Fair Margaret and Sweet William [Child 74]

DESCRIPTION: Margaret learns that her lover is to be wed. After the wedding, she (or her ghost) visits the wedding chamber and asks the husband if he is happy with his wife. He says that he would prefer her. But when he calls at Margaret's home, she is dead
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1765 (Percy); c.1720 (broadside, Bodleian Douce Ballads 1(72a))
KEYWORDS: marriage questions death ghost
FOUND IN: Britain(England,Scotland(Aber,Bord)) US(Ap,MA,MW,NE,SE,So) Canada(Mar,Newf,Ont)
REFERENCES (58 citations):
Child 74, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (3 texts)
Bronson 74, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (79 versions, 4 of which are in one or another appendix, presumably because of the commonplace title and lack of text)
Bronson-SingingTraditionOfChildsPopularBallads 74, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (5 versions: #1, #11, #47, #64, #68)
Gardham-EarliestVersions, "FAIR MARGARET AND SWEET WILLIAM"
Ritson-AncientSongsBalladsFromHenrySecondToTheRevolution, pp. 228-231, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text)
Lyle-Andrew-CrawfurdsCollectionVolume2 93, "Lord Thomas and Ladie Margaret" (1 text)
Chambers-ScottishBallads, pp. 246-249, "Fair Margaret and Sweit William" (sic.) (1 text)
Barry/Eckstorm/Smyth-BritishBalladsFromMaine pp. 134-139, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (2 texts, 1 tune) {Bronson's #31}
Percy/Wheatley-ReliquesOfAncientEnglishPoetry III, pp. 124-127, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text); cf. pp. 308-312, "Margaret's Ghost" (a rewritten version, possibly by the eighteenth century poet David Mallet)
Rimbault-Musical IllustrationsOfBishopPercysReliques LXXII, pp. 117-118, "Margaret's Ghost" (2 partial texts, 2 tunes)
Belden-BalladsSongsCollectedByMissourFolkloreSociety, pp. 48-52, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William (4 texts)
Randolph 16, "Lady Margaret" (2 texts plus 2 fragments, 3 tunes) {A=Bronson's #43, C=#20, but very possibly not this song, D=#44}
Abrahams/Riddle-ASingerAndHerSongs, pp. 138-141, "Lady Margaret and Lord William" (1 text, 1 tune)
Moore/Moore-BalladsAndFolkSongsOfTheSouthwest 19A, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William"; 19B, "Sweet William and Lady Marget" (1 text plus 1 fragment, 2 tunes)
Eddy-BalladsAndSongsFromOhio 12, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (2 texts, 1 tune) {Bronson's #25}
Gardner/Chickering-BalladsAndSongsOfSouthernMichigan 5, "Sweet William and Lady Margaret" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #58}
Neely/Spargo-TalesAndSongsOfSouthernIllinois, pp. 141-142, "William and Margaret" (1 text, 1 tune)
Sackett/Koch-KansasFolklore, pp. 162-165, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text, 1 tune, the latter varying greatly from verse to verse)
Flanders/Brown-VermontFolkSongsAndBallads, pp. 213-214, "Lady Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text)
Flanders/Olney-BalladsMigrantInNewEngland, pp. 80-85, "Prince William and Lady Margaret"/"Lady Margaret and King William" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Flanders-AncientBalladsTraditionallySungInNewEngland2, pp. 122-147, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (7 texts plys 2 fragments, 5 tunes)
Davis-TraditionalBalladsOfVirginia 19, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (12 texts plus 3 fragments, of which the "I" and "O" fragments might not be this song; 8 tunes entitled "Sweet William and Lady Margaret," "Lady Marget," "Fair Margaret and Sweet William," Lady Margaret," "Lady Margaret and Sweet William"; 13 more versions mentioned in Appendix A) {Bronson's #30, #51, #50, #59, #14, with alterations, #55, #23, #39}
Davis-MoreTraditionalBalladsOfVirginia 19, pp. 138-145, "Fair Margaret and Sweet Williams" (3 texts, 2 tunes)
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore2 20, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (4 texts plus 2 excerpts and mention of 1 more)
Brown/Schinhan-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore4 20, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (5 excerpts, 5 tunes)
Chappell-FolkSongsOfRoanokeAndTheAlbermarle 10, "False William" (1 text)
Lunsford/Stringfield-30And1FolkSongsFromSouthernMountains, pp. 2-3, "Little Marget (Sweet William)" (1 text, 1 tune)
