This is a list of songs by their Roud Folk Song Index numbers; the full catalogue can also be found on the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library website. Some publishers have added Roud numbers to books and liner notes, as has also been done with Child Ballad numbers and Laws numbers. This list (like the article List of the Child Ballads) also serves as a link to articles about the songs, which may use a very different song title.
The songs are listed in the index by accession number, rather than (for example) by subject matter or in order of importance. Some well-known songs have low Roud numbers (for example, many of the Child Ballads), but others have high ones.
Some of the songs were also included in the collection Jacobite Reliques by Scottish poet and novelist James Hogg.
The Index
The index is a database of nearly 200,000 references to nearly 25,000 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is compiled by Steve Roud, a former librarian in the London Borough of Croydon. The English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) listed 187,800 records in the growing Folksong database as at October 2012 (which total includes all of the songs in the Broadside database that have 'traditional' origins).archives.vwml.org/search/roud: Search the Roud Folksong Index (English Folk Dance and Song Society/Vaughan Williams Memorial Library)
The purpose of the index is to give each song a unique identifying number. The numbers were assigned on a more or less arbitrary basis, and are not intended to carry any significance in themselves. However, because of the practicalities of compiling the index (building on previously published sources) it is true as a general rule that older and better-known songs tend to occupy low numbers, while songs which are obscure have higher numbers. Closely related songs are grouped under the same Roud number. If a trusted authority gives the name of a song but not the words it is assigned Roud number 000.
List
1 to 100 "The Raggle Taggle Gypsy" (Child 200) "The Unfortunate Rake, "St. James Infirmary" (Laws Q26) "The Sprig of Thyme", "The Seeds of Love", "Garners Gay" "Lord Thomas and Fair Annet" (Child 73) "The Three Ravens" (Child 26) "Lamkin" (Child 93) "The Female Highwayman", "Sovay" (Laws N21) "The Twa Sisters" (Child 10) "The Cruel Mother" (Child 20) "Lord Randal" (Child 12) "The Baffled Knight" (Child 112) "The Elfin Knight" (Child 2) (also "Scarborough Fair") "The Dowie Dens o Yarrow" (Child 214) "The Daemon Lover" "House Carpenter" "Well Met Well Met" (Child 243) "The Cruel Ship's Carpenter" (Laws P36A/B) "Frog Went A-Courting" "The Three Butchers" (Laws L4) "The Bramble Briar" (Laws M32) "Honest Labourer" "The Fause Knight Upon the Road" (Child 3) "Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight" (Child 4) "Gil Brenton" (Child 5) "Earl Brand" (Child 7) "Erlinton" (Child 8) "The Fair Flower of Northumberland" (Child 9) "The Cruel Brother" (Child 11) "Babylon", "The Bonnie Banks o Fordie" (Child 14) "Hind Horn" (Child 17) "Sir Lionel" (Child 18) "Willie's Lyke-Wake" (Child 25) "The Trees They Grow So High" (Laws O35) "Kempy Kay" (Child 33) "Hind Etin" (Child 41) "The Broomfield Hill" (Child 43) "Tam Lin" (Child 39) "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" (Child 46) "Proud Lady Margaret" (Child 47) "The Twa Brothers" (Child 49) "The King's Dochter Lady Jean" (Child 52) "Young Beichan" (Child 53) "Sir Patrick Spens" (Child 58) "Fair Annie" (Child 62) "Child Waters" (Child 63) "Fair Janet" (Child 64) "Lady Maisry", "Bonnie Susie Cleland" (Child 65) "Lord Ingram and Chiel Wyet" (Child 66) "Young Hunting" (Child 68) "Lord Lovel" (Child 75) "The Lass of Roch Royal" (Child 76) "Sweet William's Ghost" (Child 77) "The Unquiet Grave" (Child 78) "Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard" (Child 81) "Child Maurice" (Child 83) "Bonny Barbara Allan" (Child 84) "Prince Robert" (Child 87) "Young Johnstone" (Child 88) "Fause