I bought Robin Williamson's book 'English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Fiddle Tunes' (Oak Publications, 1976) a few weeks ago. I've been working my way through some of them, mostly on 5-string banjo.

there's one that's really unusual, called Flee Like a Bird. It's described as a traditional Northumbrian clog dance. I say it's unusual, because it sounds almost a bit ragtime. There are definitely a few notes I'd associate with early jazz, or at least jazzy music-hall, or some of those classical banjo tunes from the turn of the century. It's very chromatic for a traditional English tune.

It also has a slightly unusual rhythm to it: it swings like a waltz, but it's in 4/4 time. One part of it reminds me of the line from that christmas song: "jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock" (!)

Is it a well-known tune? doesn't get many google hits? I assume the title "flee like a bird" is a dialect phoneticisation of 'fly like a bird'.

When you google it you get lots of hits for a traditional american hymn/blues treatment of a song called 'flee as a bird'. The sole match to the actual tune I'm after is this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6phiqs7Dho

...which implies Richard Thompson plays a version, but haven't been able to track it down. This version has an extra part not featured on Robin Williamson's arrangement for fiddle. Any info gratefully received.