I have made some significant revisions and re-organizations of my survey materials. First of all I took the list from Coffin/deV. Renwick (1963) of all of the Child Ballads that had been found in America up to that point, with the two additions from Roud (thru 1986} as my template. I edited this list in a few places deleting examples that Coffin thought were highly unlikely, or had been learned from a book, or were extremely fragmentary.

I then went to my survey of 18th century documentation for the Child Ballads and I tried to put all of these I could find onto Coffin's list. But I did this using Thigpen's list of source singers/recitiers. This was a complicated process and forced me to consider the collections from the first 25 years or so of the 19th century from people like Scot and Motherwell, etc. But as many of you already know, that is where a lot of the "oral tradition" is to be found. I have put question marks where I could not find anything that would definitively place the source within the 18th century.

I will now publish these revisions in five separate posts.

Part I

18th Century Documentation from England & Scotland for Child Ballads Found in America

{1}RIDDLES WISELY EXPOUNDED—A
d. Pills to Purge Melancholy, iv, 130, ed. 1719.
RIDDLES WISELY EXPOUNDED—C
Motherwell's MS., p. 647. From the recitation of Mrs Storie.

{2}THE ELFIN KNIGHT—A
A broadside in black letter, "printed, I suppose," says Pinkerton, "about 1670," bound up with five other pieces at the end of a copy of Blind Harry's 'Wallace,' Edin. 1673, in the Pepysian Library.
THE ELFIN KNIGHT—C
Kinloch's A. S. Ballads, p. 145. From the recitation of M. Kinnear, a native of Mearnsshire, 23 Aug., 1826. [?]
THE ELFIN KNIGHT—I
Motherwell's MS., p. 103. From the recitation of John McWhinnie, collier, Newtown Green, Ayr.
THE ELFIN KNIGHT—J
Communicated by Rev. F. D. Huntington, Bishop of Western New York, as sung to him by his father in 1828, at Hadley, Mass.; derived from a rough, roystering "character" in the town.

{4}LADY ISABEL AND THE ELF-KNIGHT—G
British Museum, MS. Addit. 20094. Communicated to Mr T. Crofton Croker in 1829, as remembered by Mr W. Pigott Rogers, and believed by Mr Rogers to have been learned by him from an Irish nursery-maid.

{7}EARL BRAND—C
Motherwell's MS., p. 502. From the recitation of Mrs Notman.

{10}THE TWA SISTERS—A
A. a. Broadside "printed for Francis Grove, 1656," reprinted in Notes and Queries, 1st S., v, 591. b. Wit Restor'd, 1658, "p. 51," p. 153 of the reprint of 1817. c. Wit and Drollery, ed. 1682, p. 87, = Dryden's Miscellany, Part 3, p. 316, ed. 1716. d. Jamieson's Popular Ballads, I, 315.
THE TWA SISTERS—B
a. Jamieson-Brown MS., fol. 39. b. Wm. Tytler's Brown MS., No 15. c. Abbotsford MS., "Scottish Songs," fol. 21. d. Jamieson's Popular Ballads, I, 48. [Brown 1783]
THE TWA SISTERS—F
Motherwell's MS., p. 383. From the recitation of Agnes Lyle, Kilbarchan, 27th July, 1825.
THE TWA SISTERS—G
Motherwell's MS., p. 104. From Mrs King, Kilbarchan.
THE TWA SISTERS—H
Motherwell's MS., p. 147. From I. Goldie, March, 1825. [?]
THE TWA SISTERS—I
Kinloch MSS, v, 425. From the recitation of M. Kinnear, 23d August, 1826. [?]
THE TWA SISTERS—K
Mr G. R. Kinloch's papers, Kinloch MSS, ii, 59. From Mrs Lindores. [?]
THE TWA SISTERS—L
a. From oral tradition, Notes and Queries, 1st S., v, 316. b. The Scouring of the White Horse, p. 161. From North Wales. Anna Seward to Walter Scott - a version of "Binnorie" "I first heard sung, with farcial grimace, in my infancy [born 1747], ..."
THE TWA SISTERS-Y
Communicated to Percy, april 7, 1770, and April 19, 1775, by the Rev. P. Parsons, of Wye, near Ashford, Kent: "taken down from the mouth of the spinning-wheel, if I may be allowed the expression."

