Sheepcrook and Black Dog

DESCRIPTION: The singer asks the girl to marry him. She says she is too young; she will work for a fine lady for a time. Later she writes to him to say that she is happy where she is and does not wish to wed a shepherd. He abandons his work and its tools
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1775 (broadside, "The Constant Shepherd and the Unconstant Shepherdess")
KEYWORDS: love betrayal work servant shepherd youth
FOUND IN: Ireland Britain(England(South)) Canada(Mar,Newf,Ont) US(Ap)
REFERENCES (10 citations):
Gardham-EarliestVersions, "SHEEPCROOK AND BLACK DOG"
Broadwood/Maitland-EnglishCountySongs, pp. 128-129, "Sheepcrook and Black Dog" (1 text, 1 tune)
Henry/Huntingdon/Herrmann-SamHenrysSongsOfThePeople H30a, p. 390, "My Flora and I" (1 text, 1 tune)
MacColl/Seeger-TravellersSongsFromEnglandAndScotland 70, "Sheep-Crook and Black Dog" (1 text, 1 tune)
Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Gl 98, "Sheep Crook and Black Dog" ; Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Ox 303, "Sheep Crook and Black Dog" (2 texts)
Palmer-EnglishCountrySongbook, #83, "Sheepcrook and Black Dog" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 480-481, "My Flora and Me" (1 text plus an excerpt, 2 tunes)
Karpeles-FolkSongsFromNewfoundland 58, "Floro" (1 text, 3 tunes)
Creighton-MaritimeFolkSongs, p. 82, "The Young Shepherd" (1 text, 1 tune)
Wolfe/Boswell-FolkSongsOfMiddleTennessee 76, pp. 123-124, "My Pretty Flora" (1 text, 1 tune, with this plot although no references to black dogs or sheepcrooks)
Roud #948
RECORDINGS:
Nick Davis, "Young Flora" (on MUNFLA/Leach)
Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, "Sheepcrook and Black Dog" (on ENMacCollSeeger02)
Mike Kent, "Nightingale" (on MUNFLA/Leach)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Fine Laurel
The Unkind Shepherdess
File: HHH030a

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