The Shooting of His Dear

Written by: [Traditional]
Publication date: 1765
Language: English
Comments: [Roud 166; Laws O36; Henry H114; Ballad Index LO36; VWML SBG/1/3/43; Bodleian Roud 166; trad.]. Scottish traditional first published in 1765 as "Molly Bawn". Typically known as "Polly Vaughan" (or Vaughn) or "The Shooting of His Dear" or "The Fowler" (for bird hunter).

A man (often named Jimmy or Johnny Randall) goes out hunting in the evening for birds. He sees something white in the bushes. Thinking this is a swan, he shoots. To his horror he discovers he has killed his true love, Molly (or Polly Vaughan). Returning home, he reports his mistake to his uncle and is advised not to run away. He should stay and tell the court that it was an honest mistake. The night before her funeral, her ghost appears to confirm his version of the events.
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Versions

Title	Performer	Release date	Info
Molly Vaughn	John Jacob Niles	1956
Polly Von	Peter, Paul And Mary	October 1963	Unverified
Molly Bon	Janet Smith	1968
Molly Vaughn	Phoebe Smith	1970
Polly Von	The Miles Martin Folk Group	1971
Molly Bawn	Hedy West	1976
Polly Vaughan	Tony Rose	1976
Polly Vaughn	John Roberts & Tony Barrand	1977
Polly Vaughn	Monika Hauff und Klaus-Dieter Henkler	1977
Molly Bawn	Sons of Erin	1980
Molly Bán (Bawn)	The Chieftains with Alison Krauss	September 17, 2002
Molly Ban	Pauline Scanlon	2004	Unverified
Molly Bawn	Caitlin	2006
Molly Vaughan	Bella Hardy	2007
Polly Vaughan	Martha Tilston	2007
Polly Vaughan	Jon Boden	September 5, 2010
Polly Vaughn	The Furrow Collective	November 4, 2016

		Title	Performer	Release date	Info
	i	Molly Ban	The Beers Family	1965