FROM KEN GOLDSTEIN'S SLEEVENOTES FOR THE FOLKWAYS LP HE EDITED OF LUCY SINGING
Lucy Stewart, traditional singer from Aberdeenshire, Scotland Vol 1 Child Ballads
‘From October 1959 to August 1961 I had the great privilege to meet, know and work with the Stewart family of Fetterangus. The variety, quality and amount of [their] folklore convinced me that this was the family I on whom I should concentrate my time and efforts. I reaped a handsome reward.’
Their vast treasure of tradition included ‘more than 200 ballads and songs, over 60 tales and legends, 185 riddles,’ and much more. ‘Even if I were to spend ten years more I would still not touch bottom in their deep well of tradition.’
The major tradition- bearer in the family was Lucy, who gave Goldstein some 70% of the total materials he collected. ‘At 59 she was full master of the arts of singing and storytelling.’ Her family, all fine singers and story tellers, recognised that ‘none could approach Lucy in her absolute artistry.’ Goldstein says her tunes ‘were always so well shaped that the occasional lack of a complete text in no wayt affected the value. She rarely repeated a tune, only six of her songs were sung to tunes previously used.’
Everyone else in her family were well known as fine musicians and singers, her brothers as master instrumentalists and her sister Jean was a professional musician [and band leader] with a widespread reputation.‘
But even in Fishie no one outside of her family even knew that she sang. She did not want to sing when people other than her family were there, and it took Goldstein ‘more than two months to pry loose from her the first [complete] song.’ Then ‘her song flowed in a seemingly endless stream’. She learned them from her family and neighbours, and said her mother knew close to 500 songs.
Elizabeth Townsley was born in Northumberland, her father was a horse dealer and showman with a travelling circus, her mother’s family were coal miners and a circus showman. Lucy, her parents and most of her 13 siblings moved to Fetterangus in 1917, the family ran a general store and travelled the countryside selling goods while Lucy cared for the younger family members. Later she started her own henwife business.
SOME LINKS TO LUCY'S SONG RECORDINGS ON THE TOBAR AN DUALCHAIS, SCHOOL OF SCOTTISH STUDIES, WEBSITE
DAVIE FAA, APRIL 1960
In this song, a Traveller is given permission to spend the night in a farmer's barn, and manages to seduce the farmer's daughter during the night
PUIR WEE JOCKY CLARK, C. JANUARY 1960 Track ID: 55616
In this song, young Jocky Clark sells newspapers in the street.
THE LAIRD O THE DAINTY DOUNBY, DECEMBER 1959 Track ID: 56062
The Laird of the Dainty Dounby seduces a young girl before abandoning her.
MAYBE I'LL BE MAIRRIED YET, JANUARY 1960
In this song, a young woman hopes to marry her sweetheart and be whisked away. Despite having been badly treated by those around her, she will be gracious to them when she is wealthy.
THE TWO BRITHERS, OCTOBER 1972
Two brothers coming from school decide to have a wrestling match, but John stabs his younger brother William. William tells John to tear his shirt to bind the wound but it does not stop bleeding.
GREEN GROWS THE LAURELS, APRIL 1960 Track ID: 2243
In this version of 'Green Grows the Laurel', a young woman laments her former sweetheart's treatment of her.
THERE WAUR A FAIRMER'S DOCHTER, MAY 1960
A girl wraps her dog up, pretending it is her baby.
THREE BONNIE LASSIES FROM BUNYON, DECEMBER 195 Track ID: 4698 A song in which a young woman, eager to marry, takes steps to bring this about.
THE GOOD LOOKING WIDOW, MARCH 1960 Track ID: 52788
The widow has had four husbands and is looking for a fifth.
THE NICHT AH TOOK BIG AGGIE TAE THE BALL, MARCH 1960 Track ID: 52842
The night the singer takes big Aggie to the ball, he finds she cannot dance.
SHE'S AWA TAE BE WED TAE ANITHER, 26 DECEMBER 1959 Track ID: 5469
**In this song, a young man goes to the wedding of his former sweetheart.
I AM A MILLER TO MY TRADE, 26 DECEMBER 195 Track ID: 5480
In this mildly bawdy seduction song, a miller tries to win the affection of a maid.
THE BONNIE HOOSE O' AIRLIE, 26 DECEMBER
In this ballad, the Earl of Argyll attacks Airlie Castle while Ogivlie is away.
TWO PRETTY BOYS, 26 DECEMBER 1959 Track ID: 54861
In this ballad, two brothers, William and John, decide to have a wrestling contest on their way to school.
