Lamkin
Encyclopedia
"Lamkin" is an English ballad
. It gives an account of the murder
of a woman and her infant son by a man, in some versions, a disgruntled mason
, in others, a devil
, bogeyman
or a motiveless villain
. Versions of the ballad are found in Scotland
, England
, and the USA.
, takes his revenge on his family during his absence. He first attacks Lord Wearie's baby.
This gets the attention of Lady Wearie, who offers gold and riches to Lamkin if he will spare her life. No rationale is ever given for the extreme measures Lamkin takes, nor why he refuses money at this stage, if his grievances were merely financial. It is speculated that some verses may be missing, although there is some evidence that the nurse may have had a long-standing personal grudge, and played a more active role in the killings.
Lord Wearie returns months later to find his wife and son dead, and Lamkin gloating over the deed.
Lamkin is hanged
for his crimes, as he must have known he would be, again giving him no motive but the cruelest revenge. In some later version, the nurse is burned at the stake, the punishment for petty treason
.
who dwells in the wild places; the lord, before leaving, warns against him:
These versions add peculiar incidents that add to the grisliness of the crime. Lamkin and the nursemaid collect the baby's blood in a basin which, along with the idea that the name Lamkin or Lammikin indicates the murderer was pale skinned and, therefore, perhaps a leper who sought to cure himself by bathing in the blood of an innocent collected in a silver bowl, a medieval cure.
. Steeleye Span
recorded it as "Long Lankin" on Commoner's Crown
(1975), and vocal trio The Devil's Interval also recorded it as Long Lankin on their debut album "Blood & Honey" (Wildgoose 2006). Dave Burland recorded "Lamkin" on his album You Can't Fool The Fat Man (1979) with Nic Jones
. The Neofolk
band Fire + Ice recorded "Long Lankin" on their album Gilded By The Sun (1992). Jim Moray
recorded a version as "Long Lankin" on his album In Modern History (2010).
by John Banville
. It is also the inspiration behind the young-adult novel Long Lankin, written by the author Lindsey Barraclough and due to be published in April 2011 by Random House.
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
. It gives an account of the murder
Murder ballad
Murder ballads are a sub-genre of the traditional ballad form, the lyrics of which form a narrative describing the events of a murder, often including the lead-up and/or aftermath...
of a woman and her infant son by a man, in some versions, a disgruntled mason
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
, in others, a devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
, bogeyman
Bogeyman
A bogeyman is an amorphous imaginary being used by adults to frighten children into compliant behaviour...
or a motiveless villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
. Versions of the ballad are found in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and the USA.
An unpaid mason
In the most common version, Lamkin, the stonemason, is hired by Lord Wearie to build him a castle. When it is complete, the Lord refuses to pay, saying he would have to sell his land to pay for the castle he had built on it. Wearie soon makes a trip across the sea, and Lamkin, with the aid of the Lord's nursemaidNursemaid
A nursemaid or nursery maid, is mostly a historical term of employment for a female servant in an elite household. In the 21st century, the position is largely defunct, owing to the relatively small number of households who maintain large staffs with the traditional hierarchy.The nursery maid...
, takes his revenge on his family during his absence. He first attacks Lord Wearie's baby.
- Then Lamkin a' tane a sharp knife,
- That hang down by his gaire,
- And he has gien the bonny babe
- A deep wound and a sair.
This gets the attention of Lady Wearie, who offers gold and riches to Lamkin if he will spare her life. No rationale is ever given for the extreme measures Lamkin takes, nor why he refuses money at this stage, if his grievances were merely financial. It is speculated that some verses may be missing, although there is some evidence that the nurse may have had a long-standing personal grudge, and played a more active role in the killings.
- "O sall I kill her, nourice,
- Or sall I lat her be?"
- "O kill her, kill her, Lamkin,
- For she neer was good to me."
Lord Wearie returns months later to find his wife and son dead, and Lamkin gloating over the deed.
- "And wha's blood is this' he says,
- 'That lies in my ha'?"
- "It is your young son'd heart's blood;
- 'T is the clearest ava."
