The Sweet Nightingle has ever been a pretty pretty song originally from the operetta, Thomas and Sally, and didn't need any bowdlerising.

Baring Gould didn't always take songs down verbatim and on occasions he used poet's licence. He was however effectively the first in the field with no precedents to show him what to do. He didn't alter songs in publication because he was a reverend, it was because he was taking the songs from poor working people and dressing them up for the rich middle classes. A lot of what he altered wasn't particularly crude, he just thought he could do better.

One we all learnt at school was 'The Keeper' It was not bowdlerised to any great degree, as kids we just weren't aware of the double entendre. I sometimes even wonder whether Sharp was.