Willie o Winsbury
Encyclopedia
Willie O Winsbury is Child Ballad
#100, existing in several variants. It is a traditional Scottish ballad that dates from at least 1775, and is known under a number of different names, including Lord Thomas of Winesberry.
..
In one variants, the lands are specifically described: he will be king when he returns to Scotland.
It may, in fact, be based on James V
's courtship of and marriage to Madeleine de Valois of France; James came to see the woman he was betrothed to in disguise, and went on to meet the princess, who fell in love with him.
Nowadays the song is often sung to the tune of Fause Foodrage
, rather than its own traditional tune.
performs the song. solo, accompanying himself on guitar. The tune is stated to be a wrong one chosen by mistake that happened to fit the words.
John Renbourn
recorded this song on his album Faro Annie
in 1971.
Anne Briggs
recorded the song in 1971, accompanied by Johnny Moynihan
, for her album Anne Briggs.
The song was recorded by Pentangle
in 1972, on their album Solomon's Seal
.
The Great Big Sea
song John Barbour, on their Something Beautiful* CD, is based on this ballad.
The Song "Farewell Farewell" recorded by Fairport Convention
on Liege and Lief is actually new lyrics (written by Richard Thompson) set to the Fause Foodrage
tune now commonly used for Willie O Winsbury. A recording of Willie O Winsbury played and sung by Thompson was included in his compilation boxset RT
.
Maps
sampled the Sweeney's Men version on their song "To The Sky", from their album We Can Create
Meg Baird
of Espers
recorded the song for her 2007 album "Dear Companion
."
This song was sung by Connie Dover
and is found on her 1994 album The Wishing Well.
Dick Gaughan
performs this song on his 2002 release of Prentice Piece and originally on his 1978 Release "Gaughan".
Nathan Rogers
recorded this song on his 2009 release "The Gauntlet".
Nic Jones
sings "William of Winsbury" on "Unearthed".
Tony Capstick
sings "Sit Thomas of Winesberry" on "His Round" ("Stolen from Peter Wood").
Kate Rusby
sings a variation of this song under the title "John Barbury," to the tune of Fause Foodrage
, on her album Awkward Annie
.
Pentangle
has a version on both of the following albums: One More Road, released in 1993 and on Solomon's Seal, released in 2003 (recorded in 1972).
Andy Irvine sings his version again on the album Abocurragh, released in 2010.
Child Ballads
The Child Ballads are a collection of 305 ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, collected by Francis James Child in the late nineteenth century...
#100, existing in several variants. It is a traditional Scottish ballad that dates from at least 1775, and is known under a number of different names, including Lord Thomas of Winesberry.
Synopsis
A king is away for a long time. His daughter becomes pregnant by the hero, William or Thomas. The king threatens to hang him, but is struck by his beauty and offers him the heroine and gold. The hero accepts the lady but declares that he has both gold and lands enough of his own.Commentary
This ballad closely parallels Child ballad 99, Johnie ScotJohnie Scot
-Synopsis:Johnie Scot served the king of England and got his daughter pregnant. The king threw her in prison to starve. One day, back in Scotland, he sent a shirt to his love, and she sent back a letter with the news. He raised a force and came to her rescue....
..
In one variants, the lands are specifically described: he will be king when he returns to Scotland.
It may, in fact, be based on James V
James V of Scotland
James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...
's courtship of and marriage to Madeleine de Valois of France; James came to see the woman he was betrothed to in disguise, and went on to meet the princess, who fell in love with him.
Nowadays the song is often sung to the tune of Fause Foodrage
Fause Foodrage
-Synopsis:Nobles rebelled against the king, and Fa’se Footrage, among them, sneaks into the royal castle to kill the king—or, in other variants, the Eastmure king kills King Honour because his suit for King Honor's queen was rejected. The queen pleads for her life until her child is born. Fa’se...
, rather than its own traditional tune.
Recordings
This song was recorded by Sweeney's Men on their eponymous debut album in 1968. Andy IrvineAndy Irvine (musician)
Andrew Kennedy 'Andy' Irvine is a folk musician, singer, and songwriter, and a founding member of the popular band Planxty. He is an accomplished player of the mandolin, bouzouki, mandola, guitar-bouzouki, harmonica and hurdy-gurdy....
performs the song. solo, accompanying himself on guitar. The tune is stated to be a wrong one chosen by mistake that happened to fit the words.
John Renbourn
John Renbourn
John Renbourn is an English guitarist and songwriter. He is possibly best known for his collaboration with guitarist Bert Jansch as well as his work with the folk group Pentangle, although he maintained a solo career before, during and after that band's existence .While most commonly labelled a...
recorded this song on his album Faro Annie
Faro Annie
Faro Annie is the 1971 solo album by British Folk musician John Renbourn. On this release, Renbourn ventures into Folk Rock and Blues territory. There is also heavy use of the sitar on this album, played by Renbourn himself...
in 1971.
Anne Briggs
Anne Briggs
Anne Briggs is an English folk singer. Although she traveled widely in the 1960s and early 1970s, appearing at folk clubs and venues in England and Ireland, she never aspired to commercial success or to achieve widespread public acknowledgment of her music...
recorded the song in 1971, accompanied by Johnny Moynihan
Johnny Moynihan
John "Johnny" Moynihan , is a folk singer based in Dublin, Ireland. He is often credited as being responsible for introducing the bouzouki and the Irish bouzouki into Irish music in the mid 1960s. Known as "The Bard of Dalymount", as a young man he played in the band Sweeney's Men with Andy Irvine,...
, for her album Anne Briggs.
