The title is seen in various transcriptions of the dialect, but is most commonly On Ilkla Mooar [or Moor] baht 'at, i.e. On Ilkley Moor without [wearing] the hat; idiomatically On Ilkley Moor without (i.e. bar) the hat. Dr Arnold Kellett reports the traditional belief that the song came into being as a result of an incident that took place during a ramble and picnic on the moor. It is further generally believed that the ramblers were all on a chapel choir outing, from one of the towns in the industrial West Riding.