Annotation:Deil o' Baldarroch (The)
X:1 T:Deil o' Baldarroch, The C:J. Scott Skinner M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel B:Skinner – Miller o’ Hirn Collection (1881, No. 119, p. 61) Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:Bb e|.d.B.c.A .B.B,.D.F|.G.A.B.c .A.F.A.c|.d.B.c.A .B.c.d.e|=.e.f.g.a .b.[DB].[DB]:| a | (b/a/g) (f/g/a) .b.B.d.f|(=e/f/g) (g/f/e) .f.F.A.c|(^f/g/a) (a/g/f) .g.G.B.c|.d.g.^.f.a .g.G.G.a| (b/a/g) (=f/g/a) .b.B.d.f|(=e/f/g) (g/f/e) .f.F.A.c|(^f/g/a) (a/g/f) .g.b.a.g|=.e.f.g.a .bBB||
DEIL O' BALDARROCH, THE. Scottish, Reel (cut time). B Flat Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. "The Deil o' Baldarroch" was composed Aberdeenshire fiddler-composer and Scottish dancing master wikipedia:James_Scott_Skinner (1843-1927). Baldarroch is a farm in the parish of Banchory-Ternan, Aberdeenshire, where, on Dec. 5th, 1838, the inhabitants were alarmed to see a great number of sticks, pebble-stones, and clods of earth flying around, a phenomenon that lasted five days. They attempted to find the source of the disturbance, but no explanation could be found. After the first five days, the disturbance moved indoors, reportedly with all manner of kitchen and household items whirling around, dashing on the walls and rattling down the chimney. There were tremendous knockings on the door and the roof. Finally after a few more days the poltergeist-like phenomenon stopped. Accounts of the event spread like wildfire in the superstitious region, along with ever-expansive rumors and exaggerated descriptions of the event and its cause, with the conclusion that it was the Devil or one of his minions that was at the root of the evil.
After a couple of weeks of the continuance of the noises it came to light that two servant girls in the household were responsible for at least some of the mischief, perhaps in response to being harshly treated by their master/mistress. They admitted to placing dishes where they could easily be set ajar, loosening bricks in the chimney, and other mischief, abetted by the extraordinary alarm and credulity of their master and mistress, and, indeed, the neighbors and country people afterwards. The two were reportedly "imprisoned", but what the charges might have been or their fate is unknown. The disturbance at the farm did not reappear.
