This 100-category system closely resembles how a folklorist might construct a topical index to the English repertoire. At an even finer level, one could expand this into 300-500 recurrent narrative motifs, aligning many of the categories with specific Child Ballads or Roud-index song families. Such a taxonomy becomes useful for comparative studies, showing, for example, how „returned-lover“ narratives, „murdered-girl“ narratives, or „cross-dressed heroine“ narratives evolve across centuries and regions.

For research purposes, a faceted index works better than a simple list. A user should be able to search by Theme → Subtheme → Narrative Type → Representative Songs.

A. LOVE AND COURTSHIP

A1. Courtship Initiation

• First meeting
• Rural courtship
• Seasonal courtship
• Gift-giving
• Love letters

Songs

• The Seeds of Love
• The Sweet Nightingale

A2. Obstacles to Love

• Social class barriers
• Distance
• Military service
• Sea voyages
• Family opposition

Songs

• Bushes and Briars
• The Bailiff’s Daughter of Islington

A3. Faithful Love

• Constancy
• Waiting
• Reunion
• Promise keeping

Songs

• The Dark-Eyed Sailor
• The Constant Farmer’s Son

A4. Failed Love

• Betrayal
• False promises
• Abandonment
• Broken engagement

Songs

• Once I Had a Sweetheart
• The Week Before Easter

A5. Jealousy and Rivalry

• Rival suitors
• Love triangles
• Envy

Songs

• Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender
• Fair Annie

—

B. MARRIAGE AND FAMILY

B1. Marriage Formation

• Betrothal
• Elopement
• Wedding

Songs

• The Lass of Roch Royal

B2. Unequal Marriage

• Young wife / old husband
• Wealth marriage
• Forced marriage

Songs

• The Old Man and the Young Maid

B3. Domestic Conflict

• Quarrels
• Abuse
• Mismatched expectations

Songs

• A Merry Battle of Northall

B4. Family Authority

• Cruel parents
• Controlling fathers
• Oppressive mothers

Songs

• The Famous Flower of Serving Men
• The Cruel Mother

B5. Siblings

• Rivalry
• Inheritance
• Violence

Songs

• The Twa Sisters

—

C. SEDUCTION AND SEXUAL RELATIONS

C1. Seduction Narratives

• False courtship
• Broken promises
• Exploitation

Songs

• The Banks of Green Willow

C2. Pregnancy

• Unwed motherhood
• Concealed birth

Songs

• The Maid and the Palmer

C3. Reputation

• Honour
• Shame
• Social scandal

Songs

• The Cuckoo’s Nest

C4. Female Agency

• Resistance
• Escape
• Negotiation

Songs

• Broomfield Hill
• The Maid Freed from the Gallows

—

D. DISGUISE AND IDENTITY

D1. Female Soldier

• Cross-dressing for enlistment

Songs

• Sweet Polly Oliver

D2. Female Sailor

• Seafaring disguise

Songs

• Jack Munro

D3. Hidden Identity

• Recognition scenes
• Testing loyalty

Songs

• Hind Horn

D4. Returned Lover Unrecognized

• Recognition by token

Songs

