"Bit of a daft statement really."
Please don't be obtuse or point-scoring, we are not talking about the songs limited by their subject matter; we are discussing those without a reference point
I have not doubt that broadside makers had a field day with the Napoleonic wars, you read 'Hardy's Trumpet Major' or take into account that this period was known as 'The Age of Revolution', you would need to concede (or not) that what as happening in France could very easily have inspired rural song making
Jim Carroll