Just to return briefly to this thread -

There was a version of William Taylor sung by Joseph Taylor in about the year 1908. It was recorded on a wax cylinder by Percy Grainger. At the time, Joseph Taylor was something like 72 years old, but was a remarkably good singer, whose style inspired Martin Carthy, for example.

Joseph Taylor was the verger of the church at a village called Saxby All Saints in Lincolnshire. I had a sort of pilgrimage to his grave some years ago. Saxby All Saints is the next village up the road from Horkstow, where lived the miser who mistreated poor old Steeleye Span.

Topic Records released an album some years ago called Unto Brigg Fair. It has recordings by Joseph Taylor, plus some other recordings of the same vintage. Listening to the voice of a man born in the 1830s and still sounding fresh, even at the age of 72 or so, is quite strange, in a way.

I don't know if it's available on CD, though I think odd tracks may turn up on other compilations from the Topic Archives..