“The Broomfield Hill”

Description

A girl wagers with a boy that "a maid I will go to the Broomfield Hill and a maid I shall return." At home she regrets her error, but a witch tells her how to make her love sleep on the hill. She arrives on the hill, leaves a token, and wins her wager

Notes

For some inexplicable reason, the notes in Sam Henry claim that H133, "Bess of Ballymoney" (p. 461) is this song. I believe this is an accidental repetition of the notes on H135. - RBW

Cross references

• cf. "The Maid on the Shore (The Maid on the Sea Shore; The Sea Captain)" [Laws K27]
• cf. "Martinmas Time"
• cf. "Lovely Joan"
• cf. "The Maid and the Horse"
• cf. "The Sleepy Merchant" (plot)
• cf. "Geaftai Bhaile Atha Bui (The Gates of Ballaghbuoy)" (plot)

Recordings

• George Maynard, "A Wager, A Wager" (on Maynard1)
• Walter Pardon, "Broomfield Hill" (on WPardon01, HiddenE)
• Cyril Poacher, "Broomfield Hill (The Broomfield Wager)" (on FSB4, FSBBAL1) (on Poacher1)

References

1. Child 43, "The Broomfield Hill" (6 texts)
2. Bronson 43, "The Broomfield Hill" (30 versions -- but the last six are "The Maid on the Shore" -- plus 1 in addenda)
3. BarryEckstormSmyth pp. 438-442, "The Broomfield Hill" (1 songster version plus extensive notes)
4. Flanders-Ancient1, pp. 275-279, "The Broomfield Hill" (1 text, 1 tune)
5. Leach, pp. 150-152, "The Broomfield Hill" (1 text)
6. OBB 24, "The Broomfield Hill" (1 text)
7. Friedman, p. 148, "The Broomfield Hill" (1 text)
8. PBB 16, "The Broomfield Hill" (1 text)
9. Vaughan Williams/Lloyd, p. 26, "The Broomfield Hill" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #23}
10. Combs/Wilgus 11, pp. 113-114, "The Broomfield Hill" (1 text)
11. SHenry H135, p. 414, "The Broomfield Hill" (1 text, 1 tune)
12. MacSeegTrav 7, "The Broomfield Hill" (1 text, 1 tune)
13. DT 43, BROOMFLD* BROMFLD2* BROMFLD3
14. ADDITIONAL: Walter de la Mare, _Come Hither_, revised edition, 1928; #325, "The Broomfield Hill" (1 text)
15. Roud #34
16. BI, C043