Oh, all right then.  I was too shy to send this out on general distribution,
but as it is such a different reply to those coming in it might be of
interest.

for Barbara James,

I have cleaned up some of the history since I sent my first note to you.  It
is all from memory, but the outline is now at least a bit better!

-----Original Message-----
From:	Kirke [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent:	25 November 1998 14:58
To:	[log in to unmask]
Subject:	My Bonnie lies over the ocean

Much in haste.  My grandmother often sang this song to me when I was a child
explaining that the Bonny (Bonnie?) was Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Young
Pretender, Charles Stuart.  The Stuarts were pushed off the Throne of
Britain in the Glorious Revolution in 168? by the bloodless invasion by the
protestant Prince of Orange, later King William III who reigned with his
wife, Mary Stuart.

James II, who was expelled, had a son, the Old Pretender who invaded Britain
in 1715 and failed.  His son, Charles, the Young Pretender invaded in 1745
and came much closer to success.  He was finally defeated at the Batle of
Cullodden and skipped back to France where he had been brought up.

People who thought that he deserved better might well have emigrated to
America as the English were nasty to the Scots who had supported Charlie and
many of them found that leaving Britain was preferable to staying.  If so,
then they could well have taken this song with them.

On this evidence I would date it to 1745/6.

Charles.



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