Yes, Steve, there are two Distracted Sailors, dated by ECCO ?1765 and ?1775. The "Tommy Linns" are identical in both except for some capitalization and spelling.

So far is I can tell, Wm. Wager is a mystery. No biographical info is known, including his birthplace. He wrote two or three other pieces in the mid- to late 1560s.

There's King's Lynn in Norfolk, known as "Bishop's Lynn" till ca1540. There's also a Civil Parish of Lynn in Co. Westmeath, and an electoral ward of Linn in Glasgow. Was this formerly a town/estate unto itself? I find no historical information on it.

Henry the Minstrel's "Acts and Deeds of...Sir William Wallace" (ca1475: I've modernized the spelling) mentions "John of Lyn" several times, but allegedly John's family was from Bishop's Lynn.

These are the only "Lyn/Lynn/Linn/Lin/Lynnes" that I've discovered.

Much more to come on the name "Tom o' Lyn" (and vars.)

The 1863 "Hooley's" is much abbreviated.

Dave Van Ronk's version, learned from his mother (see the "Bryan O'Lynne [sic]" thread) also has a nonsense chorus, much less elaborate:

Shawla guh hawla guh thamma guh thoo
Shawla guh hawla guh thamma guh thoo
Shawla guh hawla guh thamma guh thoo
Balli shly gattery howsh munnaveen.

The last line is clearly derived from or related to Purdy's last line.

All for now. I have much more than this.