The volume gathers humorous anecdotes, character sketches, traditional customs, and regional sayings from the North Riding of Yorkshire, chiefly Cleveland, aiming to preserve local speech and lore. It interleaves brief narratives and reports of folk belief with observations on manners, rural practices, seasonal rituals, and local wit. An extensive glossary of over four thousand regional words and idioms accompanies the text. The author adopts a chatty, conversational tone and stresses collecting oral testimony and dialect before it disappears.