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Full text of "The ancient language and the dialect of Cornwall : with an enlarged glossary of Cornish provincial words : also an appendix, containing a list of writers on Cornish dialect, and additional information about Dolly Pentreath, the last known person who spoke the ancient Cornish as her mother tongue"

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Q)ijouA.  aO?. 


GLOSSARY 


CORNISH    DIALECT,   &c. 


THE  AKCIEKT  LANGUAGE, 

AND    THE 

DIALECT  OF  CORNWALL, 

WITH    AN    EXLAKGED 

GLOSSARY 

OF 

CORNISH  PROVINCIAL   WORDS. 

ALSO    AN 

APPENDIX, 

CONTAINING     A     LIST     OF     WRITERS     ON     CORNISH     DIALECT,     AND 
ADDITIONAL    INFORMATION    ABOUT 

DOLLY    PENTREATH, 

THE    LAST   KNOWN    PERSON    WHO    SPOKE   THE   ANCIENT   CORNISH   AS 
HER   MOTHER    TONGUE. 

BY 

FRED.  W.    P.   JAGO,   M.B.    Lond. 


TEURO :  NETHERTON  &  WORTH,  LEMON  STREET, 
1882. 


DEDICATION. 


Loving  his  native   County, 

its  words,  and  its  ways, 

the  writer, 

with  great  respect, 

dedicates  this  little  book  to 


CONTENTS. 


1.  Frontispiece — Portrait  of  Dolly  Pentreatli,  and  sketch  of 

her  Cottage  at  Mousehole. 

2.  The  Decline  of  the  Ancient  Cornish  Language        -        -  1 

3.  The  Eemains  of  the  Ancient  Cornish  Language          •  17 

4.  The  Preface  to  WiUiams's  Cornish  Dictionary         -        -  29 

5.  Specimens  of  the  Ancient  Cornish  Language     -        -  34 

6.  The  Provincial  Dialect  of  Cornwall         ....  45 

7.  Specimens  of  the  Cornish  Provincial  Dialect      -        -  65 

8.  Words  in  the  Cornish  Dialect  compared  with  those  found 

in  the  writings  of  Chaucer 73 

9.  Common  English  words  in   the   Cornish  Dialect,  with 

Tables  of  them             94 

10.  On  the  Glossary  of  Cornish  Provincial  "W  ords         -        -  101 

11.  The  Glossary  of  Cornish  Provincial  Words          -        -  102 

12.  Addenda  to  Glossary 317 

13.  Curious  Spelling  of  the  Names  of  Drugs,  li'c.     -        -  325 

14.  Explanation  of  the  Eeferences  in  the  Glossary        -         -  827 

15.  Appendix— DoWy  Pentreath         .         -         -                  -  330 

16.  Names  of  Writers  on  Cornish  Dialect,  &c.       -                 -  842 


PREFACE. 


Long-descended  from  Cornishmen,  the  writer,  like 
others  of  his  countrymen,  has  a  clannish  fondness  for 
Cornish  words  and  phrases. 

From  May  1879  to  October  1880,  the  compiler  of 
this  book  wrote  lists  of  Cornish  Provincial  Words,  which, 
through  the  courtesy  of  the  Editor  of  the  "  Cornishman," 
(published  at  Penzance),  were  then  allowed  to  appear  in 
that  paper. 

These  letters  appeared  to  interest  a  good  many  per- 
sons, and  lists  of  provincial  words  were  often  asked  for, 
but  compliance  was  impossible  without  printing,  and  so,  a 
glossary  in  the  form  here  given  was  then  decided  on. 

But  there  were  questions  which  required  to  be  an- 
swered. 

How  should  a  glossary  of  Cornish  provincial  words 
be  arranged  1  Since  there  is  so  much  difference  between 
the  eastern  and  the  western  dialect,  should  there  be  a 
glossary  for  East,  and  another  for  West  Cornwall  1 

This  seemed  a  plausible  method,  but  another  difficulty 
arose.  What  was  to  be  done  with  that  very  large  class  of 
words  common  to  the  whole  of  Cornwall]  Such  words 
could  not  be  included  in  an  eastern  and  a  western  glossary 
without  a  very  useless  repetition.  To  do  this  would  be 
calling  the  same  words,  eastern  dialect  in  one  glossary,  and 
western  dialect  in  the  other. 


Then  again,  words,  if  one  may  use  the  expression,  are 
constantly  travelling  about,  and  dropping  here  and  there 
as  the  people  move,  and  so,  to  keep  an  eastern  and  a 
western  glossary  correct  according  to  their  titles,  would  be  an 
impossible,  or  endless  task. 

Again,  it  may  be  asked,  where  is  the  boundary  be- 
tween the  east  and  the  west  dialect  1  In  reality  there  is 
no  actual  limit,  although,  as  stated  in  the  following  pages, 
there  is  a  shadowy  boundary,  a  sort  of  neutral  ground. 

In  fact,  the  Cornish  dialect  changes  by  interrupted,  or 
irregular  degrees,  all  the  way  from  one  end  of  the  county 
to  the  other. 

Eeflecting  on  these  difficulties,  the  writer  concluded 
that  one  glossary  for  the  whole  county  would  be  simpler, 
and  practically  the  better. 

The  other  plan  to  be  correct  would  require,  1st — A 
glossary  for  West  Cornwall,  2nd — A  glossary  for  East 
Cornwall,  and  3rd — A  separate  glossary  of  words  common 
to  all  Cornwall.    In  reality  three  glossaries  for  one  county  ! 

Nevertheless,  the  English  Dialect  Society,  in  1880, 
issued  a  glossary  for  East,  and  another  for  West  Cornwall, 
but  none  for  those  words  common  to  the  whole  county. 

