My apologies for being in too much of a hurry to write sense yesterday evening - I was supposed to be going out. Baring-Gould's collected version, as I gave it above and as it appears in several of his manuscripts was noted from John Masters of Bradstone (Devon) in 1891. This is the version that Reeves gives and which Q refers to.

The version re-written by SB-G is as Joe's text, though Malcolm is correct in pointing out that it should be 'ware' in the first verse. This was the version that appeared in the third part of 'Songs and Ballads of the West' in 1892 and all subsequent editions. It then appeared in 'English Folk Songs for Schools' in 1906. The tune is that noted from John Masters - shame about the royalties that he never got from Mr Newley. Not many traditional singers have got their tunes in the top 20.

I just looked back at the other thread that Malcolm mentions - and some of the other 'others'. I suspect we are doomed to continually re-visit our past but maybe not in parallel micro-universes.

Martin Graebe