#folk song.

[scotianostra]

February 24th 1716 saw the execution of two leading Jacobites, William Gordon, 6th Viscount of Kenmure and James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater, but not William Maxwell! 

If you remember yesterdays post William had escaped the day before, with the help of his wife  Lady Winifred.

The 1715 Uprising Jacobites threw themselves upon the mercy of Westminster, and were sentenced to death by the Lord Chancellor William Cowper. Only half managed to wrangle mercy from the crown.

Derwent spent part of his youth in exile as the companion of the young James VIII at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. He received permission to return to England in 1709 and quickly established himself as the leader of the Jacobites in Northumberland.

Following his capture at Preston and execution in London he became a tragic hero of songs and ballads. He may have been an Englishman but if the Corries thought him worthy of a song that’s good enough for me.

His partner at the chop, Lord Kenmure, was a Scottish Jacobite. William Gordon was the only son of Alexander Gordon, 5th Viscount of Kenmure of Kenmure Castle and succeeded his father on his death in 1698. He had received a commission from the earl of Mar to raise the Jacobites in the south of Scotland, and first appeared in arms, at the head of 150 horse, on the 11th October, at Moffat, where he proclaimed King James VIII as King. With a Jacobite force he marched into England, and was present at the battle of Preston in Lancashire, on 13th November of the same year.

On the defeat of the rebels and their surrender at discretion, he was conveyed a prisoner to the Tower of London. His trial for high treason took place before the House of Lords on 19th January 1716, when he pleaded guilty, and on 9th February, with the other rebel lords he received sentence of death, and his estates and titles were forfeited to the crown.

On the morning of the 24th February, he was beheaded on Towerhill shortly after Derwent. He expressed his regret for pleading guilty to the charge of high treason, and prayed for “King James.” He presented the executioner with eight guineas, and on laying his head on the block, that “functionary struck it off at two blows.” Not to be outdone by Derwent he also made the folk playlist in O Kenmure’s On And Awa , Willie.

The Corries, tell the story in the song Derwentwater’s Farewell 

Farewell to pleasant Dilston My father's ancient seat A stranger must now call thee his Which gars my heart to greet; Farewell each friendly well known face My heart has held so dear My tenants now must leave their lands Or hold their lives in fear No more along the banks of Tyne I'll rove in autumn grey No more I'll hear at early dawn The lav'rocks wake the day; And who shall deck the hawthorn bower Where my fond children strayed? And who, when spring shall bid it flower Shall sit beneath the shade? And fare thee well, George Collingwood Since fate has put us down If thou and I have lost our lives Our King has lost his crown; But when the head that wears the crown Shall be laid low like mine Some honest hearts may then lament For Radcliffe's fallen line Farewell, farewell, my lady dear Ill, ill, thou councell'dst me I never more may see the babe That smiles at your knee; Then fare ye well brave Widdrington And Foster ever true; Dear Shaftsbury and Errington Receive my last adieu And fare thee well my bonny grey steed That carried me aye so free I wish I'd been asleep in my bed Last time I mounted thee; The warning bell now bids me cease My trouble's nearly oer Yon sun that rises from the sea Shall rise on me no more

And when the head that wears a crown Shall be laid low like mine Some honest hearts may then lament For Radcliffe's fallen line Farewell to pleasant Dilston hall My father's ancient seat A stranger now must call thee his Which gars my heart to greet

[honourablejester]

Oh, I didn’t know that.

I was listening to Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” on youtube, and browsing the comments several people mentioned …

Okay. The song is about the real sinking of the freighter the Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior in 1975. And there’s a line in the song:

“In the Maritime Sailor’s Cathedral,

The Church Bell chimed till it rang twenty nine times,

For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald”

Which references something that the actual Maritime Church in Detroit did in honour of the ship’s crew. And I just found out in those youtube comments for his song that when Gordon Lightfoot died in May last year (2023), the Maritime Church rang those bells again, this time 30 times. Once for every man on the Edmund Fitzgerald, and once more for Gordon Lightfoot.

That’s … That is a memorial I would be proud to have earned. And proud to give. I do like that. A lot.

Apparently, the Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior also lit its beacon in honour of him.

Sorry. I’m having … extremely maritime sort of feelings over here. Songs and memorials, bells and beacons, and the ways we carry memory forward. That’s … that’s a good memorial. I like that.

[hairtusk]

'Wool waulking is a traditional Scottish process of finishing and strengthening newly woven woolen fabrics. It is a significant social and cultural activity, often carried out by women in the Highlands of Scotland. The Gaelic songs that are sung during waulking have a distinctive rhythmic pattern that aids in synchronising the work.'

(Video and text via Inverness Outlanders)

[fanfictionroxs]

The world calls you 'breakbones', but the first word your son thinks of to describe his father, is 'gentle'.

Harwin Strong the man that you are. Best father in Westeros!

[psstwantsomecheese]

Maedhros still bloody from the first kinslaying when he sees Maglor already composing the first draft for the Noldolantë

[thefugitivesaint]

Jill Karla Schwarz, 'Tam Lin', ''Fairies and Elves'', 1984 Source I'm going to use this post as the perfect opportunity to direct you to my favorite song from the folk band Fairport Convention from their 1969 album 'Liege & Lief', Tam Lin (which, I'm sure, I've posted about at some point)

[magnificentmicrowave]

songtember day 13: BROCKHAMPTON - J'OUVERT

[nitefise-art]

It will last forever Eternally x

First | Prev | Part 8/8 | Bonus

[cy-lindric]

Two little paintings : The Witch of the West-Mer-Lands, and the Twa Sisters

[grandkhan221b]

Drawing Asoiaf Characters That Have An AI Generated Image On Their Wiki Page - The Series continues ! Here's Raymun Redbeard, the famous wildling king. Characters are going to get a lot more minor from now on lol

[witchofthemidlands]

daemon's tripping balls & rhaenyra's kissing women in his absence. absolutely unhinged behaviour. 10/10 episode. one simply does not care about the plot. rhaenyra's a confirmed girl kisser, that's all that matters here.

[video-game-jams]

Animal Crossing: City Folk - 11 PM (Normal)

[soranker]

IMMA DEVIL IMMA BREAK YOU DOWN!!!

[localapparently]

save me, embrace me

[geosaurus]

sinner, you better get ready

[notthiscoolkid]

Fast art inspired by The amazing devil song "Drinking song for the socially anxious". One of my favourites songs that I found this year❤️‍🩹