Podcast #8 - Musical Origins in the Mearns

The History Quine

This week, Dr Brown looks at the origins of a tune and a bothy ballad (worksong) associated with the Mearns/Kincardinshire, now part of Aberdeenshire; the first is the tune "Bonny Lass o' Bon Accord" penned by fiddle virtuoso, James Scott Skinner, a native of Banchory, who was inspired by Wilhelmina Bell, a girl who had fallen on hard times, and the second, the lesser-known bothy ballad "Atween Stanehyve an' Lowrinkirk" (Between Stonehaven and Laurencekirk) which local balladeer, Geordie Murison explains, was inspired by a true event at Clochnahill Farm, not far from his own at Mains of Craigiecat, both to the west side of the A92 Stonehaven Road. Clochnahill was originally owned by Robert Burns' grandfather, John Burness until 1745. The ballad was written in the 20th century, possibly by John Mearns, a popular folk singer in the 1960s, but the incident on which is was based, happened in the late 19th century.