Even more interesting, in the light of Roud's discussion of the way oral and literate aspects of our culture interacted is the information I just found out about the make up of the Scottish Regiments in Northern Europe, gleaned from European records of paying the bills. The officer posts included a 'scrivener'.

This ties in with what I have read in the past that where few people in a village could write, the person who could would write and read for those who could not, including, for example, letters to family members working far away.

Mention has been made of it being unlikely that poor country dwellers would have light to read ballads by after a long day's work. This implies that all work was done away from the home, which is patently not the case. And that there was full employment: not necessarily. And in summer the days are long, and then there are Sundays.