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The Lord of Lorn and the False Steward

[ Roud 113 ; Child 271 ; Ballad Index C271 ; DT LRDLORN1 , LRDLORN2 ; trad.]

James Kinsley: The Oxford Book of Ballads

Helen Lindley sang The Lord of Lorn and the False Steward on her 2023 EP of rare Child ballads, Aweakening the Lady. She noted:

The Lord of Lorn and the False Steward (Child 271 Roud 113) is another of those overlooked ballads which somehow got left behind, probably because there are either 109 or 66 verses depending on version! It was, I felt, ready to be brought to a modern audience. When I was researching my next ballad this one stood out for the gruesome punishment at the end. As a result of online discussions on Twitter with fellow folkies, the general consensus was that I should rewrite and compose a tune for this one immediately purely because of the comeuppance!

This ballad apparently goes back to the 1500s, is based on a number of tales and there is a record of it being set to the tune of Greensleeves, but seeing as no one is singing it these days it seemed a new tune was needed.

The story goes that the Lord of Lorn and his wife have one son, who’s clever and gentle. They send him to be educated and then on to France with the Lord’s steward. The steward turns out to be a meanie, steals all the riches, tries to murder the young man but stops short and sends him to work for a shepherd. He tells him he must tell no one or he’ll kill him and renames him Pore Disaware. The steward spends the money, pretends to be the Lord of Lorn, fools the Duke of Normandy and gets engaged to his young daughter. It seems the lady is far less easily taken in as when riding she sees the shepherd and realises there’s something different because of his chivalrous actions. After some to-ing and fro-ing she takes matters into her own hands and gets to the truth by getting the young lord to tell his horse his story(!). As a result she writes to his dad in Scotland, who comes to France and ultimately the false steward is punished (very gruesomely) and the two youngsters marry.

Originally I couldn’t decide whether to leave the ‘happily ever after’ verse at the end or finish with the punishment, but a Twitter poll of folk fans saw them opt for a happy ending! I guess that ending with: ‘He was hung, drawn and quartered then afterwards boiled in lead, his body next cut up in bits. They cursed the pieces, then ’pon a hill, a fire of the body parts lit’ was a bit too much death to end on, even for fans of English folk songs where death is a normal part of the song!

Lyrics

Helen Lindley sings The Lord of Lorn and the False Steward

There was a worthy Lord of Lorn, a lord of high degree.
He and his wife had but one son, who they sent to learn chivalry.
The son was so quick to learn, studied at every turn, he was gentle and bright and carefree.
He learned more in just one day than most of his peers learnt in three.

The son went to his father’s hall after three years of learning.
Saying, “Father I return to thee, I can read all those pages you’re turning.”
His father was jubilant, said, “France must be your intent, to learn languages of many lands.”
Go thee now to foreign shores for that, son, is my next command.

His mother with her watchful eye, asked, “Who’ll go with him abroad?”
The Lord of Lorn said his steward was to trust to go with the young lord.
They gave the man money free, dressed them both in finery, said “We trust you as honest and right.”
The Steward cried, “If I prove false, an ill death I will hope to die.”

The two sailed off to France’s shores but the steward proved harsh and unkind.
He gave the young lord no money so no drink or meat could he find.
At a river to knees did sink as water he tried to drink but the false steward tried to drown him.
The young lord pleaded mercy there, saying “I’ll give you my clothes with fine trim.”

The steward let him have his life, said, “Tell none, or I’ll kill you I swear.”
He took him to an old shepherd’s house said, “Your name is now Pore Disaware.”
The shepherd, a kindly man, had no son so he began to care for the lad in his keep.
His wife she spoke so tenderly, taught him to look after the sheep.

The steward sold the riches off and bought some fine clothes for he
Then styled himself as Lord of Lorn and met the Duke of Normandy.
He courted his daughter fair, said the duke, to a great fanfare, “Here’s a thousand pounds a year.
If you will wed my young daughter, who to me is very dear.”

One day the young lady riding went as she did often go.
She saw a shepherd tending sheep and out to him she spoke.
The boy fell on bended knee, out of pure chivalry, the lady asked where he came from.
“I was born in fair Scotland, it’s the land where my family belong.”

“Tell me more about yourself,” asked the young lady fair.
“Well, for two years I’ve been shepherd here, my name is Pore Disaware.”
She asked, “Will you tell to me, this what I ask of thee, have you heard of the Lord of Lorn?”
“Oh yes I know that worthy lord, in the country where I was born.”

The lady asked the shepherd boy if he’d come into service for she.
He could be her chamberlain; she’d give both meat and fee.
She went to her father dear, asked him if he would hear, calls for her own chamberlain.
The duke replied, “It’s not my choice, you must ask your fiancé the same.”

The false steward had since arrived, his lady he saw with the boy
He asked him where he came from, to see him made he most annoyed.
“I am from Scotland fair, name of Pore Disaware, shepherd on the lonely lee.”
“You’re a false young man!” the steward cried, “and I’ll soon prove it of thee.”

The lady then spoke forcefully, saying, “If you are cruel to he,
Oh Lord of Lorn you’ll it regret and no favours will you get from me.”
The duke then asked courteously, “Will you work as groom for me. Will into my stables you go?”
The boy agreed to the kind duke, and went there, though now full of woe.

Six months had passed, the boy worked hard, he was friends with all he met.
One day he took a gelding out, to the river for drink to get.
The horse kicked him in the head, he looked at it then he said “You’ve kicked the true young Lord of Lorn.”
He didn’t know the lady was so near and heard what he’d sworn.

“Please tell me more,” the lady asked, but the young groom he dare not speak.
“Then tell the horse your own story, if you can’t say it to me.”
“My father’s the Lord of Lorn, not that imposter born, false steward sent to care for me.”
The lady then felt so betrayed, said, “Lord, I will gladly help thee.”

She said unto her father dear, “I’ve a task that’s fell unto me.
All I ask is will you halt my wedding for but months three?”
The lady wrote in her hand a letter to fair Scotland, the Lord of Lorn read it then cried.
“Ready now my men to sail, that steward will wish he had died.”

They landed on the shores of France and the lady brave they sought.
They found the castle of the duke and the old Lord of Lorn went forth.
He found his son working there, said, “Bless you my son and heir”, he told the duke of his son’s plight.
“Justice now,” the duke he cried, “Our lords judge the steward tonight.”

“He’s guilty of such cruel crimes!” next morning the lords declared.
“So, make ye ready, thou false steward, for thy death you should now be prepared.”
He was hung, drawn and quartered then afterwards boiled in lead, his body then cut up in bits.
They cursed the pieces, then ‘pon a hill, a fire of the body parts lit.

The young lord and young lady stood and watched the treacherous steward die.
They’d grown quite close throughout the months and their love was plain to the eye.
They were married within a year, their families standing near, there was music and laughter and cheer.
And in time the younger Lord of Lorn was master of lands he held dear.