That  for  West  Cornwall  is  by  Miss  M.  A.  Courtney, 
who  has  evidently  worked  hard  in  compiling  a  valuable 
glossary  to  which  the  present  writer  is  much  indebted. 

The  glossary  for  East  Cornwall  is  not  so  extensive  as 
the  former,  but  very  good.  It  was  compiled  by  Mr.  Thos. 
Q.  Couch,  to  whom  the  writer  owes  many  thanks. 

Good  as  these  glossaries  are,  their  division  into  Eastern 
and   Western,   is,   the  writer  thinks,   confusing,  and  the 


cause  of  a  needless,  but  under  such  a  plan,  an  unavoidable 
repetition  of  words  in  each  division. 

In  writing  on  the  provincial  words,  so  many  of 
which  are  ancient  Cornish,  a  notice  of  the  decline,  and  of 
the  remains  of  that  language  is  required,  and  as  standard 
Cornish  Histories  are  rather  scarce  and  expensive,  a 
sketch,  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the  authentic  words  of 
Cornish  historians,  is  given. 

The  writer  has  collected  a  number  of  words  as  spoken 
in  Cornwall  at  this  very  time,  and  he  has  compared  them 
Avith  similar  ones  used  by  Chaucer  500  years  ago.  The 
resemblance  is  an  interesting  peculiarity  of  the  Cornish 
dialect ;  and  for  illustration,  quotations  from  Chaucer  are 
given  for  each  word  used  provincially. 

A  great  many  apparently  barbarous,  unmeaning,  and 
uncouth  words  are  evidently  derived  from  the  ancient 
Cornish  language.  By  making  compariso7is  between  such 
words,  and  those  formerly  used  by  the  old  Cornish  people, 
the  writer  has  tried  to  make  such  obscure  terms  more 
clearly  understood. 

No  doubt  there  are  many  faults  in  spite  of  every  care 
in  compiling  this  glossary  of  about  3700  words. 

Many  words  have  been  purposely  omitted  because 
they  seemed  too  common  in  other  districts  outside  Corn- 
wall, and  probably,  many  which  should  have  been  excluded, 
are  left  in  the  glossary. 

However  this  may  be,  and  to  whatever  extent  this 
book  may  be  considered  by  the  critic  as  meagre,  and  im- 
perfect ;  yet  it  is  hoped  that  such  a  volume  as  this  may  be 
of  some  use,  or  interest  to  those  who  desire  to  possess  a 


memento  of  the  Cornish  dialect  as  spoken  about,  or  a  little 
before  the  beginning  of  this  century,  and  still  in  use  to  a 
very  great  extent,  but  becoming  more  and  more  disused  as 
time  goes  on. 

Some  words  quoted  from  Carevv,  &c.,  are  of  course 
of  an  older  date,  but  the  writer  could  not  very  well  omit 
them,  as  many  are  still  in  use. 

In  conclusion  it  may  by  said,  that  even  now  the 
Cornish  people  are  speaking  a  large  number  of  Celtic,  or 
Ancient  Cornish  words,  without  being  very  much  aware 
of  it. 

The  Cornish  dialect  may  be  called  the  shadow,  or 
penumbra  of  the  ancient  language ;  the  link  between  the 
old  and  the  new  tongue ;  between  Celtic  and  English. 

FEED.  W.  P.  J  AGO. 

21,  Lockyer  Street, 

Plymouth, 
A.D.  1882. 


%\\t  Mckni  ICitnguitge  mxb  the  Jprcbindal 
dialect  of  Cornwall. 


THE    DECLINE    OF    THE    AXCIENT 
COEXISH    LANGUAGE. 


"OEFORE  saying  anything  about  the  provincial  dialect 

of  the  Cornish  people,  it  may  be  of  use  to  give  a 
sketch  of  the  decline  of  the  old  Cornish  language,  and 
also  notice  M'hat  has  been  attempted  in  the  preservation 
of  its  remains. 

It  appears  necessary  to  do  this,  because,  as  the  old 
language  decayed  the  English  took  its  place,  and  a  long 
time  was  occupied  in  the  process.  Indeed,  this  transitional 
period  may  be  called  an  interregnum,  during  which  the 
provincial  dialect  of  Cornwall  became  gradually  formed. 

In  thus  reviewing  the  decline  of  the  old  Cornish 
language,  we  are  passing  on  to  the  dialect  which  took  its 
place.  Like  its  predecessor  the  Ancient  Cornish,  it  is  in 
its  turn  doomed,  and  rapidly  changing  into  ordinary 
English. 

Many  reliable  authorities  have  given  a  great  deal  of 
information  about  the  old  Celtic  language  of  Cornwall, 


among  whom  are  such  writers  as  Carew,  Lhuj^d,  Prvce, 
Borlase,  Polwhele,  Hals,  Tonkin,  Sec,  and  scattered  ac- 
counts may  be  found  in  various  publications. 

The  particulars,  as  given  in  the  History  of  Cornwall 
compiled  by  Hitchins,  and  edited  by  Samuel  Drew,  in 
1824,  are  very  simple  and  clear,  and  Drew's  account  may 
be  quoted  with  advantage.     He  says : — 

"  The  language  which  was  once  spoken  in  this  county 
by  our  British  ancestors,  awakens  our  solicitude  from 
motives  of  local  attachment,  and  becomes  particularly  in- 
teresting from  the  singular  circumstance  of  its  being  now 
no  more.  At  present  we  behold  its  mighty  shadow  in  the 
pages  of  our  history,  and  even  this  is  gradually  disap- 
pearing. The  only  scattered  remnants  which  have  survived 
its  oral  existence,  may  be  found  in  those  pi'ovincial  phrases, 
and  local  names,  for  which  Cornwall  is  so  peculiarly  re- 
markable. 

