“The Flowers of the Forest” is an ancient Scottish folk song commemorating the Scottish army's defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field on 9 September 1513. The original author of the lyrics is unknown; however, the melody was recorded c.1615-1625 in the John Skene of Halyards manuscript.
The Battle of Flodden Field was a clash in the War of the League of Cambrai between the Scottish army led by King James IV and the English Army under the command of Thomas Howard, the Second Duke of Norfolk. According to the English chronicler Edward Hall, “The battle was cruel, none spared other, and the king himself fought valiantly.” A contemporary estimate of the carnage was approximately 10,000 Scots were killed, with no noble family left untouched by the carnage, while the English lost 1,500. It was the largest military confrontation between the two kingdoms. Also, the Scottish King James IV was killed in the battle and was the last British monarch to suffer such a fate.
“The Flowers of the Forest” was recorded by Fairport Convention for their fifth album “Full House” (UK Island ILPS 9130 / US A&M SP-4265) issued on 10 July 1970. The LP was recorded between February and April 1970 at Sound Techniques, Chelsea, London and vocals recorded at Vanguard Studios, New York City in April 1970, with Joe Boyd producing and John Wood at the console. ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine also described the group as "... an English equivalent to The Band ... they have soaked up enough of the tradition of their countryfolk that it begins to show all over, while they still maintain their roots in rock". From: https://www.facebook.com/groups/922344057869541/posts/6573274316109792/
