MARY OF THE WILD MOOR

                                                                                                                                    

 

This tragic 19^th century folk ballad originated in England during the 1820s as a printed broadside ballad sold on city streets. It then crossed the Atlantic in 1845 when composer Joseph W. Turner adapted the piece and published the original American sheet music through Oliver Ditson in Boston (see Figure 1).

It became a beloved staple in pioneer households across America, as the song spread rapidly down the East Coast, into the Ozarks, and across the Midwest. It appeared in American publications and local frontier newspapers as early as 1874.  Folklorists and Appalachian song catchers preserved the melody in the 1930s before it faded from memory. 

 The Blue Sky Boys (Bill and Earl Bolick) of Hickory, North Carolina made the first commercially released recording of the song in 1940, and thus immortalized it (see Figure 2). The blind music duo Mac and Bob (Lester McFarland and Robert Gardner) actually cut a master of the song in 1929, but the Great Depression prevented its release. In 1956, the Louvin Brothers of Alabama then turned it into a timeless bluegrass standard.

The lyrics tell the heartbreaking story of a young mother who seeks shelter from a winter storm. She perishes in the cold after her father intentionally ignored his daughter because his family pride was hurt by her choices. The haunting tale served as a powerful cautionary warning about the dangers of pride and neglect.

Laura Ingalls Wilder famously featured the tune in her classic Little House book series. Other legendary artists ranging from Johnny Cash to Billy Strings have recorded their own versions. The song remains a vital historical bridge that connects British folklore to American acoustic music.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 1. “Mary Of The Wild Moore”, Ballad adapted For The Piano Forte by Joseph W. Turner, published 1845 in Boston by Oliver Ditson. The cursive writing reads:“THIS SONG depicts the fate of a beautiful girl who was wooed by a young man who did not however suit the fancy of her parents. The lover besought her to leave her father’s dwelling and unite with him in marriage. After being wedded about a year he became a dissipated wretch and she was driven by poverty and cold back to the home of her childhood. But her father refusing her admittance she perished by the cottage door.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 2. “Mary Of The Wild Moor”, recorded February 5, 1940 by the The Blue Sky Boys, Bluebird 78rpm No. B-8446-A (from the collection of Mark Farrell).

 

 

Recommend Listening:

 

Listen to this recording of “Mary Of The Wild Moor” by the The Blue Sky Boys on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mnd4d6t3GgI&list=RDMnd4d6t3GgI&start_radio=1