Volume III, song 298, page 308 - 'On the restoration of the...
Volume III, song 298, page 308 - 'On the restoration of the forfeited Estates 1784' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)
Verse 1 (to the tune of 'As I came in by Auchindown'): 'As o'er the highland hills I hi'ed, The Camerons in array I spied Lochiel's proud standard waving wide, In all its antient glory, The martial pipe loud pierc'd the sky, The Bard arose resounding high their valour, faith, and loyalty, That shine in Scottish story.'
The 'Scots Musical Museum' is the most important of the numerous eighteenth- and nineteenth-century collections of Scottish song. When the engraver James Johnson started work on the second volume of his collection in 1787, he enlisted Robert Burns as contributor and editor. Burns enthusiastically collected songs from various sources, often expanding or revising them, whilst including much of his own work. The resulting combination of innovation and antiquarianism gives the work a feel of living tradition.
This tune was first published in 1780, in the song collections of Angus Cumming and Alexander McGlashan. In the former it was entitled, 'Haughs of Cromdale', and in the latter, 'The Merry Maid's Wedding'. The lyrics are said to be by the Reverend William Cameron of Kirknewton. The Commission of Forfeited Estates was established after the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715 to assess and sell lands confiscated from the rebels; in 1745 the lands were restored to their owners.
Volume III, song 298, page 308 - 'On the restoration of the forfeited Estates 1784' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)