Thanks guys... I am well aware of Loreena's version, and Mary Black's, and have come to know Nic Jones' also.. Until I began serious researching I was not aware of this story's connection to Aberdeenshire.. so this has all been most helpful. I appreciate Villan the detailed info you gave me there. Only until I began looking at Jones and Child's Ballads did I discover that the Harking I had so often heard was Buchan once upon a time... so it's all starting to come together well. Thanks again.. anything else from anyone would be always helpful.

robert