Johnnie Armstrong
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Johnnie Armstrong or Johnie Armstrong is Child ballad number 169.
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[edit] Synopsis
John Armstrong was a border outlaw, having a hundred and sixty men despite no income from rents. The king sent him a letter, requesting his presence in court and promising him safety. Armstrong is taken by the honor and orders his men to dress richly, as befits the court. At their arrival, the king tried to arrest them, and Armstrong ordered them to fight. They were all killed, although Johnnie was brought down only by a treacherous attack from behind.
His son, still a child "on his nurses knee", vowed revenge.
The variants sometimes open with a lament that it is not safe to appear before the king, or end with a lament that as a border reiver, Johnnie Armstrong had kept the English out of Scotland.
[edit] History
The events occurred in fact, but the Armstrongs were captured and hanged rather than killed in battle.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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