Annotation:Mrs. Hamilton of Wishaw

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MRS. HAMILTON OF WISHAW. Scottish, Reel. B Flat Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. Composed by William Marshall and published in his First Collection, 1781. It was published under ths same title by the Gows in Third Collection, 1792, without attributing it to any composer. John Glen (1895) says George Thompson adopted the tune to Burns' lyric "My love is like the red red rose," but the words were later applied to the tune "ow Down in the Broom" by which it is sung today (see note for “Red Red Rose (2)”). The melody has, however, survived in song as "My Mary meets wi' me." Moyra Cowie (The Life and Times of William Marshall, 1999) identifies Mrs. Hamilton as either Susan Balfour (d. 1789), spouse of the 6th Laird of Wishaw, or Penelope MacDonald, who married the 7th Laird, William Hamilton of Wishaw.

A jig setting of the tune was printed by the Gows in Fourth Collection of Niel Gow's Reels (1800), under the title "Lady Belhaven's Delight."

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; p. 128. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; p. 288.

Recorded sources:

See also listing at:
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings Index [1]

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