• The Broken Token
• The Dark-Eyed Sailor

—

E. CRIME

E1. Murder

• Lover murder
• Family murder
• Planned murder

Songs

• The Outlandish Knight
• The Cruel Ship’s Carpenter

E2. Infanticide

• Child murder
• Concealment

Songs

• The Cruel Mother

E3. Robbery

• Highwaymen
• Bandits

Songs

• The Bold Highwayman

E4. Poaching

• Illegal hunting

Songs

• The Lincolnshire Poacher

E5. Smuggling

• Contraband
• Customs evasion

Songs

• Various Sussex and Kent smuggling ballads

—

F. JUSTICE

F1. Arrest

F2. Trial

F3. Execution

F4. Transportation

F5. Prison

Songs

• Van Diemen’s Land
• James Macdonald
• Maria Marten

—

G. SUPERNATURAL

G1. Ghost Lovers

• Dead lover returns

Songs

• The Unquiet Grave
• Sweet William’s Ghost

G2. Family Ghosts

• Dead children
• Dead mothers

Songs

• The Wife of Usher’s Well

G3. Fairy Traditions

• Fairy abduction
• Fairy rescue

Songs

• Tam Lin

G4. Prophecy and Vision

Songs

• Thomas the Rhymer

G5. Devil Legends

Songs

• The Daemon Lover

—

H. SOLDIERS

H1. Recruitment

H2. Pressing Into Service

H3. Farewell Before War

H4. Campaign Experience

H5. Return from War

Songs

• The Recruited Collier
• High Germany
• William Taylor

—

I. SEAFARING

I1. Departure

I2. Long Voyage

I3. Naval Combat

I4. Shipwreck

I5. Homecoming

Songs

• Spanish Ladies
• Admiral Benbow
• The Golden Vanity
• The Dark-Eyed Sailor

—

J. OCCUPATIONS

J1. Agriculture

• Ploughmen
• Shepherds
• Farm labourers

Songs

• The Farmer’s Boy

J2. Mining

Songs

• Blackleg Miner

J3. Textile Trades

Songs

• The Weaver and the Factory Maid

J4. Metalworking

Songs

• The Blacksmith

J5. Service Occupations

• Maids
• Servants
• Inn workers

—

K. TRAVEL AND MARGINAL LIFE

K1. Wandering

K2. Exile

K3. Transportation Overseas

K4. Gypsy Life

K5. Beggars

Songs

• The Gaberlunzie Man
• The Raggle Taggle Gypsies
• The Leaving of Liverpool

—

L. RURAL LIFE

L1. Seasons

L2. Harvest

L3. Village Customs

L4. May-Day Traditions

L5. Agricultural Ritual

Songs

• John Barleycorn

—

M. POLITICS AND HISTORY

M1. Dynastic Events

M2. Rebellions

M3. Civil Conflict

M4. Popular Protest

M5. Social Complaint

Songs

• The Cutty Wren
• The World Turned Upside Down
• The White Cockade

—

N. DRINKING AND FESTIVITY

N1. Alehouse Culture

N2. Toasts

N3. Feasting

N4. Seasonal Revelry

N5. Comic Excess

Songs

• The Barley Mow
• The Jolly Beggar

—

O. DEATH AND LAMENT

O1. Deathbed Songs

O2. Funeral Laments

O3. Lost Lovers

O4. Military Dead

O5. Sea Burials

Songs

• Barbara Allen
• Lord Lovel
• The Flowers of the Forest

Below is a 30-category taxonomy with representative English folk songs. I’ve chosen titles that are widely collected in English oral tradition and that regularly appear in the Roud and Child canons.

