Rich Old Miser, A [Laws Q7]

DESCRIPTION: The singer has been courted by "a rich old miser" nearly four times her age. She marries him, but he becomes jealous without cause (and beat her). At last she retaliates by breaking a ladle over his head, teaching him to be civil
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1923 (Williams-FolkSongsOfTheUpperThames)
KEYWORDS: marriage age abuse punishment
FOUND IN: Britain(England(South)) US(MW,NE,Ro) Ireland
REFERENCES (7 citations):
Laws Q7, "A Rich Old Miser"
Williams-FolkSongsOfTheUpperThames, p. 304, "The Miser" (1 fragment) (also Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Mi 545)
Linscott-FolkSongsOfOldNewEngland, pp. 227-229, "The Ladle Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Warner-TraditionalAmericanFolkSongsFromAnneAndFrankWarnerColl 46, "The Battle with the Ladle" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gardner/Chickering-BalladsAndSongsOfSouthernMichigan 175, "A Rich Old Miser" (1 text plus an excerpt, 1 tune)
Hubbard-BalladsAndSongsFromUtah, #129, "The Ladle Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 521, LADLESNG
Roud #1004
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "In Duckworth Street There Lived a Dame" (theme of being hit over the head with cookware)
File: LQ07

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