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Early American printings of the piece can be found from the early 19th century onwards. The melody appears under the "Billy/Low Grounds" title in George P. Knauff 's Virginia Reels, volume III (Baltimore, 1839)–see also note for "Billy in the Lowlands (5)". Folklorist and fiddler Alan Jabbour finds that, in some sources, the title changed around 1800 to "Johnny in the Nether Mains.

The melody is widely disseminated through the United States, with the exception of the Northeast and north Mid-West. Bayard (1944) writes that when he collected the melody it was "current as a marching tune in Greene County, Pennsylvania, and is known to its 'Billy' form of the title farther south (as the tune resembles another Pa. tune called 'Jinny in the Lowlands'). The resemblances between this tune and 'Jinny in the Lowlands' may be fortuitous; but they have at any rate attracted enough notice from the players to cause confusion of the titles..." Tom Carter and Blanton Owen (1976) maintain the tune and title are characteristic of the Franklin, Floyd and Patrick County area of southwestern Virginia, and represent an older fiddle repertoire which predates the later development of stringband or fiddle/clawhammer banjo tunes. "Billy in the Lowground" was played by Arizona fiddler Kenner C. Kartchner for dances in the Southwest at the beginning of the twentieth century (the piece was identified by him as having come to that region from the American South, and assessed it as "a good one"). It was recorded from the playing of an Ozark fiddler for the Library of Congress by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph who collected in the early 1940's, and, likewise, by Herbert Halpert (also for the Library of Congress) in 1939 from Tishomingo County, Mississippi, fiddler John Hatcher. Texas fiddler Eck Robertson recorded it commercially for Victor records in 1923 in a medley with "Sallie Johnson" (the disc was backed with "Done Gone (1)"). Cauthen (1990) collected evidence from period newspapers and other accounts in Alabama and records that it was one of the tunes commonly played throughout every region of that state in the first part of the 20th century. The Marion Standard of April 30th, 1909, reported it was one of the tunes (along with "Miss McLeod") played at a housewarming in Perry County, Ala., in 1827. Elsewhere in the deep South, a Georgia fiddler named Ben Smith, serving with the 12th Alabama Infantry in the Civil War, played the tune in that conflict according to a memoir of the unit. According to Bell Irvin Wiley, writing in his book The Life of Johnny Reb (1943), "Billy in the Lowground" was a favorite tune of Confederate fiddlers.

It is also known to have been associated with Kentucky fiddlers (Wolfe, 1982). The famous Kentucky musician Dick Burnett related this improbable story about the origin of the tune and title:

You know how come them to make that? There was a man a gointhrough an old field one time and he had his fiddle with him andhe walked out on the bank of a sink hole and it broke off and hefell down in that hole and couldn't get out.

He just sat down thereand took his fiddle and played that tune.

His name was Billysomething but I forgot his full name...

...more at: Billy in the lowground - full Score(s) and Annotations

X:1 T:Billy in the Low Ground [1] S:Leonard Rutherford (c. 1900-1954, Monticello, Ky.) M:C| L:1/8 Q:"Quick" D:Columbia 15209-D (78 RPM), Burnett and Rutherford (1928) F:https://www.slippery-hill.com/recording/billy-low-ground-9 Z:Transcribed by Andrew Kuntz K:C CA,|:G,A,CD EGA(B|c)Bcd cGAG|E+slide+[A2A2]c AGEG|A(de)d ed c2| G,A,CD EGA(B|c)Bcd cGAG|E+slide+[A2A2] B AGEG|1cGAG EDCA,:|2cGAG EDC2|| |:g3a gecd|e(ga)(g e)dcd|e+slide+a2a abag|egag edcd | eg2a gedg|e(ga)(g e)dcd|+slide+[e2e2]+slide+[ee]-[de] cAGA|cGAG ED C2:|]

