In Roy Palmer's own book The Sound of History he says of the song: "In other ballads, usually entitled 'Jack of All Trades', the emphasis shifts from different towns to trades within a particular town - Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool and Dublin and others, no doubt. The theme of wandering us retained in first lines like 'I am a jolly roving blade', and the verbal dexterity of the verse seems to have them very popular. 'Dublin Jack of All Trades' remained in oral circulation until the twentieth century". (He then quotes 2 verses from the Dublin version).

So in 1988 he seemed to be unaware of a Coventry version himself! The Roud Index has no mention of a Coventry version (as far as I can see) and a quick search of the Bodleian didn't find one. Perhaps you could ask Roy Palmer. (Where was the original reference?)

Mick