The Wandering Shepherdess; or the Betrayed Damsel.
Files
Title
The Wandering Shepherdess; or the Betrayed Damsel.
Alternative Title
The betrayed damsel
Publisher
Glasgow: Printed for the Booksellers
Date
1840-1850 per University of Glasgow Union Catalogue of Scottish Chapbooks
Extent
8 pages
16 cm
Identifier
Description
9 printed at the bottom of the title-page
Woodcut #62: Illustration of a young woman wearing a hat, dress, and shawl standing before a gate.
Type
ballads & songs
Abstract
A rather shocking cautionary ballad meant to encourage young women to guard their virginity and not be coaxed by men into pre-marital relations. In the tale, a merchant’s daughter is courted by a squire’s son at Oxford. A marriage date is agreed upon by her family, but she allows herself to be talked into sleeping with him before they marry, after which he abandons her and disappears to London for two years. After he leaves her, she decides to go become a wandering shepherdess. Years later, her betrothed returns to Oxford where he is confronted by her parents, but he blames it on her own falsity. When he hears about a beautiful shepherdess in the country, he tracks down this beauty and, not recognizing her at first as his jilted lover, attempts to convince her to sleep with him. When he recognizes her and she refuses him, he comes back the next day and rapes and kills her and throws her body in a river. As a moral tragedy, her death is punishment for her original transgression, while her lover is tormented by the thought of what he has done, which drives him to his own deathbed, where he confesses to her father, which causes his death as well.
Coverage
Oxford, England
Subject
Courtship and Marriage
Crime
Religion and Morals
Chapbooks - Scotland - Glasgow
Source
Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph Library, Guelph, Ontario
Is Referenced By
University of Glasgow Union Catalogue of Scottish Chapbooks http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/chapbooks/search/
Format
JPEGs and PDF derived from master file, which was scanned from the original book in 24-bit color at 600 dpi in TIFF format using an Epson Expression 10000XL scanner.
Rights
In the public domain; For higher quality reproductions, contact Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph. libaspc@uoguelph.ca 519-824-4120, Ext. 53413
Contributor
Archival and Special Collections, University of Guelph Library, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Citation
“The Wandering Shepherdess; or the Betrayed Damsel.,” Scottish Chapbooks, accessed November 7, 2024, https://scottishchapbooks.lib.uoguelph.ca/items/show/710.