"Tlie  Cornish  tongue  is  generally  admitted  to  be  a 
dialect  of  that  language,  which,  till  the  Saxons  came  in, 
was  common  to  all  the  Avestern  parts  of  Britain,  and  more 
anciently  to  Ireland  and  Gaul. 

"  When  the  Komans  came  and  subdued  this  country, 
the  changes  which  they  introduced,  affected  the  language 
as  well  as  the  manners  of  the  inhabitants.  It  does  not 
however  appear,  that  the  Romans  had  any  fixed  design  to 
extirpate  the  British  language ;  yet  its  gradual  decline 
followed  as  a  necessary  consequence  of  their  solicitude  to 
diffuse  and  establish  their  own.  Hence  in  those  parts 
where  they  had  more  fully  established  their  power,  the 
language  of  the  people  suffered  )nost  from  the  general 


innovation ;  so  that  its  purity  seemed  to  retire  from  the 
Eoman  presence,  and  to  seek  an  asylum  in  those  moun- 
tainous or  retired  regions  to  which  the  invaders  could  not 
without  much  difficulty  have  access. 

"In  these  western  territories,  the  original  language  of 
the  natives  had  less  to  fear  than  that  of  most  others,  if  we 
make  an  exception  in  favour  of  Wales;  and  perhaps  from 
this  Roman  invasion  it  suffered  least. 

"  Hence,  throughout  the  Cornii-British  language  we 
have,  comparatively  speaking,  very  few  Latin  idioms,  and 
very  few  Latin  words. 

"  But  it  was  not  from  the  influence  of  the  Roman 
language,  that  the  Cornish  tongue  was  doomed  to  perish. 
It  survived  the  shock  which  it  had  sustained,  and  secured 
its  independence  by  retiring  to  the  Cambrian  mountains ; 
to  the  retreats  which  Danmonium  afforded  it;  and  by 
emigrating  to  the  continent,  and  there  starting  up  as  a 
new  dialect  on  the  shores  of  Armorica.     (Brittany). 

"  When  the  Romans  abandoned  their  conquests  in 
this  island,  and  the  Saxons  succeeded  them,  the  inhabitants 
of  Britain  retiring  before  their  victorious  arms,  sought  a 
refuge  in  Wales,  Cornwall,  and  Brittany,  carrying  with 
them  once  more  that  language  which  was  originally  com- 
mon to  them  all.  This  language,  in  process  of  time  for 
want  of  a  more  frequent  intercourse  between  the  inhabi- 
tants, became  differently  pronounced  and  written,  and  in 
various  degrees  mixed  with  different  languages. 

"It  does  not  appear  that  anything  was  ever  printed  in 
the  Cornish  language  till  the  year  1707,  when  the  learned 
Mr.  Lhuyd  published  his  Cornish  grammar. 


"A  few  years  before  this,  Mr.  Lhuyd  visited  this 
County,  in  order  to  make  himself  acquainted  with  its 
natural  history  and  monuments,  but  more  particularly  so 
with  the  language  of  Cornwall  which  was  rapidly  on  the 
decline. 

"  But  although  nothing  in  the  Cornish  language  was 
ever  printed  till  the  days  of  Mr.  Lhuyd,  several  Cornish 
manuscripts  have  been  preserved;  but  excepting  one,  none 
of  any  considerable  age.  This  one  according  to  Bishop 
Gibson,  was  written  in  1036  in  an  old  court  hand  on 
vellum.  (This  was  '  The  History  of  the  Passion  of  our 
Saviour.') 

"  The  Cornish  language,  it  appears,  was  current  in  a 
part  of  the  South  Hams  in  the  time  of  Edward  1st  (1272 
to  1307).  Long  after  this  it  was  common  on  the  banks  of 
the  Tamar,  and  in  Cornwall  it  was  universally  spoken. 

"But  it  was  not  till  towards  the  conclusion  of  the 
reign  of  Henry  8th  (1509  to  1547)  that  the  English 
language  had  found  its  way  into  any  of  the  Cornish 
churches.  Before  this  time  the  Cornish  language  was  the 
established  vehicle  of  communication. 

"Dr.  Moreman,  a  native  of  Southill,  but  vicar  of 
Menheniot,  was  the  first  who  taught  the  inhabitants  of 
his  parish  the  Lord's  prayer,  the  Creed,  and  the  Ten 
commandments  in  the  English  tongue;  and  this  was  not 
done  till  just  about  the  time  that  Henry  8th  closed  his 
reign.  From  this  fact  one  inference  is  obvious ;  which  is, 
that  if  the  inhabitants  of  Menheniot  knew  nothing  more 
of  the  English  than  what  was  thus  learnt  from  the  vicar 
of  the  parish,  the   Cornish  must  have  prevailed  among 


them  at  that  time ' .  . . .  'and  as  the  English  language  in  its 
progress  travelled  from  East  to  West;  we  may  reasonably 
conclude,  that  about  this  time  it  had  not  penetrated  far 
into  the  County,  as  Menheniot  lies  towards  its  eastern 
quarter. 

"  From  the  time  the  liturgy  was  established  in  the 
Cornish  churches  in  the  English  language,  the  Cornish 
tongue  rapidly  declined. 

