Part 1

Transcriber's Note:

_Underscores_ indicate italics. =Equal signs= indicate bold fonts. ~word~ indicates bold word in slightly smaller font.

* * * * *

GLOSSARY OF WILTSHIRE WORDS

Oxford HORACE HART, PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY

A Glossary of Words

USED IN THE

COUNTY OF WILTSHIRE.

BY

GEORGE EDWARD DARTNELL AND THE REV. EDWARD HUNGERFORD GODDARD, M.A.

London:

PUBLISHED FOR THE ENGLISH DIALECT SOCIETY BY HENRY FROWDE, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS WAREHOUSE. AMEN CORNER, LONDON, E.C.

1893.

[_All rights reserved._]

PREFACE

The following pages must not be considered as comprising an exhaustive Glossary of our Wiltshire Folk-speech. The field is a wide one, and though much has been accomplished much more still remains to be done. None but those who have themselves attempted such a task know how difficult it is to get together anything remotely approaching a complete list of the dialect words used in a single small parish, to say nothing of a large county, such as ours. Even when the words themselves have been collected, the work is little more than begun. Their range in time and place, their history and etymology, the side-lights thrown on them by allusions in local or general literature, their relation to other English dialects, and a hundred such matters, more or less interesting, have still to be dealt with. However, in spite of many difficulties and hindrances, the results of our five years or more of labour have proved very satisfactory, and we feel fully justified in claiming for this _Glossary_ that it contains the most complete list of Wiltshire words and phrases which has as yet been compiled. More than one-half of the words here noted have never before appeared in any Wiltshire Vocabulary, many of them being now recorded for the first time for any county, while in the case of the remainder much additional information will be found given, as well as numerous examples of actual folk-talk.

The greater part of these words were originally collected by us as rough material for the use of the compilers of the projected _English Dialect Dictionary_, and have been appearing in instalments during the last two years in the _Wilts Archæological Magazine_ (vol. xxvi, pp. 84-169, and 293-314; vol. xxvii, pp. 124-159), as _Contributions towards a Wiltshire Glossary_. The whole list has now been carefully revised and much enlarged, many emendations being made, and a very considerable number of new words inserted, either in the body of the work, or as _Addenda_. A few short stories, illustrating the dialect as actually spoken now and in Akerman's time, with a brief _Introduction_ dealing with Pronunciation, &c., and _Appendices_ on various matters of interest, have also been added; so that the size of the work has been greatly increased.

As regards the nature of the dialect itself, the subject has been fully dealt with by abler pens than ours, and we need only mention here that it belongs to what is now known as the South-Western group, which also comprises most of Dorset, Hants, Gloucester, and parts of Berks and Somerset. The use of dialect would appear gradually to be dying out now in the county, thanks, perhaps, to the spread of education, which too often renders the rustic half-ashamed of his native tongue. Good old English as at base it is,--for many a word or phrase used daily and hourly by the Wiltshire labourer has come down almost unchanged, even as regards pronunciation, from his Anglo-Saxon forefathers,--it is not good enough for him now. One here, and another there, will have been up to town, only to come back with a stock of slang phrases and misplaced aspirates, and a large and liberal contempt for the old speech and the old ways. The natural result is that here, as elsewhere, every year is likely to add considerably to the labour of collecting, until in another generation or so what is now difficult may become an almost hopeless task. No time should be lost, therefore, in noting down for permanent record every word and phrase, custom or superstition, still current among us, that may chance to come under observation.

The words here gathered together will be found to fall mainly under three heads;--(1) Dialect, as _Caddle_, (2) Ordinary English with some local shade of meaning, as _Unbelieving_, and (3) Agricultural, as _Hyle_, many of the latter being also entitled to rank as Dialect. There may also be noted a small number of old words, such as _toll_ and _charm_, that have long died out of standard English, but still hold their own among our country people. We have not thought it advisable, as a general rule, to follow the example set us by our predecessors in including such words as _archet_ and _deaw_, which merely represent the local pronunciation of orchard and dew; nor have we admitted _cantankerous_, _tramp_, and certain others that must now rank with ordinary English, whatever claim they may once have had to be considered as provincial. More leniency, however, has been exercised with regard to the agricultural terms, many that are undoubtedly of somewhat general use being retained side by side with those of more local limitation.

