Chappell pointed out the resemblance to "The Politick Maid of Suffolk; or, The Lawyer Outwitted" (to the tune of "Alan! poor thing"), both describing the plot line and quoting several verses. From his coments, however, it is unclear which came first, though "The Politick Maid" was printed as early as 1818, and "Crafty Kate" seems to have eliminated much of the dross from the story, with Kate performing her trick unassisted.

Chappell also cites the tune to "Crafty Kate" as "The Jealous Lover; or, The Languishing Swain", with references to other pages in the same volume.