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The Haughs Of Cromdale strathspey

Also known as Catherine Stewart’s, Haughs O’ Cromdale, The Haughs O’ Cromdale, The Haws Of Cromdale, Lady Catherine Stewart, Lady Catherine Stewart’s, The Merry Maid’s Wedding, The Merry Maids Wedding, Miss Catherine Stewart, Miss Catherine Stewart’s, Sid Mar Chaidh N’ Cal A Gholaigh, That Is How The Cabbage Was Boiled, Wat Ye How The Play Began.

There are 21 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with The Braes Of Tulliemet (a few times), Johnny Wilmot’s Fiddle (a few times), Kitchener’s Army (a few times), Little Donald’s Wife (a few times) and Malcolm Finlay (a few times).

The Haughs Of Cromdale has been added to 2 tune sets.

The Haughs Of Cromdale has been added to 60 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Five settings

X: 1
T: The Haughs Of Cromdale
R: strathspey
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Edor
|: c>e |B<EE>F B>AF>A | B<EE<F D>EF<A |\
B<EE>F B>AF>A | B>dA>F E2 :|
|: F>E |D<dd>e d>cB<A | F<AA>B A>FE<D |\
[1 E>ee>f g>ef<d | B<dA>F E2 :|
[2 B>ee>f g/e/f/d/ e>d | B>d B/A/G/F/ E2 |]
X: 2
T: The Haughs Of Cromdale
R: strathspey
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Edor
|: c>d |B>EF>E B/A/F/G/ B<d | B<EE>F G/F/E/D/ F<A |\
B<EF>E B/A/F/G/ B<d | B>d B/A/G/F/ E>d :|
|: A>F |D2 d>e d/c/B/c/ d2 | F2 A>B B/A/G/F/ A2 |\
[1 B2 ef/g/ g/f/e/d/ e2 | B/A/G/A/ B/A/G/F/ E2 :|
[2 E>e-e>f g2 (3fed | (3Bcd A<F E2 |]
X: 3
T: The Haughs Of Cromdale
R: strathspey
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Edor
|: (3edc |B>E (3EEE B>A (3FGA | B<E (3EEE D>EF<A |\
B>E (3EEE B>AF<A | B<Ad>F E2 :|
|: d>F |D>d (3dde d>cB<A | F<A (3AAB A>FE<D |\
[1 E>e (3eee (3gfe (3fed | B<dA>F E2 :|
[2 B>e (3eee g>e (3eee | d>A (3AAD E2 |]
X: 4
T: The Haughs Of Cromdale
R: strathspey
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Edor
|: e/ |B<EE>F B>AF<A | B>EE>F D>EF>A |\
B<EE>F B>AF>A | d>BA>F ~E2 E3/ :|
|: F/ |D<dd>e d/c/B/A/ d2 | F<AA>B A>F A2 |\
B<ee>f g>fe>d | B>d B/A/G/F/ E2 E3/ :|
X: 5
T: The Haughs Of Cromdale
R: strathspey
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Ador
f/2|e<A A>f e>d B<f|e<A A<B G>A B>d|e<A A>f e>d B<f|d<B g>B A2 A>:||
f/2|e>d e<g a>b a>g|e<g d<g B<g d<g|e>d e<g a>b a>g|e<g d<B A2 A>:||

Fifteen comments

"The Haughs of Cromdale" ~ all in the family

I’ve given three takes here of the tune, but there are lots more, including in A Dorian, and there are a slew of relatives here on site, which are to follow. I had originally included a version of another related strathspey, "The Merry Maid’s Wedding", but I feel the B-part is that different, but closer to another relative "Barrack Hill", that I’ll enter it on it’s own and hopefully it will survive, as it is another nice strathspey. The three versions given are given as samples of choice and variation…

"Johnny O’Leary’s" & "Barrack Hill" ~ the slide / single jig in it

“Johnny O’Leary’s” ~ slide
Key signature: A Dorian
Submitted on October 24th 2005 by Ptarmigan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/5117