The chief existing sources of information are as follows:--(1) the Glossary of Agricultural Terms in Davis's _General View of the Agriculture of Wilts_, 1809; reprinted in the _Archæological Review_, March, 1888, with many valuable notes by Prof. Skeat; (2) The Word-list in vol. iii. of Britton's _Beauties of Wilts_, 1825; collated with Akerman, and reprinted in 1879 for the English Dialect Society, with additions and annotations, by Prof. Skeat; (3) Akerman's _North Wilts Glossary_, 1842, based upon Britton's earlier work; (4) Halliwell's _Dictionary_, 1847, where may be found most (but not all) of the Wiltshire words occurring in our older literature, as the anonymous fifteenth-century _Chronicon Vilodunense_, the works of John Aubrey, Bishop Kennett's _Parochial Antiquities_, and the collections by the same author, which form part of the _Lansdowne MSS._; (5) Wright's _Dictionary of Obsolete and Provincial English_, 1859, which is mainly a condensation of Halliwell's work, but contains a few additional Wiltshire words; (6) a Word-list in Mr. E. Slow's _Wiltshire Poems_, which he has recently enlarged and published separately; and (7) the curious old MS. _Vocabulary_ belonging to Mr. W. Cunnington, a _verbatim_ reprint of which will be found in the Appendix.

Other authorities that must here be accorded a special mention are a paper _On some un-noted Wiltshire Phrases_, by the Rev. W. C. Plenderleath, in the _Wilts Archæological Magazine_; Britten and Holland's invaluable _Dictionary of English Plant-names_, which, however, is unfortunately very weak as regards Wilts names; the Rev. A. C. Smith's _Birds of Wiltshire_; Akerman's _Wiltshire Tales_; the _Flower-class Reports_ in the _Sarum Diocesan Gazette_; the very scarce _Song of Solomon in North Wilts Dialect_, by Edward Kite, a work of the highest value as regards the preservation of local pronunciation and modes of expression, but containing very few words that are not in themselves ordinary English; the works of Richard Jefferies; Canon Jackson's valuable edition of Aubrey's _Wiltshire Collections_; and Britton's condensation of the _Natural History of Wilts_. In _Old Country and Farming Words_, by Mr. Britten, 1880, much information as to our agricultural terms may be found, gathered together from the _Surveys_ and similar sources. Lastly, the various _Glossaries_ of the neighbouring counties, by Cope, Barnes, Jennings, and other writers, should be carefully collated with our Wiltshire Glossaries, as they often throw light on doubtful points. Fuller particulars as to these and other works bearing on the subject will be found in the Appendix on _Wiltshire Bibliography_.

We regret that it has been found impossible to carry out Professor Skeat's suggestion that the true pronunciation should in all doubtful cases be clearly indicated by its Glossic equivalent. To make such indications of any practical value they should spring from a more intimate knowledge of that system than either of us can be said to possess. The same remarks will also apply to the short notes on Pronunciation, &c., where our utter inexperience as regards the modern scientific systems of Phonetics must be pleaded as our excuse for having been compelled to adopt methods that are as vague as they are unscientific.

To the English Dialect Society and its officers we are deeply indebted for their kindness and generosity in undertaking to adopt this _Glossary_, and to publish it in their valuable series of County Glossaries, as well as for the courtesy shown us in all matters connected with the work. We have also to thank the Wilts Archæological Society for the space afforded us from time to time in their _Magazine_, and the permission granted us to reprint the _Word-lists_ therefrom.

