All I've been able to come up with is somewhat conflicting information. I first heard the song sung by Pacific Northwest folk singer Walt Robertson in the early 1950s. I subsequently found the words in the paperback "Burl Ives Song Book." Ives attributes the song to Charles Dibdin, who wrote a number of such songs.

But there's a small problem with the Dibdin attribution. Dibdin lived in the latter half of the 1700s and into the early 1800s.

A listing in the Stationers' Register for January 14, 1595 and tells the fate of two merchant ships, the George Aloe and the Sweepstake both sailing to Safee. While the George Aloe was resting at anchor the Sweepstake sailed on, then a French ship attacked the Sweepstake and threw the crew overboard. The George Aloe chased and defeated the French ship whose crew were shown no mercy because of the fate of the crew of the Sweepstake.

The most common lyrics may refer to the problems, European and North American trade have had with the North African pirates in the last half of the 18th century and the early 19th century which was the reason of the barbary wars.

It may be that Dibdin "borrowed" the rough outline of the story of the George Aloe and the Sweepstake and constructed High Barbaree from it. This is just a guess on my part, however.

Many traditional songs do have this kind of family tree. Taking an existing song and reconstructing it to fit new circumstances. Traditional songs didn't just spring full-blown into existence. They came from somewhere, often in this manner.

Good hunting.

Don Firth