Roger Watson. The Young Tradition recorded it (So Cheerfully Round) and commented "It is anecdotal, being taken from his grandmother's memory at a time in her childhood when, as a miner's daughter, she experienced the privation brought on by the meagreness of strike pay".

The Pulling Down Song has been discussed here a number of times, but it isn't so easy to find all the material with the Forum Search inoperative. A useful external source is The Essential John Tams Homepage; in particular:

Pulling Down Song

... where all is explained. The text in the DT is nearly right.