The Death of Parcy Reed
Encyclopedia
The Death of Parcy Reed is a Border ballad
concerning the betrayal and murder of Percival Reed, believed to have been Laird of Troughend in Redesdale
, Northumberland
, in late 16th century England. It is Child ballad number 193.
The ballad is a classic story of the Border Reivers
, and tells of an alliance between the Hall family of Redesdale and the Crosier
family of Liddesdale
in Scotland, against the Reed
s. Percival Reed held the office of Keeper of Redesdale, and had arrested a Crosier for raiding in the valley. This put the Reeds at feud with the Crosier family. The Halls, old friends of Percy Reed, turned against him and conspired with the Crosiers to trap him while he was out hunting. When the Crosiers ambushed Percy, the Halls stood by and watched as he was murdered.
In local tradition, Percy Reed's ghost is said to have haunted Redesdale for many years, and "at times he would come gallantly cantering across the moorland as he had done when blood ran warm in his veins. ...And yet, again, he would come as a fluttering, homeless soul, whimpering and formless, with a moaning cry for Justice-Justice-Judgment on him who had by black treachery hurried him unprepared to his end."
Parcy Reed goes hunting with three Halls, who are neighbors and friends from nearby Girsonfield. Unknown to Parcy Reed, the Halls have forged an alliance with the Crosiers to betray him.
After hunting throughout the day “all Reedwater
round”, the hunting party stops to rest at Batinghope, where Parcy Reed falls fast asleep. While he is asleep, the three “false Halls” steel his powder horn, pour water into the barrel of his gun, wedge his sword in its sheath, and remove the bridle from his horse, thus depriving Parcy of the means to either fight or flee.
When the Crosier clan is seen galloping over the hill, the Halls awaken Parcy and inform him of the danger. Parcy appeals to the Halls to stand with him, saying, “If they be five men, we are four. If ye will all stand true to me, now every one of you may take one, and two of them ye may leave to me.”
The Halls refuse to assist him in the fight, for they will surely be killed, they say. Parcy successively offers them his horse, his oxen, half his land, and ultimately the hand of his daughter if they will stand with him in the coming fight, but each Hall refuses in turn. Parcy then discovers their treachery in sabotaging his horse and weapons, and resigns himself to his fate.
Without time for Parcy to even utter a prayer, the Crosiers close around him while the Halls stand by. Parcy makes a gallant fight of it and lashes out with his sword, still jammed in its sheath. Though he knocks one of the Crosiers to the ground, the rest of them strike, mangling him cruelly and leaving him with thirty-three wounds. After hacking off his hands and feet, they ride off leaving him lying on the ground.
At dusk, a herdsman finds the dying Parcy and recognizes him. Parcy asks for a drink of water, and the herdsman procures it from a nearby spring, using his hat as a cup. Parcy asks for one more favor: to bear his farewells to his wife and kin at Troughend, and to tell all his faithful neighbors about the deeds of the “treacherous Halls”.
Border ballad
The English/Scottish border has a long and bloody history of conquest and reconquest, raid and counter-raid . It also has a stellar tradition of balladry, such that a whole group of songs exists that are often called "border ballads", because they were collected in that region.Border ballads, like...
concerning the betrayal and murder of Percival Reed, believed to have been Laird of Troughend in Redesdale
Redesdale
Redesdale is a valley iin the western part of the county of Northumberland, in northeast England. This area contains the valley of the River Rede, a tributary of the North Tyne River. Redesdale includes the settlements of Elsdon, Otterburn, Rochester, Byrness and Carter Bar.Historically this...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, in late 16th century England. It is Child ballad number 193.
The ballad is a classic story of the Border Reivers
Border Reivers
Border Reivers were raiders along the Anglo–Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. Their ranks consisted of both Scottish and English families, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their victims' nationality...
