Nigel Gatherer wrote:
>
(Bessie Bell and Mary Gray story)
>
> The ballad became popular after the girls' death, and was adapted by
> Allan Ramsay, John Leyden (who worked with Walter Scott, and moved the
> scene of the story to the Borders) and James Duff of Logiealmond.
Just wanted to make shoes of yellow try to rhyme with Yarrow...
'onestly, guv...
>
> David Kilpatrick: the plague reaching Kelso must have been a traumatic
> time. Some infected houses were set on fire, but the flames went out of
> control and destroyed the town. I wonder if this incident is recorded
> in any local songs?
>
And the other two or three occasions on which the entire town appears to
have burned down - but no songs. I can't remember if the next fire was
in the very late 1700s, but for whatever reason, most of the town centre
is circa 1790-1810 and whatever they rebuilt in the 1600s either burned
down again or was demolished and remodelled in continental (northern
French, Dutch and Venetian) styles. Result, Kelso looks totally unlike
any of the other Border towns in layout and architecture.
There seem to be just about zero real songs about the place - it gets a
namecheck in 'The Runaway Bride', and 'We'll a' tae Kelso go'. Calvert's
1799 book (which Philip Whittaker gave me a copy of) has half a dozen
tunes like 'A Trip to Kelso' with the town in the title, since he
published the music here. On playing them they sound suspiciously
familiar and slightly Irish and I'll bet they all have other names which
are better known.
David
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