Countess of Ancram's Strathspey

 COUNTESS OF ANCRAM'S STRATHSPEY. Scottish, Strathspey. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. Composed by Nathaniel Gow (1766-1831). The most famous Countess of Ancram in Nathaniel's time was Lady Henrietta Hobart, daughter of John Hobart, 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire. She was forced into an arranged marriage in 1780 (while still a teen-ager) to Armar Lowry-Corry, later Lord Belmore, whom she did not even know by sight. It was a loveless marriage, in spite of Armar's attempts to win her over, and the couple separated in 1781 soon after the birth of their first and only child. They lived apart for nine years (he in Ireland, she elsewhere), and Henrietta lost custody of her daughter immediately upon the separation, although it had been stipulated she was to raise her for her first five years before giving her over to her father. In 1790, Henrietta began a liaison with William Kerr (1763-1824), Earl of Ancram, son and heir of the 5th Marques of Lothian. This became so blatant that Lord Belmore felt honor-bound to divorce her, and a public scandal ensued. After the divorce was final she married Ancram in 1793, and when her father died the following year she (or, rather, Kerr, as her husband) inherited Blickling Hall and his Norfolk estate. Henrietta died in 1805, but not before delivering four more children to Ancram. After her death Kerr remarried the next year to Lady Harriet Scott, a younger daughter of the 3rd Duke of Buccleuch, by whom he had another eight children. Despite Henrietta's notoriety, it would seem by the dates of publication that it is the second Countess, Harriet Scott, for whom Gow named the tune. Printed source: Gow (Fifth Collection of Strathspey Reels), 1809; p. 14.

X:1 T:Countess of Ancram's Strathspey M:C L:1/8 R:Strathspey N:"Slowly" C:Nathaniel Gow (1763-1807) B:Gow - Fifth Collection of Strathspey Reels (1809) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:D DFDF G/F/E/D/ C2|DF|D>F D>F G/F/E/D/ Cz/E/|D/E/F/G/ A/B/c/A/ {c}d2D2:|| df df g/f/e/d/ ~c2|dfdA d/e/f/g/ a/f/g/e/|df Af/a/ (g/f/).e/.d/ c/d/e/c/|d/e/f/g/ f/d/e/c/ !trill!d2 D>A| .d.f .d.f g/f/e/d/ c/d/e/c/|d/e/f/g/ a/g/f/e/ d/c/B/A/ f/e/d/c/|d/c/B/A/ B/A/G/F/ G/F/E/D/ C/D/E/C/|D/E/F/G/ A/B/c/A/ {c}d2D2||

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