"Lord Thomas and Fair Annet" (), also known as "Lord Thomas and Fair Eleanor", is an English folk

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

Synopsis

Lord Thomas (or Sweet Willie) is in love with Fair Annet, or Annie, or Elinor, but she has little property. He asks for advice. His father, mother, and brother (or some of them) advise that he should marry the nut-brown maid with a rich dowry. His mother promises to curse him if he marries Annet and bless him if he marries the nut-brown maid. His sister warns her that her dowry may be lost and then he will be stuck with nothing but a hideous bride. Nevertheless, he takes his mother's advice. Fair Annet dresses as splendidly as she can and goes to the wedding. The nut-brown maid is so jealous that she stabs Annet to death. Lord Thomas stabs both the nut-brown maid and himself to death. A rose grows from Fair Annet's grave, a brier from Lord Thomas's, and they grow together.

Texts

The oldest known text, entitled "A tragical Story of Lord Thomas and Fair Ellinor", was printed in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1677. It opens with the following three verses:

Variations and related ballads

Regional and printed variations of the ballad are known by many titles, including "Fair Eleanor", "Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender", "Fair Ellen and the Brown Girl", "Lord Thomas's Wedding", "The Brown Bride", and others. Related English ballads which share stanza composition as well as narratives of heartbreak-induced death include '' Fair Margaret and Sweet William'' and '' Lord Lovel''. Several Norse variants of this ballad exist, although the man does not reject the woman on advice of his friends in them.

Commentary

The grave plants that grow together are a motif to express true love, also found in many variants of '' Barbara Allen'' and of ''

Tristan and Iseult Tristan and Iseult, also known as Tristan and Isolde and other names, is a medieval chivalric romance told in numerous variations since the 12th century. Of disputed source, usually assumed to be primarily Celtic nations, Celtic, the tale is a ...

'', and in the legend of Baucis and Philemon. This ballad has no connection with " The Nut-Brown Maid", in which a nut-brown maid is the heroine.

Recordings

Many traditional recordings of the ballad have been made, Jim Copper and Bob Copper had the Copper Family's traditional Sussex version recorded in 1952 and 1976, Peter Kennedy recorded Charlie Wills of Dorset singing a version, and Caroline Hughes, also of Dorset, was recorded singing the ballad by Ewan MacColl /

Peggy Seeger Margaret "Peggy" Seeger (born June 17, 1935) is an American Folk music, folk singer and songwriter. She has lived in Britain for more than 60 years and was married to the singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl until his death in 1989. She is a member ...

and by Peter Kennedy in the 1960s. Collectors such as Peter Kennedy and

Hamish Henderson (James) Hamish Scott Henderson (11 November 1919 – 9 March 2002) was a Scotland, Scottish poet, songwriter, communist, intellectual and soldier. Henderson was a catalyst for the folk revival in Scotland. He was also an accomplished folk s ...

recorded versions in Scotland in the 1950s and 60s. The song appears to have been extremely popular in the United States, where around 100 field recordings have been made, including Alan Lomax's recording of Jean Ritchie in 1949, a fragment of which can be heard on the Alan Lomax archive website. Jean Ritchie later released a different version on her album "Best of Jean Ritchie".

References

External links

''Lord Thomas and Fair Ellinor''
with some history {{authority control Child Ballads Year of song unknown Songs with unknown songwriters Murder ballads