Bed-Making, The

DESCRIPTION: The girl is sent into service "when I was young." Her master becomes enamored of her. The mistress catches him with her, and throws the girl out. At last she bears a son, and brings him back to the father, blaming it all on "the bed-making."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1930 (Ord-BothySongsAndBallads)
KEYWORDS: servant sex pregnancy bastard begging hardtimes
FOUND IN: Britain(England(South),Scotland)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Gardham-EarliestVersions, "BEDMAKING, THE"
Ord-BothySongsAndBallads, p. 199, "My Mither She Feed Me" (1 short text)
Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Mi 530, "Bedmaking" (1 text)
DT, BEDMAKIN
Roud #1631
ALTERNATE TITLES:
My Old Father Was a Good Old Man
My Mother Sent Me to Service
The Bedmaking
NOTES [55 words]: Roud splits off Ord-BothySongsAndBallads's text, "My Mither She Feed Me," as a separate item, #3796. But Ord's text, while only a fragment, contains all the characteristics, and many of the words, of this piece (or at least its first portion). I can't see splitting them unless a fuller version of Ord's song is forthcoming. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.8
File: Ord199

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