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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