as far as I am aware, Bob Davenport took Jim Ellwood's poem, re-wrote it, and recorded it on a Trailer LP in 1971. Johnson Ellwood , champion clog dancer of Chester le Street, used to sing a 'calling-on' song before he danced,with quite different words and Bob used Johnson's tune for his revised song version of Jim Ellwood's poem. Johnson's song can be heard on a BBC LP 'Northumbrin folk'- around 1972 (I was the melodeon player for Johnson's clog dance on that). Johnson was well known and respected by Bob, and by me, and we were in his company on a regular basis at that time. The song is not by Johnson Ellwood, even if Pete Elliott thought it was )a natural mistake)- it is really a composite from various original performers!