Lamkin is hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
for his crimes, as he must have known he would be, again giving him no motive but the cruelest revenge. In some later version, the nurse is burned at the stake, the punishment for petty treason
Petty treason
Petty treason or petit treason was an offence under the common law of England which involved the betrayal of a superior by a subordinate. It differed from the better-known high treason in that high treason can only be committed against the Sovereign...
.
A bogeyman
Other versions follow the same basic story, but the antagonist has many different names, among them "Balankin", "Lambert Linkin", "Rankin", "Long Lankyn", and "Lammikin". Later versions lose the opening of the story, which explains that Lamkin is a mason who has not been paid; in these, Lamkin becomes a sort of a bogeymanBogeyman
A bogeyman is an amorphous imaginary being used by adults to frighten children into compliant behaviour...
who dwells in the wild places; the lord, before leaving, warns against him:
- Says milord to milady as he mounted his horse,
- "Beware of Long Lankin that lives in the moss."
- Says milord to milady as he went on his way,
- "Beware of Long Lankin that lives in the hay."
These versions add peculiar incidents that add to the grisliness of the crime. Lamkin and the nursemaid collect the baby's blood in a basin which, along with the idea that the name Lamkin or Lammikin indicates the murderer was pale skinned and, therefore, perhaps a leper who sought to cure himself by bathing in the blood of an innocent collected in a silver bowl, a medieval cure.
Performances
The song has been recorded as "Long Lankin" on "But Two Came By" (1968) by Martin CarthyMartin Carthy
Martin Carthy MBE is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon and later artists such as Richard Thompson since he emerged as a young musician in the early days...
. Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span are an English folk-rock band, formed in 1969 and remaining active today. Along with Fairport Convention they are amongst the best known acts of the British folk revival, and were among the most commercially successful, thanks to their hit singles "Gaudete" and "All Around My Hat"....
recorded it as "Long Lankin" on Commoner's Crown
Commoner's Crown
Commoners Crown is an album by the electric folk band Steeleye Span, its seventh release overall and the second album with the band's most commercially successful line-up. It reached number 21 in the UK album charts....
(1975), and vocal trio The Devil's Interval also recorded it as Long Lankin on their debut album "Blood & Honey" (Wildgoose 2006). Dave Burland recorded "Lamkin" on his album You Can't Fool The Fat Man (1979) with Nic Jones
Nic Jones
Nicolas Paul "Nic" Jones is an English folk singer, fingerstyle guitarist and fiddle player whose professional career spanned the years 1964-1982. He recorded five solo albums, and was a frequent guest performer.-Biography:...
. The Neofolk
Neofolk
Neofolk is a form of folk music-inspired experimental music that emerged from post-industrial music circles. Neofolk can either be solely acoustic folk music or a blend of acoustic folk instrumentation aided by varieties of accompanying sounds such as pianos, strings and elements of industrial...
band Fire + Ice recorded "Long Lankin" on their album Gilded By The Sun (1992). Jim Moray
Jim Moray
Jim Moray is an English folk singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer.-Recording artist:While studying classical composition at the Birmingham Conservatoire, Moray released the home-recorded I Am Jim Moray EP. During 2002 he appeared at the Glastonbury festival and the Cambridge Folk...
recorded a version as "Long Lankin" on his album In Modern History (2010).
In literature
The song has also given its title to Long Lankin, a collection of short storiesShort story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by John Banville
John Banville
John Banville is an Irish novelist and screenwriter.Banville's breakthrough novel The Book of Evidence was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and won the Guinness Peat Aviation award. His eighteenth novel, The Sea, won the Man Booker Prize in 2005. He was awarded the Franz Kafka Prize in 2011...
. It is also the inspiration behind the young-adult novel Long Lankin, written by the author Lindsey Barraclough and due to be published in April 2011 by Random House.
External links
- Lamkin, Child Ballad #93A, with variant texts
- Long Lankin by Reinhard Zierke, with remarks about the song from Martin Carthy and Dave TomlinsonDave TomlinsonDavid H. Tomlinson is a retired professional ice hockey centre. He played 42 games in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers. After his NHL career, he went on to play 10 years of professional hockey in Europe. He is now a regular contributor and analyst for Team...
. - False Lamkin with history