Marki, I couldn't agree with you more that these historical ballads can tweak one's interest in an event or person(s) and get one into researching to learn more. That's one of the main reasons I enjoy them. My point was (and you reinforce this) that one need to do research into the subject of the ballad and not just take what you find at face value. Most of my knowledge of Scottish and Irish history has been a direct result of researching songs. And while doing that, I constantly find more and more of the history that leads me off into other directions! Great fun.