"Some early recordings are sung with a local accent but that is about it. "
Sorry - I don't understand that at all
The last major collecting project in Britain was carried out in the first half of 1950s by the BBC and it covered the entire British Isles - everything that was recorded during the five years was in local accents
The greatest indication for me that these songs were 'of the people' wa their displays of accent, vernacular and insider knowledge
This is why I believe that, rather than paper chases, it is essential to examine the songs in these terms - aurally if possible
The earliest recordings we have of English traditional singing were made by Percy Grainger in 1906, all in that gentle Lincolnshire accent
How the collectors transcribed the songs for print is a different matter altogether
Jim Carroll