Would you care to quote or summarize what Arthur says about this (for those of us without _Bert_)?
Hugill wasn't rigorous enough, in my opinion, to be considered a true 'pedant' -- though I suppose he may have believed he was or said so with self-deprecating humor.
In his _Shanties from the Seven Seas_, Hugill was full of praise, if I remember, for Lloyd's recordings. His assessment was similar to Lighter's in that the recordings, while perhaps not totally authentic, were quite good, especially when compared to others.
As to whether or not Hugil cared/noticed that they "improved" the chanties, this has been in a way a recurring issue in discussions. Because it seems, at least to me, that Hugill accepted a portion of what Lloyd sang as authentic, rather than questioning it, and may have even gone on to spread it further.