Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
The Death of Queen Jane (Child No. 170) - Sung by Mrs. Martha "Peasie" Johnstone (Martha Reid), a Traveller of Birnam, Perthshire, Scotland. She learned the song from her great-grandfather David Whyte from Aberdeenshire. Recorded by Hamish Henderson in February 1957 for the School of Scottish Studies.
Note by Kevin W.:
This song enjoyed some popularity among Scottish Travellers but always in a condensed form that leaves out much of the story. Martha's text is unusual in that there's a happy ending, Queen Jane seemingly survives the childbirth.
Quite interestingly the misunderstanding of "immediately" was not limited to Martha's version. Bronson printed a text sung by a Mrs. Alex Muir who learned it from a Lanarkshire source, 1845, that displayed a similar distinction:
Her mither was sent for and immenjently came,
And she sat at the bedside along with Queen Jean;
'O mither, dear mither, if mither ye be,
O send for my faither to come and see me!'
Martha Johnstone learned the old songs from her grandparents and from older Travellers. We're indebted to her for sharing her songs with people and to Maurice Fleming and Hamish Henderson in the 1950s, Peter Shepheard in the 1960s and Linda Williamson in later years for visiting and recording her.
Martha told Linda Williamson how she tried to teach The Golden Vanity to her grandchildren, to get them interested in the old songs, but they had more interest in television than singing. Most singers, and especially Travellers felt regret at not being able to pass their songs on to a new generation. A song wasn't only a song, it was a living memory of their parents, their forebears. While singing there was a strong emotional connection with the person the song was learned from. When that person passed their memory lived on whenever the song was sung.
The original recording can be listened to here:
tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/21692?l=en
A biography of Martha Johnstone along with many further sound recordings can be found here:
tobarandualchais.co.uk/person/2719?l=en
Linda Williamson's thesis on Scottish Traveller singing can be read here, it is well worth your time if you are interested in Martha Johnstone's song repertoire: era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/8223
Song transcription:
Oh father dear father will you do this for me
Will you send for my mother for to come and see me
For the mother was sent for and immediantly came
Setting doon by her bedside, what ails you Queen Jane
For my back it is weary and my twa sides are sair
And I didnae get a wink o sleep this six weeks and mair
Oh mother dear mother will you do this for me
Will you send for my sister to come and see me
For the sister was sent for and immediantly came
Setting doon by her bedside, what ails you Queen Jane
For my back it is weary and my twa sides are sair
And I didnae get a wink o sleep this six weeks and mair
Oh sister dear sister will you do this for me
Will you send for King Henry for to come and see me
For King Henry was sent for and immediantly came
Setting doon by her bedside, what ails you Queen Jane
For my back it is weary and my twa sides are sair
And I didnae get a wink o sleep this six weeks and mair
King Henry will you do this for me
Will you send for a doctor to come and see me
For the doctor was sent for and immediantly came
Setting doon by her bedside, what ails you Queen Jane
For my back it is weary and my twa sides are sair
And I didnae get a wink o sleep this six weeks and mair
By the break of day Queen Jane got relieved
For a sweet babe was born and King Henry been sent for
For Queen Jane sat on bed and as happy as (can) be
For fare you well Queen Jane for all things are bad
The Death of Queen Jane (Child No. 170) - Sung by Mrs. Martha "Peasie" Johnstone (Martha Reid), a Traveller of Birnam, Perthshire, Scotland. She learned the song from her great-grandfather David Whyte from Aberdeenshire. Recorded by Hamish Henderson in February 1957 for the School of Scottish Studies.
Note by Kevin W.:
This song enjoyed some popularity among Scottish Travellers but always in a condensed form that leaves out much of the story. Martha's text is unusual in that there's a happy ending, Queen Jane seemingly survives the childbirth.
Quite interestingly the misunderstanding of "immediately" was not limited to Martha's version. Bronson printed a text sung by a Mrs. Alex Muir who learned it from a Lanarkshire source, 1845, that displayed a similar distinction:
Her mither was sent for and immenjently came,
And she sat at the bedside along with Queen Jean;
'O mither, dear mither, if mither ye be,
O send for my faither to come and see me!'
Martha Johnstone learned the old songs from her grandparents and from older Travellers. We're indebted to her for sharing her songs with people and to Maurice Fleming and Hamish Henderson in the 1950s, Peter Shepheard in the 1960s and Linda Williamson in later years for visiting and recording her.
Martha told Linda Williamson how she tried to teach The Golden Vanity to her grandchildren, to get them interested in the old songs, but they had more interest in television than singing. Most singers, and especially Travellers felt regret at not being able to pass their songs on to a new generation. A song wasn't only a song, it was a living memory of their parents, their forebears. While singing there was a strong emotional connection with the person the song was learned from. When that person passed their memory lived on whenever the song was sung.
The original recording can be listened to here:
tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/21692?l=en
A biography of Martha Johnstone along with many further sound recordings can be found here:
tobarandualchais.co.uk/person/2719?l=en
Linda Williamson's thesis on Scottish Traveller singing can be read here, it is well worth your time if you are interested in Martha Johnstone's song repertoire: era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/8223
Song transcription:
Oh father dear father will you do this for me
Will you send for my mother for to come and see me
For the mother was sent for and immediantly came
Setting doon by her bedside, what ails you Queen Jane
For my back it is weary and my twa sides are sair
And I didnae get a wink o sleep this six weeks and mair
Oh mother dear mother will you do this for me
Will you send for my sister to come and see me
For the sister was sent for and immediantly came
Setting doon by her bedside, what ails you Queen Jane
For my back it is weary and my twa sides are sair
And I didnae get a wink o sleep this six weeks and mair
Oh sister dear sister will you do this for me
Will you send for King Henry for to come and see me
For King Henry was sent for and immediantly came
Setting doon by her bedside, what ails you Queen Jane
For my back it is weary and my twa sides are sair
And I didnae get a wink o sleep this six weeks and mair
King Henry will you do this for me
Will you send for a doctor to come and see me
For the doctor was sent for and immediantly came
Setting doon by her bedside, what ails you Queen Jane
For my back it is weary and my twa sides are sair
And I didnae get a wink o sleep this six weeks and mair
By the break of day Queen Jane got relieved
For a sweet babe was born and King Henry been sent for
For Queen Jane sat on bed and as happy as (can) be
For fare you well Queen Jane for all things are bad
