Chapter XVIII: Appendix: II

Cunnington MS.

Among the various books and word-lists which we have consulted during the progress of this work, by no means the least interesting is the manuscript containing a _Collection of a few Provincial Terms used in North Wilts_, believed to have been compiled about the middle of last century, which was kindly lent us by its present owner, Mr. William Cunnington, and is here frequently referred to as _Cunnington MS._

This valuable relic was at one time in the possession of Mr. J. Britton, as is proved by the notes in his _early_ handwriting on the outer leaves, and was evidently the source to which he was indebted for some portions of his 1825 _Glossary_ (in the _Beauties of Wilts_, vol. iii), the very peculiar wording and spelling of some of its paragraphs having been transferred direct to his pages. It must, however, have been in his hands at a much earlier date than 1825, as one or two of the notes appear to have been made at the time he was collecting materials for the 1814 volume on Wilts.

Not only has it afforded us several hitherto un-noted words, which Mr. Britton himself had passed over, possibly because even in his own time they were already grown obsolete, but it has also enabled us to clear up several doubtful points, and especially to show how, by a very simple misreading of the MS., from the easily identified _sprawny_ (a variant of _sprunny_) was evolved that mysterious 'ghost-word' _sprawing_, which has ever since misled our glossary-makers, each one having seemingly taken it on the faith of his immediate predecessor.

The _Vocabulary_, which we here reproduce _verbatim et literatim_, consists of ten quarto pages, the first two of which are covered with notes in pencil and ink, in at least four different hands, partly archæological and topographical, and partly relating to dialect words in Wilts and elsewhere. It is written in an extremely legible old hand, with a few additions and interlineations in other hands, and contains about one hundred words and phrases, of which we owe just two-thirds to the original compiler, who is supposed to have been a North Wilts clergyman. If so, it is probable that his very characteristic handwriting could readily be identified by any one who was familiar with our last-century parish registers.

The interlineations have been made at different dates and in different hands, _acrass_, _chit_, _clout_, _gallered_, _hire_, _hitch_, _muxen_, _shirk off_, _slink away_, _skillin_, _stowl_, _stole_, _thick_ and _thuck_, _won't_, with the numerals at the end, being in pencil, two or three of them having been inked over at some time or other; while _arran_, _clavey_, _clap to_, _desperd_, _dowse_, _hit_, _nan_, _plye_, _rathe_, _sprawny_, the definition of _thick_ and _thuck_, _tun_, _tag_, _twit_, and _vuddels_, are in ink, and mostly in a much larger and somewhat peculiar hand. The pencilling is now almost entirely obliterated.

The MS. was given by Mr. Britton to Mr. Cunnington, with other books and papers, many years ago, and its existence appears to have been unknown until we called attention to it in the _Wilts Archæological Magazine_, vol. xxvi. p. 293.

Front page of Cover.

[_Writing entirely in pencil, in Mr. Britton's hand, except the
word Vocabulary._]

XXII. 107. Broad Hinton. Vic. Mr. Hume of Salisby late Vicar a manor well immense depth. abt 10 ms to draw Some of the Glanvilles buried here. Old monk [? _tomb_] of this family one of these Gs wrote on Witches--all chalk large crane wheel room for 3 men.

Vocabulary.

[_Here two lines of writing, probably the name and address
of the compiler, have been scratched completely out with a
penknife._]

See Ascough's Index [_Here another word now illegible._]

[_Here a rough sketch, marked_ Spring, _probably relating to
the above well._]

Inside of Cover.

Main sprack--for lively--Wilts

Information in Bowels--

Obliterate Scoolmaster--

Mandy--saucy--Wilts

[_These four lines are in a more recent hand, on a slip gummed
in._]

Werrutting teazing

Thick for that

direction "You must go all a skew thick vield there & then all a thirt tother & then looky one way & pointy another wool ye now"

Anticks--main--mandy

[_These are in the same large, slightly feminine-looking hand
as some of the interlineations in the word-list._]

_Enked_ is avaricious, wretched, from whence we have perhaps a term in English of unked; disagreeable, melancholy, tiresome. In Oxfordshire every thing unpleasant is _unked_.

From the Persian.

Rudge a cup or patera found here Horsley p. 330.

[_These are on a slip gummed in, in Mr. Britton's own hand._]

The Vocabulary itself.

COLLECTION OF A FEW PROVINCIAL TERMS USED IN NORTH WILTS.

Page 1.

