Roy Palmer noted the song from George Dunn (b. 1887) of Quarry Bank, Staffordshire, on the 24th of May, 1971. The tune as printed in Everyman's Book of British Ballads was transposed up to G from the original key of F#.  Another set, noted by Mike Yates from Johnny Doughty of Rye, Sussex, appeared in English Dance and Song,vol.41, no.2, 1979; the song was also in the repertoire of Harry Cox of Catfield, Norfolk, and has been found in Newfoundland. Steve Roud (Folksong Index) assigns it his reference number 1541; the Roud number given in the notes to Harry Cox's The Bonny Labouring Boy (Topic TSCD512D, 2000) -16060- appears to be a mistake.