Lothian Hairst, The

DESCRIPTION: "On August twelfth from Aberdeen We sailed upon the Prince... Our harvest to commence." The crew works in Lothian for William Mathieson and his foreman Logan. They find no chance for sport under Logan, and happily depart when the harvest is done
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1904 (Greig/Duncan3)
KEYWORDS: farming work hardtimes
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Bord))
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Greig-FolkSongInBuchan-FolkSongOfTheNorthEast #3, p. 3, "The Lothian Hairst" (1 text)
Greig/Duncan3 404, "The Lothian Hairst" (9 texts, 6 tunes)
Ord-BothySongsAndBallads, p. 264, "The Lothian Hairst" (1 text)
DT, LOTHARST*
ADDITIONAL: Hamish Henderson (edited by Alec Finlay), _Alias MacAlias: Writings on Songs, Folk and Literature_, 1992; second edition, Polygon, 2004, p. 33, "The Lothian Hairst" (1 text)
Roud #2165
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, RB.m.143(122), "The Lothian Hairst," Poet's Box (Dundee), c. 1890
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Louden Hairst
NOTES [160 words]: Greig/Duncan3: "This is a real bothy song, and is said to have been written about sixty years ago by a Highland lassie, one of a band of Deeside harvesters to the Lothians...." quoting Ord, "Byways of Scottish Song" in The Weekly Welcome, 1907. - BS
Hamish Henderson (edited by Alec Finlay), Alias MacAlias: Writings on Songs, Folk and Literature, 1992; second edition, Polygon, 2004, in the article "The Underground of Song," pp. 32-33, tells of being in what had been until then a disappointing a song circle "till an elderly man sitting quietly in the corner was asked to give a song.... After a moment's hesitation the miner he had called on rose to his feet, and the next instant I realized I was listening to a real folk-singer.... A few days later I had my first extended recording session with this outstanding singer -- Jock Cameron by name." The song he had sung was "The Lothian Hairst," and Henderson would soon be back to collect much more. - RBW
Last updated in version 7.2
File: Ord264

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