Annotation:Ginleing Geordie

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GINLEING GEORD(I)E. AKA and see "Jingling Geordie," "Wylam Away," "Wile Him Away." Scottish, English. England, Northumberland. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). Published in Henry Playford's 1700 collection of Scottish tunes (Original Scots Tunes, p. 5), where is appears as "Ginleing Georde". It was later printed in Neil Stewart's A Select Collection of Scots English Irish and Foreign Airs Jiggs & Marches (Edinburgh, 1788, p. 168). "Ginleing Geordie" is the indicated tune for a song ("Chronicle of the Heart") in Johnson's Scots Musical Museum, vol. 5 (1797, p. 482) but this appears to be a different tune than Playford's.

There are multiple explanations regarding the title (as Matt Seattle points out). Jingling Geordie is reputed to have been a 17th century pirate and smuggler around the Tynemouth area of the Scottish/English Borders area (there is a cave there that bears his name, along with rumors of buried treasure). A moneylender by the name of George Heriot (1563-1624) was known as 'Jingling Geordie' in the time of James VI of Scotland (James 1 of England), to whom the king (it is said) often had recourse to employ. Seattle also suggests a likely meaning is that a 'Jingling Geordie' referred to a jingling stick (such as carried in some morris dance traditions) that was also used by recruiting officers to attract those who might be interested in enlisting for the King's Bounty. There were also various pubs and establishments (e.g. in Edinburgh's Fleshmarket Close) called Jingling Geordie.

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