{"id":292,"date":"2021-04-12T11:00:35","date_gmt":"2021-04-12T10:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/sssa\/?p=292"},"modified":"2021-04-27T12:03:32","modified_gmt":"2021-04-27T11:03:32","slug":"queering-the-archive-cross-dressing-ballads-in-the-school-of-scottish-studies-archive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/sssa\/queering-the-archive-cross-dressing-ballads-in-the-school-of-scottish-studies-archive\/","title":{"rendered":"Queering the Archive: Cross-Dressing Ballads in the School of Scottish Studies Archive"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the first in our series of blogs as part of \u2018Queering the Archive\u2019 initiative, I discuss some infamous \u2018cross-dressing\u2019 ballads<\/span>\u00a0within our collections.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here at the School of Scottish Studies, we hold many<\/span>\u00a0records of the popular cross-dressing ballads that exists in Scottish oral tradition and traditional songs.\u00a0Protagonists of these forms of ballads and songs are often women. These ballads involve a humorous tale of women in forms of drag and concealment\u00a0<\/span>as a way to<\/span>\u00a0engage in male public life or work. Common forms of this are cross-dressing sea-ballads that describe the protagonist entering the workforce. Women were excluded from joining the ranks of the navy and any work at sea was relegated into\u00a0different roles\u00a0for men and women. As such, the selected ballads can be viewed as a way of subverting gender roles and societal expectations through drag and cross-dressing.\u00a0<\/span>W<\/span>hile these are not necessarily queer stories, we can apply queer theory to these records thus allowing us to queer the archive and Scottish\u00a0<\/span>s<\/span>ounds.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This blog was originally created in mind to not only provide my own point of interest in just some of the examples of the \u2018queer\u2019 in the archive but to introduce application of theory and some of my own thoughts to the records. Though I do not see these as records of\u00a0particular\u00a0LGBT+ identity, they are examples of\u00a0the\u00a0\u2018queering\u2019 of records\u00a0and application of queer theory.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Content warnings apply within this blog and for\u00a0some of the sound material for sexual content, issues in consent, and themes and depictions\u00a0of gender\u00a0that some may find uncomfortable.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The first\u00a0<\/span>ballad\u00a0<\/span>to be discussed\u00a0<\/span>is\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>The Banks O\u2019 Skene<\/span>\u201d<\/span>,\u00a0which describes how a young female protagonist sought work in the navy and disguised herself in \u201cmen\u2019s clothing\u201d.\u00a0The protagonist is apprenticed to a\u00a0heckler\u00a0and sings of how \u201cthe girlies all fell in love with me below The Banks O\u2019 Skene.\u201d This can be seen as subversion of expected gender roles and exploration of sexuality and performance that\u00a0wouldn\u2019t\u00a0often be afforded to women. However, later in the ballad the protagonist is discovered by her master and the ballad continues with\u00a0bawdy\u00a0descriptions of exposure of identity, drinking, and her master, \u201ctaking her maidenhead\u201d and the ballad ending in pregnancy and marriage. While intended as a humorous tale, it reflects issues and attitudes of the life of women working on ships and the reasons given why women working aboard naval vessels were frowned upon due to notions of sexual relationships, pregnancy, and conflict. Through application of queer theory, this turns into a tale of a female\u00a0<\/span>protoganist<\/span>\u00a0gaining freedom in male fields of work and performance, but\u00a0ultimately having\u00a0to fall to her expected female role of sex and marriage.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another example of a similar style of cross-dressing<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>ballad is\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>The Handsome Cabin Boy<\/span>\u201d<\/span>,\u00a0in which the female protagonist disguises herself as a young\u00a0cabin boy. She is described by the sailors as handsome and pretty in most versions of the ballad, while she is still \u2018disguised\u2019 as male. Her identity is only \u2018discovered\u2019 once she gives birth to the Captain\u2019s baby. This song is similar in style and content as\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>The Banks O\u2019 Skene<\/span>\u201d<\/span>,\u00a0again singing of the benefits of\u00a0<\/span>navigating the world disguised as a man<\/span>, and later the\u00a0<\/span>problematic\u00a0<\/span>exposure\u00a0<\/span>narrative and\u00a0<\/span>relegat<\/span>ion of\u00a0<\/span>roles of birth and marriage. A different queer narrative can be applied to this in the example of the hidden sexual relationships of sailors and the attraction the other sailors felt towards the protagonist when she was viewed as\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>The Handsome Cabin Boy<\/span>\u201d<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There is also another known cross-dressing ballad of\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>Billy Taylor<\/span>\u201d<\/span>,\u00a0or\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>Willy Taylor<\/span>\u201d<\/span>.