In our _Prefaces_ to these _Word-lists_ we mentioned that we should be very glad to receive any additions or suggestions from those interested in the subject. The result of these appeals has been very gratifying, not only with regard to the actual amount of new material so obtained, but also as showing the widespread interest felt in a branch of Wiltshire Archæology which has hitherto been somewhat neglected, and we gladly avail ourselves of this opportunity of repeating our expression of thanks to all those who have so kindly responded. To Dr. Jennings we owe an extremely lengthy list of Malmesbury words, from which we have made numerous extracts. We have found it of special value, as showing the influence of Somersetshire on the vocabulary and pronunciation of that part of the county. To Sir C. Hobhouse we are indebted for some interesting words, amongst which the survival of the A.S. _attercop_ is well worth noting. We have to thank Mr. W. Cunnington for assistance in many ways, and for the loan of MSS. and books, which we have found of great service. To Mr. J. U. Powell and Miss Kate Smith we owe the greater part of the words marked as occurring in the Deverill district. Mr. E. J. Tatum has given us much help as regards local Plant-names: Miss E. Boyer-Brown, Mr. F. M. Willis, Mr. E. Slow, Mr. James Rawlence, Mr. F. A. Rawlence, Mr. C. E. Ponting, Mr. R. Coward, the Rev. W. C. Plenderleath, Mr. Septimus Goddard, Mrs. Dartnell, the Rev. C. Soames, and the Rev. G. Hill must also be specially mentioned. We are indebted to Mr. W. Gale, gardener at Clyffe Pypard Vicarage, for valuable assistance rendered us in verifying words and reporting new ones.

We take this opportunity of acknowledging gratefully the assistance which we have throughout the compilation of this _Glossary_ received from H. N. Goddard, Esq., of the Manor, Clyffe Pypard, to whose wide knowledge and long experience of Wiltshire words and ways we owe many valuable suggestions; from the Rev. A. Smythe-Palmer, D.D., who has taken much interest in the work, and to whose pen we owe many notes; from Professor Skeat, who kindly gave us permission to make use of his reprints; and last, but by no means least, from the Rev. A. L. Mayhew, who most kindly went through the whole MS., correcting minutely the etymologies suggested, and adding new matter in many places.

In conclusion, we would say that we hope from time to time to publish further lists of _Addenda_ in the _Wilts Archæological Magazine_ or elsewhere, and that any additions and suggestions will always be very welcome, however brief they may be. The longest contributions are not always those of most value, and it has more than once happened that words and phrases of the greatest interest have occurred in a list whose brevity was its only fault.

GEORGE EDWARD DARTNELL, _Abbottsfield, Stratford Road, Salisbury_.

EDWARD HUNGERFORD GODDARD, _The Vicarage, Clyffe Pypard, Wootton Bassett_.

CONTENTS

PAGE

INTRODUCTION xiii-xix

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xx

GLOSSARY 1-186

ADDENDA TO GLOSSARY 187-204

SPECIMENS OF DIALECT:--

EXTRACTS FROM THE REMAINS OF WILLIAM LITTLE 205-208 THE HARNET AND THE BITTLE 208-209 THE VARGESES 210 THOMAS'S WIVES 210-211 MANSLAUGHTER AT 'VIZE 'SIZES 211 HOW OUR ETHERD GOT THE PEWRESY 211-212 GWOIN' RAYTHUR TOO VUR WI' A VEYTHER 212-213 NOTHEN AS I LIKES WUSSER 213-214 PUTTEN' UP TH' BANNS 214 THE CANNINGS VAWK 214-215 LUNNON AVORE ANY WIFE 215-216 KITCHIN' TH' INFLUENZY 216

APPENDICES:--

I.--BIBLIOGRAPHY 217-223 II.--CUNNINGTON MS. 224-233 III.--MONTHLY MAGAZINE WORD-LIST 234-235

INTRODUCTION

The following notes may perhaps serve to give some slight indication as to pronunciation, &c., but without the aid of Glossic it is impossible accurately to reproduce the actual sounds.

