"Sorry Brian - a bit misleading this - we met quite a few of the V.O.T.P. singers at one time or another (some of them are our recordings) and as far as I can see after a quick glance, although it is true that they got their songs from within the family, all those families came from living or recently deceased traditions."

Can you explain further what you mean, when you've dead-headed the triffid, Jim? Are you saying intra-family transmission is less important than I think it is? I did a survey a little while ago, based on the printed biogs in VOTP, and nearly every singer had learned some or most of their repertoire from mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts or grandparents. So are you suggesting that families only become a significant channel when songs are no longer passed on within the whole community?

As for travellers, I recently met Thomas McCarthy (he was at Sidmouth and Whitby festivals), a really fine singer who is related to the community under the Westway flyover that you recorded in the 1970s. He certainly hasn't let that tradition go, and his style is reminiscent of Bill Cassidy.

I also spent a large part of the Sunday of Dartmoor festival in the Kings Arms in the company of the Orchard family, who spent the day playing melodeon tunes and singing songs. I prevailed on Jean Orchard to sing 'A Wager, A Wager' (learned from her mother) after which she volunteered 'Tie a Yellow Hankerchief' (learned from a recording of Pheobe Smith!), and a fine job she did of both.