#	Category	Representative Songs
1	Courtship	The Seeds of Love, Bushes and Briars, The Sweet Nightingale
2	Faithful Lovers	The Loyal Lover, The Constant Farmer’s Son, True-Love Knots
3	Unfaithful Lovers	The Week Before Easter, Once I Had a Sweetheart, Cold Blows the Wind
4	Love Triangles	The Outlandish Knight, Fair Annie, The Cruel Brother
5	Secret Meetings	The Grey Cock, The Trees They Do Grow High, The Trooper and the Maid
6	Marriage	The Husbandman and the Serving Maid, The Brisk Young Widow
7	Unhappy Marriage	A Merry Battle of Northall, The Old Man and the Young Wife
8	Female Resistance	The Maid Freed from the Gallows, Broomfield Hill
9	Seduction and Pregnancy	The Maid and the Palmer, The Banks of Green Willow
10	Family Conflict	The Bonny Banks of Fordie, The Cruel Mother
11	Children and Inheritance	The Suffolk Miracle, Young Hunting
12	Disguise and Cross-Dressing	Jack Munro, The Female Drummer, Sweet Polly Oliver
13	Supernatural Lovers	The Unquiet Grave, The Wife of Usher’s Well
14	Fairy and Magical Tales	Tam Lin, Thomas the Rhymer
15	Murder Ballads	The Twa Sisters, The Cruel Ship’s Carpenter, Maria Marten
16	Crime and Justice	Van Diemen’s Land, The Gallant Poachers, James Macdonald
17	Outlaws and Highwaymen	The Newlyn Town, Brennan on the Moor, Bold Jack Donahue
18	Poaching and Smuggling	The Lincolnshire Poacher, The Blacksmith, The Game of Cards
19	Soldiers and Recruitment	The Rambling Soldier, The Recruited Collier, McCafferty
20	War and Battle	High Germany, The Battle of Otterburn, Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye
21	Sailors and Seafaring	Admiral Benbow, The Mermaid, Spanish Ladies
22	Shipwreck and Disaster	The Golden Vanity, The Loss of the Ramillies, The Bold Princess Royal
23	Work and Occupations	Blacklegs Miner, The Weaver and the Factory Maid, The Jolly Ploughboy
24	Rural Life	John Barleycorn, The Farmer’s Boy, The Lark in the Morning
25	Travel and Exile	The Green Mossy Banks of the Lea, The Leaving of Liverpool
26	Beggars and Wanderers	The Raggle Taggle Gypsies, The Gaberlunzie Man
27	Historical Events	The Death of Queen Jane, Flodden Field, The White Cockade
28	Politics and Protest	The Cutty Wren, The World Turned Upside Down, The Diggers‘ Song
29	Drinking and Merrymaking	The Barley Mow, Here’s a Health Unto His Majesty, The Jolly Beggar
30	Death and Lament	Lord Lovel, The Flowers of the Forest, Barbara Allen

Here’s a 30-category taxonomy of traditional English folk-song subjects, drawing on recurring themes found in broadside ballads, oral-tradition songs, and major collections such as those indexed by Roud and Child.

#	Category	Typical Motifs
1	Courtship	Wooing, persuasion, romantic pursuit
2	Faithful Lovers	Separation, constancy, reunion
3	Unfaithful Lovers	Betrayal, abandonment, broken promises
4	Love Triangles	Rival suitors, jealousy, choice
5	Secret Meetings	Elopements, nighttime encounters
6	Marriage	Wedding celebrations, negotiations
7	Unhappy Marriage	Quarrels, mismatched spouses
8	Female Resistance	Women rejecting unwanted suitors
9	Pregnancy and Seduction	Consequences of courtship and deception
10	Family Conflict	Parents opposing marriages
11	Children and Inheritance	Heirs, legitimacy, fortunes
12	Cross-Dressing and Disguise	Women as sailors or soldiers, hidden identity
13	Supernatural Lovers	Ghosts, revenants, fairy encounters
14	Magical or Legendary Tales	Enchantment, transformation
15	Murder Ballads	Domestic murders, revenge killings
16	Crime and Justice	Trial, execution, confession
17	Outlaws and Highwaymen	Robbery, adventure, defiance
18	Poaching and Smuggling	Conflict with authorities
19	Soldiers and Recruitment	Impressment, enlistment, campaigns
20	War and Battle	Military exploits and losses
21	Sailors and Seafaring	Voyages, departures, homecomings
22	Shipwreck and Disaster	Storms, drownings, survival
23	Work and Occupations	Shepherds, weavers, miners, craftsmen
24	Rural Life	Farming, seasons, village customs
25	Travel and Exile	Wandering, migration, transportation
26	Beggars, Gypsies, and Wanderers	Marginal lives, freedom, deception
27	Historical Events	Kings, rebellions, public incidents
28	Politics and Protest	Social grievance, reform, local disputes
29	Drinking and Merrymaking	Alehouses, feasts, conviviality
30	Death and Lament	Mourning, remembrance, elegy