146: Robin Hood's Chase

Beginning with a summary of 145 ‘RH and Queen Katherine’, Child described it as a sequel to 145. It appeared in the Garlands 0f 1663 and 1670 and seventeenth century broadsides of it are in the Wood, Pepys and Roxburghe Collections. A twenty-two stanza eighteenth century upmarket broadside with illustration was printed by L How of London and a copy of this can be seen in the Harvard, VWML, Madden and Douce Collections. It is as typical a relatively modern broadside as one can find, with even a ‘Come-all-ye’ opening.

In all copies the tune designated is ‘RH and the Beggar’ and Bronson identifies its pattern as that of 133 rather than 134, the other ‘RH and the Beggar’. In this case yet again tracing the tune back leads us to 125/126. Bronson deals very briefly with this ballad as there are no oral versions.