Table Of ContentA GLOSSARY OF WORDS
USED IN THE
COUNTY OF CHESTER.
PREFACE.
THIS Glossaryofthe CheshireDialect requires a few words, and
only a few, by way of preface, in order to explain its scope
and arrangement. I have called it a Glossary of Words "used in
the County of Chester" in preference to a Glossary of "Cheshire
Words," and I have done so advisedly, because I do not, for a
moment, claim that all, or even the majority of the expressions I
have collected, are absolutely peculiar to Cheshire. I am quite
aware that, although used in Cheshire, they are common to several
other counties, andI acknowledge this fact in orderto anticipate any
criticism upon that point.
There are, in reality, very few words which belong exclusively to
any county, and which are used nowhere else. A Glossary of such
words would form a very meagre volume, and would, moreover, by
no means represent the speech of the people. County boundaries
are but imaginarylines, veryuseful for ecclesiastical or parliamentary
purposes, but totally inadequate to confine dialect or rural customs.
There maybe, and generallyis, a strongercharacterabout the dialect
of the central part of a county, but as we approach the borders the
words and expressions must, of necessity, become mixed up with
those of the surrounding counties. It is no detriment, therefore, to
a Glossary that it should include words spoken elsewhere; indeed,
the grouping of dialects is one of the chief points of interest con-
nected with their study. I have, therefore, as far as I have been
able to collect them, included all dialectal words spoken byCheshire
people, whether those words are used elsewhere or not.
I have been somewhat puzzled to know where to draw the line
between classical English and local dialect, but, after due considera-
tion, I have thought it better to lay myself open to criticism on this
score also, and to err on the side of including too much, rather than
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run the risk of omitting anything which might be of possible value.
Accordingly, words will be found in this Glossary which are also to
be found insomeofourdictionaries. But the compilersofourolder
dictionaries, Bailey for example, purposely included many acknow-
ledged local words, and these have been copied into subsequent
collections, so that, in point offact,it isthe dictionaries which have,
in many cases, adopted dialectal words, and not the local glossaries
which have included classical words.
Again, many words which were in general use two or three
hundred years ago, and so might be called classical English of that
day, have ceased to be used as such, but they still survive in the
mouths of our peasantry, and such are inserted as being of con-
siderable interest. Many classical words, too, have locally a
secondary meaning, and these have a legitimate right to a place
in alocal glossary, and no apology is needed for their introduction
here
It has been rather difficult to know to what extent the local
pronunciation of ordinary English words should be admitted.
Manifestly to admit every slight variety of pronunciation would be
to extend the Glossary almost indefinitely. And yet pronunciation
is by no means unimportant, and should not be entirely ignored.
There was no fixed rule possible, so I have used my judgment in
these cases, by admitting words of which the pronunciation seemed
to me to be sufficiently removed from the accepted pronunciation,
omitting those inwhichthedifferencewasslight In anintroductory
chapter I propose to revert to the subject ofpronunciation, and give
the rules by which it appears to be governed.
Withrespect tothe spelling of words, I have endeavoured, as far
as possible, to represent the pronunciation phonetically; but as I
have never mastered the glossic system of sounds, I have been
obliged to give the words according to the usual recognized rules of
English spelling, but I do not think there will be any difficulty in
understanding mymeaning. Where a word has the same pronuncia-
tion as in classical English, I have spelt it as it is usually spelt,
whether the usual spelling is phonetic or not.
The collecting of words for my Glossary has not been a very
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difficult task, for I have livedin Cheshire nearly all mylife, and have
been intimately connected with the country people. The majority
of the words, therefore, are entered from my own knowledge of
them; but I have been greatly assisted by correspondents who have
furnished me with words from parts of the county with which I am
not so well acquainted. In particular I would acknowledge the
kind and valuable help I have received from Miss Georgina F.
Jackson, the authoress ofthe Shropshire WordBook, who placed at
my disposal the notes she had extracted with much labour from
Randle Holme's Academy ofArmory, and also those from the Percy
Folio MS. edited by Hales and Furnival. My thanks are also
especially due to Miss Measfield, ofMacclesfield, who has furnished
me with long lists ofwords from that neighbourhood, and who has
looked over my manuscript, her intimate knowledge ofthe Cheshire
dialect rendering her notes and suggestions very valuable. Also to
Mrs. Cash, ofKelsall, who has worked up the Delamere district for
me most thoroughly; to Mr. Everard Home Coleman, who has
looked up for me the references to every article upon Cheshire
which has appeared in Notes and Queries from its commencement to
the present date; to Mr. John Hoole, of Prestwich, Lancashire, for
long lists ofwords used near Middlewich; to Mr. Thomas Sant, of
Frodsham; to Mr. Philip Darbyshire, of Penketh, Lancashire; to
Mr. Charles B. Davies, of Eardswick, for words used at Minshull
Vernon; to Mr. John Thornely, of Hyde, for North-East Cheshire
words; to Mr. William Norbury, of Leigh, Lancashire, who spent
the greater part ofhis life near Wilmslow, and whose lists, illustra-
tions, and remarks are particularly valuable. I have also to thank
Mr. John Thompson and Mr. Joseph E. Ward, of Northwich, for
the interesting, and, I think, tolerably exhaustive, collection of
words used in the mining and manufacturing of salt; also Mr. J. E.
Ward, ofBredbury, for a very full list of words used in the hatting
industry of the North-Eastern portion of the county. I have to
thank Mr. J. C. Clough, author ofBetty JBreskittle's Pattens, for per-
mission to reprint his clever and amusing Cheshire dialect story. I
have to tender my thanks, too, to Mr. Thomas Hallam, of Man-
chester, for his promise of assistance in writing a chapter upon
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Grammar and Pronunciation. If I have omitted any names that
ought to have been mentioned, I must beg those correspondents to
believe that it is not from any want of gratitude on my part; to
all such, collectively, I tender my thanks.
Theglossaries of Wilbraham and of Colonel Leigh have also
been laid under contribution, and such words inserted as I have
never met with myself nor received from living correspondents.
These are distinguished by the letters W. and L. It is very likely
that after the lapse of sixty years many of Wilbraham's words are
now obsolete ; still, they have been used in the county, and may
survive in remote districts; in fact, I have already had proofofthis,
for several words which I had supposed to be quite obsolete have
unexpectedly turned up from Delamere Forest and from the neigh-
bourhood ofMacclesfield. ,
As a rule, when I have extracted words from Wilbraham's and
Leigh's Glossaries, I have copied their explanations verbatim ; but
I have not thought it necessary to include the derivations they have
given, which in the case of Leigh especially are often mere
guesses, and very misleading; indeed I have, throughout the
Glossary, carefully abstained from derivations. I only claim to be
a collector,and must leave to those who have more knowledge than
I possess the task ofutilizing my work for philological purposes.
In one or two instances the explanations given by both Wil-
braham and Leigh seemed so involved and obscure that I have
ventured to simplify the language or the arrangement ofa sentence;
but I have taken this liberty very sparingly. There are a few
misprints in both Glossaries, especially that of Leigh, which are so
self-evident to anyone acquainted with the dialect that I have not
hesitated to make the necessary corrections. Colonel Leigh died
whilst his bookwas passing through the press, and I have no doubt
these palpable errors would have been corrected if he had lived to
see the completion of his work. Occasionally I have copied the
meaning of a word from both Glossaries without acknowledgment.
In such cases I wish it to be understood that I am perfectly well
acquainted with the word, but have felt that I was unable to put the
explanation into better language than they have used.