* * * * *

_A_ is usually lengthened out or broadened in some way or other.

Thus in _hazon_ and _haslet_ it would be pronounced somewhat as in _baa_, this being no doubt what the _Monthly Magazine_ means by saying that '_a_ is always pronounced as _r_.'

When _a_ is immediately followed by _r_, as in _ha'sh_, harsh, and _paa'son_, parson, the result is that the _r_ appears to be altogether dropped out of the word.

_Aw_ final always becomes _aa_, as _laa_, law, _draa_, draw, _thaa_, thaw.

In _saace_, sauce, _au_ becomes _aa_.

_A_ is also broadened into _eä_.

Thus _garden_, _gate_, and _name_ become _geärden_, _geät_, and _neäme_.

These examples may, however, be also pronounced in other ways, even in the same sentence, as _garne_, _yăt_, and _naayme_, or often _ne-um_.

_A_ is often softened in various ways.

Thus, _thrash_ becomes _draish_, and _wash_, _waish_ or _weish_.

It is often changed to _o_, as _zot_, sat, _ronk_, rank.

Also to _e_, as _piller_, pillar, _refter_, rafter, _pert_, part.

In _vur_, far, the sound is _u_ rather than _e_.

The North Wilts version of the _Song of Solomon_ gives frequent examples of _oi_ for _ai_, as _choir_, chair, _foir_, fair, _moyden_, maiden; but this is probably an imported letter-change, _chayer_ or _chai-yer_, for instance, being nearer the true sound.

* * * * *

_E_ is often broadened into _aa_ or _aay_.

Thus _they_ gives us _thaay_, and _break_, _braayke_.

In _marchant_, merchant, and _zartin_, certain, the sound given is as in _tar_.

_Ei_ takes the sound of _a_ in _fate_, as _desave_, deceive.

_Left_, _smell_, and _kettle_ become _lift_, _smill_, and _kiddle_.

In South Wilts _ĕ_ in such words as _egg_ or _leg_ becomes _a_ or _ai_, giving us _aig_ and _laig_ or _lăg_. Thus a Heytesbury Rosalind would render--

'O Jupiter, how weary are my legs!'

by 'O-my-poor-vit'n-laigs!' uttered all in one gasp. In N. Wilts the _e_ in these words is not perceptibly so altered.

The _ĕ_ in such words as _linnet_ usually takes the _u_ sound, giving us _linnut_. In _yes_ it is lengthened out into _eece_ in S. Wilts, and in N. Wilts into _cez_.

Long _e_ or _ee_ is shortened into _i_, as _ship_, sheep, _kippur_, keeper, _wick_, week, _fit_, _vit_, feet, the latter word sometimes being also pronounced as _ve-ut_.

_Heat_ becomes _het_, and _heater_ (a flat-iron), _hetter_; while _hear_ is usually _hire_ in N. Wilts.

* * * * *

_I_ short becomes _e_, as _breng_, bring, _drenk_, drink, _zet_, sit, _pegs_, pigs.

Occasionally it is lengthened into _ee_, as _leetle_, little.

In _hit_ (_pret._) and _if_ it usually takes the sound of _u_, as _hut_ and _uf_ or _uv_; but _hit_ in the present tense is _het_, and _if_ is often sounded as _ef_ in N. Wilts.

At the beginning of a word, _im_, _in_, and _un_ usually become _on_, as _onpossible_, _ondacent_, _oncommon_.

In present participles the sound given varies between _un'_, _en'_, and _in'_, the _g_ almost invariably being dropped.

* * * * *

_O_ very commonly becomes _a_, as _archet_, orchard, _tharn_, thorn, _vant_, font, _vram_, from, _carn_, corn.

Quite as commonly it takes the _au_ or _aw_ sound, as _hawp_, hope, _aupen_, open, _cawls_, coals, _hawle_, hole, _smawk_, smoke.

