“Bonny Charley” Textile and Song
Raise Questions as to Provenance
by Patricia L. Cummings, quilt historian/textile specialist
Recently, a reader sent me photos of a red and white monochrome printed textile. Featured on it is a main design and four corner scenes evoking the four (named) seasons. Traditional French pill wizard fabric often featured similar countryside scenes related to this same theme of changing seasons of the year. The main design is enclosed within a center circle and shows a handsome suitor in buckled shoes strolling with a maiden wearing an apron. This central medallion area is set off by a bead-like line composed of conjoined small circles that creates a visual division that separates it from the four corner scenes (labeled with the individual names of the four seasons) on this 28″ square piece of cloth.
A rare textile, possibly from the late 18th century or early 19th century
Beneath the featured couple appear the lyrics to a three verse song titled “Bonny Charley.” My research reveals that the score for this song (for piano and voice) was collected by Lester S. Levy, a sheet music collector who donated his entire collection to John Hopkins University. In citations found on the university’s website, it is revealed that the composer/writer is not known and that this ephemera that consists of two pages may have an English provenance as do others in Box 29-31 in the collection. See http:levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/
The verses, as transcribed from the textile, are:
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Cho5
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Cho5
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Cho5
Chorus
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On the sheet music, “&c.” appears, instead of “Cho5” after each verse.
Song lyrics
In looking at the words, the poem/song appears to be of Scottish origin. For example, the verb “ to ken” means “to know” and is often used in Scotland. “Ken” shows up in the song “” that I recorded some time ago for a music file on this website.
The term of endearment, “bonny,” was first in use in Scotland and Northern England during the fifteenth century, according to The New Oxford American Dictionary, and may have its etymological roots in the French word “bon,” which means “good.” It is often used in a poetic or literary sense.
The words on the textile are written in an archaic form of English script in which the consonant “s” looks more like “f.” At first glances, the word “lasses” looks like “laffes” to the untrained eye.
With the English and Scottish clues present, the historic figure of “Prince Bonnie Charlie” came to mind, even though I realized that the spelling of the name “Bonny Charley” on the actual textile differed. I chalked it up to poetic license or to the idea that the textile may have been manufactured after the death of the prince whose life became romanticized as a kind of tragic but lovable personage after the 1746 defeat of the army he had mustered in Scotland to rise up against the English.
Perhaps I was just tilting at windmills to try to make this historic connection. I have consulted a number of books and found nothing about this particular printed textile. It could be a commemorative print that celebrates Prince Charlie’s life or as one dealer/expert in textiles declared, it could have just been manufactured as a whimsical handkerchief that does not have any greater significance. He warned me that it would be a thankless task to try to link this textile to Bonnie or Bonny Prince Charlie. In the meantime, I am trying to follow up on other clues such as the name “Ruffet” that appears on the surface of the cloth. Was this the designer, the manufacturer, or the engraver? The question remains unanswered and all attempts to learn more about Ruffet have so far failed.
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“Bonny Prince Charlie” is the affectionate name given by the people of England and Scotland to Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart (1720-1788), also referred to as “the Young Pretender.” He was the son of James Stuart, dubbed the “Old Pretender,” and also grandson of James II, King of England/also designated as James VII of Scotland who was deposed by William of Orange. Prince Charles Stuart was the last of the Stuart line to be a claimant of the British throne.
A look at the life of Prince Charles is fascinating. He is mainly remembered for his attempts to attempt to reinstate England as an officially Catholic country by mustering 6,000 Scottish troops who fought on his behalf. Prince Charlie traveled to Scotland in July 1745 and made his way to Edinburgh where he was named King James VIII of Scotland. The following September, he led successful battles at Preston Paris and at Falkirk. Boldly, he led the Battle of Culloden on April 16, 1746 that ended in a defeat, the last battle to have ever been fought on English soil.
The Battle of Culloden was the result of a war of ideas between the Hanoverians and the Jacobites, not between England and Scotland, per se. Read more about these two factions at and .
After his defeat at Culloden, Charlie found safe harbor in homes across Scotland for five months. He eventually made his way to refuge in France where he lived as an expatriate.
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He has been well-celebrated in various songs. One has been documented as having been written almost a century after his death. The “Skye Boat Song” features words written by Sir Harold Boulder in 1884 and a traditional musical air collected by Annie McLeod in the 1870s. The lyrics make direct reference to the now famous woman “Flora” [MacDonald] who aided the Prince’s escape from Uist to the Isle of Skye and the second two lines of the first verse say: “Carry the lad that’s born to be king/Over the sea to Skye.”
The verses that follow are offer more explicit connections to Prince Charlie include a mention of the Battle of Culloden and its results:
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I note that again the proper name here is “Charlie” not “Charley” as is presented on the textile. The song book Rise Up Singing incorrectly states that Charlie was a child when he was escorted to safety by Flora. He was born in 1720 and the Battle of Culloden was conducted in April 1746, making him about 26 years old at the time!
