Yan Tan Tethera, in parts of Britain and surrounding areas, was a traditional numeric jargon used by shepherds to count sheep. Until the Industrial Revolution, the use of specialized traditional number systems was common among shepherds, especially in the dales of the Lake District. It is believed by some to be a remnant of Cumbric language, as spoken in Yr Hen Ogledd.

Though these number systems fell out of use by 1910, it remains common among some shepherds to use the word "yan" in place of "one". The practice may also have given rise to the notion of counting sheep to lull oneself to sleep.

The importance of keeping count

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In order to keep accurate records (e.g. of birth and death) and prevent animals from straying, shepherds must perform frequent head-counts of their flocks. Dating back at least to the medieval period, and continuing to the present in some areas like Slaidburn, farms were granted fell rights, allowing them access to common grazing land. To prevent overgrazing, it was vitally necessary for each farm to keep accurate, updated head-counts.

Though fell rights are largely obsolete in modern agriculture, farms are often subsidized and taxed according to the quantity of their sheep. For this reason, accurate counts are still necessary, and must be performed frequently.

Generally, a count is the first action performed in the morning and the last action performed at night. A count is made after moving the sheep from one pasture to another, and after any operation involving the sheep, such as shearing, foot-trimming, mulesing, etc.

Origin and usage

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Sheep-counting systems ultimately derive from the Cumbric language, though language interference altered their forms to some extent.

Like most Celtic numbering systems, they tend to be vigesimal—based on the number twenty. Moreover, they usually lack words to describe quantities larger than twenty. To count a large number of sheep, a shepherd would repeatedly count to twenty, placing a mark on the ground to represent each score (e.g. 100 sheep = 5 score sheep).

Systems by region

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Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Lancashire

Number	Bowland	Rathmell	Nidderdale	Swaledale	Wharfedale	Teesdale
1	Yain	Aen	Yain	Yan	Yan	Yan
2	Tain	Taen	Tain	Tan	Tan	Tean
3	Eddera	Tethera	Eddero	Tether	Tether	Tether
4	Peddera	Fethera	Peddero	Mether		Mether
5	Pit	Phubs	Pitts	Pip		Pip
6	Tayter	Aayther	Tayter	Azer		Lezar
7	Layter	Layather	Layter	Sezar		Azar
8	Overa	Quoather	Overo	Akker		Catrah
9	Covera	Quaather	Covero	Conter		Borna
10	Dix	Dugs	Dix	Dick		Dick
11	Yain-a-dix	Aena dugs	Yaindix	Yanadick		Yan-a-dick
12	Tain-a-dix	Taena dugs	Taindix	Tanadick		Tean-a-dick
13	Eddera-a-dix	Tethera dugs	Edderodix	Tetheradick		Tether-dick
14	Peddera-a-dix	Fethera dugs	Pedderodix	Metheradick		Mether-dick
15	Bumfit	Buon	Bumfit	Bumfit		Bumfit
16	Yain-a-bumfit	Aena buon	Yain-o-Bumfit	Yanabum		Yan-a-bum
17	Tain-a-bumfit	Taena buon	Tain-o-Bumfit	Tanabum		Tean-a-bum
18	Eddera-bumfit	Tethera buon	Eddero-Bumfit	Tetherabum		Tethera-bum
19	Peddera-a-bumfit	Fethera buon	Peddero-Bumfit	Metherabum		Methera-bum
20	Jiggit	Gun a gun	Jiggit	Jigget		Jiggit

