Glasgow Peggie

Synopsis

A Highlander comes to steal Peggie. In most variants, her father (and in some, her mother), declare that he might steal their animals, but not their daughter. He carries her off anyway. A few variants end there, but some also include either her parents or a local earl regretting that he got away with it. Peggie laments their harsh conditions. The Highlander assures her, or shows her, that he has plenty of property, and is, indeed, a lord (often the lord of Skye), and makes her his lady. Some variants explicitly include that he is richer than her parents.

Glasgow Peggie

‘AS I cam in by Glasgow town,
The Highland troops were a’ before me,
And the bonniest lass that eer I saw,
She lives in Glasgow, they ca her Peggie.

‘I wad gie my bonnie black horse,
So wad I my gude grey naigie,
If I were twa hundred miles in the north,
And nane wi me but my bonnie Peggie.’

Up then spak her father dear,
Dear wow! but he was wondrous sorrie;
‘Weel may ye steal a cow or a yowe,
But ye dare nae steal my bonnie Peggie.’

Up then spak her mother dear,
Dear wow! but she spak wondrous sorrie;
Now since I have brought ye up this length,
Wad ye gang awa wi a Highland fellow?’

He set her on his bonnie black horse,
He set himsel on his gude grey naigie,
And they have ridden oer hills and dales,
And he’s awa wi his bonnie Peggie.

They have ridden oer hills and dales,
They have ridden oer mountains many,
Until they cam to a low, low glen,
And there he’s lain down wi his bonnie Peggie.

Up then spak the Earl of Argyle,
Dear wow! but he spak wondrous sorrie;
‘The bonniest lass in a’ Scotland
Is off and awa wi a Highland fellow!’

Their bed was of the bonnie green grass,
Their blankets war o the hay sae bonnie;
He folded his philabeg below her head,
And he’s lain down wi his bonnie Peggie.

Up then spak the bonny Lowland lass,
And wow! but she spak wondrous sorrie;
‘I’se warrant my mither wad hae a gay sair heart
To see me lien here wi you, my Willie.’

‘In my father’s house there’s feather-beds,
Feather-beds, and blankets mony;
They’re a’ mine, and they’ll sune be thine,
And what needs your mither be sae sorrie, Peggie?

‘Dinna you see yon nine score o kye,
Feeding on yon hill sae bonnie?
They’re a’ mine, and they’ll sune be thine,
And what needs your mither be sorrie, Peggie?

‘Dinna you see yon nine score o sheep,
Feeding on yon brae sae bonnie?
They’re a’ mine, and they’ll sune be thine,
And what needs your mither be sorrie for ye?

‘Dinna ye see yon bonnie white house,
Shining on yon brae sae bonnie?
And I am the Earl of the Isle of Skye,
And surely my Peggie will be ca’d a lady.’

Annotating the Ballad

Jill Calder's Robert the Bruce was a a major influence for these spreads.

Thumbnails

One of Glasgow's oldest buildings. This would be in the back of the illustration.

Influence-Jill Calder's painted horse

Too Hanna-Barbera?

This was the first of the pages that I created for this project.
The cut out flat colours was too Hanna-Barbera as well as the characters, I kept this advice in mind for making further pages.

Other feedback was that there was a lot of empty space. Also the horse could me more painterly.