The Wandering Shepherdess; or the Betrayed Damsel.

Files

s0077b48_Wandering.pdf
Illustration of a young woman wearing a hat, dress, and shawl standing before a gate.
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s0077b48_Wandering_003.jpg
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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 March 28, 2024, https://scottishchapbooks.lib.uoguelph.ca/items/show/710.

Geolocation

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