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Likewise, another song was prepared in recognition of Charlies hiding in France. This song is based on a Scottish poem by Carolina Oliphant (Lady Nairne) and utilizes a traditional Scottish folk tune for its musical score. It was written sometime after the Battle of Culloden and has experienced transmogrifications over the years. A version of it was sung by (the late) Irish singer/Tommy Makem who emigrated from Ireland to the United States and spent many years living in Dover, New Hampshire. A prolific songwriter, some of his original songs have been presumed to have an older Irish tradition. He performed solo and with the Clancy Brothers.
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Another song linked to Prince Charles and the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 is most commonly referred to simply as “Loch Lomond.” Viewed as a song of lost love that states that two people will never meet again a verse in the original poem says this: “For my love’s heart brake in twa, when she kenned the Cause’s fa / And she sleeps where there’s never nane shall waken.”
One interpretation of these words is that a true love’s heart will break in two as a result of knowing the “Cause’s” father, perhaps “Charlie?,” father of the Jacobite uprising. The recurrent theme of the chorus is that “they” will never meet again [in Scotland]. The reference to “high road” and “low road” also have an in-built historical meaning according to the following online resource:
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The aunt of Robert Cuellar found the printed textile at Woodward and Lothrup, a former high-end department store located in Washington, D.C. In 1973. That day, she purchased the framed textile believed to be a handkerchief or neckerchief framed under glass.
As an aside, the history of the store is interesting in itself. Samuel Walter Woodward (1848-1917) and Alvin Mason Lothrup (1847-1912) founded the store in Chelsea, Massachusetts but later moved its location to the capitol in 1880. Eventually, the store was sold for $277 million dollar in 1985 to a man who was a shopping mall entrepreneur.
In late October 2011, the present owner contacted me to ask if I knew the country of origin or could provide any other clues as to the date of this handkerchief/neckerchief.
The owner previously consulted another (unnamed) textile specialist who thought that it might have been manufactured between 1780 and 1820, a broad range of dates. I considered the possibility that this textile is a reproduction and since it was purchased during the twentieth century at a department store location, we cannot rule out that possibility although it does not seem likely. Several other textile experts have looked at this item and believe there is no reason to doubt that it may be authentic, made from the 1810′s-1840s, according to one source.
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For me, the textile has sent me on a research quest to find answers. So far, nothing definitive about this textile’s provenance has been forthcoming. With no supporting evidence, this has been my own trip of supposition. However, I uncovered some interesting facts. It is interesting to note that one online site mentions that Bonnie Prince Charlie is second only to Jesus in the number of times he is mentioned in writings of the English language. He is also referred to as the “Young Chevalier,” probably due to his connections with France. The novel Waverly by Walter Scott is based on his story. The book pill wizard by St. George Tucker provides the lyrics to yet another song dedicated to “Charlie.”
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The original song has three more verses and an additional verse, added by a bard, is featured in the Bacon book. Today, this book is available via print-on-demand by the Expresso Book Machine. See:
Prices range from USD $10.25 – $12 dollars (plus shipping).
At the very least, I believe that one could safely call this textile a “conversational print,” a term that is typically given to any textile that would evoke a “conversation.” If this is indeed an early textile, it was made via a type of intaglio work related to etching in which fine lines could be incorporated or if this stems from a date later than 1783 when Thomas Bell in Scotland invented cylinder/roller printing using engraved rollers to print on cotton. The engravings were all done by hand until the nineteenth century!
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As to country of provenance, was this textile manufacturer in France, England or Scotland? All three countries are likely possibilities. Right now, I have only found clues. I am wondering if there is information printed on the edge of the textile, as suggested by one individual I contacted. Perhaps, some wording is currently obscured by the frame. The name of the manufacturer or country of origin may be printed there or possibly a date. If more information is uncovered via further investigation by the owner of this textile or a reader’s direct knowledge, or the “find” of a photo in a resource book, or some other discovery, I shall update this file. I have learned a great deal so far (although nothing to back my initial impression). As always, I am always appreciative of the chance to try to learn more about wonderful pieces held in collections. If anyone has more information about this particular textile, please contact me at:
Update on 11/4/2011: Robert Cuellar took the textile out of the frame, as I suggested, and states, “I found that this handkerchief is marked Williamsburg Fabric by Williamsburg Restoration, Inc.” Williamsburg Restoration CW 4xx is a trademark of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation which creates “decorative textile fabric piece goods.” We now have our answer that this is a 20th century textile!
My latest book will be available very shortly! It can be ordered at a pre-release price now from any number of online booksellers, including amazon.ca,, amazon,uk, amazon.au and amazon.fr.
Copyrighted by Patricia Cummings. All rights reserved.
owner,
Concord, NH
