The traditional English folk song, ‘On Ilkla Moor Baht ‘at,’comes from the County of Yorkshire, and it is written in Yorkshire dialect. In The Yorkshire Dictionary (Arnold Kellett, 2002) says the dialect used in the song is representative of the area surrounding Halifax. In 1998, Dr. Arnold Kellett in On Ilkla Mooar baht ‘at: the story of the song [Smith Settle. p. 55.], says, “We can at least clear the ground by looking at the most widely accepted tradition that On Ilkla Mooar came into being as a result of an incident that took place during a ramble and picnic on the moor. It is further generally believed that the ramblers were all on a chapel choir outing, from one of the towns in the industrial West Riding.”

The moor is in Yorkshire near Leeds and Bradford (and not anywhere near Hull). Ilkley Moor is part of a larger region of moorlands known as Rombalds Moor. Rombalds Moor was the home of Giant Rombald, who used to throw large stones across the moor. Some of these landed at the edge of Ilkley Moor and later became a well known landmark and a popular picnic spot for residents of Bradford and Leeds, who could travel by train to Ilkley, and then hike up the hill to the moor.

The first published version of the words appeared in 1916, when it was described as “a dialect song which, for at least two generations past, has been sung in all parts of the West Riding of Yorkshire.” [Kellett, page 83] Arnold Kellett calculates that the song “could well have originated in the early years of the second half of the [19th] century, and not as late as 1877 …”[page 89]

The title roughly translates into standard English as ‘On Ilkley Moor Without a Hat.’  Anyone who ever read Bronte’s Wuthering Heights knows something of moors. I set The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy on a Scottish moor because moors are often windy and cold expanse of land that is near to being a wilderness  As the song proves, a person needs a hat in the winter, and going to a moor without one is a bad idea. Ilkley is a town in Yorkshire, quite close to the cities of Leeds and Bradford, and Ilkley Moor is close by.  The song tells of a lover courting the object of his affections, Mary Jane. It serves as a dire warning about what happens to those foolish enough to venture to the the moor without appropriate headwear: they die, are buried, are eaten by worms which are then eaten by ducks, which are then eaten by the songs’ singers.  The song has more or less become the unofficial ‘national’ anthem of Yorkshire.

 According to tradition, the words were composed by members of a Halifax  church choir on an outing to Ilkley Moor near Ilkley, West Yorkshire. According to Ilkley.org, “In 1805 a hymn tune called ‘Cranbrook’ was composed by a cobbler of Canterbury. His name was Thomas Clark.  A hundred years later it was still being sung in Wesleyan Chapels to the words ‘O for a thousand tongues’ and at Christmas time to ‘While Shepherds watched their flocks by night.’ According to tradition, the members of a Halifax Wesleyan Church were picnicking beneath the Cow and Calf rocks, after their annual walk across the moors from Dick Hudson’s, when two of their party disappeared into the bracken.  On their return to the main group, a member of the choir bellowed out ‘Wheer wor ta bahn when ah saw thee?’ ‘Tha’s bin a-courtin’ Mary Jane,’ commented another.  Further lines in common metre were contributed until the choir burst naturally into the tune to ‘Cranbrook.'” On Ilkla Moor Baht ‘At was first published in 1916 and probably originated in West Yorkshire during the latter half of the 19th Century.

According to tradition, the members of a Halifax Wesleyan [Methodist] Church were picnicking beneath the Cow and Calf rocks, after their annual walk across the moors from Dick Hudson’s, when two of their party disappeared into the bracken.  On their return to the main group, a member of the choir bellowed out “Wheer wor ta bahn when ah saw thee?” “Tha’s bin a-courtin’ Mary Jane”, commented another.  Further lines in common metre were contributed until the choir burst naturally into the tune Cranbrook.

The lyrics include many features of the Yorkshire dialect such as Definite article reduction and H-dropping. Baht is Yorkshire dialect for “without.” [Yorkshire Dialect Society, September 2013] According to “While Shepherds Watched

Some singers add the responses “without thy trousers on” after the fourth line of each verse, and “where the ducks play football” after the seventh. Other variations include “where the nuns play rugby”, “where the sheep fly backwards”, “where the ducks fly backwards”, “where the ducks wear trousers”, “an’ they’ve all got spots”, and “where they’ve all got clogs on”.

Also in some recitals, after the first two lines of “On Ilkla Mooar baht ‘at” it is followed by a “Where’s that?”. Another variant adds “Howzat?” after the first line and “Not out!” after the second. In Leeds the line immediately before the chorus is often ended with “And we all got wet”. In the United States, “Then we will go and eat up the ducks” is often followed by a shouted “Up the Ducks!”

There are also alternative endings, where verse nine states: “There is a moral to this tale”, and is followed by a chorus of “Don’t go without your hat / Don’t go without your hat / On Ilkey moor baht ‘at” (which is sung commonly within West Yorkshire), or “Don’t go a courtin’ Mary Jane” (another variation known in the Scouting movement). Alternatively, verse nine is sung as “There is a moral to this tale”, and verse ten as “When courtin’ always wear a hat”.

Ilkley Moor via Wikipedia

Yorkshire Day was created in 1975 by the Yorkshire Ridings Society after the abolition of the three traditional “ridings” in the local government reorganisation of 1974. Roger Sewell, chairman of the Yorkshire Ridings Society, said pride in being from Yorkshire was an “instinctive thing” to those born in the area. Each year members of the society read a declaration at four of the Bars, or gates, into York. Towns and cities across Yorkshire hold their own celebrations and a regional one is being held over four days in Skipton in North Yorkshire. The Yorkshire Flag, a white rose on a blue background, will be flown across the region.     

Check out this You Tube version of the song with Jack Kennedy, Jongo Kerr, Lesley Garrett, Alistair Griffin, and Brian Blessed. It even includes a rap… 

Resources: 

In some versions, the line “without thy trousers on” after the fourth line of each verse and “where the ducks play football” after the seventh line. Some sing “where the nuns play rugby,” “where the sheep fly backwards,” and “they all got spots.” 

In some variations, a “Where’s that?” replaces the third like of the chorus. In Leeds, the line before the chorus is “And we all got wet.”