Skene MS., nine separate quires, amounting in all to 125 pages, and containing thirty-six pieces. Almost all of these are found in the Old Lady’s Collection, from which they appear to have been transcribed, but with misreadings and changes. 118 pages in the possession of Mr Alexander Allardyce of Edinburgh; the remainder in the possession of Mr Macmath.
Pitcairn’s MSS, 1817-25. Three volumes in the writing of Robert Pitcairn; partly from printed sources. In the possession of the representatives of Mr James L. Mansfield, Edinburgh.
Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe’s Collection (besides the Old Lady’s MS. and the Skene MS.). (1) ‘Songs,’ 12mo, in Sharpe’s handwriting. (2) MS. of 32 pages, small 4to, on paper of 1822, not in Sharpe’s hand. (3) MS. of 12 pages, on paper of 1820, not in Sharpe’s hand. (4) An independent transcript by Sharpe of the pieces entitled by Scott ‘North Country Ballads.’ (5) Letters from Motherwell to Sharpe, enclosing ballads. (6) Single copies of ballads, not in Sharpe’s hand. All in the possession of Mr Macmath.
Motherwell’s MS., 1825 and after. A folio, almost entirely in Motherwell’s hand, containing, besides some pieces not indexed, 228 indexed ballads. Most of these are from the West of Scotland, but not a few were given Motherwell by Buchan and are duplicates of copies which occur in Buchan’s MSS. In the possession of Mr Malcolm Colquhoun Thomson, Glasgow.
Motherwell’s Note-Book, c. 1826-27. A small octavo containing various memoranda referring to ballads, including the whole, or a portion, of several copies. Formerly in the possession of Mr J. Wylie Guild.
Kinloch MSS, 1826 and after. Seven volumes, the fourth being an interleaved (printed) copy of Kinloch’s Ancient Scottish Ballads with additions and variations. Vols I, II, III, VII, are almost wholly in Kinloch’s hand; V, VI are mostly in the writing of James Beattie, John Hill Burton, and Joseph Robertson. Harvard College Library.
Peter Buchan’s MSS, about 1828. Two volumes, folio. British Museum, Additional MSS, 29408-9. For a description, see Mr Ward’s Catalogue of Romances, etc., I, 537.
Mr. David Scott of Peterhead possesses a volume entirely in Buchan’s writing “which contains all [the ballads] that Buchan ever collected except some ‘high-kilted’ ones in another volume.” [The two volumes here mentioned are now in the Child Memorial Library of Harvard University. The “high-kilted” volume is entitled ‘Secret Songs of Silence.’]
Joseph Robertson’s MSS, 1829-32. Four small notebooks, one entitled ‘Journal of Excursions;’ another, ‘Adversaria’; also an annotated copy of The New Deeside Guide [1832]. In the possession of Dr Robertson’s representatives.
John Hill Burton’s MSS, 1829-30. Mostly in the Kinloch collection, but his daughter, Mrs Rodger, Aberdeen, has a small volume containing portions of two ballads.