The intriguing thing about the Swinton May Song(posted earlier) is its near identity to the celebrated Padstow Maysong in words and music. I've never heard this satisfactorily explained(or even that seriously discussed). Padstow and Swinton(near Manchester) are a long way apart, and we do not have(as far as I know) similar songs collected in between. Did the collectors fail to spot any linking songs in Worcester and Somerset? Or are we talking Cornish miners coming to the Worsley coal mines? Or Lancahire coast fishermen mackerel fishing early in the season off Cornwall? The mystery is compounded by the the tune of the second Swinton Song(the Baisers) being very remniscent of the slow bit of the Padstow song(O where is St George?).
Anyone know any more on this?