Annotation:Gladsmuir

Back to Gladsmuir

---

GLADSMUIR. Scottish, Air (whole time). D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. A martial ode to the victory of Prince Charles Edward and the Jacobite forces over Sir John Cope and the Hanoverian army at the Battle of Gladsmuir (September, 1745). The battle is usually known as the Battle of Prestonpans, although Gladsmuir is the name of the parish in the county of Haddington, in the vicinity. Stenhouse records that the words, written by William Hamilton of Bangour, are really a poem and not a song, and were set to music by Scottish composer William McGibbon [1] (1690-1756).

As over Gladsmuir's blood stain'd field,
Scotia, Imperial Goddess flew;
Her lifted spear and radiant shield
Conspicuous blazing to the view.
Her visage lately clouded with despair,
Now reafum'd its spirit majestic air.

See also note for "annotation:Johnny Cope (1)" for more.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Johnson (Scots Musical Museum, vol. 3), 1790; Song 202, pp. 210-211. Manson (Hamilton’s Universal Tune Book, vol. 2), 1846; p. 35.

Recorded sources:

---