Performances of "Billy Barlow" were being given in the 1830s. These lyrics also may be found in other website and in the Bodleian Broadsides. Barlow
George Coppin played Barlow in the early 1840s, Sam Cowell (1819-1864) was on the English stage in the 1840s.
Most performers worked in taverns, etc. or later in "Song and Supper Rooms."
The large music halls were not built until the 1850s. A brief history here: People Play