In building the Early Modern Ballad Site, our team needed to make several key decisions about data entry and transcription. Our work is heavily indebted to Helen Weinstein, who compiled the Catalogue of the Pepys Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge.  In most cases, we were able to follow her methodology for bibliographic entries. However, due to the nature of building a TEI compliant database, we had to make several changes to her system. 

Weinstein’s catalogue designates the following category headings: “title”; “tune”; “music”; “first lines”; “refrain”; “imprint”; “license”; “author”; “format”; “references”; and “date.” We further divided the category “format” into: “page”; “condition”; “columns”; “ornament.” We added to these headings the additional categories: “part”; “publisher name”; “printer name”; “source”; “Pepys category”; and “keywords.” Since this project is an entirely digital one, in cases where we list details for “format,” page or woodcut measurements, and “conditions,” we rely entirely on Weinstein’s measurements and notes.

Like Weinstein, we retained original spellings for titles, first lines and refrains. We modified the “long s” but maintained vv for w, and i for j. Although we retained original spelling in entering titles, first lines and refrains, we modernized spellings in the “keyword” section.  This function simplifies searches for the modern reader and makes allowance for the wide variance of early modern spelling. Keywords are listed in the singular, with the exception of nouns that are generally plural (ie. “pants”). We do, however, include both singular and plural for commonly interchanged search terms like “woman” and “women.”

Weinstein uses a system of brackets to indicate faint, unclear, or missing text from titles, first lines and refrains.  To maintain a searchable database, we include, whenever possible, uninterrupted text in the title, first line, and refrain fields.  Brackets and textual corruption are conserved in the “notes” section for these ballads.

Advertisements, textual and stanzaic irregularities, versos and rectos, author information and other facts are also listed in the “notes” section. Because of the fluid nature of a searchable database, it is possible to produce search results that show only a single part of a two-part ballad.  Be aware that many ballads have a second part.

~Simone Chess and Maggie Sloan