he never said he'd written it

Hmmmm

I was told by Bob of "a Bob on the Side" that he was at University when Mr McPeak was an artist in residence, they went out drinking together. And the essence of what Bob told me was that he was told - whatever is traditional in that song is not all traditional.

As Wiki says: and "The Braes of Balquhither" may have been based on the traditional song "The Braes o' Bowhether".

"Folk Process" as ever it was.