In such words as _cold_ and _four_, the sound is _ow_ rather than _aw_, thus giving us _cowld_ and _vower_.

_Moss_ in S. Wilts sometimes takes the long _e_, becoming _mēsh_, while in N. Wilts it would merely be _mawss_.

_Know_ becomes either _knaw_ or _kneow_.

_O_ is often sounded _oo_, as _goold_, gold, _cwoort_, court, _mwoor'n_ or _moor'n_, more than, _poorch_, porch.

_Oo_ is sometimes shortened into _ŭ_, as _shut_, shoot, _sut_, soot, _tuk_, took.

Very commonly the sound given to _ō_ is _wo_ or _woä_. Thus we get _twoad_, toad (sometimes _twoad_), _pwoast_, post, _bwoy_, boy, _rwoäs_, a rose, _bwoän_, bone, _spwoke_ (but more usually _spawk_ in N. Wilts), spoke.

_Oa_ at the beginning of a word becomes _wu_, as _wuts_, oats.

_Oi_ in _noise_ and _rejoice_ is sounded as _ai_.

In _ointment_ and _spoil_ it becomes _ī_ or _wī_, giving _intment_ and _spile_ or _spwile_.

_Ow_ takes the sound of _er_ or _y_, in some form or other, as _vollur_ and _volly_, to follow, _winder_ and _windy_, a window.

* * * * *

_U_ in such words as _fusty_ and _dust_ becomes _ow_, as _fowsty_, _dowst_.

* * * * *

_D_ when preceded by a liquid is often dropped, as _veel'_, field, _vine_, to find, _dreshol_, threshold, _groun'_, ground.

Conversely, it is added to such words as _miller_, _gown_, _swoon_, which become _millard_, _gownd_, and _zownd_.

In _orchard_ and _Richard_ the _d_ becomes _t_, giving us _archet_ and _Richut_ or _Rich't_; while occasionally _t_ becomes _d_, _linnet_ being formerly (but not now) thus pronounced as _linnard_ in N. Wilts.

_D_ is dropped when it follows _n_, in such cases as _Swinnun_, Swindon, _Lunnon_, London.

* * * * *

_Su_ sometimes becomes _Shu_, as _Shusan_, Susan, _shoot_, suit, _shewut_, suet, _shower_, sure, _Shukey_, Sukey.

* * * * *

_Y_ is used as an aspirate in _yacker_, acre, _yarm_, arm, _yeppern_, apron, _yerriwig_, earwig. It takes the place of _h_ in _yeäd_, head, _yeldin_, a hilding; and of _g_ in _yeat_ or _yat_, a gate.

* * * * *

Consonants are often substituted, _chimney_ becoming _chimbley_ or _chimley_, _parsnip_, _pasmet_, and _turnip_, _turmut_.

* * * * *

Transpositions are very common, many of them of course representing the older form of a word. For examples we may take _ax_, to ask, _apern_, apron, _girt_, great, _wopse_, wasp, _aps_, the aspen, _claps_, to clasp, _cruds_, curds, _childern_, children.

* * * * *

_F_ almost invariably becomes _v_, as _vlower_, flower, _vox_, fox, _vur_, far, _vall_, fall, _vlick_, flick, _vant_, font.

In such words as _afterclaps_ and _afternoon_ it is not sounded at all.

* * * * *

_L_ is not sounded in such words as _amwoast_, almost, and _a'mighty_, almighty.

* * * * *

_N_ final is occasionally dropped, as _lime-kill_, lime-kiln.

* * * * *

_P_, _F_, _V_, and _B_ are frequently interchanged, _brevet_ and _privet_ being forms of the same word, while to _bag_ peas becomes _fag_ or _vag_ when applied to wheat.

* * * * *

_R_ is slurred over in many cases, as _e'ath_, earth, _foc'd_, forced, _ma'sh_, marsh, _vwo'th_, forth.