Foodrage" (Child 89) "Jellon Grame" (Child 90) "Fair Mary of Wallington" (Child 91) "Brisk Young Sailor (Courted Me)", "The Alehouse", "Died For Love", etc. (Laws P25) "The Gay Goshawk" (Child 96) "Brown Robyn" (Child 97) "Johnie Scot" (Child 99) "Willie o Winsbury" (Child 100) "Willie o Douglas Dale" (Child 101) "Tom Potts" (Child 109) "The Knight and the Shepherd's Daughter" (Child 110) "The Twelve Days of Christmas" "Johnie Cock" (Child 114) "A Gest of Robyn Hode" (Child 117) "Robin Hood Rescuing Three Squires" (Child 140) "Robin Hood and Queen Katherine" (Child 145) "Sir Hugh" (Child 155) "Queen Elanor's Confession" (Child 156) "Gude Wallace" (Child 157) "Johnie Armstrong" (Child 169) "The Death of Queen Jane" (Child 170) "Six Dukes Went a-Fishing" "Mary Hamilton" (Child 173) "Captain Car", "Edom o Gordon" (Child 178) "The Laird o Logie" (Child 182) "Jock o the Side" (Child 187) "Archie o Cawfield" (Child 188) "Hughie Grame" (Child 191) "The Lochmaben Harper", "The Blind Harper" (Child 192) No record "Jamie Douglas"; "Waly Waly", "The Water Is Wide", "When Cockleshells Turn Silver Bells" (Child 204) "Lord Delaware" (Child 207) "Lord Derwentwater" (Child 208) "Geordie" (Child 209) "The Mother's Malison", "Clyde's Water" (Child 216) "The Broom of Cowdenknowes / Bonny May" (Child 217) "Katharine Jaffray" (Child 221) "Lizie Lindsay" (Child 226) "Glasgow Peggie" (Child 228) "The Earl of Errol" (Child 231) "Richie Story" (Child 232) "Andrew Lammie" (Child 233) "The Earl of Aboyne" (Child 235) "Bonny Baby Livingston" (Child 222)
101 to 200 101. "Glenlogie", "Bonnie Jean o' Bethelnie" (Child 238) 102. "Lord Saltoun and Auchanachie" (Child 239) 103. "The (Bonnie) Rantin' Laddie", "Lord Aboyne" (Child 240) 104. "Henry Martin", "Sir Andrew Barton" (Child 167 / Child 250) (see also Roud 192) 105. "The Kitchie-Boy", "Bonny Foot-Boy", "Earl Richard's Daughter" (Child 252) 106. "Lord William", "Lord Lundy", "Sweet William" (Child 254) 107. "Burd Isabel And (Earl/Sir) Patrick", "Burd Bell" (Child 257) 108. "Broughty Wa's", "(Burd) Helen" (Child 258) 109. "(Lord Thomas and) Lady Margaret", "Clerk Tamas (and Fair Annie)" (Child 260) 110. "John Thomson and the Turk", "The Trooper and the Turk" (Child 266) 111. "The Heir of Linne" (Child 267) 112. "Lady Diamond (and the King's Daughter)", "Lady Daisy", "Eliza's Bower" (Child 269) 113. "The Lord of Lorn (and the Flas Steward)" (Child 271) 114. "Four Nights Drunk" (Child 274) 115. "Get Up and Bar the Door", "John Blunt", "Old John Jones" (Child 275) 116. "The Friar (in the Well/and the Maid/Well Fitted)" (Child 276) 117. "The Wife Wrapt in Wether's Skin", "The (Wee) Cooper of Fife", "The Daughter of Peggy-O", "Dan Doo", etc. (Child 277) 118. "The (Jolly/Ragged/Dirty) Beggar", "Davy Faa", "Farmer and Tinker", "Gaberlunyie Man", etc. (Child 279) 119. "The Beggar-Laddie", "The Beggar's (Dawtie/Prince)", etc. (Child 280) 120. "The Keach i the Creel" (Child 281) 121. "The Highwayman Outwitted By a Farmer's Daughter" 122. "Sweet Trinity", "Golden Vanity", "Bold Trellitee", etc. (Child 286) 123. "(The) (Young) (Earl of) Essex('s Victory over the Emperor of Germany)", "Queen Elizabeth's Champion", "Great Britain's Glory" (Child 288) 124. "The Mermaid", "As I Sailed Out One Friday Night", "The Cabin Boy" (Child 289) 125. "The Wylie Wife of the Hie Toun Hie", "The Flowers of Edinburgh", "My Lady Ye Shall Be" (Child 290) 126. "The Derby Ram", "As I was Going to Derby" 127. "The Leaves of Life", "Under the Leaves", "The Seven Virgins" 128. "The Herring Song", "Bolliton Sands", "The (Jolly) (Old/Red) Herring('s Head)" 129. "The Rattlin' Bog", "The Everlasting Circle", "Down in the Lowlands" 130. "Three Jolly Rogues" 131. "The Fox" 132. "The Blind Beggar" (Laws N27) 133. "Green Grow The Rushes Oh", "Come and I Will Sing You", "The Dilly Song", etc. 134. "The Coasts of High Barbaree" (Laws K33) 135. "O Let Me in This Ae Night", "Cold Blow And A Rainy Night", "The Laird o' Windywa's", etc. 136. "King