We are finally getting to one of the ballad types and topics that made me realize how much potential lay in these old songs…. Monstrous births. Or, to be clear, that's how they were marketed at the time. They were actually an overall mix of true accounts of birth defects and used the idea of deformity as a direct metaphor. Either which way it went, one thing remained the same. The mother was almost always to blame in some way or another.Prides's FallThe two inseparable brothers.Infant Mortality RatesThe Jersey Devil Colloredo Twins Succession to the Crown Act FreaksNIH: Pregnancy test timelineThe Encyclopedia of Superstitions by Richard WebsterThe Odd Superstition Behind BirthmarksMedieval disability glossary. Support the show

Welcome everyone to Episode 19 Where we are looking at all the ways to woo those wonderful and witty wenches… or the ones who value knowledge over marriage, the one’s that fit the Athena archetype. Show transcript and blogA mad kinde of wooingHares on the Mountain The Blue Stocking SocietyThe EnlightenmentSupport the show

Today we look at both the history and one of the earliest versions of the Robin Hood legend, which spread and gained popularity largely through the ballad traditions. While we do we will look at how he fits in with that classic trickster archetype, and how the social and economic factors of the 1300's led to fertile ground for the growth of his story. Robin Hode and the Munke / Robin Hood and the Monk Timeline Documentary The Medieval Warm Period The Great FamineBlack Death  100 Years War Peasant’s RevoltSupport the show

Today we do a bit of background in how song and politics intermingle from the key years of the English Civil War and look at the ballad "LONDONS Warning-Peece,Being, The Common-Prayers Complaint." from 1643. LONDONS Warning-Peece, BEING, The Common-Prayers Complaint.5 members of ParliamentCharles ICharles I on trial Henrietta MariaThose who signed the death warrant of Charles I“Every tub must stand on it’s own bottomThe First Baron’s WarHung drawn and quartered.Black letter broadsides an intro.List of articles and books on the impact of blackletter broadsides on The English Civil War. Support the show

Today we look at the timelessness of fart jokes, and look at a couple of them inside ballads, and parts of Jonathan Swift's “The Benefit of Farting Explained,” which is a satirical essay on why farting should be free. We will also look at two parents who shake all their sons sins out in a sieve.BawdyBallads.com“A Looking Glass for Lascivious Young Men”"A bloody BATTLE between a Taylor and a Louse."“The Benefit of Farting Explained”The History of FartingSupport the show

Welcome back all you wonderfully curious lil’ devils to Bawdy Ballads and today’s episode,  “Taking dem kids, or the Poor Act of 1601" where we will look at one of the most important laws in terms of ballad sellers, often considered vagrants, but we will begin by looking at the letter home of Richard Frethorne, sold into an "apprenticeship" by his local council or parrish when his parents could no longer afford to care for him during a period of economic recession. Show transcript and Bawdy Ballads Blog.Poor Law of 1601Letter home from Richard FrethorneA light hearts A Jewell.Support the show

Today we look at some of the ways that addiction presents itself in popular songs, and briefly look at some surprising facts about Shakespeare.  Show Transcript and linksShakespeare himself was likely a user of both cannabis and cocaine. Doctor Dogoods directions, To cure many diseases both in body and minde, lately written andset forth for the good of infected persons.“snake oil” medicineCod Liver Oil The DublinersMethhead Ian NoeSupport the show

Today we look at mentions of abortion in traditional ballads and the various life and death consequences of historical pregnancy and childbirth.Show notes and transcriptsTam Lin: History and versions from Mainly Norfolk “Bonny Jean of Aberdeen”Historical rates of child and infant mortality Historical rates of maternal mortalityAtlas Obscura: The Long Tradition of Folk Healing of GrannyWomenGranny Women of Appalachia by Harriet MastersSupport the show

Today we look at the traditional archetypes of the tease and the whore, and how sometimes choice isn’t really a choice. Show transcript and websiteThe High Prized Pin-boxWorking Life of Women in the 17th CenturyA Fayre Portion for a Fayre MaydNell GwynSupport the show

Today we look at just how much money and value are intricately linked with dating, as shown in a couple of old songs from the past: Bawdy Ballads show transcriptA DIALOGUE Between Jack and his MotherA FAIRING For Young-Men and MaidsVox: Indian Dowry systemIndian Express: Dowry deathsSupport the show