"  Hence  Mr.  Carew,  who  published  his  '  Survey  of 
Cornwall'  in  1602,  notices  the  almost  total  extirpation  of 
the  language  in  his  days.  He  says,  'the  principal  love 
and  knowledge  of  this  language,  liveth  in  Dr.  Kennall  the 
civilian,  and  with  him  lyeth  buried;  for  the  English  speech 
doth  still  encroach  upon  it  and  hath  driven  the  same  into 
the  uttermost  skirts  of  the  shire.  Most  of  the  inhabitants 
can  speak  no  word  of  Cornish ;  but  few  are  ignorant  of 
the  English;  and  yet  some  so  affect  their  own,  as  to  a 
stranger  they  will  not  speak  it ;  for  if  meeting  them  by 
chance,  you  inquire  the  way,  or  any  such  matter,  your 
answer  shall  be,  '  Meea  nauidua  cowzasawzneck;'  I  can 
speak  no  Saxonage.' 

"Carew's  'Survey'  was  soon  followed  by  that  of 
Norden,  by  whom  we  are  informed  that  the  Cornish 
language  was  chiefly  confined  to  the  western  hundreds  of 
the  county,  particularly  to  Penwith,  and  Kirrier,  and  yet; 
"(which  is  to  be  marveyled)  though  the  husband  and 
wife,  parents  and  children,  master  and  servants,  do  natur- 
ally communicate  in  their  native  language;  yet  there  is 
none  of  them  in  a  manner,  but  is  able  to  converse  with  a 
stranger  in  the  English  tongue,  unless  it  be  some  obscure 


people  who  seldom  confer  with  the  better  sort.  But  it 
seemeth  however,  that  in  a  few  years  the  Cornish  will  be 
by  little  and  little  abandoned." 

Such  was  the  state  of  the  Cornish  language,  according 
to  Norden,  about  1610,  the  year  in  which  it  is  probable 
his  history  was  written. 

The  parish  of  Menheniot  was  the  first  in  which  the 
inhabitants  were  taught  the  Creed,  the  Lord's  prayer,  and 
the  Ten  Commandments,  in  English;  (about  A.D.  1540), 
The  parish  of  Feock  was  nearly  the  last  in  which  Ancient 
Cornish  was  used  in  the  church  service. 

The  Cornish  was  so  well  spoken  in  the  parish  of 
Feock  by  the  old  inhabitants  till  about  the  year  1640, 
"that  Mr.  AVilliam  Jackman,  the  then  vicar,  and  chaplain 
also  of  Pendennis  Castle  at  the  siege  thereof  by  the 
parliament  army,  was  forced  for  divers  years  to  administer 
the  sacrament  to  the  Communicants  in  the  Cornish  tongue, 
because  the  aged  people  did  not  well  understand  the 
English,  as  he  himself  often  told  me."     (Hals). 

"Although,  says  Drew,  the  Cornish  language  appears 
to  have  been  excluded  from  all  our  Cornish  churches 
except  those  of  Feock,  and  Landewednack,  as  early  as  the 
year  1640,  yet  it  was  not  driven  from  common  conver- 
sation until  a  much  later  period. 

"So  late  as  1650,  the  Cornish  language  was  currently 
spoken  in  the  parishes  of  Paul,  and  St.  Just;  the  fish- 
women,  and  market-women  in  the  former,  and  the  tinners 
in  the  latter,  for  the  most  part  conversing  in  their  old 
vernacular  tongue." 


'Mv.  Scawen.  in  hi=:  maTm=cript.  say?,  that  in  1678,  the 
Eev.  F.  Robinson,  rector  of  Landewednack,  "  preached  a 
sermon  to  his  parishioners,  in  the  Cornish  language  only." 

"  From  this  period,  continues  Drew,  the  Cornish 
language  appears  to  have  been  driven  from  the  Cornish 
churches  entirely ;  or  if  not  wholly  banished,  we  have  no 
further  record  of  its  being  retained  or  used  on  any  occasion 
in  the  service  of  public  worship. 

"And  so  rapid  was  its  declension  tliroughout  the 
County  from  this  period  (1678)  in  all  the  ordinary  con- 
cerns of  life,  that  Mr.  Lhuyd,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Rowland, 
dated  March  10,  1701,  observes,  that  the  Cornish  language 
was  then  only  retained  in  five  or  six  villages  towards  the 
Land's  End. 

"In  every  stage  through  which  we  pursue  the  Cornish 
language,  we  thus  perceive  that  its  limits  become  more  and 
more  circumscribed.  From  five  or  six  villages  towards 
the  Land's  End,  in  which  the  Cornish  tongue  was  spoken 
in  1701,  we  must  now  descend  to  individuals,  and  from 
them  trace  it  to  its  grave." 

Drew  relates  how  that  in  17-16,  Captain  Barrington 
took  a  seaman  from  Mount's  Bay  who  understood  Cornish 
so  well  as  to  be  able  to  converse  with  some  sailors  of 
Brittany,  and  it  is  very  natural  to  suppose  that  many  others 
knew  the  Cornish  language  at  the  above  date,  but  Dr. 
Borlase  thought,  in  1758,  that  it  had  "altogether  ceased  so 
as  not  to  be  spoken  anywhere  in  conversation."  But,  says 
Drew,  "  this  opinion  appears  to  be  rather  premature.  It 
might  be  true,  that  the  language  was  no  longer  spoken  in 
common  conversation  from  choice,  but  that  several  persons 


8 

were  then  alive  who  couhl  hold  a  conversation  in  Cornish 
on  common  topics,  is  plain  from  accounts  of  a  subsequent 
date,  to  which  we  shall  refer." 

In  the  year  1768,  the  Hon.  Daines  Barrington,  brother 
of  Captain,  afterwards  Admiral  Barrington,  went  into 
Cornwall  to  ascertain  whether  the  Cornish  language  had 
entirely  ceased  or  not,  and  in  a  letter  written  to  John 
Lloyd,  Esq.,  F.S.A.,  a  few  years  after,  viz.  on  March  31, 
1773,  he  gives  the  following  as  the  result  of  his  journey, 
and  as  it  refers  to  old  Dolly  Pentreath,  a  name  so  well 
known  not  only  in,  but  out  of  Cornwall,  it  is  well  worth 
quoting. 

