This gentle little ditty has been around for some time but has really only come to the attention of collectors since WWII. It was occasionally printed as a broadside and its spread seems confined almost entirely to England. I suspect it is rather better known than the Roud index would have us believe. Apart from the version known to the brothers Harold and George Boucher, it was also in the repertoire of the Brazil family.

Notes by Gwilym Davies 3 April 2015