Much is being said about Swaledale songs but they go back much earlier than the dates mentioned. I remember a song, part of which read `Beautiful dale home of the Swale` as far back as 1936 or 1937 when it was sung by the pupils of of Reeth village school. I suspect there may be some plaguiarism in those versions that followed. After all, Dale does rhyme with Swale.
Peter McLoughlin