=Arran= for either

=Acrass=

'=All a hoh='--awry--not square, strait or even--

=Beet=--To beet--is to supply fire with fewel

=Brow=--the opposite of Tough--Substances that will easily break

=Burrow=--Shelter from Wind--generally applied to some Low
Place in a field where some neighbouring hillock breaks the
force of the gale

=Caddle= a term variously applied, but in all cases significant
of Confusion or embarassmt To be in a Caddle--to be in
disorder--to be embarrassd with business--Dont Caddle me--dont
teaze me--don't confuse me--'a cadling fellow' a wrangler a
shifting, & sometimes an unmeaning character

=Clavey=--Chimney Piece

=Cham=--to Chew--

=Clap to the Door=--shut the Door.

Page 2.

=Chism=--to germ--Seed is said to chism when it discovers the
first appearance of germination

=Chit=--to spring--leaves are coming out.

=Cleet=--a Patch whereby an utensil is repaird--to cleet to
mend by a patch put on, & sometimes to Strengtn by bracing etc

=Clum=--To Clum a thing--is to handle it Roughly boisterously
or indecently

=Clyten= A term applied to express an unhealthy appearance,
particularly in Children--a Clyten an unhealthy Child

=Clout= a blow

=Clytenish=. To look Clytenish to Look pale & sickly

=Dain=--disagreeable effluvia--generally applied to Those
Scents which are Supposed to convey infections, i.e. "Dont go
to near that man; he has lately had the Small Pox & the _dain_
may be in his Cloths still"

=Desperd= very as desperd fine etc

Page 3

=Dummil=--Heavy, dull--a term variously applied--but in all
cases signifies the reverse of sprightly or Brilliant

=Dowse=--a Blow

=Dunch=--The Common term for Deaf

=Dunch Dumplin=--a Dumplin made of flower and water only--boild
hard & eaten hot with Butter--

=Dar=, 'to be struck in a Dar,' to be astonishd or Confounded

=Flick= or =flitch=--i.e. To be flitch with one,' is to be
familiar or intimate

=Gallered= to be astonished, frightened, as _he gallered me_

=Gabborn=--a term always applied to Buildings to denote
Largeness without Convenience & Comfort--a gabborn Room or
house signifies a place Large cold and comfortless

=Glox= a term applied to denote the motion or Sound made by
Liquids when movd about in a barrel or other vessel not full as

Page 4

for instance, "Fill the Barrel full John or else it will glox
in Carriage"--

=Glutch=--To Glutch, to swallow--the act of
Swallowing--i.e.--He glutchd hard that is he swallowed with
difficulty

=Hit= to strike

=Hazon=--To Hazon a Person is to scold or menace him--

=Harl=--=a Harl=--Something entangled--His hair is all in a
harl--i.e. knotted--uncombed
ravle

=To harl=--to entangle

=Hire= for hear--Dont hire do not _hear_

=Hatch= a small door or gate--generally applied to the half
doors frequent in Shops

=Heft=--weight--i e what heft is that Parcel i e what weight is
it--(perhaps a contraction of heavy-weight)

=Hike= To hike off--to sneak away dishonorably

=Hitch=--monthly Agents

=Howe=--Pronounced Broad and Long Ho-ow or Hau-ow--To be in a
hauow--to be anxious

=Howed for=--provided for--taken care of--a figurative
expression undoubtedly derived from the term

Page 5

made use of by Shepherds in driving collecting & managing their
flocks, i.e. Ho hó--ho-hó

=Hop a bouts= a term applied to small apple Dumplings made of
one apple enclosd in a Paste of flour & boild

=Hudgy=--thick Clumsey

=Kitch=--to Kitch or Ketch--to congeal--oils animal fat &c. are
said to catch or kitch when they grow cold enough to congeal

=Kerfs= Laminæ--Layers or cleavings of Earth Turf Hay &c.

=Lear=--empty--a Lear Stomach, a Stomach wanting food

=Lew=--To get in the Lew--is to get in a place Sheltered from
the wind--(perhaps derivd from the Sea Phrase--Lee--)

=Lewth= warmth--"this Coat has no Lewth in it," i.e. it has no
warmth

=Limp= a thing is said to be Limp when it has Lost its
accustomed Stiffness

=Limber=--Slender--or Rather a thing Long & bending

Page 6

=Māndy= pronouncd Long--frolicksome--Impudent--Showy

=Miff=--offence--to take a miff--to be offended

=Mothery= or =Muthery= Beer, vinegar &c. are said to be mothery
when white Particles of fust float in it--Perhaps a Corruption
of muddy or muddery--

=Most-in-deal=--in general--mostly--(example) "where do you
Live now?'--why at Devizes, most in deal, but sometimes at
Warminster--"

=Muxen= Dung heap.