Says  Mr.  Barrington,  "  I  set  out  from  Penzance  how- 
ever with  the  landlord  of  the  principal  inn  for  my  guide, 
towards  Sennen,  or  the  most  western  point;  and  when  I 
api)roached  the  village,  I  said  that  there  must  probably  be 
some  remains  of  the  language  in  those  parts,  if  anywhere, 
as  the  village  was  in  the  road  to  no  place  whatever ;  and 
the  only  alehouse  announced  itself  to  be  the  last  in 
England. 

My  guide  however  told  me  that  I  should  be  disap- 
pointed ;  but  that  if  I  would  ride  about  ten  miles  about  in 
my  return  to  Penzance  he  would  conduct  me  to  a  village 
called  Mousehole,  on  the  western  side  of  Mount's  Bay, 
where  there  was  an  old  woman  called  Dolly  Pentreath, 
who  could  speak  Cornish  fluently.  While  we  were  trav- 
elling together  tow^ards  Mousehole,  I  enquired  how  he 
knew  that  this  woman  spoke  Cornish ;  when  he  informed 
me,  that  he  frequently  went  from  Penzance  to  Mousehole 
to  buy  fish,  which  were  sold  by  her;  and  that  when  he  did 


9 

not  offer  her  a  price  that  was  satisfactory,  she  gnimhled 
to  some  other  old  women  in  an  unknown  tongue,  which 
he  conchided  therefore  to  be  Cornish. 

When  we  reached  Mousehole,  I  desired  to  be  intro- 
duced as  a  person  who  had  laid  a  wager  that  there  was  not 
one  who  could  converse  in  Cornish ;  upon  which  Dolly 
Pentreath  spoke  in  an  angry  tone  for  two  or  three  minutes, 
and  in  a  language  which  sounded  very  like  Welsh.  The 
hut  in  which  she  lived  was  in  a  very  narrow  lane,  opposite 
to  two  rather  better  houses,  at  the  doors  of  which  two 
other  women  stood,  who  were  advanced  in  years,  and  who 
I  observed  were  laughing  at  what  Dolly  said  to  me. 

Upon  this  I  asked  them  whether  she  had  not  been 
abusing  me ;  to  which  they  answered,  '  Very  heartily ' 
and  because  [  had  supposed  she  could  not  speak  Cornish. 

I  then  said,  that  they  must  be  able  to  talk  the 
language ;  to  which  they  answered  that  they  could  not 
speak  it  readily,  but  that  they  understood  it,  being  only 
ten  or  twelve  years  younger  than  Dolly  Pentreath. 

I  continued  nine  or  ten  days  in  Cornwall  after  this, 
but  found  that  my  friends  whom  I  had  left  to  the  eastward 
continued  as  incredulous  almost  as  they  were  before,  about 
these  last  remains  of  the  Cornish  language ;  because, 
among  other  reasons,  Dr.  Borlase  had  supposed  in  his 
Natural  History  of  the  County,  that  it  had  entirely  ceased 
to  be  spoken.  It  was  also  urged,  that  as  he  lived  within 
four  or  five  miles  of  the  old  woman  at  Mousehole,  he 
consequently  must  have  heard  of  so  singular  a  thing  as 
her  continuing  to  use  the  vernacular  tongue. 


ID 

T  linfl  soarrelv  said  or  tlionirlit  nnything  more  ahont 
this  matter,  till  last  summer,  (1772)  having  mentioned  it 
to  some  Cornish  people,  J  found  that  they  could  not  credit 
that  any  person  had  existed  within  these  few  years,  who 
could  speak  their  native  language ;  and  therefore,  though 
I  imagined  there  was  but  a  small  chance  of  Dolly 
Pentreath  continuing  to  live,  yet  I  wrote  to  the  president 
then  in  Devonshire,  to  desire  that  he  Avould  make  some 
inquiry  with  regard  to  her ;  and  he  was  so  obliging  as  to 
procure  me  information  from  a  gentleman  whose  house 
was  within  three  miles  of  Mousehole,  a  considerable  part 
of  whose  letter  I  shall  subjoin. 

'  Dolly  Pentreath  is  short  of  stature,  and  bends  very 
much  with  old  age,  being  in  her  eighty-seventh  year;  so 
lusty  however  as  to  walk  hither,  to  Castle  Horneck, 
about  three  miles,  in  bad  weather,  in  the  morning  and 
back  again.  She  is  somewhat  deaf,  but  her  intellects 
seemingly  not  impaired  ;  has  a  memory  so  good,  that  she 
remembers  perfectly  well,  that  about  four  or  five  years  ago, 
at  Mousehole,  where  she  lives,  she  was  sent  for  by  a 
gentleman,  who  being  a  stranger,  had  a  curiosity  to  hear 
the  Cornish  language,  which  she  was  famed  for  retaining 
and  speaking  fluently  ;  and  that  the  inkeeper  where  the 
gentleman  came  from,  attended  him. 

(This  gentleman,  says  Daines  Bariington,  "was  my- 
self; however  I  did  not  presume  to  send  for  her,  but 
waited  upon  her.") 

She  does  indeed  talk  Cornish  as  readily  as  others 
do  English,  being  bred  up  from  a  child  to  know  no  other 
language ;    nor  could  she  (if  we  may  believe  her)  talk  a 


11 

Avord  of  English  before  she  was  pnst  twenty  j^ears  of  age; 
as,  her  father  being  a  fisherman,  she  was  sent  with  fish  to 
Penzance  at  twelve  years  old,  and  sold  them  in  the  Cornish 
language,  which  the  inhabitants  in  general,  even  the  gentry, 
did  then  Avell  understand.  She  is  positive  however,  that 
there  is  neither  in  Mousehole,  nor  in  any  other  part  of 
the  county,  any  other  person  who  knows  anything  of  it,  or 
at  least  can  converse  in  it.  She  is  poor,  and  maintained 
partly  by  the  parish,  and  partly  by  fortune-telling  and 
gabbling  Cornish.' 

