The reason I used "The Cruel Nymph" even though it was not known by Child or Baring-Gould is it has two additional verses. Broadsides are sometimes just versions of folk songs that are captured and printed.

Without deciding which is a forgery, we have "The Bonny Brown Girl" which is child 295A; Baring-Gould's "The brown, brown girl" Child 295B and "The Cruel Nymph," an earlier c. 1750 broadside.

Adding to this we have "The Bonny Brown Girl" from West Virginia circa 1874, which clearly is a version and is remarkably close to all three.

If deemed authentic, the WV version would corroborate Child's selection of this ballad and also Child 295B.

Richie