Songs from the 1776 Trenches

Although many historians focus on the tune of Yankee Doodle, often referring to the image here as such, some Revolutionary War songs are far more free-spirited. Sung by soldiers, they were sometimes influenced by the men’s varied heritages. Case in point, the song, “Maggie Lauder.” It was known to be sung in the American trenches, but it originated in Scotland.

Francis Sempill of Beltrees, who lived from around 1616 to 1685, wrote the ditty, and then it had the added benefit of having an easy and completely memorable tune put with it. (Careful, as it will get stuck in your craw when you watch the below version by The Corries.)

The song also has the benefit of having one heck of a funny word in the first verse. Blatherskite. Though back when spelling wasn’t standardized, they spelled it bladderskate…

Wha wadna be in love
Wi bonnie Maggie Lauder?
A piper met her gaun to Fife,
And spier’d what was’t they ca’d her:
Richt scornfully she answered him,
Begone, you hallanshakerl
Jog on your gate, you bladderskate!
My name is Maggie Lauder.

To call someone a blatherskite, is basically to say they are full of B.S. I truly love how Maggie shares her moniker with this bloke, the piper, while also putting him in his place by calling him names. Incidentally, if anyone has a definition—or a more modern spelling—of hallanshakerl, please let me know.

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Reader Insights: When you’re writing historical fiction, if you put too many period-appropriate words or phrases into dialogue, it can be clunky for readers. So, I use them sparingly. While I’m reserving blatherskite for my next novel, you’ll find I happily used the curse, blistering blackguards. You can read it within an excerpt with Captain Blythe on the Frontier from my novel, here.

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