Broadside ballad entitled 'The Queen's Welcome to Scotland'

Commentary

This ballad begins: 'The queen she is coming, hurra! hurra! / To the land of the thistle, hurra! hurra! / From mountain and glen / Come ye brave Highlandmen / And welcome your Queen ane an' a', an' a''. There are no publication details available for this sheet.

This broadside almost certainly refers to a visit to Scotland by Queen Victoria (1819-1901). The Queen was a frequent visitor to Scotland and, after her visit with her husband, Prince Albert, in 1842, she returned annually. In 1852 the couple bought land in Balmoral, Deeside, and had the famous castle built. Indeed, 'Balmorality' has since entered the lexicon as a Victorian type of morality. Queen Victoria wrote about the Scottish countryside in her memoirs, and her fondness for tartan helped the clothing industry. In the ballad, the writer waxes lyrically about the natural beauty and glorious history of Scotland, and loyally affirms that 'The Queen to our country is true'.

Early ballads were dramatic or humorous narrative songs derived from folk culture that predated printing. Originally perpetuated by word of mouth, many ballads survive because they were recorded on broadsides. Musical notation was rarely printed, as tunes were usually established favourites. The term 'ballad' eventually applied more broadly to any kind of topical or popular verse.

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