> Shirley Collins > Songs > Richie Story

Richie Story / The Earl of Weymss

[ Roud 97 / Song Subject MAS1479 ; Child 232 ; G/D 5:1051 ; Ballad Index C232 ; trad.]

Alexander Keith: Last Leaves of Traditional Ballads and Ballad Airs Stephen Sedley: The Seeds of Love

Ewan MacColl sang Richie Story in 1956 on his and A.L. Lloyd’s Riverside album The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Volume I. Kenneth S. Goldstein noted:

Child printed seven texts of this ballad, mostly from manuscript. The earliest printed text appeared in Sharpe’s Ballad Book (1823), in which it is stated that Lady Lillias Fleming, a daughter of the third Earl of Wigton, married a footman. With the consent of her husband, she resigned her estate into the hands of her brother. The Fleming family afterwards procured for Richie a position in the Custom-House.

There appear to be two distinct forms of this ballad one in which the story follows the historical situation closely and Richie Story is an actual footman, and a second and romanticized version of the story in which he is a nobleman in disguise. This last has apparently been the more popular in recent times, for Greig and Keith indicate “all our complete versions … assume that the position of the footman was a disguise.”

MacColl’s version was learned in fragmentary form from his mother and was collated with the complete text in Greig and Keith.

See Child (232), Volume IV, p. 291ff.; Greig & Keith, p. 171ff.

And Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger sang Richie Story in 1961 on their Folkways album Two-Way Trip. The liner notes are an abbreviated verison of the above.

Shirley Collins recorded Richie Story in 1959 for her second LP, False True Lovers. She recorded Richie Story a second time in 1967 for her album The Power of the True Love Knot. The latter version was also included in her 4 CD anthology Within Sound. She commented in the first album’s notes:

Ritchie Story is a rare ballad published by Child as No. 232 of his collection English and Scottish Popular Ballads. According to his note, the ballad is based in history. Lillias Fleming, daughter of John, third Earl of Wigton, ran away with and married one of her father’s servants, Richard Story, and in 1673 she resigned her portion of the family land. In all but one of the Child versions, Lillias seems satisfied with the choice she has made, but in that one Richard turns out to be an Earl in disguise. The present variant comes from Ewan MacColl, who learned it from his Scots father and from Hughie Graham of Newton Stuart, Galloway, and added supplementary text from a variant in Gavin Greig’s collection. Here, where romanticism has a field day, we discover that Richard is really the King of England!

and in the The Power of the True Love Knot sleeve notes:

The only thing you can do to alter the sound of the breezy set of pipes which Dolly plays is to add an octave by means of pushing a crude brass lever. This we did to add pomp and flutey circumstances to the story of King Richard who loved a lady enough to leave the throne of England and wait on her. Attending the lady’s progress is the Medieval Percussion Band: Mike Heron plays Indian finger-cymbals and thumps an African drum, and Robin Williamson clicks japanese sticks and plays tin whistle.

Andrew Cronshaw played the tune of Richie Story in 1974 on his Transatlantic album A Is for Andrew, Z Is for Zither.

Jackie Oates recorded this song as Richie’s Lady in 2008 for her second album, The Violet Hour. She noted:

A song learnt from Sean O’Shea, a longer version of which appears as Child Ballad 232, under the title of Richie Story (also, The Power of the True Love Knot, Shirley Collins, 1968, Polydor).

Trembling Bells sang Richie Story in 2015 on Earth Records’ anthology celebrating Shirley Collins, Shirley Inspired….

Lyrics

Ewan MacColl sings Richie Story

“Here’s a letter to you, madam,
Here’s a letter to you, madam,
Here’s a letter fae the Earl o’ the Wemyss,
And it’s a’ in suit o’ you, madam.”

“Say not so to me, Richard,
Say not so to me, Richard;
For I’ve made a voo, and I’ll keep it true,
To marry none but you, Richard.”

“Say not so to me, madam,
Say not so to me, madam;
For I hae neither lands nor rents,
For to maintain ye wi’, madam.”

“Say not so to me, Richard,
Say not so to me, Richard;
For I want neither lands nor rents,
For to maintain me wi’, Richard.”

Oot it spak her ae brither,
“O dear sister, weel may we be sorry,
That you should wed your ain servant man,
And lose a’ your right to bonnie Castle Norrie.

“O dear sister, weel may we be sorry,
O dear sister, weel may we be sorry;
The gardens they’re fine, and they’re a’ laid wi’ thyme,
An’ a’ the walks o’ bonnie Castle Norrie.”

