A Shoemaker's Dream

Ah nivver could understand what pleasure folks could find in foxhunting; men and hosses and dogs all rinnin' like gaumerils after a nasty, lahtle beast like you! But Ah've coomed to see different sin' Ah got to come diggin'wi' you in thoas houes. You'll maybe hardly credit it, but sin Ah gat word fra you yesterday at e'en, Ah framed as if Ah could settle to nowght, only thinking it lang o't' moorn to come. Well, I gat me to bed middling early, aiming it wad nae be sae lang while moorn, gin Ah could only get a gay good sleep. But bless you, bairn, there wa'n't nae sike a thing as sleeping. Ah tonned and Ah toommled, and tahms Ah sloommered a bit, but wakkened oop again iv a minnit or twees, while Ah was as wakrife as a backbeararaway i' t' glooaming (a bat in the evening dusk). Towards moorn Ah gat me to sleep some mak' or ither, but it wa'n't for lang. Ah began to dream all mak's and manders o' fond things. But all at yance, Ah foonn mysen digging for bare life in this houe we's boon for now, and we coomed to a finnd, a soort of a lile chamber made wi' steean. And in't there was a main big pankin (pancheon, cinerary vase or urn), and it wur near hand full o' bo'nt beeans (burnt bones), Some way-Ah deean't ken how-it gat whemmled ower, and a skull rolled out, nearlings a haill yan. And it looked to be splitten all across the top; and then it opened, and out cam' a elephant-and a greeat foul beast it wur! And Ah warsled to get out o't' rooad, and wiv a strike and a loup Ah gat me out iv the houe, and that minnit Ah wakkened i'truth; and if you'll believe me' Ah fun myself raxing and striving o't' fleear as gin Ah had guan clean wud (stark mad). And Ah've considered thae foxhunters's nae sike feeals as Ah aimed 'em.

Text taken from 'Forty Years In A Moorland Parish: Reminiscences And Researches In Danby In

Cleveland' by Rev J C Atkinson (1891) - recording an account of a barrow digger's dream in local dialect.


Photographs taken at RAF Danby Beacon - Danby Highmoor.