Roseberry Topping

"When Roseberry Topping wears a cappe,
Let Cleveland then beware a clappe."

This cap refers to the mist overhanging the lofty hill bearing that name in the North Riding, previously to a thunderstorm. Camden, who notices this proverb, observes, that, "when its top begins to be darkened with clouds, rain generally follows."
There are variations of the distich -

"When Roseberry Topping wears a cap,
Let Cleveland men beware of a rap."**

And allusions to other places are made in some of the variants. Thus -
"When Roseberry Topping wears a hat
Morden carre will suffer for that."

The latter place cannot be exactly indicated, but doubtless from its name, carre, some lowland likely to be flooded in wet weather.

From the Denham Tracts, privately printed at Richmond, Durham, and Newcastle upon-Tyne, in various years since 1850, we have -
"When Eston nabbe puts on a cloake,
And Roysberrye a cappe,
Then all the folks on Cleveland's clay
Ken there will be a clappe."