"They were the equivalent of POP songs when they hit the streets,"
Which brings us back to our original problem - hitting the streets (a) assumes that they were urban creations that were peddles as commodities.
And (b)
That they came from 'elswehere' other than from the communities where they were sung.
There is no evidence for either and in our experience, both, particularly the second, because of the familiarity with detail, are highly unlikely.
So far you have not answered, or even approached any of the questions I have raised concerning your extremely dogmatic, and I believe destructive stance, in regard to our understanding of the songs.
How can a group of outside balladmakers create and fine-tune a body of songs, why were the English rural working people alone in these islands, totally unable to make songs, why do obvious creations of the broadside presses stick out like sore thumbs next to the traditional songs...... and above all, why do you continue to make your definitive claims, yet are unable to produce one song which you can caterogically show was produced on the broadside pressed and never appeared in the oral tradition....?
Given there total absence of your evidence on this claim, there is a great deal of evidence, and simple common sense which indicates the contrary, which you either dismiss without discussion or totally ignore when it is pointed out to you - a man on a mission???
"I have never said the rural population played no part in their creation."
No - you wouldn't dare, but you leave me with the impression that you would if you could get away with it.
                        Whether you say it or not - that is the implication of what you are saying, whether you intend it to be or not.
Dismiss (totally now) the creative part we have always believed was played by the people who sang the songs, in their making, and then inject doubt in the variants, and these people are left with no definite role whatever and are relegated to voiceleless, cultureless peasants... you have achieved what every romantic reactionary has aspired to down the ages - a truely silent people - well done you - I wonder why!
I wonder why you steadfastly refuse to regard all the points I've made (based on our own work) - not accept them, just look at them.
Instead you propose house-to-house street fighting - I put up a song - you provide a name - I ask how you you can prove it wasn't sung in the oral tradition beforehand - you go silent..... and so ad-infinitum.
The scholarship of the jack-hammer Steve.
Jim Carroll