Jim,
No risk attached to the generalising at all. Some did , some didn't, simple as that.
I am very interested in your comment about Arthur Wood's magnificent version of The Tailor's Britches. Obviously it is a localised version of perhaps a broadside dare I venture. Considering the only other versions are 2 quite different fragments from the south coast and his version was recorded several years before Frank Purslow's collation/rewrite was published in Marrow Bones any background history would be very useful. I would be very grateful for any info on this regarding sources.
The conditions where the 'folk' actually involve themselves in invention regarding song only happens in special cases, with particular groups or individuals. Apart from the areas you mention which are well documented, the forces during the World Wars is another well documented area. BUT by and large the vast majority of the people are quite happy to take what is passed down to them from on high or perhaps up to them from down below (in the case of many broadsides). I do not question for one moment the enormous influence of oral tradition, but I stand by what I have stated above, which comes from 40 years studying both the oral tradition and the broadside tradition, and their interdependence. And it's good to be in line with such a great folklorist as Duncan Emrich. How this makes me deny the influence of the folk process altogether I fail to see.
I have already concurred with you over the situation in parts of rural Ireland and amongst the travelling community in Ireland. Although looking at MacColl and Seeger's TSES I can see very little evidence of creativity unless you include the hybridising of some songs. I have already stated that I am referring to the shared repertoire found all over the English-speaking world and not LOCAL pieces.

Your penultimate paragraph is irrelevant to the question as I don't contest any of this. In fact I can give you many more examples.

Regarding the putting of names to broadsides, well neither of us can prove or disprove this, so we must leave it to others to decide what they think, simply present the evidence. There is a very strong case made for John Morgan's authorship as he was interviewed and his story was published, and it is convincing enough for me. Sheesh! And I thought I was a skeptic!