I  have  thus,  continued  Mr.  Barrington,  "  thought 
it  right  to  lay  before  the  Society  (the  Society  of  Anti- 
Cjuaries)  this  account  of  the  last  sparks  of  the  Cornish 
tongue ;  and  cannot  but  think  that  a  linguist  who  under- 
stands Welsh,  might  still  pick  up  a  more  complete 
vocabulary  of  the  Cornish  than  we  are  yet  possessed  of; 
especially  as  the  two  neighbours  of  this  old  woman  (Dolly 
Pentreath)  whom  I  have  had  occasion  to  mention,  are  not 
now  above  seventy-seven  or  seventy-eight  years  of  age, 
and  were  healthy  when  I  saw  them ;  so  that  the  whole 
does  not  depend  on  the  life  of  this  Cornish  sybil,  as  she  is 
willing  to  insinuate."    iJaines  Barrington. 

It  appears,  says  Drew,  from  this  letter  of  Daines 
Barrington  "that  in  the  year  1773,  Dolly  Pentreath  was  in 
her  eighty-seventh  year;  and  it  appears  from  an  epitaph 
on  her  grave,  that  she  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  102; 
so  that  she  must  have  lived  fifteen  years  after  Mr. 
Barrington's  letter  was  dated  and  consequently  must  have 
died  in  1788. 

"  She  was  buried  in  the  churchyard  of  the  parish  of 


12 

Paul,  in  which  parish,  Monsehole,  the  place  of  her  residence 
is  situated.  Her  epitaph  is  both  in  Cornish  and  English, 
in  both  of  which  languages  as  it  is  a  literary  curiosity,  it 
is  here  inserted." 

CORNISH. 
*  Coth  Doll  Pentreath  cans  ha  Deaii  ; 
Marow  ha  kledyz  ed  Paul  plea  : — 
Na  ed  an  Egloz,  gan  pobel  bras, 
Bes  ed  Egloz-hay  coth  Dolly  as, 

ENGLISH. 

*  Old  Doll  Pentrealh,  one  hundred  ag'd  and  two  ; 
Deceas'd,  and  bnried  in  Paul  parish  too  : — 
Not  in  the  church,  with  people  great  and  high, 
But  in  the  chuich-yard  doth  old  Dolly  lie ! 

It  is  evident  from  there  being  an  epitaph  on  Dolly 
Pentreath,  that  the  Cornish  language  in  A.D,  1788  was 
known,  and  could  still  be  written. 

Polwhele  says,  "  the  author  of  these  verses,  of  which 
I  have  given  a  literal  translation,  is  a  Mr.  Tomson  a  native 
of  Truro,  and  by  profession  an  engineer."  The  epitaph 
was  translated  by  a  Mr.  Collins,  who  gave  it  to  Mr. 
Polwhele. 

In  July,  1776,  "Mr.  Barrington  upon  more  minute 
enquiry,"  presented  a  letter  to  the  Society  of  Antiquaries 
written  both  in  Cornish,  and  English,  by  William  Bodener, 
a  fisherman  of  Mousehole.  This  fisherman  asserted  that 
there  were  still  four  or  five  persons  in  Mousehole  who 
could  talk  Cornish. 

*  Although  this  epitaph  was  written  as  described  there  is  no 
present  proof  that  any  inscribed  stone  was  ever  placed  on  Dolly's 
grave.  The  present  monument  is  modern.  For  Jeffery,  Dorothy, 
.^fc  Appendix, 


13 

In  1777  Mr.  Barrington  found  another  Cornishman 
called  Jolin  Nancarrow,  of  Marazion,  aged  45  years,  and 
able  to  speak  Cornisli.  John  Nancarrow  said,  that  "in 
his  youth  he  had  learnt  the  language  from  the  country 
people,  and  could  then  hold  a  conversation  in  it ;  and  that 
another,  a  native  of  Truro,  was  at  that  time  also  acquainted 
with  the  Cornish  language,  and  like  himself  was  able  to 
converse  in  it." 

This  last,  is  supposed  to  be  the  Mr.  Tomson  to  whom, 
says  Drew,  "  the  world  is  indebted  for  Dolly  Pentreath's 
epitaph." 

It  appears  from  additional  testimony,  that  even  up  to 
the  preceding  dates  the  Cornish  language  had  not  entirely 
died  out,  and  Dr.  Pryce  intimated  that  the  language  was 
known  in  Mousehole  "so  late  as  1790." 

From  the  foregoing  narrative  it  is  clear  that  the 
Cornish  language  did  not  die  with  Dolly  Pentreath,  but 
lingered  on,  gradually  becoming  more  and  more  forgotten. 

A  language  dies  hard,  and  the  gradual  decay  of  the 
venerable  language  of  the  old  people  of  Cornwall,  resisted 
for  centuries  the  ever  advancing  English  tongue,  the  old 
Cornish  receding  from  it  towards  the  west,  until,  even  in 
the  extreme  western  end  of  Cornwall,  it  ceased  to  be  a 
spoken  language. 

