divorce or widowerhood), to fortune-teller Meg McNeil; a cheerful brawl ensues
AUTHOR: William Watt
EARLIEST DATE: 1904 (Ford); reportedly published 1835
KEYWORDS: marriage wedding fight drink party humorous tinker Gypsy brawl
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber,Bord))
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Ford-VagabondSongsAndBalladsOfScotland, pp. 1-4, "The Tinkler's Waddin'" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greig-FolkSongInBuchan-FolkSongOfTheNorthEast #102, pp. 1-2, "The Tinkler's Waddin'" (1 text)
Greig/Duncan3 609, "The Tinkers' Weddin'" (1 text fragment, 2 tunes)
McMorland/Scott-HerdLaddieOTheGlen, pp. 52-53, 150, "Tinker's Waddin" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #5408
RECORDINGS:
Willie Kemp and Curly MacKay, "The Tinklers' Wedding" (on Voice13)
Jimmy Scott, "The Tinker's Weddin'" (on Borders1)
John Strachan, "The Tinkler's Waddin" (on Lomax43, LomaxCD1743)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Firth b.27(397/398), "The Tinkler's Wedding" ("In June when broom in bloom was seen"), unknown, n.d.
NLScotland, L.C.Fol.70(141b), "The Tinker's Wedding," unknown, c. 1840-1860; also L.C.Fol.70(141)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Rothesay-O" (tune)
NOTES [133 words]: The work "tinker" in Britain is applied both to workers in tin (i.e., menders of pots and kettles) and "travellers," or Gypsies. In many songs, including this, it's ambiguous which is meant -- but since many or most of the travelling tinkers *were* Gypsies, it barely matters. - PJS
According to Kennedy, William Watt was born in 1792, and also wrote "Kate Dalrymple," as well as a version of "The Peddlar." The tune used is reportedly identical to "Rothesay-O," though it is not entirely clear which came first. - RBW
Greig/Duncan3: "Greig gives the text [which Greig/Duncan3 does not include] in Ob. [i.e., Greig] as it appears in Ford." Greig #102 commentary does not say that and there are minor spelling and punctuation differences between Greig #102 and Ford (at least in Ford's 1899 series). - BS
Last updated in version 3.2
File: RcTTWttw

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