Craven farms

As I was travelling wearily,
To while away the time,
I searched for names of farms I knew,
To string them in a rhyme;
And the names that sang the best for me,
Because they sang of home,
Were Grain House, Field Gate,
Gildersleets and Rome.

Plain names and strange names
Came crowding in my mind,
And ancient names of ancient folk
That Time has left behind:-
Cowside, Stockdale,
Howith, Accerill,
Mewith Head and Barrel Sykes,
Rainscar, Wham, Green Ghyll.

Green Hippins, Crabtree Bank,
Orchaber, Willow Tree,
Thin Oaks, and Tewitt Hall
Are pleasant names to me.
And then I think of Israel,
That stands remote and high,
And wonder who it was that chose
That name to call it by.

There’s Routster, Swabeck,
Hidden Grunser Ghyll,
Black Bank by the water,
Blaithwaite on the hill.
Armistead, Rawlingshaw,
Crow’s Nest and Owlet Hall,
Gayclops and Silloth House,
Low Waters, Capon Hall.

Paley Green and Parson’s Close,
Dyke House, Wenningside,
Meldingscales, Wearingfold,
And Slated House beside.
But still the names that sang the best
Because they sang of home,
Were Grain House, Field Gate,
Gildersleets and Rome.

(Thanks to Pat Smith who says that Settle Voices sing this).