It  has  been  supposed  that  the  bible  was  once  written 
in  Cornish,  but  this  is  very  doubtfid,  if  we  may  form  an 
opinion  from  the  following  remarks  by  the  learned  author 
of  the  "  Ancient  Cathedral  of  Cornwall."  In  this  work 
]\Ir.  Whitaker,  -with  his  usual  and  emphatic  manner,  says 
(Vol.  2.  p.  37.  in  a  note)  "the  English  too  was  not  desirea 


14 

by  the  Cornish,  as  vulgar  history  says,  and  as  Dr.  Borlase 
avers ;  but,  as  the  case  shows  itself  plainly  to  be,  fwced 
upon  the  Cornish  by  the  tyranny  of  England,  at  a  time 
when  the  English  language  was  yet  unknown  in  Cornwall. 
This  act  of  tyranny  was  at  once  gross  barbarity  to  the 
Cornish  people,  and  a  death-blow  to  the  Cornish  language." 

]\Ir.  Whitaker  alludes  to  the  first  use  of  the  English 
liturgy  in  Menheniot  church,  and  says,  "  that  had  the 
liturgy  been  translated  into  Cornish  as  it  was  in  Welsh, 
the  Cornish  language  would  have  been  preserved  to  the 
present  moment."  Had  there  ever  been  any  translation  of 
the  scriptures  into  Cornish,  it  would  surely  have  been 
noticed  by  so  learned  an  antiquarian. 

If  what  Borlase  asserts  be  true,  then  the  Cornish 
people  themselves  are  to  be  blamed  for  having  used  very 
potent  means  for  the  destruction  of  their  own  original 
language. 

Altliough  Whitaker  asserts  that  the  English  language 
was  "forced"  upon  the  Cornish  by  the  tyranny  of  England, 
yet,  Borlase  is  just  as  positive  to  the  contrary. 

In  Borlase's  Natural  History  of  Cornwall,  at  page 
315,  it  is  said  that  "when  the  liturgy  at  the  reformation 
was  appointed  by  authority  to  take  place  of  the  mass,  the 
Cornish  desired  (Seawen  p.  49)  that  it  should  be  in  the 
English  language,  being  apprehensive  that  it  might  be 
injoined  them  in  their  mother  tongue,  as  it  was  with 
regard  to  the  Welsh.  By  this  means  and  the  gentry 
mixing  gradually  with  the  English,  the  Cornish  language 
lost  ground  in  proportion  as  it  lay  nearer  to  Devon." 

When  two  such  writers  differ  in  this  manner,  it  may 


15 

be  fairly  presumed  that  the  truth  lies  in  the  middle.  The 
English  language  had  become  familiar  to,  and  perhaps 
fashionable  with  the  gentry,  while  the  lower  orders  of  the 
people  pertinaciously  clung  to,  and  retained  the  use  of 
their  mother  tongue.  The  latter  appeared  to  view  with 
suspicion,  and  dislike  those  who  spoke  to  them  in  English, 
which  to  them,  in  those  days,  was  a  foreign  language. 
When  spoken  to  in  English,  although  understanding  it  to 
a  great  extent,  the  reply  was  in  Cornish — "Meea  nauidua 
cawzas  sawzneck,"  I  can  speak  no  Saxonage  as  has  been 
already  mentioned. 

But  now,  even  a  tradition  of  a  Cornish  instead  of  an 
English  language  having  been  formerly  spoken  seems  to 
have  died  out,  except  among  educated  people,  in  the 
eastern  part  of  Cornwall. 

In  1878,  the  writer  being  at  Menheniot  and  con- 
versing with  a  native  there,  enquired  whether  the  people 
in  that  district  had  any  ti'adition  of  the  use  of  a  former 
and  different  language,  and  also  of  the  first  introduction 
of  English  in  their  church  service.  No,  at  least  he  had 
never  heard  of  it.  He  thought  they  had  always  spoken 
English  there  ! 

In  the  "  Cornishman "  (a  newspaper  published  at 
Penzance)  there  were  in  1879,  glossaries  of  old  Cornish 
Avords,  one  by  Mr.  B.  Victor,  and  another  by  Mr.  Pen- 
treath.  Each  list  contained  about  140,  or,  150  Avords. 
These  last  remains  are  very  interesting  as  affording 
evidence  that  even  now,  there  are  many  words  of  the  old 
tongue  still  known  by  men  now  living,  and  wliich  they 
have  learnt  apart  from  any  books. 


ON  THE  REMAINS  OF  THE  ANCIENT 
COENISH  LANGUAGE. 


Pryce,  referring  to  Lhuycl's  unfinished  Archseologia 
Britannica,  considered  that  Lhuyd's  death  rendered  the 
recovery  of  the  ancient  Cornish  tongue  very  hopeless,  for 
had  he  lived  to  finish  his  work,  "  not  only  the  recovery  of 
the  dialect  would  have  been  effected,  but,  it  would  have 
been  adorned  with  every  elegancy  and  improvement  from 
the  unceasing  labours  of  such  a  consummate  philologist." 

The  ancient  Cornish  has  for  ever  ceased  to  be  spoken, 
yet  that  such  an  old  language  may  be  preserved  and 
even  understood,  just  like  Latin  and  Greek,  there  seems 
good  reason  for  believing. 

The  materials  have  largely  accumulated,  and  are 
becoming  more  available  for  students. 

The  labours  of  many  writers,  viz.,  from  Lhuyd  to 
"Williams,  and  of  others  since,  have  been  hastening  on  the 
time  when  the  ancient  Cornish  tongue  will  be  fixed  and 
rendered  permanent  as  a  dead  language.  This  would  be 
attained  by  a  perfected  Cornish  grammar,  an  English- 
Cornish  in  addition  to  the  CorwM-English  Dictionary  of 
Williams,  and  the  collecting  together  of  all  other  remains, 
whether  in  the  form  of  histories,  phrases,  or  even  single 
words. 