, and tells of an alliance between the Hall family of Redesdale and the Crosier
Clan Crozier
Clan Crozier is one of the border reiving clans of Scotland, along with the Armstrongs, Elliots, and Nixons. Some sources cite the surname as a sept of the Armstrong clan, but the Scottish parliament in 1587 identified the Croziers as a middle march clan.Associated with The Death of Percy...
family of Liddesdale
Liddesdale
Liddesdale, the valley of the Liddel Water, in the County of Roxburgh, southern Scotland, extends in a south-westerly direction from the vicinity of Peel Fell to the River Esk, a distance of...
in Scotland, against the Reed
Reed (name)
Reed may be either a surname or given name.-Reed as a surname:"Reed" is a variant of the surname "Read", which is commonly believed to be a nickname-derived surname referring to a person's complexion or hair being ruddy or red....
s. Percival Reed held the office of Keeper of Redesdale, and had arrested a Crosier for raiding in the valley. This put the Reeds at feud with the Crosier family. The Halls, old friends of Percy Reed, turned against him and conspired with the Crosiers to trap him while he was out hunting. When the Crosiers ambushed Percy, the Halls stood by and watched as he was murdered.
In local tradition, Percy Reed's ghost is said to have haunted Redesdale for many years, and "at times he would come gallantly cantering across the moorland as he had done when blood ran warm in his veins. ...And yet, again, he would come as a fluttering, homeless soul, whimpering and formless, with a moaning cry for Justice-Justice-Judgment on him who had by black treachery hurried him unprepared to his end."
Synopsis
Parcy Reed arrests the reiving outlaw Whinton Crosier. The Crosier clan then vows to destroy the house and lands of Troughend in revenge.Parcy Reed goes hunting with three Halls, who are neighbors and friends from nearby Girsonfield. Unknown to Parcy Reed, the Halls have forged an alliance with the Crosiers to betray him.
After hunting throughout the day “all Reedwater
River Rede
The Rede is a river in Northumberland, England. The river rises on Carter Fell on the Anglo-Scottish border feeding Catcleugh Reservoir and joins the River North Tyne below the village of Redesmouth-See also:*Carter Bar*List of places in Northumberland...
round”, the hunting party stops to rest at Batinghope, where Parcy Reed falls fast asleep. While he is asleep, the three “false Halls” steel his powder horn, pour water into the barrel of his gun, wedge his sword in its sheath, and remove the bridle from his horse, thus depriving Parcy of the means to either fight or flee.
When the Crosier clan is seen galloping over the hill, the Halls awaken Parcy and inform him of the danger. Parcy appeals to the Halls to stand with him, saying, “If they be five men, we are four. If ye will all stand true to me, now every one of you may take one, and two of them ye may leave to me.”
The Halls refuse to assist him in the fight, for they will surely be killed, they say. Parcy successively offers them his horse, his oxen, half his land, and ultimately the hand of his daughter if they will stand with him in the coming fight, but each Hall refuses in turn. Parcy then discovers their treachery in sabotaging his horse and weapons, and resigns himself to his fate.
Without time for Parcy to even utter a prayer, the Crosiers close around him while the Halls stand by. Parcy makes a gallant fight of it and lashes out with his sword, still jammed in its sheath. Though he knocks one of the Crosiers to the ground, the rest of them strike, mangling him cruelly and leaving him with thirty-three wounds. After hacking off his hands and feet, they ride off leaving him lying on the ground.
At dusk, a herdsman finds the dying Parcy and recognizes him. Parcy asks for a drink of water, and the herdsman procures it from a nearby spring, using his hat as a cup. Parcy asks for one more favor: to bear his farewells to his wife and kin at Troughend, and to tell all his faithful neighbors about the deeds of the “treacherous Halls”.
Recordings
English folk singer Graham Pirt recorded a version of this song on the compilation album Fyre and Sworde: Songs of the Border Reivers, in 2000.External links
- The Death of Parcy Reed, Child version.
- The Death of Parcy Reed, version from the Oxford Book of Ballads, 1910.
- Review of the album "Fyre and Sworde" with short history of The Death of Parcy Reed.