{11}THE CRUEL BROTHER—A
a. Alex. Fraser Tytler's Brown MS. b. Jamieson's Popular Ballads, i, 66, purporting to be from the recitation of Mrs Arrot of Aberbrothick.
THE CRUEL BROTHER—G
a. Herd's MSS, i, 41. b. Herd's Scottish Songs, 1776, i, 88.
THE CRUEL BROTHER—I
Kinloch's MSS, i, 27. From Mrs Bouchart, an old lady native of Forfarshire.

{12}LORD RANDAL—A
From a small manuscript volume lent me by Mr William Macmath, of Edinburgh, containing four pieces written in or about 1710, and this ballad in a later hand. Charles Mackie, August, 1808, is scratched upon the binding.
LORD RANDAL—R
Pitcairn's MSS, III, 11. "From tradition: widow Stevenson."
LORD RANDALL-S
Communicated to Percy by Rev. P. Parsons, of Wye, near Ashford, Kent, April 19, 1775; taken down by a friend of Mr Parsons "from the spinning-wheel, in Suffolk."

{13}EDWARD—A
Motherwell's MS., p. 139. From Mrs King, Kilbarchan. b. Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 339.
EDWARD—B
Percy's Reliques, 1765, i, 53. Communicated by Sir David Dalrymple.

{14}BABYLON; OR, THE BONNIE BANKS O FORDIE—B
Herd's MSS, i, 38, ii, 76. b. The Scots Magazine, Oct., 1803, p. 699, communicated by Jamieson, and evidently from Herd's copy. [Child: "B a is from tradition of the latter half of the eighteenth century; the other copies from the earlier part of this."]
BABYLON; OR, THE BONNIE BANKS O FORDIE—C
Motherwell's MS., p. 172. From J. Goldie, March, 1825. [?]
BABYLON; OR, THE BONNIE BANKS O FORDIE—D
Motherwell's MS., p. 174. From the recitation of Agnes Lyle, Kilbarchan, July 27, 1825.

{17}HIND HORN—A
Motherwell's MS., p. 106. From Mrs King, Kilbarchan.
HIND HORN—C
a. Motherwell's Note-Book, p. 42: from Agnes Lyle. b. Motherwell's MS., p. 413: from the singing of Agnes Lyle, Kilbarchan, August 24, 1825.
HIND HORN—E
Motherwell's MS., p. 91. From the recitation of Mrs Wilson.
HIND HORN—G
Kinloch MSS, VII, 117. It appears to have been derived by Miss Kinnear from Christy Smith. [?]

{18}SIR LIONEL—A
Percy MS., p. 32, Hales and Furnivall, i, 75. [1765, 1794]

{20}THE CRUEL MOTHER—A
Herd's MSS, i, 132, ii, 191: Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs, 1776, ii, 237.
THE CRUEL MOTHER—B
Johnson's Museum, p. 331. b. Scott's Minstrelsy, 1803, iii, 259, preface. [Child: "Two fragments of this ballad, A, B, were printed in the last quarter of the eighteenth century;..."]
THE CRUEL MOTHER—E
a. Motherwell's MS., p. 390. b. Motherwell's Note-Book, p. 33. From the recitation of Agnes Lyle, Kilbarchan, August 24, 1825. [?]
THE CRUEL MOTHER—H
Motherwell's MS., p. 402. From Agnes Laird, Kilbarchan, August 24, 1825.
THE CRUEL MOTHER—J
Harris MS., fol. 10, "Mrs Harris and others." b. Fragment communicated by Dr T. Davidson.

{26}THE THREE RAVENS
a. Melismata. Musicall Phansies. Fitting the Court, Cittie, and Countrey Humours. London, 1611, No 22. [T. Ravenscroft.] Child says: "printed by Ritson, in his Ancient Songs, 1790,...."
THE THREE RAVENS
a version from E. Peacock, Lincolnshire, "whose father, born in 1793, heard it as a boy at harvest suppers and sheep-shearings, and took down a copy from the recitation of Harry Richard, a laborer, who cold not read and had leart it 'from his fore-elders.'
Percy MS., p. 46. Hales & Furnivall, I, 105; Madden's Syr Gawayne, p. 288; Percy's Reliques, ed. 1794, III, 350.

