An interesting point from Gerould is that for some Child ballads found in Europe as well as in England one cannot state with certainty which country they originated in. Lord Randall is one example he gives. For me, his discussion would benefit from dates. I like dates as they help to contextualise even though I am by no means the world's best historian.

I don't see how it could be argued with much credibility that such songs got to England via a purely oral non-literate tradition, unless it was a bilingual oral non-literate tradition in which those people who made up the conveyor belt of tradition has skills in ballad- making in two languages.

But his point, if correct, shows that Roud was right not to call his book 'English folk song' as was suggested higher up this thread.