Number	Derbyshire	Weardale	Tong	Kirkby Lonsdale	Wensleydale	Dales
1	Yain	Yan	Yan	Yaan	Yain	Yan
2	Tain	Teyan	Tan	Tyaan	Tain	Tan
3	Eddero	Tethera	Tether	Taed'ere	Eddero	Tethera
4	Pederro	Methera	Mether	Mead'ere	Peddero	Methera
5	Pitts	Tic	Pick	Mimp	Pitts	Pip
6	Tayter	Yan-a-tic	Sesan	Haites	Tayter	Sethera
7	Later	Teyan-a-tic	Asel	Saites	Later	Lethera
8	Overro	Tethera-tic	Catel	Haoves	Overro	Hovera
9	Coverro	Methera-tic	Oiner	Daoves	Coverro	Dovera
10	Dix	Bub	Dick	Dik	Disc	Dick
11	Yain-dix	Yan-a-bub	Yanadick	Yaan'edik	Yain disc
12	Tain-dix	Teyan-a-bub	Tanadick	Tyaan'edik	Tain disc
13	Eddero-dix	Tethera-bub	Tetheradick	Tead'eredik	Ederro disc
14	Peddero-dix	Methera-bub	Metheradick	Mead'eredik	Peddero disc
15	Bumfitt	Tic-a-bub	Bumfit	Boon, buom, buum	Bumfitt
16	Yain-o-bumfitt	Yan-tic-a-bub	Yanabum	Yaan'eboon	Bumfitt yain
17	Tain-o-bumfitt	Teyan-tic-a-bub	Tanabum	Tyaan'eboon	Bumfitt tain
18	Eddero-o-bumfitt	Tethea-tic-a-bub	Tetherabum	Tead'ereboon	Bumfitt ederro
19	Peddero-o-bumfitt	Methera-tic-a-bub	Metherabum	Mead'ereboon	Bumfitt peddero
20	Jiggit	Gigget	Jigget	Buom'fit, buum'fit	Jiggit

Cumbria, Cumberland, and Westmorland

Number	Coniston	Borrowdale	Eskdale	Westmorland
1	Yan	Yan	Yaena	Yan
2	Taen	Tyan	Taena	Tahn
3	Tedderte	Tethera	Teddera	Teddera
4	Medderte	Methera	Meddera	Meddera
5	Pimp	Pimp	Pimp	Pimp
6	Haata	Sethera	Hofa	Settera
7	Slaata	Lethera	Lofa	Lettera
8	Lowra	Hovera	Seckera	Hovera
9	Dowra	Dovera	Leckera	Dovera
10	Dick	Dick	Dec	Dick
11	Yan-a-Dick	Yan-a-Dick		Yan Dick
12	Taen-a-Dick	Tyan-a-Dick		Tahn Dick
13	Tedder-a-Dick	Tethera - Dick		Teddera Dick
14	Medder-a-Dick	Methera - Dick		Meddera Dick
15	Mimph	Bumfit		Bumfit
16	Yan-a-Mimph	Yan-a-bumfit		Yan-a-Bumfit
17	Taen-a-Mimph	Tyan-a-bumfit		Tahn-a Bumfit
18	Tedder-a-Mimph	Tethera Bumfit		Teddera-Bumfit
19	Medder-a-Mimph	Methera Bumfit		Meddera-Bumfit
20	Gigget	Giggot		Jiggot

Celtic-based

Number	Old Welsh	North Wales	Cornish	Breton
1	Un	Un	Un, Onan	Unan
2	Dou	Dau	Deu, Dyw	Daou
3	Tri	Tri	Try, Tyr	Tri
4	Petuar	Pedwar	Peswar, Pedyr	Pevar
5	Pimp	Pump	Pymp	Pemp
6	Chwech	Chwech	Whe	Chouech
7	Seith	Saith	Seyth	Seiz
8	Wyth	Wyth	Eath	Eiz
9	Nau	Naw	Nau	Nao
10	Dec	Deg	Dek	Dek
11		Un ar ddeg
12		Dau ar ddeg
13		Tri ar ddeg
14		Pedwar ar ddeg
15		Pymtheg
16		Un ar bymtheg
17		Dau ar bymtheg
18		Tri ar bymtheg
19		Pedwar ar bymtheg
20		Ugain

Miscellaneous

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The English composer Harrison Birtwistle (b. 1934) composed an opera entitled Yan Tan Tethera (subtitled "a mechanical pastoral") in 1984.

English chansonnier Jake Thackray wrote, performed and recorded a song about a shepherdess, entitled Old Molly Metcalfe, with the refrain Yan Tean Tether Mether Pip she counted. In the introduction to the song he describes how Swaledale sheep farmers "count their sheep in a curious fashion," and gives the entire sequence from 1 to 20.

External links

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• John Whitehead - counting sheep the traditional way
• More about usage
• Tim Gay - Rural dialects and surviving Britons

Sheep