"I cannot say that I find the song to be an example of 'great art'."
There are many versions of Lord Lovel and no indication whatever that Walpole's was Walpole's was the earliest
The ballad was still extant in various forms in Ireland in the mid 1980s - an indication that it had something going for it
The fact that it was popular with 'the lower orders' for many centuries and that they have proven themselves to be more than capable of songmaking for that length of time gives their claim claim to authorship every bit as likely as that of the hacks - in my opinion, of course
Bronson gives 76 tunes for the ballad - not complete by any means
Jim