Malcolm, I had no intention of calling into question your understanding, you have shown your depth in this and other threads. Maximum respect. However one can respect someone without always agreeing with them.
Joellead asked for informaton on a partcular version of a song and it seems to me that you, and others, are in effect saying, don't sing "that" sing "this".
I am well aware of the trad/revival issues.

"Fair enough! He's got it wrong, though. "Bent" makes sense, and can be traced back to real traditional versions; "bairn" just sounds like a misunderstanding"

In replying to your post, quoted above, I was defending the right of any singer, trad or revival, to take possession of the song and recreate it. What they create might be good or bad, but not right or wrong.

I cannot understand why you presume that he is faithfully trying to reproduce Pentangle's version and not creating the next step in the songs development.

It might be a leaf that withers on the branch, but its still part of the trees growth.