George Ratcliffe Woodward (1848–1934) was an Anglican priest who wrote verses, original and translated from ancient authors, for modern versions of religious music. The best-known of these were written to fit traditional melodies from various sources. He sometimes harmonised the melodies himself, but usually left that to his collaborator, composer Charles Wood (1866–1926), an Irish musician whose students included Ralph Vaughan Williams and Herbert Howells.

This tune is derived from a French dance published in Orchesographie (1588), an early print of dance tunes in France. It was first published in 1924 in Woodward’s The Cambridge Carol-Book: Being Fifty-two Songs for Christmas, Easter, And Other Seasons.