We did Scottish dancing ! I even had a tartan pleated kilt. At secondary (girls’) school we sang Jerusalem at special occasions like Prize Giving. It was the official school song. I never understood what Jerusalem had to do with us.
There’s quite a few Saxon churches on the NW coast, I’ve been to ones at St Bees and just north of Maryport there’s one with with Viking graves. Also, at Newton Arlosh, is one with tiny arrow slit windows and a fortified pele tower (those pesky Viking raiders!). Anyone with NW connections and an interest in ecclesiastical architecture might find this link useful Church Trails - Diocese of Carlisle (carlislediocese.org.uk)
When I taught at the Open University I used to take students on a morning tour round three architecturally interesting churches near Carlisle. There’s a very early Norman church at Warwick on Eden, with a French style rounded apse, while nearby at Warwick Bridge is Pugin’s only Cumbrian church which has a fantasised pre-Refomation interior. Last and best is St Mary’s Church Wreay | (stmaryswreay.org) which has too many wonderful unique aspects to describe here. It’s very special and just off the M6 if you’re up that way.
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There are very old graves, but not really graves, at Heysham. The sea used to come closer to the cliffs and, apparently, bodies rested in these hollowed out shallow graves and were then sent out to sea.
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Remember at about age six, being very impressed by seeing this closing scene at a local cinema.
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I’ve been rooting about in the mental filing cabinets regarding songs. The area I grew up in had a large black population and around 30-35% of my school were black. Our teachers used books of songs from other traditions, and the 2 that come to mind are ‘Old Zip Kuhn’ (think that was the spelling) about a chap who played his song everywhere and ‘Linstead market’ at which the narrator could not sell his ackies and faced a penniless and hungry Saturday night.
There were other songs about jungles and wild animals, as well as more traditionally British stuff, but I can remember many of the words and some of the tunes to these 2.
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I remember Linstead Market too and I grew up in an area with an almost totally white population.
When I was at prep school (in Scotland) we had SCD three times a week because otherwise how would you cope at all the dances you go to 
kilts are great because you can tell what someone’s surname is without asking them 
even if sometimes it’s their mother’s or a grandparent’s tartan so you get it wrong.
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Absolutely, our tartan is Gunn.
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I was once told I’d have to some Highland dancing. In traditional English style, I hired a German to do it for me.
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Quite I’ve had Puff the bloody dradon in my head for 2 days; 
and I can only remember 2 lines hubby did better and had the whole chorus!
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Fixed
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An unwanted and, nowadays unfortunate, correction, perhaps, but I think it was ‘Old Zip Coon’. I was never sure if that was the character or the tune. Even in my childhood I could never figure the relevance, in an Edinburgh working-class school, of ‘Ilkley Moor Bah’t Hat’ or ‘Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill’. Sadder still, I’ve never forgotten them.
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Surely that would need subtitles to be understood in E’bro, but the perverse side of me would love to hear it sung with a Morningside accent!
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I’m not particularly religious, although believe in a higher spirit of some sort. Never go to church but when I’m sad / stressed I say the lords prayer! Currently often to stop stressing about the teen and get to sleep. First time I used it was on my CUO cadet training. We had a 48 hour think out where we were blindfolded and taken on the back of a 4 wheeler to a campsite, well teacher made a divit with his heel and we were allowed a 10 m radius from there, not allowed to step out. Left with a ration pack, tent ect, checked on I think morning and evening. After my first check sun was setting and I heard a huge noise, crashing through the bushes ect. I was absolutely terrified, no idea what it was. Climbed a tree, shaking and that was the first time I used it to calm me. Minutes later some wild brumbies (horses) appeared, luckily there was a fence between me and them as they were very wound up, maybe the fire? They headed off eventually and I came down the tree, had some dinner and as dark fell was relieved to see a few other campfires across the valley. Went to bed but was woken by yet more crashing through the bush, this time just behind my tent MY side of the fence. Laid there terrified for a couple of minutes (quick lords prayer) and decided it must be the brumbies back. Was so scared I decided to sleep, or not, up the tree! When I gingerly, carefully left the tent I eyeballed a 'roo and her young one just behind my tent!! They bounded off and shaking back to bed for me! Another lords prayer and maybe a Puff the magic Dragon before I slept!! So weird having all these memories coming back due to random threads!!
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De Profundis might have been an even more effective cry for help, as if I remember rightly if it begins, ‘Out of the depths I cry to thee oh Lord…’
Though of course in your case you weren’t in the depths, but were up a tree! Also on reflection, I think it was mainly used at funerals, so maybe even less effective in your situation, but why were they teaching it to six yearolds? Not wishing to go down the Sunak route, but maybe a bit more maths might have been of more use in the temporal dimension…
Anyway, the Lord’s Prayer seems to have done the job - have just discovered I can remember all the words - bloody nuns! Early years Catholic education is like having a virus on your laptop!
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I may have been a little bit of early culture that’s stayed with you all your life.
A lot of people seem to have a sense of a ‘spiritual awareness’ so it’s hardly surprising there are so many religions. Though perhaps as humans we’re just really good as convincing ourselves about stuff. 
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Convincing ourselves is one thing, infecting others in your charge (Vatican virus?) is something else. Most religions proselytise and it’s a dodgy business
Most people proselytise, even if it’s only about biscuits!
And if you really have found something special, it would be selfish to keep it to yourself.
I mean, it’s not as if you can force other people to believe, is it?—or to recant, as various repressive regimes have found.
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Ship’s biscuits are best!
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This area, between Cluny and Charolles has always been known as attracting those with a spiritual nature.
It has major ley lines running through it and was a major centre for Druidic activity.
I certainly feel that there is a spiritual connection with the land here.
It is something special.