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 {{Tune of the week
-|f_tune_of_the_week=Frieze_Breeches_(1)
+|f_tune_of_the_week=Billy_in_the_Lowground_(1)
-|f_mp3_track=Tom Ennis The Maid in the Meadow The Frieze Breeches Pay the Reckoning.mp3
+|f_mp3_track=Billy in the Lowground.mp3
-|f_artwork=Tom Ennis.jpg
+|f_artwork=Dick Burnett.jpg
-|f_aw_px=190
+|f_aw_px=150
-|f_player_px=330
+|f_player_px=370
-|f_tune_name=The Frieze Breeches
+|f_tune_name=Billy in the lowground
-|f_played=Tom Ennis
+|f_played=Newmatics
-|f_notes=Tom Ennis
+|f_notes=Dick Burnett
 |f_source=Soundcloud
 |f_section=abc
-|f_article='''THE FRIEZE BREECHES'''
+|f_article=Early American printings of the piece can be found from the early 19th century onwards. The melody appears under the "Billy/Low Grounds" title in George P. Knauff 's '''Virginia Reels''', volume III (Baltimore, 1839)–see also note for "[[Billy in the Lowlands (5)]]". Folklorist and fiddler Alan Jabbour finds that, in some sources, the title changed around 1800 to "[[Johnny in the Nether Mains]].
-The title refers to clothing made from the material, once common in Ireland. The following passage, from a pamphlet by fiddler William Simpson, from Elgin, Scotland, entitled '''A Spring on the Fiddle''' (1915), describes frieze clothing:
+The melody is widely disseminated through the United States, with the exception of the Northeast and north Mid-West. Bayard (1944) writes that when he collected the melody it was "current as a marching tune in Greene County, Pennsylvania, and is known to its 'Billy' form of the title farther south (as the tune resembles another Pa. tune called 'Jinny in the Lowlands'). The resemblances between this tune and 'Jinny in the Lowlands' may be fortuitous; but they have at any rate attracted enough notice from the players to cause confusion of the titles..." Tom Carter and Blanton Owen (1976) maintain the tune and title are characteristic of the Franklin, Floyd and Patrick County area of southwestern Virginia, and represent an older fiddle repertoire which predates the later development of stringband or fiddle/clawhammer banjo tunes. "Billy in the Lowground" was played by Arizona fiddler Kenner C. Kartchner for dances in the Southwest at the beginning of the twentieth century (the piece was identified by him as having come to that region from the American South, and assessed it as "a good one"). It was recorded from the playing of an Ozark fiddler for the Library of Congress by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph who collected in the early 1940's, and, likewise, by Herbert Halpert (also for the Library of Congress) in 1939 from Tishomingo County, Mississippi, fiddler John Hatcher. Texas fiddler Eck Robertson recorded it commercially for Victor records in 1923 in a medley with "[[Sallie Johnson]]" (the disc was backed with "[[Done Gone (1)]]"). Cauthen (1990) collected evidence from period newspapers and other accounts in Alabama and records that it was one of the tunes commonly played throughout every region of that state in the first part of the 20th century. The Marion Standard of April 30th, 1909, reported it was one of the tunes (along with "Miss McLeod") played at a housewarming in Perry County, Ala., in 1827. Elsewhere in the deep South, a Georgia fiddler named Ben Smith, serving with the 12th Alabama Infantry in the Civil War, played the tune in that conflict according to a memoir of the unit. According to Bell Irvin Wiley, writing in his book '''The Life of Johnny Reb''' (1943), "Billy in the Lowground" was a favorite tune of Confederate fiddlers.
-''In 1863 I went to Ireland, Co. Galloway, and on to Tipperary, where I''<br />''stayed for about six years, getting out of touch with all players of my''<br />''former acquaintance, meeting occasionally some very fine jig players''<br />''and dancers who could give a very interesting exhibition. The dress of''<br />''these men were kneebreeches, frieze coats of the dresscoat style,''<br />''green stockings, red vest, a soft felt hat, and a short stick  a "shillelagh."''
-The title is often, however, rendered as "The Friar's Britches" due to the similarity of "Frieze" (pronounced frys) and "Friars" when spoken (Finbar Boyle, tongue in cheek, mentions that "Friar's Britches" is also known as "The Vicar's Knickers!"). The melody was known in the Sliabh Luachra region of the Cork-Kerry border as "Gallagher's" (see below) and accordion player Johnny O'Leary identified the title "Frieze Breeches" as coming from "the Galway crowd." North Clare tin whistle player Micho Russell remembered that "long ago" the tune was only in two parts and was known as "La San Sean, ba chraite an mhaidin i'," and that it was later used for the song "Cunla" (popularized in the 1970's by the band Planxty ):
+It is also known to have been associated with Kentucky fiddlers (Wolfe, 1982). The famous Kentucky musician Dick Burnett related this improbable story about the origin of the tune and title:
-''Who comes there tickling the toes of me?''<br />''There is nobody here but Cunla.''
+''You know how come them to make that? There was a man a gointhrough an old field one time and he had his fiddle with him andhe walked out on the bank of a sink hole and it broke off and hefell down in that hole and couldn't get out.''
-Breathnach (1963) prints these words:
+''He just sat down thereand took his fiddle and played that tune. ''
-''"Cé hé sin thiós ag briseadh na gclaiocha?" ''<br />''"Mise féin" a deir Connla.''<br />''"Chonnla chroí ná teara níos goire dhom"''<br />''"Mhaisce, tiocfad", a deir Connla.''
+''His name was Billysomething but I forgot his full name...''
-Translated by Paul de Grae:
-''"Who is that down there breaking the fences? ''<br />''"Myself says Connla.'''<br />''"Connla dear don't come any nearer to me"''<br />''"Wisha, I will," says Connla.''
-O'Neill ('''Irish Folk Music''', p. 97) states this jig was "in some form known all throughout Munster. A strain remembered by from my mother's singing of it was added to Delaney's version, making a total of six in our printed setting. A ridiculous, although typical folk song, called 'I Buried My Wife and Danced on Top of Her' used to be sung to this air, which bears a close resemblance to our version of '[[O'Gallagher's Frolics]]'." Russell said "Frieze Britches" was a very popular tune around Enlistment, County Clare, and related that his father had been to the fair in that city and met with one Paddy Cearnuf, who lilted the melody and, obviously enamored, called it "the first tune that was ever played in heaven" (Russell, 1989). Breathnach (1963) maintains Joyce's third part does not belong to this jig.
-An interesting story, possibly even true, of how this tune entered the Sliabh Luachra region of Ireland's tune repertoire was told by piper Tim Britton, confirmed by Paddy O'Brien. It seems that the renowned regional fiddler Padraig O'Keeffe played the melody that he had learned, as he did many of his tunes, from an uncle named Cal Callaghan. Callaghan, the story goes, lived for several decades in a Scottish settlement in southern Ohio and learned many tunes there, some of which he taught to his nephew Padraig on his return to Ireland. O'Keeffe called the tune "Gallagher's" and played it in seven parts. The story is a bit of a stretch, considering the age and popularity of "The Frieze Breeches/Friar's Britches" in Ireland.
 }}