I'm doing a program of sheep/shearing-related songs at a museum in conjunction with a sheep to shawl competition.

I'll be singing Rosebud in June and wondered if anyone has anything further to say about its origins and/or date than what I found on
http://mainlynorfolk.info/steeleye.span/songs/rosebudinjune.html, which seems to indicate that the earliest record is 1715.

It "feels" earlier to me, but what do I know? :-)

Thoughts?