Jones-MinstrelOfTheAppalachians-Bascom-Lamar-Lunsford, pp. 194-195, "Little Marget (Sweet William and Lady Margaret)" (1 text, 1 tune) {same source as Bronson's #69, but the transcriptions are quite different; this version even has an extra verse}
Hudson-FolksongsOfMississippi 11, pp. 87-90, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (2 texts)
Scarborough-ASongCatcherInSouthernMountains, pp. 103-105, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text, properly titled "Lady Margaret," plus a quotation; tune on p. 390)
Brewster-BalladsAndSongsOfIndiana 11, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (4 texts plus a fragment, the latter short enough that it might be from something else; 1 tune) {Bronson's #13}
Ritchie-FolkSongsOfTheSouthernAppalachians, pp. 12-13, "Sweet William and Lady Margaret" (1 text, 1 tune)
Sharp-EnglishFolkSongsFromSouthernAppalachians 20 "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (8 texts plus 9 fragments, 17 tunes){Bronson's #33, #73, #24, #35, #34, #14, #59, #15, #62, #52, #12, #67, #42, #41, #70, #47, #74}
Sharp/Karpeles-EightyEnglishFolkSongs 16, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text, 1 tune, composite and abridged) {Bronson's #67}
Karpeles-TheCrystalSpring 23, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #49}
Karpeles-FolkSongsFromNewfoundland 8, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text, 3 tunes) {Bronson's #68}
Peacock, pp. 383-384, "Fair Marjorie's Ghost" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie-BalladsAndSeaSongsFromNovaScotia 7, "William and Margaret" (1 text)
Leach-TheBalladBook, pp. 247-250, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (2 texts)
Wyman/Brockway-LonesomeSongs-KentuckyMountains-Vol1, p. 94, "Sweet William and Lady Margery" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #9}
McNeil-SouthernFolkBalladsVol2, pp. 139-142, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text, 1 tune)
Quiller-Couch-OxfordBookOfBallads 62, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text)
Friedman-Viking/PenguinBookOfFolkBallads, p. 52, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William (1 text+1 fragment)
Niles-BalladBookOfJohnJacobNiles 29, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Gummere-OldEnglishBallads, pp. 200-202+348, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text)
Chappell-PopularMusicOfTheOldenTime, pp. 382-384, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #78}
Chappell/Wooldridge-OldEnglishPopularMusic II, pp. 131-132, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text, perhaps abridged, 1 tune) {Bronson's #78}
Abrahams/Foss-AngloAmericanFolksongStyle, p. 180, "(Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 tune, with no source listed; partial text)
Pound-AmericanBalladsAndSongs, 16, pp. 40-43, "Sweet William" (1 text)
Cox-FolkSongsSouth 11, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (7 texts, 2 tunes) {Bronson's #10, #26}
Bush-FSofCentralWestVirginiaVol5, pp. 82-85, "Sweet William and Lady Margaret" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gainer-FolkSongsFromTheWestVirginiaHills, pp. 42-44, "Fair Margaret and Sweet Williams (1 text, 1 tune)
Roberts/Agey-InThePine #16, "Sweet William" (1 text, 1 tune)
Whitelaw-BookOfScottishBallads, pp. 77-78, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text)
Morgan-MedievalBallads-ChivalryRomanceAndEverydayLife, pp. 47-50, "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (1 text)
Silber/Silber-FolksingersWordbook, p. 220, "Lady Margaret" (1 text)
DT 74, LADYMARG LADYMAR2*
ADDITIONAL: John Ashton, _A Century of Ballads_, Elliot Stock, London, 1887; reprinted 1968 by Singing Tree Press, pp. 345-347, "Fair Margaret's Misfortunes or Sweet William's Dream on his Wedding Night" (1 text)
Roud #253
RECORDINGS:
Acie Cargill, Debra Cowan, and Kristina Olsen, "Sweet William and Lady Margaret" (on HCargillFamily)
Daw Henson, "Lady Margaret and Sweet William" (AFS, 1937; on KMM)
Martin Howley, "The Old Armchair" (on IRClare01); "Knight William" (on IREarlyBallads)
Bascom Lamar Lunsford, "Little Marget" (on BLLunsford02) {cf. Bronson's #69}
Jean Ritchie, "Sweet William and Lady Margaret" (on JRitchie02)
Pete Seeger, "Little Margaret" (on BroonzySeeger1); Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (on PeteSeeger16)
