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Annotation:Fair Field House
X:1 T:Fair Field House M:C L:1/8 R:Reel B:John Riddell – Collection of Scots Reels, Minuets & c. for the Violin (c. 1782, p. 11) Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:Amin g|e(aa)g fedc|cdef gecg|eaa.g fedc|dcde A/A/A A:| |:(d|cAG)A cdec|dcde defd|eagf ecde|cAcG A/A/A A:|]
FAIR FIELD HOUSE. AKA and see "Scalloway Lasses (Da)," "Scallowa Lasses (Da)," "Scalloway Lasses (The)," "Scallowa Lasses (The)." Scottish, Reel. A Minor. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. Fairfield House (Fullarton House), south Ayrshire (near Monkton), was built in 1745 by William Fullarton. It was improved by his son Colonel William Fullarton of Fullarton, a gentleman landowner, who sold the estate in 1803, prior to leaving for a position as Governor of Trinidad. Robert Burns was reportedly an admirer of the Colonel. The house fell into ruin and was demolished in the 1960's, but a ruined cemetery can still be seen on the site. Riddell also included other tunes for the family: see "Miss Fullarton's Minuet."
According to John Glen (1891), the melody was first published in biography:John Riddell's collection entitled A Collection of Scots Reels, Minuets, &c Composed by John Riddell in Ayre (1st Ed., c. 1766, 2nd ed. c. 1782, p. 11). The reel has been adopted into fiddling tradition in the Shetland Island under the "Scalloway/Scallow" title.