{37}THOMAS RYMER—A
Alexander Fraser Tytler's Brown MS., No 1: Jamieson's Popular Ballads, II, 7. Mrs. Brown
THOMAS RYMER—C
Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, II, 251, ed. 1802. [Child says: "A is one of the nine ballads transmitted to Alexander Fraser Tytler by Mrs Brown in April, 1800, as written down from her recollection."]


{38}THE WEE WEE MAN—A
Herd's MSS, I, 153, Herd's Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs, 1776, I, 95.
THE WEE WEE MAN—E
a. Motherwell's Note-Book, fol. 40, "from Agnes Lyle;" Motherwell's MS., p. 195, "from the recitation of Agnes Laird, Kilbarchan." b. Motherwell's Minstrelsy, p. 343.
THE WEE WEE MAN—F
Motherwell's MS., p. 68, "from the recitation of Mrs Wilson, of the Renfrewshire Tontine; now of the Caledonian Hotel, Inverness."

{42}CLERK COLVILL—A
From a transcript from William Tytler's Brown MS. Mrs. Brown
CLERK COLVILL—B
Herd's Ancient and Modern Scots Songs, 1769, p. 302: ed. 1776, I, 161.

{45}KING JOHN AND THE BISHOP—A
Percy MS., p. 184. Hales and Furnivall, I, 508.
KING JOHN AND THE BISHOP—B
Broadside, printed for P. Brooksby, at the Golden Ball in Pye-corner (1672-95).
KING JOHN AND THE BISHOP - P
"was printed and sold by John White, Newcastle-upon-tyne, "circa 1777:"


{46}CAPTAIN WEDDERBURN'S COURTSHIP—A
a. Herd's MS., I, 161. b. The same, II, 100.
CAPTAIN WEDDERBURN'S COURTSHIP—B
Kinloch MSS, I, 83, from Mary Barr's recitation. b. Lord Roslin's Daughter's Garland. c. Buchan's MSS, II, 34. d. Jamieson's Popular Ballads, II, 159. e. Harris MS., fol. 19 b, No 14, from Mrs Harris's recitation. f. Notes and Queries, 2d S., IV, 170, "as sung among the peasantry of the Mearns," 1857. [from Child: "Jamieson writes to the Scots Magazine, 1803, p. 701: " Of this ballad I have got one whole copy and part of another, and I remember a good deal of it as I have heard it sung in Morayshire when I was a child."]

{49}THE TWA BROTHERS—A
Sharpe's Ballad Book, p. 56, No 19. [from Elizabeth Kerry, 1823 ?]
THE TWA BROTHERS—B
Motherwell's MS., p. 259. From Widow McCormick, January 19, 1825.[?]

{51}LIZIE WAN—A
Herd's MSS, I, 151; stanzas 1-6, II, p. 78. Herd's Scottish Songs, 1776, I, 91.
LIZIE WAN—B
Motherwell's MS., p. 398. From the recitation of Mrs Storie, Lochwinnich.

{52}THE KING'S DOCHTER LADY JEAN—A
a. Motherwell's MS., p. 657. From the recitation of Mrs Storie, Lochwinnich. b. Motherwell's Minstrelsy, Appendix, p. xxi, No XXIII, one stanza.

{53}YOUNG BEICHAN—A
Jamieson-Brown MS., fol. 13. [Child says: "Mr. Macmath has ascertained that Mrs Brown was born in 1747. She learned most of her ballads before she was twelve years old, or before 1759. 1783, or a little earlier, is the date when these copies were taken down from her singing or recitation."]
YOUNG BEICHAN—B
Glenriddell MSS, XI, 80. [1791]
YOUNG BEICHAN—C
Jamieson-Brown MS., fol. 11, [c. 1783] b. Jamieson's Popular Ballads, II, 127.
YOUNG BEICHAN—D
"The Old Lady's Collection," from which it was copied by Skene, No. 14.
YOUNG BEICHAN—F
Pitcairn's MSS, III, 159, 1817-25. From the recitation of Widow Stevenson, aged seventy-three: "East Country."
YOUNG BEICHAN—I
Communicated by Mr David Louden, as recited by Mrs Dodds, Morham, Haddington, the reciter being above seventy in 1873. [?]
YOUNG BEICHAN
from Mrs Christiana Greenwood, London, to Scott, 1806, "as heard by her in her youth at Longnewton, near Jedburgh, "where most of the old women could sing it."