=Newst=--Newst or anewst Signifies nearly--what is it a
Clock?--a newst One. which of the two is oldest?--They are
newst of an age. which of those things are best? they are a
newst alike--In the Latter example however the more usual reply
would be "they are anewst of a newstness"

=Nitch=--a Burthen, as a Nitch of wood a nitch of Straw a Nitch
of hay &c.--"He has got a nitch," i.e. he is Drunk, he has got
as much Liquor as he can carry--

=Plye= to bend as the Poker is plied--

=Nan?=--What do you say

=Quilt= To Quilt a term used almost exclusive of any other to
denote the act of Swallowing when performd

Page 7.

in the usual & natural way--the term Glutch being rather
descriptive of a difficulty in doing it or the doing it with
labour

=Rowney=--thin, uneven--generally applied to Cloth

=Rumple=--to Rumple is to press a thing, particularily

=Rathe=--early in the morning
a garment, so as to make it appear promiscuously
wrinkled--or tumbled

=Rubble=--universally us'd for Rubbish--

=Shewent= a Piece of Cloth is said to be--shewent--when it is
evenly wove & not Rowey--it is also applied in other Cases but
always to denote a thing Level & even--to Look Shewent, is to
Look demure

=Shim= This word is rather of Glocestershire but it is
nevertheless in use on the North Border of wilts, & is a
Corruption or Contraction perhaps of Seeming--Ex. gra--He is a
fine fellow Shim--or he is, Shim, a fine fellow means that the
person spoken of is apparently a fine fellow

=Skillin=--a shed

=Shog=--Shog & jog--words nearly of the same import & Signify
to move off degradedly--to slink or shirk away

=Shirk= off

=Sleazey=--thin--Slight--generally applied to Cloth Silks &c.

=Slink away=

=Slox= to waste a thing, or pilfer it--"Sloxd away" wasted or
pilferd

Page 8.

=Stowl=--a root--great stowl

=Sprack=--Lively--bright quick a main sprack child

=Stole=--when trees, are buddg--trees

=Sultedge= a term applied to describe a Coarse apron much worn
by the poor Women & which they always describe by the term a
Sultedge apron

=Swingeing=--violent--great--forcible

=Sprawny= a Sweetheart [Misread as Sprawing by Britton.]

=Tack= a shelf--put it on the tack--i e put it on the
Shelf--How many tacks are there in the Pantry, i.e. how many
Shelves

=Teft=--to teft a thing is to judge of its weight by taking it
in the hand i e--what Heft do you think this Bundle is--I dont
know Let's teft it--i.e. let me take it in my hand

=Thic= & =Thuck= this & that--as thic wâ this way

=Tine=--to kindle--to tine a fire is to Light a fire,--to tine
a Candle--to Light a candle

=Tine= to fence to tine in a piece of waste ground is to
enclose it with a fence of wood or quickset

=Tining= fences of Wood either Brushwood Pales or a Hedge

=Tun= Chimney

Page 9.

=Tag= to tease to torment

=Todge=--a thick Consistency--Thick as Todge gruels, Soups,
etc, made unpleasantly thick

=Twit=--to upbraid

=Twire=--to Look at a thing wistfully or Critically 'How he
twir'd at her--i e. how wistfully he Look at her'--Common Phrase

=Vuddels= a spoilt Child

=Vinny= mouldy--Vinney Cheese, is mouldy Cheese--properly it
denotes anything tinted--not with a black or Rotten--but with a
whitish or blue mould--very common Phrase

=Unkerd= or =Unkert=--Lonely or Solitary--an unkert house a
Lone house--an unkert place a Solitary place--very Common phrase

=Weeth= tough Soft pliable--

=Yat= a gate--yat Post, a gate Post

=Wont= for Will not

=dree vour vive zix s=

N.B. In north wilts it may be remarkd that the formation of the
Plural by affixing en to the Noun is almost universal as house
housen Pease Peasen Wench wenchen--almost as universal too is
the transformation of the

Page 10.

Substantive into an adjective by the same termination as a
Silken gown a Clothen Coat a Leatheren Shoe an elmen Board
&c. the pronoun Possessive too is formd in the same way as
hisn hern Ourn theirn--the old terms also, thic & thoc almost
Constantly exclude the expression This & That--There is also
here a Peculiar mode of forming active verbs from Nouns, which
are generally in use as apellations for professions--take an
Example Well Mary, how do you get on in Life? what do you &
your family do _now_ to get a Living in these times--Wy zur we
do aal vind zummut to do--Jan, ye know, he do _Smithey_ (work
as a smith) Jin the beggist wench do spinney the Little one do
Lace makey--I do _Chorey_ (go out as a Chore Woman) and the
two Boys do Bird keepey--that is One works as a smith--one
spins one makes Lace one goes out as a Chore woman & two are
Birdkeepers which Latter term were more to the purpose if
expressd Bird frightener or driver

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