"I have just found a copy of the 1972 L.P. Rattlebone and Ploughshare. A section about the Straw Bear..."
Interesting that Ashley has come in for a lot of criticism over the years and yet people forget the astonishing influence that 'RattleBone and Plough Jag' had back in the seventies. It's worth remembering that, behind that electric bass guitar is a serious researcher and a seminal force in the folk dance / music revival of the 70s and beyond.