STILL I LOVE HIM, 26 DECEMBER 1959 Track ID: 54862
In this song, the singer describes the pettiness and scruffiness of her husband
THE BEGGARMAN, C. JANUARY 1960 Track ID: 5560
In this song, a beggar seeks lodgings at a house, but is refuse
THE CRUEL MOTHER, DECEMBER 1959 Track ID: 56070
In this ballad, a young woman kills her two babies straight after their birth.
** GIN I WERE WHAUR THE GADIE RINS, 16 JANUARY 1960 Track ID: 56086
Fragments of a song about a woman who has twice been betrothed,
**UP A WIDE AND LONELY GLEN, 17 DECEMBER 1959 Track ID: 59345
In this song, a man encounters the fairest girl he has ever seen
THE LARK IN THE MORNING, 16 OCTOBER 1972 Track ID: 67979
The ploughman is whistling for joy at the plough, accompanied by the song of the lark.
**GIN I WERE WHERE THE GADIE RINS, 1960 Track ID: 77880
The singer longs to be where the Gadie Burn runs behind the hill of Bennachie.
YOWIE WITH THE CROOKIT HORN, Track ID: 7788
The singer is mourning the ewe with the crooked horn, which has been stolen.
**PLOOMAN LADDIES, 1960 Track ID: 8021
In this song, a woman hopes to marry the ploughman she loves
THE CRUEL MOTHER, 09 APRIL 1961 Track ID: 98103
In this ballad, a young woman kills her two newborn babies.
**HISHIE BA, 09 APRIL 1961 Track ID: 98115
A young woman has been abandoned by her lover, and must care for their baby all alone.
in 1959/60 Ken Goldstein recorded Lucy in her Fetterangus kitchen many hours of songs, stories, riddles, rhymes and more from Lucy in her Garval Street Fetterangus kitchen.
Hear just a few recordings of Lucy on our TASTERS page, some stories from her on our TALE TELLING page, and select some favourite tracks from the Tobar An Dualchais blue title links below right.
Lucy Stewart and her Songs
'My aunt Lucy wis a shy modest person , so when Hamish Henderson first visited oor family she wis very wary o him, an sang [just] one song for him, As I Went A-walking. Later she sang him The Plooman Laddies. These recordings were tae become part o the sound track o the film caaed Journey to a Kingdom. She wis actually nae rated for her singin, she had learned the tradition at her mither's knee, an fae her family, an she became the guardian o thea tradition jist as she wis also tae be a guardian for the family, lookin after [most of three generations of children] .
'When I wis young I wid go oot wi Lucy on her cairtie, roon the countryside collectin feechels, just like Aul Betty hid done.
Lucy wid sing one song efter the other an tell stories, tae keep me amused but also for hersel. She knew an amazin number o songs. She hid this wye o singin, very straight, an it cam fae her hairt. You couldna help but listen tae her. She loved the big ballads, aa the big sad songs really made an impression on me when I heard them, I couldna get enough o them. She wid tell us the story first an then sing the song, or sometimes vice-versa. She hid a particular likin for songs wi an Irish theme an she sang a few o them. Mebbe this connection can frae Irish Travellers in my grannie's time or before.
'Because we were sae used tae Lucy's songs and stories we didna fully realise o the significance o whit wis happenin when the collectors, led by big Hamish, first started arrivin at Garval Street. She wid see herself really as bein the least musical. She wis very shy initially, but ower time she became mair comfortable wi the visitors, an eventually that desire tae sing an pass on the traditions wis stronger in her than the shyness.
Hamish brought Peter Kennedy, an Alan Lomax wis here, an Norman an Janie Buchan. When Hamish first brocht Kenny Goldstein tae meet Lucy she wis again very shy. He wid turn up every mornin at 9am an jist say aa day, an jist settled in. Lucy cam tae enjoy Kenny bein aroon an she wid practice wi the microphone when he wisna there. Kenny wis aye there, soakin up everythin, an there wis no room for airs or graces.
'Keny used tae get me tae go wi him when he went tae visit other folk he wanted tae record. I wis almost like his translator as he couldna quite understand the Buchan dialect.
Eventually Kenny wanted Lucy tae go travellin wi him, tae London, Edinburgh, America, aa these places, but Lucy wis jist too shy. I wis quite something for her to find in later middle age that she wis sae weel-kent, an that people were writin aritcles an sic like aboot her, an makin special trips tae Aiberdeeshire jist tae meet this shy aul woman.
People cam fae aa ower the globe tae meet an record her. The attention did change her, bit only in smaa ways. Sjhe got used tae it an it gave her a boost. She wis still singin an passin on the tradition richt up til a very short while afore she died. She wis a hardy bugger an a heavy smoker. She smoked packets o Woodbine [a very strong tobacco] but she wis still singin, right up tae the end o her days so they didna seem tae hiv done her any hairm.' Elizabeth Stewart.