“Barrack Hill” ~ slide
Key signature: A Dorian
Submitted on October 6th 2002 by gian marco.
https://thesession.org/tunes/1014

I’ll link up the rest in the near future…

C ~ c rider ~ yes, I got those ‘C’s w-ong…

Now corrected from C to c in the ABC’s… Apologies, as I should have left this till later as I was in a rush being hauled off to town by the wife to shop, which some of you are I’m sure familiar with. It isn’t a good time to be transcribing anything or making contributions. Part of the reason for the rush was to get related tunes in near to one another… Ah well, you’d think I’d have learned already… 😏

"The Merry Maid’s Wedding" ~ strathspey / reel ~ another relative

Key signature: A Dorian (some play and notate it as Mixolydian, c#’s)
Submitted on July 27th 2006 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/6035/

This strathspey / reel has the same first part, but both the A and B parts follow closely to the tune "Barrack Hill"…

"The Battle Of Yellow Ford" / "The March to Aughrim" / O’Neill’s" ~ march

Key signature: E Dorian
Submitted on January 4th 2003 by ScottC.
https://thesession.org/tunes/1287

This is just "Tralee Gaol" in 4/4 and with a second part, this melody has not only served as strathspey and reel but also as polka and march…

"The Haughs Of Cromdale" ~ strathspey - 19th Century

I delayed this in the first place, and then I left some things unfinished. The following two collections have the same exact transcription, note for note, and that follows:

"The Athole Collection" ~ James Stewart Robertson, 1884
"The Skye Collection" ~ Keith Norman MacDonald, 1887

K: E Dorian
|: e |
B<EE>F B>AF<A | B>EE>F D>EF>A |
B<EE>F B>AF>A | d>BA>F ~E2 E :|
|: F |
D<dd>e d/c/B/A/ d2 | F<AA>B A>F A2 |
B<ee>f g>fe>d | B>d B/A/G/F/ E2 E :|

The Haughs Of Cromdale

Some possibly interesting titbits:

Cromdale means "crooked dale".

Haugh, pronounced "haw" or "hoch" means river meadow, or the areas of flat land on either side of a river.

It was first published in c1740 in Oswald’s Caledonian Pocket Companion as "Wat Ye How the Play Began".

It first appears as "The Haws of Cromdale" in Johnson’s Scots Musical Museum (late 18th C) with the opening line "As I came in by Achindown".

The song concerns a skirmish during the Civil War when Royalist Highlanders were beaten by some of the "Army of the Covenant" at the Haughs of Cromdale in the area of Scotland known as Strathspey. The victors were shortly afterwards punished by Montrose.

Brilliant Nigel, thank you…

Squirrel Hunters

"Squirrel Hunters" is in the family tree, too:
T:Squirrel Hunters, The
M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:175
S:John Hartford’s "Wild Hog in the Redbrush" transcribed by Llarry Brandon
K:D
|:"4"e3d .B2 Bd|efed .B2 BA|GABc d2 dc|dBcA BcBA|!
"4"e3d .B2 Bd|efed .B2 BA|GABc d2 B2|1"4" A8:|2"4" A6|!
|:Bd|edeg a2ag|edef g2BA|GABc d2dc|dBcA BcBA|!
edeg abag|edef g2BA|GABc d2B2|1"4"A6:|2"4"A8|

(see http://www.ceolas.org/cgi-bin/ht2/ht2-fc2/file=/tunes/fc2/fc.html&style=&refer=&abstract=&ftpstyle=&grab=&linemode=&max=250&isindex=Hunter’s%20Rant&submit=Search)

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The Haughs Of Cromdale, X:5

I learned this version from Katherine Dunham. It’s largely the same as what ceolachan has posted already. But tonic is "A" (with no "C’s" you could hear it either as dorian or mixolydian) and the B section includes a nice little bit in the second bar. Not sure if anyone else plays it like this, but I love it.