Thanks for your info, Bonnie.

The poem looks to me like a 19th century broadside. I have a book of railway poems which has one in it about the navvies that describes their lifestyle in a similar way. However, it could equally be a modern poem about the drover's life but trying to capture an older feel.

I checked the Bodleian library Broadside website but with no luck. I also searched for a poet by the name of Byrne and while Google gave a number of hits, there wasn't anything that looked particularly promising.

I have sent a query to the Dales Countryside Museum to see if they have any more information about the poem.

In the North of England, the drovers routes largely ran across the high ground where the population was sparse. There was one along the western edge of the North York Moors not far from where I live.