Nottamun Town

There are several theories concerning the origin of this song, and some trace it back to medieval England. That it migrated from the British Isles to the United States is well-established. The song was collected by Cecil Sharp in 1917, and two versions are included in one of the standard references consulted by folk musicologists, Sharp's "English Folk-Songs from the Southern Appalachains". According to a letter from Jean Ritchie to Roger McGuinn published in the booklet included with McGuinn's CD, Treasures From the Folk Den, Sharp first heard the song from Ritchie's sister, Una, at the Hindman Settlement School in Knott County, Kentucky.