\u00a0A jilted lover of Billy Taylor<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>disguises herself as a man and finds work aboard his ship. She discovers Billy with another woman and shoots him. The Captain of the ship is so impressed by the bravery and act that he makes her commander of the ship and gives her a hundred men. This ballad is different from\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>The Banks O\u2019 Skene<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>The Handsome Cabin Boy<\/span>\u201d<\/span>,\u00a0as while it does involve the typical problematic and\u00a0<\/span>often times<\/span>\u00a0literal exposure narrative of these ballads, it does not feature a sexual relationship that ends in discovery and pregnancy. It instead follows the ballad and protagonist archetype of a romantic\u00a0heroine\u00a0that takes revenge on her cheating lover. This ballad begins and ends with subverting gender roles through taking on work as a man of lower status on the ship to\u00a0ultimately becoming\u00a0highly ranked to a Captain\u00a0<\/span>when the protagonist is no longer \u2018cross-dressing\u2019<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not all cross-dressing ballads follow a life at sea. There is also the ballad,\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>The Famous Flower of Serving Men<\/span>\u201d<\/span>,\u00a0in which the female character of ‘young Ellen fair’ cuts off her hair and becomes ‘young Willie Dare’ after an attack on her life and child by her\u00a0<\/span>step-mother<\/span>. She later goes to find work dressed as a man, and gains a job in the castle, initially as\u00a0a stable boy. However, because Young Willie Dare is so handsome, which is acknowledged by her Master and the\u00a0working men, she gains rank as a serving man. The Master later finds out her identity and marries her because she is so beautiful and handsome.\u00a0<\/span>Other<\/span>\u00a0ballads<\/span>\u00a0follow\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>young\u00a0<\/span>protagonist<\/span>\u00a0entering the militar<\/span>y,\u00a0<\/span>such\u00a0<\/span>the group of ballads,<\/span>\u00a0\u201cThe Female Drummer\u201d,<\/span>\u00a0\u201cThe Solder Maid\u201d,\u00a0<\/span>and \u201cWi my Nice Hat and Feather\u201d<\/span>.\u00a0The groups of ballads also involve similar narratives of entering the male sphere of work and roles in the military, with some queer attraction<\/span>. In the version of \u201cThe Female Drummer\u201d sung by Margaret Jeffrey<\/span>, it is noted that \u201cAlthough [the protagonist] pretends to be a young man, she is so beautiful that another girl falls in love with her\u201d,\u00a0however it is also related to\u00a0<\/span>aspects of heteronormativity by the end of the ballad, \u201cShe is told that if she ever gets married and has a son, she should send him to learn to play the drum.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We also h<\/span>old<\/span>\u00a0many more examples of these types of ballads, as well as examples of cross-dressing ballads where men were dressed as women. This is also often used as a form of anecdotes and tales, where men were dressed up to escape a skirmish or the authorities. The most famous of these songs surround Bonny Prince Charlie dressing up as a female maidservant to escape to the Highlands, which includes the songs\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>M<\/span>oladh<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>M\u00f2raig<\/span>‘ [Marion’s Wailing<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u2019, and many more. Other examples of this cross-dressing narrative, includes the tale of\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>Mac Iain\u00a0<\/span>Bh\u00e0in<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Ghobha<\/span>\u00a0and the robbers<\/span>\u201d.<\/span>\u00a0The Gaelic tales describes how Mac Iain\u00a0<\/span>Bh\u00e0in<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Ghobha\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0partner leaves for America to find where work as a servant. She is later captured and taken to a cave of robbers, in which she finds Mac Iain\u00a0<\/span>Bh\u00e0in<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Ghobha<\/span>\u00a0dressed as a woman. They fight and deal with the robbers and gain money for bringing them to justice. They both marry once they return to Scotland with their new riches.\u00a0<\/span>The majority of<\/span>\u00a0these ballads or tales are Romantic in nature and feature a brave heroine, a daring protagonist, or forms of escapism and running away and heroics. It is notable that most of these ballads and tales\u00a0<\/span>also\u00a0<\/span>end in finding love in heterosexual marriage, thus relegating any subversion of\u00a0<\/span>binary\u00a0<\/span>gender roles or\u00a0<\/span>examples of any kind of\u00a0<\/span>sexual fluidity and exploration back to the traditional heterosexual spheres of marriage.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We can apply queer theory to these records in the sense that the<\/span>\u00a0ballads\u00a0<\/span>often explore subversion of\u00a0<\/span>binary\u00a0<\/span>gender roles<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>include\u00a0<\/span>some form of queer attraction<\/span>\u00a0and aspects of fluidity<\/span>. However, these\u00a0<\/span>ballads<\/span>\u00a0are often told\u00a0<\/span>and passed down\u00a0<\/span>through\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>\u00a0cisgender and\u00a0<\/span>heterosexual\u00a0<\/span>lens.\u00a0<\/span>Some ballads\u00a0<\/span>reduce queerness and cross-dressing to mockery<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>at times,\u00a0<\/span>danger<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Themes of\u00a0<\/span>deception\u00a0<\/span>can be\u00a0<\/span>common<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>which can make some a<\/span>n\u00a0uncomfortable listen when\u00a0<\/span>considering themes and narratives of the<\/span>se forms of<\/span>\u00a0ballads<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Almost\u00a0<\/span>all of<\/span>\u00a0th<\/span>e ballads\u00a0<\/span>in our collections\u00a0<\/span>end<\/span>\u00a0in\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>\u00a0heter<\/span>osexual marriage<\/span>\u00a0and raises questions about the context of expected\u00a0<\/span>societal<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>roles<\/span>\u00a0and views of fluidity<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Queering the Archive<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>will allow us to\u00a0<\/span>analyse<\/span>\u00a0these records\u00a0<\/span>and more\u00a0<\/span>through queer theory<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>within<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the workshops<\/span>\u00a0and beyond<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The records discussed in this blog are available for listening on Tobar an\u00a0Dualchais<\/span>:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Banks o Skene\u201d<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0George Hay recorded by Hamish Henderson.