Old Ballads

by Various

"Old Ballads by Various" is a collection published between 1723-1725 in three volumes in London. It was the second major collection of British folksongs to be published, featuring genuine traditional ballads like "Chevy Chase" and "The Suffolk Miracle" alongside Robin Hood tales and Scottish songs. The first printed collection aimed at genuinely old folksongs, it presented 159 texts without musical notation. Its publication inspired Allan Ramsay to create his own collection within a year, marking an important moment in preserving folk tradition.