Orfeo" (Child 19) 137. "Widecombe Fair", "Tom Pearce", "Tam Pierce" 138. "The Miller's Three Sons", "The Miller's Will", "The Miller and His Sons", "The Dishonest Miller" (Laws Q21) 139. "Jones' Ale", "Joan's Ale Was New" 140. "The Bold Grenadier", "The Nightingale Song", "One Morning In May", etc. (Laws P14) 141. "Dog And Gun", "The Golden Glove" (Laws N20) 142. "Charming Mary Neal" (Laws M17) 143. "The Counting Song", "One Man Went to Mow", etc. 144. "The Maid Freed from the Gallows" (Child 95), "The Prickle Holly Bush" 145. "Glasgerion", "Glenkindie" (Child 67) 146. "No, Sir, No", "No John No" 147. "Clerk Corvill", "(Giles/George) Collins", "Lady Alice" (Child 42 / Child 85) 148. "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (Laws M25) 149. "The Crabfish" 150. "When I Was a Young Man I Lived Rarely" 151. "An Awhesyth", "The Pretty Ploughboy", or other versions of "The Lark in the Morning"; "The Lark in the Morning" is a version on its own 152. "Early Early In The Spring", "The Trail To Mexico", "The Sailor Deceived", etc. (Laws M1) 153. "The Haymakers' Song", "The (Pleasant) Month of May" 154. "I Once Loved a Lass", "The False Bride", "The Week Before Easter" 155. "Mary Of The (Wild) Moor" (Laws P24) 156. "The Betrayed Maiden", "Betsy (The Waiting Maid)", etc. (Laws M20) 157. "Banks of the Ohio" (Laws F5) 158. "Bold William Taylor" (Laws N11) 159. "The Soldier's Alphabet" 160. "The Farmer's Curst Wife" (Child 278) 161. "Riddles Wisely Expounded", "Lay Bent To The Bonny Broom", "The Devil's Nine Questions", etc. (Child 1) 162. "The Light Dragoon", "The Trooper And The Maid", etc. (Child 299) 163. "The Jolly Ploughboy", "The Scarlet And The Blue", "The Warwickshire RHA", etc. 164. "John Barleycorn" 165. "Adieu My Lovely Nancy", "The Sailor's Farewell", "Swansea Town", etc. 166. "Polly Vaughn" (Laws O36) 167. "The Brisk Young Butcher", "The Leicester Chambermaid", "Aikey Fair", etc. 168. "The Fair Lass Of Islington" 169. "The Seasons Of The Year" 170. "Once I Had A Sweetheart" 171. "Young Ramble Away", "Brimbledown Fair" 172. "Bonnie Annie", "The Banks Of Green Willow" (Child 24) 173. "Strawberry Fair" 174. "The Cobbler And The Butcher", "The Cunning Cobbler Done Over" 175. "Cruel Was My Father", etc. (Laws P20) 176. "The Little Dun Mare" 177. No record 178. "The Gentleman Soldier", "The Sentry", etc. 179. "The Grey Cock", "Saw You My Father?", "The Cock Is Crowing", etc. (Child 248) 180. ""The Brown Girl", "The Rich Irish Lady", "Sweet Sally", "Pretty Sally", "A Sailor From Dover", "The Bold Sailor" (Child 295) 181. "The Maid on The Shore", "The Mermaid", "The Sea Captain" (Laws K27) 182. "Edwin", "Young Edwin in the Lowlands Low" 183. "Eggs and Marrowbone", "Marrowbones" (Laws Q2) 184. "Johnny Sands" (Laws Q3) 185. "The Drowned (Lover/Sailor)", "In London Fair City", "Scarborough Banks", etc. (Laws K18) 186. "The (Pretty/Jolly/Simple) Ploughboy" (Laws M24) 187. "Jemmy And Nancy", "The Yarmouth Tragedy", etc. (Laws M38) 188. "The Councillor's Daughter", "The Crafty Lover", "The Lawyer Outwitted", etc. (Laws N26) 189. "The Lake Of Coulfin", "Willy Leonard", etc. (Laws Q33) 190. "Bold Reynard", "Bold Reynolds", "Gentlemen of High Renown" 191. "The White/Blue/Green Cockade", "Sad Recruit", etc. 192. "Elder Bordee", "A True Relation of the Death of Sir Andrew Barton a Pyrate and Rover" (Child 167 / Child 250) (see also Roud 104) 193. "Sweet Lemminy" 194. No record 195. "Sir Arthur And Sweet Mollee", etc. (Laws O14) 196. "The Wife of Usher's Well", "The Lady Gay", "Three Little Babes", etc. (Child 79) 197. "The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry" (Child 113) 198. "Willie and Lady Maisry" (Child 70) 199. "The Famous Flower of Serving-Men" (Child 106) 200. "Edward", "How Come That Blood on Your Shirt Sleeve", etc. (Child 13)
201 to 300 201. "The False Lover Won Back" (Child 218) 202. "The Jolly Ploughboy", "Two Young Brethren", "The Two Brothers" 203. "O Good Ale Thou Art My Darling" 204. "Maa Bonny Lad"