There's a very limited amound of information at the Traditional Ballad Index - just the Digital Tradition reference, and one version from Creighton/Senior:Rocks of Scilly, The [Laws K8]
DESCRIPTION: The singer leaves his new wife to go to sea. Lonely, he fears a disaster -- and meets one when a storm runs his ship onto the Rocks of Scilly. Another singer tells how only four sailors survive, not including the first singer. His wife dies of sorrow
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1950 (Creighton/Senior)
KEYWORDS: sailor storm wife death
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar) Britain(England(West))
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Laws K8, "The Rocks of Scilly"
Creighton/Senior, pp. 200-201, "Rocks of Scilly" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 400, SCILLRCK
Roud #388
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Gentle Boy (Why Don't Father's Ship Come In)" (theme)
File: LK08Go to the Ballad Search form
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The Ballad Index Copyright 2004 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.
Here's the entry from Folktrax.org:
ROCKS OF SCILLY, THE - "Come all you brisk young sailors bold" pressed to sea - thoughts of Polly - Plymouth Shipwreck 1802 - LAWS #K8 ABBB 1957 p144 - ROUD#388 - BARING GOULD SOW 1895 #52 "Wreck off Scilly" from James Parsons - BG-HITCHCOCK 1974 pp108-9 James Parsons,- JFSS 5:19 p171-3 Hammond: Joseph Elliott, Todber, Dorset 1905 "SR" - COLLINSON-DILLON FSCM 1952 pp14-19 Harry Cox, Catfield, Norfolk - PURSLOW CL 1972 p87 Gardiner: George Collier, Sheet, Hampsh 1908 "SR" - TOCHER 26 1977 p92 - PALMER RVW 1983 #45 pp72-3 Mr Morris, Almeley, Herefordsh 1912 --- McKENZIE BSSNS 1928 pp140-142 NS (w/o) - CREIGHTON NS 1950 p200 - CREIGHT FSSNB 1971 pp138-9 Angelo Dornan, Elgin, NB - see LOWLANDS OF HOLLAND
BARING GOULD SOW 1891-5 = Rev Sabine Baring Gould: Songs (& Ballads) of the West
MACKENZIE BSSNS 1928 = W Roy Mackenzie: Ballads & Sea Songs from Nova Scotia (Harvard)
HAMMOND FSD 1908 = H E D Hammond: Folk-Songs from Dorset (Novello)
COLLINSON-DILLON FSCM 1952 = Francis Collinson: Folk Songs from Country Magazine (Paxton)
PURSLOW CL 1972 = Frank Purslow: Constant Lovers(EFDS Publ)
PALMER RVW 1983= Folk Songs collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams (Dent)
CREIGHTON SBNS 1932/ MFS 1961/ FSNB 1971 = Helen Creighton: Songs & Ballads from Nova Scotia/ Maritime Folk Songs/ Folk-Songs from Southern New Brunswick (Dent/ Michigan State Univ Press/ Nat Museum of Canada)