Jan 4th, 2023

Author: donich_admin

Cumbrian Dialect

When I was at school in Cumbria I had a friend who was fiercely proud of her Cumbrian ancestry. She taught me a few dialect words like “Marra” for friend – but most notably a couple of pieces of doggerel. The first one I came over on the Internet by mistake the other day – I had only ever known the first line.

As’t thee ‘iver sin a cuddy lowp a five bar yeat?
Twas a guy leish cuddy or a guy lale yeat.

This means…

Did you ever see a donkey jump over a five bar gate?
It was a very athletic donkey or a very small gate.

But the other one she told me I couldn’t find anywhere on the Internet so I will document it for posterity. It may not be completely correct as I never saw it in written form.

Mary ‘ad a laal pet lamb
It’s fleece were wheet as owt
Except it had a grey feace
And a snivlin, snivlin snout

It used ta ga all upskatch
Tha knaws how Herdwicks ratch
If it weren’t down thear in schultchyard
It were doon int cabbitch patch

It time it grawd tae be sea fat
Tae market it were taen
And Mary yealled here heed aff
And never ate mutton agaen.