Death of Parcy Reed, The [Child 193]

DESCRIPTION: Parcy Reed captures the raider Crosier. Crosier plans vengeance. When Reed goes hunting, the Halls find him asleep, disable his weapons, then awaken him but refuse to stand with him against the Crosiers. Reed is fatally injures. (He makes his farewells)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1846 (Richardson's Border's Table Book; Dixon-AncientPoemsBalladsSongsOfThePeasantryOfEngland)
KEYWORDS: homicide revenge trick betrayal outlaw borderballad
FOUND IN: Britain(England(North))
REFERENCES (10 citations):
Child 193, "The Death of Parcy Reed" (2 texts)
Bronson 193, "The Death of Parcy Reed" (1 version)
Bronson-SingingTraditionOfChildsPopularBallads 193, "The Death of Parcy Reed" (1 version)
Dixon-AncientPoemsBalladsSongsOfThePeasantryOfEngland, Ballad #10, pp. 99-106,243, "The Death of Parcy Reed" (1 text)
Bell-Combined-EarlyBallads-CustomsBalladsSongsPeasantryEngland, pp. 161-167, "The Death of Pary Reed" (1 text)
Stokoe/Reay-SongsAndBalladsOfNorthernEngland, pp. 49-51, "The Death of Parcy Reed" (1 text, 1 tune) {theoretically Bronson's #1, but in fact the two have substantial differences}
Leach-TheBalladBook, pp. 522-528, "The Death of Parcy Reed" (2 texts)
Quiller-Couch-OxfordBookOfBallads 146, "The Death of Parcy Reed" (1 text)
DT, PRCYREED*
ADDITIONAL: Michael Brander, _Scottish and Border Battles and Ballads_, 1975 (page references to the 1993 Barnes & Noble edition), pp. 103-105, "The Death of Parcy Reed" (1 text); pp. 258-263 (1 text)

Roud #335
NOTES [58 words]: For an extensive discussion of the origin of this battle (which does not appear to be about an actual person, athough sources such as Bell claim it is), see James Reed, "The Border Ballads," in Edward J. Cowan, editor, The People's Past: Scottish Folk, Scottish History 1980 (I use the 1993 Polygon paperback edition), especially pp. 17-20. - RBW
Last updated in version 4.1
File: C193

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