Willie o Douglas Dale explained

Willie o Couglas Dale or Willie O Douglas Dale (Roud 65, Child 101) is a traditional English-language folk song.^[1]

Synopsis

Willie goes to court, and he and a lady fall in love. When she is pregnant, they flee, but she goes in labor on the way, and gives birth to a son. They go on with the child and reach his father's lands.

Motifs

This ballad contains elements from "Willie and the Earl Richard's Daughter" and to a lesser extent "Leesome Brand".^[2]

Notes and References

1. [Francis James Child]
2. Francis James Child, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, v 2, p 406, Dover Publications, New York 1965