The question of possible links between Roger Twangdillo the blacksmith, Twanky dillo in the shepherd number above and Widow Twankey from "Aladdin" has interested me for some time.

According to Wikipedia: "The first "Widow Twankey" was played by James Rogers at the Strand Theatre on 1 April 1861, in an 'extravanganza' by H. J. Byron, Aladdin or The Wonderful Scamp.", making it contemporaneous with the songs above.

In Stamford, Lincolnshire, with its tradition of bull-running, there is a local name for the bull (and by extension, the butcher) of "Roger Twankydillo", often given as the earthier "Roger Twankydildo". This suggests a possible connection between the blacksmith and the bull, particularly relating to strength and sexuality. Twanky dildo is one term for the bull's pizzle (penis) in Lincolnshire (although I now can't find the reference to this) - this obviously links to both 'twang' as 17th Century slang for sex (with its successor "wank") and 'dildo'. Perhaps Widow Twankey, a burly man dressed as a woman, is a deliberate reference to 'twanky-dildo', commenting on the inversion of traditional male roles. Or maybe the suggestion was that Mr Twankey was a butcher or blacksmith, which would make the Widow's cross-dressing an ironic comment on the red-blooded masculinity of such powerful figures (married to other men!)...

There's a PhD in here somewhere...