Mrs Clara Stevens, "Fair Marjorie's Ghost" (on PeacockCDROM) [one verse only]
Art Thieme, "Fair Margaret & Sweet William" (on Thieme06)
Miriam "Mimi" Wright, "Lady Margaret" (Fragment: Piotr-Archive #353, recorded 11/09/2022)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Douce Ballads 1(72a), "Fair Margaret's Misfortune" or "Sweet William's Frightful Dreams on His Wedding Night: With the Sudden Death and Burial of Those Noble Lovers," S. Bates (London), c.1720; also Douce Ballads 3(27a), "Fair Margaret's Misfortunes" or "Sweet William's Dream on his Wedding Night, With the Sudden Death and Burial of Those Noble Lovers"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "William and Margaret" (one verse and theme: jilted lover's ghost visits ex-lover) and references there
cf. "Colin and Lucy" (theme)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Lady Margot and Sweet Willie
Lady Maggie
Lyddy Margot
'Twas at the Silent Midnight Hour
NOTES [544 words]: A fragment of this ballad is found in Francis Beaumont's 1611 play (sometimes listed as by Beaumont and Fletcher) "The Knight of the Burning Pestle," Act II, sung by Old Merrythought, who sings most of the traditional tunes:
When it was grown to dark midnight
And all were fast asleep,
In came Margaret's grimly ghost
And stood at William's feet.
(KnightOfBurningPestle/Hattaway, Act II, lines 431-434, p. 53; KnightOfBurningPestle/Zitner, Act II, lines 438-441, p. 99, with possible tune on pp. 176-177; Wine, Act II, scene vii, lines 1-4, p. 333).
Some have suggested that two other lines from the play should also be associated with this song:
You are no love for me, Marg'ret,
I am no love for you.
(KnightOfBurningPestle/Hattaway, Act III, lines 563-564, p. 82; KnightOfBurningPestle/Zitner, Act III, lines 569-570, p. 126; Wine, Act III, scene v, lines 96-97, p. 354. For more on "The Knight of the Burning Pestle," see the notes to "Three Merry Men"). I would note, however, that Old Merrythought rarely repeats a song. The connection is possible but tenuous.
Child and Bronson both have cutting remarks about the history of this song, which was rewritten "in what used to be called an elegant style" by David Malloch/Mallet, while "a print of c. 1711 was probably occasioned by someone's invention of a fresh tune, not the least folkish in character." (This is the basis of Bronson's "A" group of tunes.)
Grieg/Keith see this as much the same ballad as Child #73, and Bronson sees similarities in the tunes, but concludes that the melodies, like the texts, justify separating them. (Note that "Fair Margaret" is *not* a murder ballad!) - RBW
See a parody attributed to David Mallet: broadside Bodleian, Firth b.22(f. 79), "William and Margaret" ("'Twas at the silent solemn hour"), S. Watts (London), 1785; also Harding B 5(58), "A Lamentable Ballad" or "The Tragical End of William and Margaret" ("When all was wrap'd in dark midnight"); Harding B 5(57), "William and Margaret." [This is Roud's #8225, and is found in Chambers-ScottishBallads, pp. 249-251 and elsewhere. - RBW]
Bodleian 1785 broadside Firth b.22(f. 79) which claims to be "Mallet's William and Margaret, in Dr Piercy's Collection of old Ballads" is a joke. It is in fact a line for line parody of the poem attributed to Mallet as printed by Percy (see Thomas Percy, Reliques of Ancient English Poetry (London, 1765 ("Digitized by Google")), Vol. III, Ancient Songs and Ballads, Series 3 Book 3 # 15, pp. 310-313, "Margaret's Ghost" (1 text)).
Mallet's "William and Margaret" itself was not considered a "parody" of Child 74 in any sense. Percy calls "William and Margaret" or "Margaret's Ghost", "one of the most beautiful ballads in our own or any language" and "the elegant production of David Mallet" (source: Thomas Percy, Reliques of Ancient English Poetry (London, 1765 ("Digitized by Google")), Vol. III, pp. 121, 310-313). Wheatley quotes Ritson: "It may be questioned whether any English writer has produced so fine a ballad as 'William and Margaret.'" (source: Thomas Percy, Henry B. Wheatley, editor, , Reliques of Ancient English Poetry (London, 1877 ("Digitized by Google")), Vol. III, p. 309). See the ballad indexed here as "William and Margaret" for more information. - BS
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