"
Synthesis. Search for Lock Hospital. Conclusion- most likely London Paddington or Dublin. Less likely, Glasgow. Other Locks- little liklihood."

In this case, given the provenance of the printed broadsheets, and the venereal disease link, almost certainly the one in London.

(Though the rest of Q's post fills this out +much+ more fully than anything I've ever come on before. Thanks.)

Lock Hospital (given the venereal disease connection) is probably the earliest location -- then it turns into the Royal Albert, the Royal Arsenal, the Royal Albion (I don't have a version that has that in line one -- anyone got one?), Covent Garden (I think) -- probably more.

A teaser is St. James Infirmary/Hospital, which re-emerges (independently?) in the title of the Cab Calloway/Louis Armstrong blues off-spin.

Not to speak of Tom Sherman's barroom in Laredo, and the umpteen locational variants thereoff.

("The Trooper Cut Down" postdates "The Unfortunate Lad", I think, but it's bloody difficult to get precise dates, and there's the further problem that the earliest printing may not reflect the earliest composed version.)

Robin

(Hey, I've asked this before, but no one ever seems to answer [whimper] -- what about Cork city on the 14th of May in the Steeleye Span version?

R.)