# Willie o Winsbury

Willie O Winsbury (Child 100, Roud 64) is a traditional English-language folk ballad. The song, of which there are many variants, is a traditional Scottish ballad that dates from at least 1775, and is known under several other names, including "Johnnie Barbour" and "Lord Thomas of Winesberry".

## Synopsis

A king is away for some time. His daughter becomes pregnant by the hero, William or Thomas. The king threatens to hang him, but is struck by his beauty and offers him his daughter's hand, gold, and land. The hero agrees to marry the king's daughter but declares the gold and the land to be hers, not his own.

## Historical Basis

This ballad closely parallels Child ballad 99, "Johnie Scot".
In one variant, the lands are specifically described: he will be king when he returns to Scotland.
It may, in fact, be based on James V's courtship of and marriage to Madeleine de Valois of France; James came to see the woman he was betrothed to in disguise, and went on to meet the princess, who fell in love with him.
Thomas and his brother or possibly son William, both of Winsbury in Shropshire, were given protection for being in Scotland in November 1336. Winsbury is a small township of 1 square mile just to the west of Chirbury. It was the base of the Winsbury family in the 13th and 14th centuries. Thomas was a mid-level official in the service of Shropshire and the English central authorities. There seem to be only one place named Winsbury.Ref [7. For details if the lives of Thomas and William see : John Davies and David Read'The Careers of Thomas 'The Elder' and Thomas'the Younger' of Winsbury, Shropshire. Shropshire History and Archaeology. Vol.99. 2024 pp 39-46 Annex.] Thomas and William, c.1290-c.1340 of Winsbury were in Scotland when these popular ballads were being composed. If there is a connection the exiled king would have been David II who was in France from 1333 to 1341, however he had no children.
The song is often sung to the tune of "Fause Foodrage."

## Recordings

Andy Irvine sang "Willy O'Winsbury" on Sweeney's Men's eponymous debut album in 1968, accompanying himself on guitar. The recording featured the tune of "Fause Foodrage" (Child 89), which is now commonly used for "Willie O' Winsbury". On the album's sleeve notes, band member Johnny Moynihan wrote, "A ballad for which Andy is renowned. He got the text from Child's 'English and Scottish Ballads'; looking up the tune he got his numbers confused and emerged with the wrong air. By chance it suited the song very well". In 2010, Irvine re-recorded the song with a fuller arrangement of the same tune for his album Abocurragh, adding: "This is Child 100. I collected the words from different versions and as the story goes, on looking up the tune, I lighted on the tune to number 101. I'm not sure if this is true but it's a good story".
Being a well-documented song and publicised by English Folk Dance and Song Society, The Broadside Ballads Project, and Mainly Norfolk, the song was recorded by Jon Boden and Oli Steadman for inclusion in their respective lists of daily folk songs "A Folk Song A Day" and "365 Days Of Folk".
The song "Farewell, Farewell", recorded by Fairport Convention on their album Liege and Lief in 1969, is an adaptation featuring new lyrics by Richard Thompson. A recording of "Willie O' Winsbury" played and sung by Thompson was included in the 2006 boxset RT - The Life and Music of Richard Thompson.
A 1972 version by the British folk group Pentangle is perhaps the most commonly known rendition of the song in modern times.
Following is a list of notable recordings of the ballad including, for each entry, the year of release, artist, song title, and album title:
| Year | Artist | Title | Album |
| 1968 | Sweeney's Men | "Willy O' Winsbury" | Sweeney's Men |
| 1969 | Fairport Convention | "Farewell, Farewell" | Liege & Lief |
| 1971 | Anne Briggs with Johnny Moynihan | "Willie O' Winsbury" | Anne Briggs |
| 1971 | Tony Capstick | "Sir Thomas of Winesberry" | His Round |
| 1971 | John Renbourn | "Willy O' Winsbury" | Faro Annie |
| 1972 | Pentangle | "Willy O' Winsbury" | Solomon's Seal |
| 1972 | Barbara Dickson | "Lord Thomas Of Winesberry and The King's Daughter" | From the Beggar's Mantle...Fringed with Gold |
| 1975 | Robert Cinnamond | "The Rich Shipowner's Daughter" | You Rambling Boys of Pleasure |
| 1978 | Dick Gaughan | "Willie O' Winsbury" | Gaughan |
| 1994 | Connie Dover | "Willie of Winsbury" | The Wishing Well |
| 1999 | Frankie Armstrong | "Thomas of Welshbury" | The Garden of Love |
| 2001 | Nic Jones | "William of Winesbury" | Unearthed |
| 2004 | Great Big Sea | "John Barbour" | Something Beautiful |
| 2006 | Richard Thompson | "Willy O' Winsbury" | RT - The Life and Music of Richard Thompson |
| 2007 | Meg Baird | "Willy of Winsbury" | Dear Companion |
| 2007 | Kate Rusby | "John Barbury" | Awkward Annie |
| 2007 | Joel Frederiksen | "Willie O' Winsbury" | The Elfin Knight |
| 2009 | Nathan Rogers | "Willie O' Winsbury" | The Gauntlet |
| 2010 | Andy Irvine | "Willy of Winsbury" | Abocurragh |
| 2010 | The Owl Service | "Willie O' Winsbury" | The View From a Hill |
| 2013 | Snorri Helgason | "Willie O' Winsbury" | Autumn Skies |
| 2013 | Anaïs Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer | "Willie of Winsbury (Child 100)" | Child Ballads |
| 2016 | Jim Moray | "William of Barbary" | Upcetera |
| 2017 | Olivia Chaney (as Offa Rex with The Decemberists) | "Willie O' Winsbury" | The Queen of Hearts |
| 2019 | Ye Vagabonds | "Willie O Winsbury" | The Hare's Lament |
| 2021 | Orchestra of the Swan & Jim Moray | "William of Barbary" | Labyrinths |
| 2021 | Sarah Underhill | "Willy of Winsbury" | First of my Rambles |
| 2023 | Lady Moon | "Willy O' Winsbury" | Lady Moon |