Annotation:Lady Betty Cochran's Strathspey
X:1 T:Lady Betty Cochran's Strathspey M:C L:1/8 R:Strathspey B:Joshua Campbell – A Collection of New Reels & Highland Strathspeys (Glasgow, 1789, p. 48) Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:F A|C<F (A/B/c/A/) Tf2 (c>f)|Td(c/B/) (cF) E<GG>B|A(G/F/) (A/c/f/c/) T(dc/B/) (c/A/G/F/)|(E/F/G/A/) (B/d/c/B/) TAFF:| e|T(f/e/f/g/) (f>c) Ta(g/f/) (gc)|(B/d/f) (A>c) (Bd)(gb)|T(a/g/a/g/) (f>c) (d<f) (d/c/B/A/)|(B<G)(c>B) TA>Ffe| Tf/e/f/g/ (f>c) (b/a/g/f/) (g>c)|(e/d/c/B/) (b/a/g/f/) (cd/_e/)|(d/c/)d/f/ (b>d) T(c/A/)c/f/ (a/c/)A/c/|T(B/A/B/d/) T(c>B) TAFF||
LADY BETTY COCHRAN'S STRATHSPEY. Scottish, Strathspey (whole time). F Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. "Lady Betty Cochran's Strathspey" is a strathspey setting of "Lady Betty Cochrane's Reel (2)" (or vice-versa), composed by biography:Robert Mackintosh. Mackintosh also included the reel setting in his Fourth Collection of New Strathspey Reels (c. 1804), albeit under the title "Lady Mary Montgomery's Reel (2)."
Lady Elizabeth Cochrane (1745-1811) was the daughter of Thomas, 8th Earl of Dundonald (whose estate of Kerroughtree was near Galloway, Ayr), and Jane Cochrane. She was one of thirteen children born to the couple. Lady Betty married Patrick Heron of Heron (1736-1803) in 1775. Patrick [1] was an MP for Kirkcudbright in the decade before his death, and poet Robert Burns wrote some satirical campaign verses to aid his candidacies. He was also a banker and founded the Douglas-Heron Bank in Ayr, which went bankrupt in 1773, a couple of years before his marriage to Betty. A period geographical survey had this short note about the estate: “On the east side of the [River] Cree stands the ancient village of Minnigaff. Near it is Kirrochtree, the elegant seat of Mr. Heron of Heron. In this estate, and that of Mochramore adjoining, there are veins of lead, which have been worked for many years” (Robert Heron, Scotland Delineated: Or, a Geographical Description of Every Shire, 1799). Burns visited their country estate home during a second tour across Galloway in 1795. Burns originally set a song (“Here is the Glen”) to one of Lady Elizabeth (Cochrane) Heron’s airs. Writing to his publisher, Thomson, Burns said, “I got an air, pretty enough, composed by Lady Elizabeth Heron of Heron, which she calls ‘The Banks of the Cree’. Cree is a beautiful, romantic stream, and, as her ladyship is a particular friend of mine, I have written the following song to it.” Thomson did not like the tune, however, and, after Burns’ death set the verses to “Flowers of Edinburgh (1).”
Patrick and Elizabeth had only one daughter who lived past adolescence, the youngest having died at Madeira in 1800. The eldest, Stuart Mary (1777-1856), married Sir John-Shaw-Heron Maxwell of Springkell, Co. Dumfries, in 1802. Stuart-Mary was born and died in the family seat of Kerroughtree (various spellings exist). See also "Miss Heron."
