"...never been, Ruth, but I've heard good things about the Sheffield carols."

I shouldn't bother, Wavey - you'd hate it. They sing in four-part harmony. And the singing has musical accompaniment, which plays more than top-line melody. And when people sing the carols in the pubs, it's definitely NOT in sweet, Sunday-best voices.

In other words, it's a living folk tradition which confounds all of your pronouncements on what English traditional music is and how it ought to be performed. And there's a wealth of historical evidence, including photographs and music manuscripts, to coinfirm that harmonies and accompaniment have always been integral to this tradition. As I know how this sort of thing upsets you, it's probably best if you stay at home.