“O dear brither, how could I be sorry?
0 dear brither, how could I be sorry?
1 wouldna gie my Richard wi’ his laced coat,
For a’ the lands o’ bonnie castle Norrie.”

“O I am gaun fae hame, madam,
I am gaun fae hame, madam;
I’m gaun awa’, sae far awa’,
I’m gaun across the sea, madam.”

“I will gang wi’ you, Richard,
I will gang wi’ you, Richard;
I’ll gang wi’ you to London toon.
I’ll gang across the sea, Richard.”

“Ye canna gang wi’ me, madam,
Ye canna gang wi’ me, madam;
I’m gaun awa to London toon,
My friends long me to see, madam.”

When they went doon through London toon,
O, but the bells were ringing bonnie,
And mony a ane did look at them,
And little did they think it was Richard’s lady.

When they cam’ in at the Parliament gate,
The marriage bells they were ringing bonnie,
And mony a knight and mony a squire
Stood there to welcome Richard’s lady.

“Sae dearly’s ye loved me, madam,
Sae dearly’s ye loved me, madam,
Your servant to go wi’, madam,
Your servant to go wi’, madam.

“But sae dearly’s I loved you, madam,
Sae dearly’s I loved you, madam,
I left the sceptre and the throne,
And was your waitin’ man, madam.

“And was your waitin’ man, madam,
Made a’ your bridles ring, madam;
And little did ye think that your waitin’ boy
Was England’s royal King, madam.

“But since it’s so ye loved me, madam,
Since it’s so ye loved me, madam,
Ye shall be queen o a’ England,
And happy shall ye be, madam.”

Shirley Collins sings Richie Story on False True Lovers

“Here’s a letter to you, Madam,
Here’s a letter to you, Madam,
Here is a letter from the Earl of the Weymss
And all in suit of you, Madam.”

“Say not so to me, Richard,
Say not so to me, Richard,
For I made a vow and I’ll keep it true,
To marry none but you, Richard.”

“Say not so to me, Madam,
Say not so to me, Madam,
For I have neither lands nor rents,
For to maintain ye with, Madam.”

“I am going away, Madam,
I am going from here, Madam,
I’m going away, so far away,
I’m going across the sea, Madam.”

“Then I will go with you, Richard,
I will go with you, Richard,
I’ll go with you to London town,
I’m going away with you, Richard.”

When they went down through London town,
Oh but the bells they were ringing bonny,
And many a knight and many a squire
Stood there to welcome Richard’s lady.

“So dearly as you loved me, Madam,
So dearly as you loved me, Madam,
You left your lands and all your rents
Your serving boy to go with, Madam.”

“So dearly as I loved you, Madam,
So dearly as I loved you, Madam,
I left the sceptre and the throne
And was your waiting man, Madam.”

“And was your waiting man, Madam,
Made all your bridles ring, Madam,
And little did you think that your waiting man
Was England’s royal king, Madam.”

“But since it’s so you love me, Madam,
Since it’s so I love you, Madam,
You shall be the queen of all England
And happy shall you be, Madam.”

Shirley Collins sings Richie Story on The Power of the True Love Knot

“Here’s a letter to you, Madam,
Here’s a letter to you, Madam,
Here is a letter from the Earl of the Weymss
And all in suit of you, Madam.”

“Say not so to me, Richard,
Say not so to me, Richard,
For I made a vow and I’ll keep it true,
To marry none but you, Richard.”

“Say not so to me, Madam,
Say not so to me, Madam,
For I have neither lands nor rents,
For to maintain ye with, Madam.”

“Now I am going away, Madam,
I am going away, Madam,
I’m going away to London town,
My friends they long to see me, Madam.”

“Then I will come with you, Richard,
I will come with you, Richard,
I’ll leave my castle and my land,
I’m coming away with you, Richard.”

As they came down through London town,
Oh but the bells they were ringing bonny,
And many a knight and many a squire
Stood there to welcome Richard’s lady.

“For since it’s so I love you, Madam,
Since it’s so I love you, Madam,
I left the sceptre and the throne
And was your serving man, Madam.”

“And was your serving man, Madam,
Made all your bridles ring, Madam,
But little did you know that your serving man
Was England’s royal king, Madam.”

“And since it’s so you love me, Madam,
Since it’s so I love you, Madam,
You shall be the queen of all England
And happy shall you be, Madam.”