"At no point did I mention ALL folk songs."
Very true - you only said 90+% - you also included versions in your claim.
And I said over and over again that your researches didn't hold water because our knowledge of the oral tradition didn't extend back beyond the beginning of the 20th century - you have applied the same arguments to the ballads, which go back much further than that.
You dismissed Isaac Walton's (1593-1683) evidence in his referring to songs he heard as "country songs" on the grounds that he was talking about "country printers".
And while we're at it, can you link me to evidence of ladders inside chimneys - damned if I can find anything other than little boys being lowered down them 9seem to remeber Charles Kingsley had something to say on the matter - this didn't help me; maybe you'll have better luck   
http://www.ruchalachimney.com/history.html
Harking back to the gimmal rings - can you point me to anybody who has linked broken token songs to them - if not, why not if they where a common phenomenon.
Understand what you're saying Mike, but Steve has chosen to challenge me to put up - can't really see the point in travelling up this one-way street if its going to turn out to be a cul-de-sac.
Jim Carroll