Broadside ballad entitled 'The Birks of Aberfeldy'

Verse 1: 'Bonnie lassie will ye go, / Will ye go, will ye go, / Bonnie lassie will ye go, / To the birks of Aberfeldy.' Although his name does not appear on the sheet, this ballad was written by Robert Burns. Broadsides are often crudely illustrated with woodcuts - the earliest form of printed illustration, first used in the mid-fifteenth century. Inclusion of an illustration on a broadside increased its perceived value, especially among the illiterate. To keep costs down, publishers would normally reuse their limited stock of generic woodcuts. Robert Burns wrote this ballad in late August 1787, during a visit to the Birks of Aberfeldy, then known as the Den of Moness. Legend has it that Burns wrote the song after resting in a natural seat on the rock, just at the side of the Birks. This natural seat is well-known and a plaque now exists at the exact spot where Burns was inspired to write the ballad. The accompanying woodcut to this broadside ballad shows a pastoral scene of young women playing, and the song's verses celebrate the reborn joys of nature in Spring and female beauty.

Collection

Popular Print in Scotland, 1650-1850

Inventory Number

4501995

Title

Broadside ballad entitled 'The Birks of Aberfeldy'

Object Type

PhysicalObject

Measurements

- 95 x 175mm