Global InformationThe Wee German Lairdie information
| "The Wee German Lairdie" | |
|---|---|
 George I of Great Britain, whom the song most likely mocked. Painted after Sir Godfrey Kneller, based on a work c. 1714.[1] | |
| Song | |
| Language | Scots |
| Written | Late 18th or early 19th century |
"The Wee German Lairdie" is a Scottish folk song that is probably about George I of Great Britain. The king, ridiculed in this song, assumed power to the discontent of the Jacobite rebels, who instead recognised James Francis Edward Stuart as king, from the formerly ruling House of Stuart.[2] Though taking place around 1715, the song first appears in writing in 1810, in Robert Cromek and Allan Cunningham's Remains of Nithsdale and Galloway Song, recalling a song of several versions that was allegedly sung prior.[3] James Hogg, however, mentions "an older collection" in the first volume of his 1819 compilation The Jacobite Relics of Scotland.[4]
According to the The Jacobite Relics, the song was "sung to many different tunes in different districts of the kingdom". Hogg claimed that the most popular tune at the time was the one written by him, but printed alongside it an older tune which he described as "more in character".[5]
- ^ "NPG 448; King George I – Portrait". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ Perkins, McKenzie (27 August 2019). "Scotland's Jacobite Rebellion: Key Dates and Figures". ThoughtCo. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
- ^ Cromek, pp. 144–145.
- ^ Hogg, pp. 263.
- ^ Hogg, pp. 262–263, 83–84, 85.