Category Archives: ballads

17th Century Ballad, ‘The Oak and the Ash’ or ‘The North Country Maid’

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Regina Jeffers

 This familiar song can be found in a black-letter copy also in the Roxburgh Collection. Isla Cameron and Louis Killen sang The Oak and the Ash in 1961 on their Prestige album The Waters of Tyne. It has a familiar … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, ballads, customs and tradiitons, dancing, music | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

On Ilkla Moor Baht ‘at, Yorkshire Unofficial Anthem

Posted on January 4, 2017 by Regina Jeffers

The traditional English folk song, ‘On Ilkla Moor Baht ‘at,’comes from the County of Yorkshire, and it is written in Yorkshire dialect. In The Yorkshire Dictionary (Arnold Kellett, 2002) says the dialect used in the song is representative of the area … Continue reading →

Posted in ballads, British history, customs and tradiitons, Great Britain, history, legends, music | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Colorful (But Lesser Known) Contemporaries of William Shakespeare, Part I

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

There are a slew of contemporaries of Shakespeare of which many of you never encountered in your English classrooms, whether high school of university. These are some of the more colorful ones.  Barnaby (Barnabe) Barnes was the third son of … Continue reading →

Posted in ballads, British history, drama, Elizabethan drama, Great Britain, playwrights, real life tales, religion, romantic verse | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Thomas Malory’s “Morte D’Arthur” Part II

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

Previously, I posted a detailed summary of Books 1 and 2 or Malory’s “Morte D’Arthur.” Today, I have chosen bits of the other books to discuss. Book XIII: This is the beginning of the Holy Grail legend. Arthur and his … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Chaucer, Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Saxons, ballads, British history, Canterbury tales, Great Britain, legacy, legends and myths, medieval, reading, religion, romance, romantic verse, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Anglo-Norman Literature: Ballads (Part 2)

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Regina Jeffers

Part 1 on Ballads may be found HERE. The earlier post covered the popular ballads of “Riddles Wisely Expounded,” “The Wife of Usher’s Well,” “Edward,” “Robin Hood and the Monk,” “Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne,” “Robin Hood’s Death,” “The … Continue reading →

Posted in Anglo-Normans, ballads, British history, Great Britain | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Anglo-Norman Literature: Part IV ~ Ballads

Posted on August 18, 2015 by Regina Jeffers

“A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French chanson balladée or ballade, which were originally “dancing songs”. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Anglo-Normans, ballads, British history, Great Britain | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments