I seem to have become a guest in my absence.

Apologies for the shouty caps, Brian. They weren't aimed at you.

Not sure what you're apologising for, Jim, but thanks anyway.

Did you find your notes on Arthur Wood's Tailor's Britches yet?

I think between us we've already established no-one can be certain of their origins. In the majority of cases all we have to go on are the content and style of the ballad. I'm happy to study individual ballads and compare ballads with similar histories.

In my opinion all versions of 20 ultimately derive from the 17thc broadside. The extra embellishments in some Scottish versions derive directly from 21. If this is so why not something similar for 243? The Scottish ballad deriving from the 17thc broadside = the usual Scottish embellishments. Another example, not a Child ballad, The Merchant's Son of York and the Beggar Wench of Hull, 17thc broadside: Apart from one version in the Alfred Williams Mss the only oral versions turn up amongst travellers in Scotland.

SteveG