When was green sleeves published?

Answer 1

A broadside Ballad by this name was registered at the London Stationer's Company in 1580 as "A New Northern Dittye of the Lady Greene Sleeves". It then appears in the surviving A Handful of Pleasant Delights (1584) as "A New Courtly Sonnet of the Lady Green Sleeves. To the new tune of Green sleeves."

The tune is found in several late 16th century and early 17th century sources, such as Ballet's MS Lute Book and Het Luitboek van Thysius, as well as various manuscripts preserved in the Cambridge University libraries.

Answer 2

"Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song, and its exact date of publication is unknown. The melody was first printed in 1580 in "A New Northern Dittye of the Lady Greene Sleeves," but the lyrics were added later.