The song was recorded by Pentangle
Pentangle (band)
Pentangle are a British folk rock band with some folk jazz influences. The original band were active in the late 1960s and early 1970s and a later version has been active since the early 1980s...
in 1972, on their album Solomon's Seal
Solomon's Seal (album)
Solomon's Seal was an album recorded in 1972 by folk-rock band Pentangle: Terry Cox, Bert Jansch, Jacqui McShee, John Renbourn and Danny Thompson. It was the last album recorded by the original Pentangle line-up, before the band split in 1973. Jacqui McShee has stated that it is her favourite...
.
The Great Big Sea
Great Big Sea
Great Big Sea is a Canadian folk-rock band from Newfoundland and Labrador, best known for performing energetic rock interpretations of traditional Newfoundland folk songs including sea shanties, which draw from the island's 500-year-old Irish, English, and French heritage...
song John Barbour, on their Something Beautiful* CD, is based on this ballad.
The Song "Farewell Farewell" recorded by Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
on Liege and Lief is actually new lyrics (written by Richard Thompson) set to the Fause Foodrage
Fause Foodrage
-Synopsis:Nobles rebelled against the king, and Fa’se Footrage, among them, sneaks into the royal castle to kill the king—or, in other variants, the Eastmure king kills King Honour because his suit for King Honor's queen was rejected. The queen pleads for her life until her child is born. Fa’se...
tune now commonly used for Willie O Winsbury. A recording of Willie O Winsbury played and sung by Thompson was included in his compilation boxset RT
RT - The Life and Music of Richard Thompson
RT: The Life and Music of Richard Thompson is a box set by Richard Thompson, released in February 2006.This box set gives an extensive overview of Thompson's long career without including content from any of his mainstream albums....
.
Maps
Maps (band)
-Start Something:In 2006, he recorded his Start Something EP by himself on his 16-track recorder. He released it on his own record label, Last Space Recordings, and it was met with some critical acclaim. The single "Lost My Soul" polled at No. 26 in NMEs top 50 singles of 2006.-We Can Create:On 19...
sampled the Sweeney's Men version on their song "To The Sky", from their album We Can Create
We Can Create
We Can Create is the debut album from Northampton-based band Maps, released in 2007. It was shortlisted for the 2007 Mercury Music Prize, but lost out to Klaxons debut album Myths of the Near Future. Five singles were released from the album....
Meg Baird
Meg Baird
Meg Baird is an American musician originally from New Jersey and currently based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is best known as a founding member and lead female vocalist for the Philadelphia folk rock band Espers. In 2007, Baird released her first solo LP Dear Companion on Drag City...
of Espers
Espers (band)
Espers is a psych folk band from Philadelphia that is part of the emerging indie folk scene. They formed in 2002 as a trio of singer-songwriter Greg Weeks, Meg Baird and Brooke Sietinsons but later expanded to a sextet including Otto Hauser, Helena Espvall and Chris Smith...
recorded the song for her 2007 album "Dear Companion
Dear Companion
Dear Companion is Espers vocalist Meg Baird's first solo album. It was released in 2007 to critical praise. The album contains three traditional folk songs, four covers of more recent songs, and two original songs written by Baird. The album is lightly orchestrated traditional folk music,...
."
This song was sung by Connie Dover
Connie Dover
Connie Dover is an American singer-songwriter who primarily writes and performs Celtic music and American folk music. Born in Arkansas and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, she started her career playing bluegrass before joining Celtic band Scartaglen in the early 1980s...
and is found on her 1994 album The Wishing Well.
Dick Gaughan
Dick Gaughan
Richard Peter Gaughan usually known as Dick Gaughan is a Scottish musician, singer, and songwriter, particularly of folk and social protest songs.-Early years:...
performs this song on his 2002 release of Prentice Piece and originally on his 1978 Release "Gaughan".
Nathan Rogers
Nathan Rogers
Nathan Rogers is a Canadian folk musician / songwriter. He is the son of Stan and Ariel Rogers. His father, a folk musician and songwriter, died in a fire aboard Air Canada Flight 797 on June 2, 1983....
recorded this song on his 2009 release "The Gauntlet".
Nic Jones
Nic Jones
Nicolas Paul "Nic" Jones is an English folk singer, fingerstyle guitarist and fiddle player whose professional career spanned the years 1964-1982. He recorded five solo albums, and was a frequent guest performer.-Biography:...
sings "William of Winsbury" on "Unearthed".
Tony Capstick
Tony Capstick
Joseph Anthony 'Tony' Capstick was an English comedian, actor, musician and broadcaster.-Life and career:...
sings "Sit Thomas of Winesberry" on "His Round" ("Stolen from Peter Wood").
Kate Rusby
Kate Rusby
Kate Anna Rusby is an English folk singer and songwriter from Penistone, South Yorkshire. Sometimes known as The Barnsley Nightingale, she has headlined various British national folk festivals, and is regarded as one of the most famous English folk singers of contemporary times...
sings a variation of this song under the title "John Barbury," to the tune of Fause Foodrage
Fause Foodrage
-Synopsis:Nobles rebelled against the king, and Fa’se Footrage, among them, sneaks into the royal castle to kill the king—or, in other variants, the Eastmure king kills King Honour because his suit for King Honor's queen was rejected. The queen pleads for her life until her child is born. Fa’se...
, on her album Awkward Annie
Awkward Annie
Awkward Annie is the seventh studio album by English contemporary folk musician Kate Rusby, released on 3 September 2007 on Pure Records. The album is the first to be produced by Rusby herself, following her split with husband and producer John McCusker....
.
Pentangle
Pentangle
Pentangle may refer to:*another word for a pentagram, a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes*Pentangle , a British folk-rock band*The Pentangle, the 1968 album by the band Pentangle...
has a version on both of the following albums: One More Road, released in 1993 and on Solomon's Seal, released in 2003 (recorded in 1972).
Andy Irvine sings his version again on the album Abocurragh, released in 2010.