Just a query: when did "Water of Tyne" become "Waters of Tyne", or are both versions found in the oldest texts?

This is perhaps more a linguistic/historical question than a folk music one, but to my ear "Water of Tyne" sounds archaic; we don't use the word "water" for "river" nowadays. Going with this is the use of "scull" rather than "row". It seems (to me) to be more appropriate to an age when perhaps it made an important distinction. Nowadays sculls are boats for a particular competition rather than everyday use - as much as rowing is an everyday activity nowadays.

Yes, I know this is a very small variant, and it doesn't really matter to the singing of this lovely song. However Meg is currently learning "Water of Tyne" from a Sandra Kerr arrangement, and it snagged on my ear. I'm sure Sandra wouldn't have added any deliberate archaism, so this must be an old variant. Which could perhaps lead to discussions on the correctness of dated versions, but I'm not arguing that either is "right".