Odd that the author, J. A. Wade, is mentioned in the Ballad Index, but the date given is that of the version collected by Randolph in 1924. Wade's middle name is Augustine, not Augustus. The music was also published by Chappell in London (1810?). Wade was one of the arrangers for "National English Airs," issued by Chappell in 1838-9, a book with 245 tunes. Wade also did a translation of the German, "The Fisherman's Daughter," which I believe entered 'folk' in England. Some material in Folktrax.

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The Ballad Index dating system seems a bit odd until you realize that by "Earliest Date," they mean the date of the earliest source that has been covered by the index. It is NOT the publishing date of the song - it's the publication date of the earliest source of the song that is included in the Index.
-Joe Offer-