\u00a0Aberdeenshire, Skene. SA1957.17.A3\u00a0<\/span>http:\/\/tobarandualchais.co.uk\/en\/fullrecord\/20800<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Handsome Cabin Boy\u201d<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0Jeannie Robertson recorded by Hamish Henderson.\u00a0<\/span>
\nSA1954.<\/span>72.B<\/span>8\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>http:\/\/tobarandualchais.co.uk\/en\/fullrecord\/2363<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBilly Taylor\u201d. Robb Watt recorded by Arthur Argo.\u00a0<\/span>
\nSA<\/span>1960.255.A<\/span>4<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>http:\/\/tobarandualchais.co.uk\/en\/fullrecord\/82824<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Famous Flower of Serving Men\u201d. Jeannie Roberston recorded by Hamish Henderson, SA<\/span>1954.103.A<\/span>1; SA<\/span>1954.103.A<\/span>2, 525\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>http:\/\/tobarandualchais.co.uk\/en\/fullrecord\/38037<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Female Drummer\u201d Margaret Jeffrey recorded by Hamish Henderson.<\/span>
\nSA1956.123.A5,\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>http:\/\/tobarandualchais.co.uk\/en\/fullrecord\/20185<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Female Drummer\u201d. Donald George Gunn recorded by Donald Grant.<\/span>
\n\u00a0SA1963.<\/span>87.A<\/span>9\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>http:\/\/tobarandualchais.co.uk\/en\/fullrecord\/48437<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Soldier Maid\u201d. Rob Watt recorded by Arthur Argo.<\/span>
\nSA1960.253\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>http:\/\/tobarandualchais.co.uk\/en\/fullrecord\/59181<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Drummer Maid\u201d James Laurenson recorded by Alan J. Bruford.<\/span>
\nSA1973.<\/span>62.A<\/span>5\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>http:\/\/tobarandualchais.co.uk\/en\/fullrecord\/75663<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWi my Nice Hat and Feather\u201d. Jimmy Taylor recorded by Hamish Henderson.<\/span>
\nSA1952.<\/span>32.B<\/span>18 (B25)\u00a0<\/span>http:\/\/tobarandualchais.co.uk\/en\/fullrecord\/46812<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMoladh M\u00f2raig\u201d. Pipe Major Robert Bell Nicol recorded by Pipe Major Neville MacKay.<\/span>
\nSA1964.264.B2\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>http:\/\/tobarandualchais.co.uk\/en\/fullrecord\/71946<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMac Iain\u00a0<\/span>Bh\u00e0in<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Ghobha<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>agus<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>na<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>robairean<\/span>\u201d Angus MacLellan recorded by Donald Archie MacDonald, SA1963.<\/span>57.A<\/span>2\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>http:\/\/tobarandualchais.co.uk\/en\/fullrecord\/78752<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

(There are also other versions of these ballads on Tobar an\u00a0<\/span>Dualchais<\/span>. To find our records, select\u00a0<\/span>School of Scottish Studies only within Advanced Search.\u00a0<\/span>All of<\/span>\u00a0our records will be listed under SA.)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are interested in taking part in<\/span> Queering the Archive<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>workshops, or if you are interested in researching LGBT+ records or using our collections for your work, please contact\u00a0<\/span>eholmes@ed.ac.uk<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Written by Elliot Holmes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Elliot is one of the Archives and Library Assistants at the School of Scottish Studies Archives and uses He\/They pronouns. You can also find him on twitter @elliotlholmes\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Follow @EU_SSSA on twitter for updates and sharing our collections.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the first in our series of blogs as part of \u2018Queering the Archive\u2019 initiative, I discuss some infamous \u2018cross-dressing\u2019 ballads\u00a0within our collections.\u00a0\u00a0 Here at the School of Scottish Studies, we hold many\u00a0records of the popular cross-dressing ballads that exists … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[18,27,2],"tags":[28,34,25,26,32,21,31,30,22,23,33,8,29],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcNWdE-4I","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/sssa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/sssa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/sssa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/sssa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/sssa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=292"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/sssa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":293,"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/sssa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292\/revisions\/293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/sssa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/sssa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/sssa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}