| Description | Letter from Mary Ann Crichton, 57 Castlegate, Jedburgh to Alexander Keith. Is glad to learn that she had undertaken to edit ballad manuscripts of late Gavin Greig; is willing to assist in anyway; lack of uniformity in spelling was due to the ballads and songs having been copied by her exactly as given by contributors; gives account of ways in which material was collected, by recitation or singing from illiterates taken down by Gavin Greig and herself, words being transcribed by her later; other versions were written down to grandparents' dictation by children, contributed by post, sometimes in very bad handwriting; comments on methods of Gavin Greig and James Bruce Duncan; all her own work had been influenced by her close association with the former during the last 12 years of his life. |