The Broomfield Wager

Summary

A knight dares a lady to visit him a Broomfield hall, saying she will not be able to visit him and remain a virgin. She takes the wager, and seeks the advice of a witch. The witch instructs her on how to go to where the knight is sleeping, and perform rituals that will keep him asleep. She should walk nine times around the hill, and when the night is asleep, lay blossoms of broom over him to keep him asleep. The lady performs these rituals, and places her broach upon his chest and her rings by his side as proof of her presence. She then hides, waiting to see what will happen when he awakes. When the knight wakes, he asks his hound, his horse, his hawk, and finally his men why they did not waken him when she was there. They all replied that they tried to wake him but could not. He says that had he woken when she was there, he would have had his way with her, and after that, not have cared if the birds of the forest ate her body. Hearing this the maiden weeps and returns home.

The Broomfield Wager

1. There was a knight and lady bright
   Set trysts amo the broom,
   The one to come at morning ear,
   The other at afternoon.
2. "I'll wager a wager wi' you," he said,
   An hundred merks and ten,
   That ye shall not go to Broomfield Hills
   Return a maiden again."
3. "I'll wager a wager wi' you," she said,
   "A hundred pounds and ten,
   That I will gang to Broomfield Hills
   A maiden return again."
4. The lady stands in her bower door,
   And thus she made her mane:
   "O shall I gang to Broomfield Hills,
   Or shall I stay at hame?
5. "If I do gang to Broomfield Hills,
   A maid I'll not return;
   But if I stay from Broomfield Hills.
   I'll be a maid mis-sworn."
6. Then out it speaks an auld witch-wife,
   Sat in the bower aboon:
   "O, ye shall gang to the Broomfield Hills,
   Ye shall not stay at hame.
7. "When ye gang to Broomfield Hills,
   Walk nine times round and round;
   Down below a bonny burn bank
   Ye'll find your love sleeping sound.
8. Ye'll pu the bloom frae aff the broom,
   Strew't at his head and feet,
   And aye the thicker that ye do strew
   The sounder he will sleep
9. "The broach that is on your napkin,
   Put it on his breast bane,
   To let him know, when he does wake,
   That's true love's come and gane.
10. "The rings that are on your fingers,
    Lay them down on a stane,
    To let him know, when he does wake,
    That's true love's come and gane.
11. "And when ye hae your work all done,
    Ye'll gang to a bush o' broom,
    And then you'll hear what he will say,
    When he sees ye are gane."
12. When she came to Broomfield Hills,
    She walkd it nine times round,
    And down below yon burn bank,
    She found him sleeping sound.
13. She pu'd the bloom frae aff the broom,
    Streu-'d it at's head and feet.
    And aye the thicker that she strewd,
    The sounder he did sleep.
14. The broach that was on her napkin
    She put on his breast bane,
    To let him know, when he did wake,
    His love was come and gane.
15. The rings that were on her fingers,
    She laid upon a stane,
    To let him know when he did wake,
    His love was come and gane.
16. Now when she had her work all dune,
    She went to a bush o' broom,
    That she might hear what he did say,
    When he saw she was gane.
17. "O where were ye, my guid grey hound,
    That I paid for sae dear,
    Ye didna waken me frae my sleep
    When my true love was sae near?"
18. "I scraped wi my foot, master,
    Till a' my collars rang,
    But still the mair that I did scrape,
    Waken woud ye nane."
19. "Where were ye, my berry-brown steed,
    That I paid for sae dear,
    That ye woudna waken me out o' my sleep
    When my love was sae near?"
20. "I patted wi my foot, master,
    Till a' my bridles rang,
    But still the mair that I did pat,
    Waken woud ye nane."
21. "O where were ye, my gay goss-hawk,
    That I paid for sae dear,
    That ye woudna waken me out o' my sleep
    When ye saw my love near?"
22. "I flapped wi' my wings, master,
    Till a' my bells they rang,
    But still the mair that I did flap,
    Waken woud ye nane."
23. "O where were ye, my merry young men
    That I pay meat and fee,
    Ye woudna waken me out o' my sleep
    When my love ye did see?"
24. "Ye'll sleep mair on the night, master,
    And wake mair on the day;
    Gae sooner down to Broomfield Hills
    When ye've sic pranks to play.
25. "If I had seen any armed men
    Come riding over the hill
    But I saw but a fair lady
    Come quietly you until."
26. "O wae mat worth you, my young men
    That I pay meat and fee,
    That ye woudna waken me frae sleep
    When ye my love did see.
27. "O had I waked when she was nigh,
    And o her got my will,
    I shoudna cared upon the morn
    Tho sma birds o her were fill."
28. When she went out, right bitter wept,
    But singing came she hame;
    Says, I hae been at Broomfield Hills,
    And maid returnd again.

Similarities

• There is a presence in a woods that is a threat to a women's virginity
• The woman travels to the woods despite the threat
• The woman receives instructions from a supernatural figure
• The woman performs a ritual
• The woman comes out the victor

Analysis

This is one of the tales that often shares verses with Tam Lin. The opening verse referering to a wager is sometimes spoken by Janet as part of her reason for travelling to Carterhaugh. Like Tam Lin, the female is going to an area where she knows she should not go, to meet with a man with whom she should not associate for some reason. In contrast with Tam Lin, wherein the female goes to meet a threat and finds a lover, the female in this story goes to meet a man whom she believes to love her, only to discover that he is instead a threat.

Version Notes

There are more cheerful versions of this story. See for example, "The Merry Green Broom" by Kate Rusby

Added to site: March 2001