This is an old song from the 17th century. Yellow flowering broom is
found all over Scotland but the village of Cowdenknowes is in the
Scottish Borders area.
Cowdenknowes is a Scottish estate on the east bank of the river
Leader Water, 32 miles southeast of Edinburgh.The original tower house
built by the Homes of Cowdenknowes in the 15th century is still
occupied.
The broom, a tall shrub which blooms with spikes of small golden
flowers, once grew abundantly on the hillsides of the Scottish
Borders.
http://members.fortunecity.com/theramshorn/id200.htm
An educational glossary of the works used in the ballad is available
at this site.
http://web.grinnell.edu/groups/sca/songs/period/broom_o_the.html
This site should completely inform you of the history of the Homes and
Cowdenknowes. A partial sample follows:
"
HUME CASTLE A HOME OF THE HUMES
On a rough rocky ridge between Earlston,Greenlaw and Kelso
stands the odd looking late 18th century folly of Hume castle raised
by the Earl of Marchmont,which conceals within it's base the fragments
of the original late 13th century courtyard castle enclosing an L-plan
towerhouse and it's medieval well.
The castle was built for the Home family (later known as Hume)
and was attacked on numerious occasions because of it's position on
the border.Some of the main assaults being in 1515,1547,1569 and
lastly 1651 when it was demolished by Cromwell's artillery under
Colonel Fenwick. Hume was the Home family's main fortress protecting
the Merse.Though branches of their kin also held Thornton castle,near
Dunbar,Dunglass castle and church,Fast castle and even Coldingham
Priory(for a time) all on the eastern march as well as lands in the
west including Cowdenknowes.
But since there are many Home branches ancestoral connections
can be confusing.Some of the main branches were the Homes of
Cowdenknowes,of Wedderburn,Manderston, Renton and Kames,
Blackadder,Crossrigg and Broomhouse.From the Cowdenknowes line
(through John of Earlston) linked to the Douglases,descended Sir
Alexander Douglas - Home the famous Foreign Secretary and Prime
Minister in 1963.The Homes of Wedderburn led to the 'Humes' of
Polworth and Marchmont,Sir Patrick being made Lord Polworth in
1690,later Earl of Marchmont and Chancellor of Scotland in 1697.From
the Manderston Homes descended George Home of Spott who became Earl of
Dunbar in 1605.
The Home family were anciently descended from William the son
of Gospatrick Earl of Dunbar and March,though they changed their name
to Home after their estate on the Merse.Interestingly the Gospatricks
of Dunbar castle also changed their name to Dunbar after their main
castle seat and estate.It was not unusual for families to name
themselves after their lands.For example the Douglas family's Flemmish
ancestors took their name from the dark water or 'dubh-ghlase' where
they first settled beside in the west of Scotland."
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~hume/HomeCastle.htm
raiford-ga,
I hope you enjoy this article on Scottish history as it relates to the
Humes and Cowdenknowes
Brad-fa |