It often assumes an excrescent _d_ or _t_, as _cavaltry_, horsemen, _crockerty_, crockery, _scholard_, scholar.

* * * * *

_H_ has the sound of _wh_ in _whoam_, home. This word, however, as Mr. Slow points out in the Preface to his Glossary--

_Bob._ Drat if I dwon't goo _wom_ to marrer.

_Zam._ Wat's evir waant ta go _wimm_ var.

_Bob._ Why, they tell's I as ow Bet Stingymir is gwain to be caal'd _whoam_ to Jim Spritely on Zundy.--

is variously pronounced as _wom_, _wimm_, and _whoam_, even in the same village.

As stated at page 72, the cockney misuse of _h_ is essentially foreign to our dialect. It was virtually unknown sixty or seventy years ago, and even so late as thirty years back was still unusual in our villages. _Hunked_ for _unked_ is almost the only instance to be found in Akerman, for instance. But the plague is already fast spreading, and we fear that the Catullus of the next generation will have to liken the Hodge of his day to the Arrius (the Roman 'Arry) of old:--

C_h_ommoda dicebat, si quando commoda vellet Dicere, et _h_insidias Arrius insidias ... Ionios fluctus, postquam illuc Arrius isset, Iam non Ionios esse, sed _H_ionios.

Touching this point the Rev. G. Hill writes us from Harnham Vicarage as follows:--'I should like to bear out what you say with regard to the use of the letter _h_ in South-West Wilts. When I lived in these parts twenty years ago, its omission was not I think frequent. The putting it where it ought not to be did not I think exist. I find now that the _h_ is invariably dropped, and occasionally added, the latter habit being that of the better educated.'

_H_ becomes _y_ in _yeäd_, head.

* * * * *

_K_ is often converted into _t_, as _ast_, to ask, _mast_, a mask, _bleat_, bleak.

_T_ is conversely often replaced by _k_, as _masking_, acorn-gathering, from 'mast,' while sleet becomes _sleek_, and pant, _pank_.

* * * * *

_S_ usually takes the sound of _z_, as _zee_, to see, _zaa_, a saw, _zowl_, soul, _zaat_ or _zate_, soft, _zider_, cider, _zound_, to swoon.

* * * * *

_Thr_ usually becomes _dr_, as _dree_, three, _droo_, through, _draish_, to thrash.

In _afurst_, athirst, and _fust_, thirst, we still retain a very ancient characteristic of Southern English.

_T_ is always dropped in such words as _kept_ and _slept_, which become _kep'_ and _slep'_.

* * * * *

Liquids sometimes drop the next letter, as _kill_, kiln; but more usually take an excrescent _t_ or _d_, as _varmint_, vermin, _steart_, a steer, _gownd_, gown.

* * * * *

_W_ as an initial is generally dropped in N. Wilts in such cases as _'oont_, a want or mole, _'ooman_, woman, _'ood_, wood.

Occasionally in S. Wilts it takes the aspirate, _'ood_ being then _hood_.

* * * * *

Final _g_ is always dropped in the present participle, as _singin'_, _livin'_, living; also in nouns of more than one syllable which end in _ing_. It is, however, retained in monosyllabic nouns and verbs, such as _ring_ and _sing_.

* * * * *

_Pre_ becomes _pur_, as _purtend_, pretend, _purserve_, preserve.

* * * * *

Sometimes a monosyllabic word will be pronounced as a dissyllable, as we have already mentioned, _ne-um_, _ve-ut_, _ve-us_, and _ke-up_ being used concurrently with _naayme_, _vit_ or _fit_, _veäce_, and _kip_ or _keep_.

* * * * *

The prefix _a_ is always used with the present participle, as _a-gwain'_, going, _a-zettin' up_, sitting up.

* * * * *

The article _an_ is never used, a doing duty on all occasions, as 'Gie I a apple, veyther.'

* * * * *

Plurals will be found to be dealt with in the _Glossary_ itself, under _En_ and _Plurals_.