A song which goes back to around 1800 when it appeared in print.  Versions have turned up on both sides of the Atlantic, although not frequently.  A version of the tune was pressed into service as a Morris dance in Bledington, Lower Swell and Oddington, Gloucestershire, though in the latter village neither tune nor dance were noted

Alfred Williams did not note tunes. He was not a musician, and his interest in songs was mainly sociological. The version to sing combines Williams’ words with the tune noted, with the first verse only, by CJ Sharp from Richard Smith at Swinbrook near Burford..

Notes by Gwilym Davies 25 March 2016 and Charles Menteith 4 March 2024