1695. This ballad was one of 25 traditional works included in Ballads Weird and Wonderful (1912) and illustrated by Vernon Hill. Recordings See also List of the Child Ballads Down by the Greenwood Side (opera) References External links The Cruel Mother The Cruel Mother with historical commentary Fine Flowers in the Valley variant Songwriter unknown Murder ballads Child Ballads Filicide in fiction Joan Baez songs Year of song unknown