18 

We  are  indeed  much  indebted  to  the  eminent  author 
of  the  Archseologia  Britannica,  Lhuyd,  whose  work  printed 
in  1707,  will  always  remain  a  memorial  of  learning  and 
industry.  Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  this  author's 
labours,  by  reading  the  following  list  of  the  contents  of 
his  book. 

1. — A  comparative  etymology,  or  remarks  on  the  alteration  of 

languages. 
2. — A  Latin-Celtic  dictionary,  or,  a  vocabulary  of  the  original 

languages  of  Britain  and  Ireland. 
3. — An  Armoric  grammar. 
4. — An  Armoric-English  vocabulary. 
5. — Some  Welsh  words  omitted  in  Dr.  Davies's  dictionary. 
6. — A  Cornish  grammar. 
7. — A  catalogue  of  British  manuscripts. 
8. — An  essay  towards  a  British  etymologicon. 
9.— A  brief    introduction   to   the   Irish    or  ancient   Scottish 

language. 
10. — An  Irish-English  dictionary. 

Borlase,  also,  in  his  "Antiquities,"  has  given  much 
labour  to,  and  rendered  good  help  for,  the  restoration  of  the 
old  Cornish  language,  by  collecting  such  remains  as  were 
existing  in  manuscript  and  in  print.  His  Cornish-English 
vocabulary  contains  about  four  thousand  words,  perhaps 
more,  and  formed  "  chiefly  "  as  he  says,  from  the  Archa^o- 
logia  of  Lhuyd. 

In  1790,  Dr.  William  Pryce  of  Eedruth,  Cornwall, 
published  the  "Archseologia  Cornu-Britannica,  or  an  Essay 
to  preserve  the  ancient  Cornish  language — containing  the 
rudiments  of  that  dialect  in  a  Cornish  grammar  and 
Cornish-English  vocabulary  compiled  from   a   variety  of 


19 

materials  which  have  been  inaccessible  to  all  other  authors, 
wherein  the  British  original  of  some  thousand  English 
words  in  common  use  is  demonstrated,  together  with  that 
of  the  proper  names  of  most  towns,  parishes,  villages, 
mines,  and  gentlemen's  seats  and  families,  in  Wales,  Corn- 
wall, Devonshire,  and  other  parts  of  England." 

In  his  dedication  of  the  above  book,  he  says,  that  it 
is  "  a  work  intended  to  rescue  from  oblivion  the  original 
language  of  a  County." 

It  may  be  useful  to  give  a  brief  account  of  what  Pryce 
says  respecting  the  ancient  Cornish  language. 

Speaking  of  the  high  antiquity  of  the  British  lan- 
guage, "  of  which  the  Cornish  is  most  indisputably  a  very 
pure  dialect "  he  remarks  in  the  Preface,  that  "  it  must  be 
acknowledged,  that  a  local  inquiry  and  disquisition  into 
the  antiquity  of  our  Cornish-British  language  has  not  been 
so  particularly  attended  to  as  it  deserves." 

Polwhele,  in  his  History  of  Cornwall,  &c.,  has  also 
helped  the  work  of  restoration,  and  his  writings  contain 
many  of  the  old  Cornish  words  with  observations  thereon. 

In  Polwhele's  "  Historical  Views  of  Devonshire "  (p. 
187)  are  remarks  on  the  language  of  the  ancient  Britons, 
and  in  comparing  it  with  the  Phenician  the  author  says, 
"that  its  affinity  with  the  Irish  is  proved  beyond  all 
controversy  by  Vallancey." 

It  will  be  interesting  to  compare  the  Phenician  with  a 
language  allied  to  old  Cornish,  viz  :  the  Irish. 

In  the  Pnulus  of  Plautus,  there  are  certain  sentences 
known  to  be  Punic,  and  on  comparing  them  with  Irish, 


20 

there  is  found  a  remarkable  likeness,  as  may  be  seen  in 
the  following  extract. 

Punic— Chim.  lach  chunyth  mum  ys  tyal  myctbi  barii  im  schi. 
Irish.— Chimi  lach  chuinigh  muini  is  toil  miocht  beiridb  iar  mo  scitb. 
English. — A  support  of  weak  captives;  be  tby  will  to  instruct  me  to 
obtain  my  cbildren. 

Punic. — Lypbo  can  etbytb  by  mitbii  ad  cedan  binuthii. 
Irish. — Liombtba  can  ati  bi  mitche  ad  eadan  beannaithe, 
Euglish. — Let  it  come  to  pass  that  my  earnest  prayers  be  blessed 
before  tbee. 

Punic. — Byr  nar  ob  syllo  bomal  o  nim  !  ubymis  isyrtbobo. 
Irish. — Bior  nar  ob  siladb  umbal ;  o  nimb!  ibbim  a  frotba. 
English, — A  fountain  denied  not  to  drop  to  the  bumble ;  0  Deity 
that  I  may  drink  of  its  streams." 

(From  Pohvhele's  Historical  Views  of  Devonshire  p.  187.) 

Pryce  says,  that  "the  dialect  of  Cornwall  must  cer- 
tainly have  obtained  that  purity,  for  which  it  is  celebrated, 
from  its  immediate  introduction  by  the  Phenician  naviga- 
tors, especially  as  the  character  and  orthography  are  so 
greatly  softened,  and  the  language  is  divested  of  that 
rough  gutteral  pronunciation,  which  is  retained  to  this 
time  by  the  Cambro-Britons.  In  fact,  the  Cornish,  and 
the  Armoric  dialects  are  the  most  nearly  allied  in  char- 
acter, orthography,  and  sound,  of  any  two  of  the  British 
dialects.  The  Welsh,  Irish,  and  Erse  differ  from  each 
other  greatly ;  and  the  two  latter  differ  from  the  Cornish 
and  Gaulish  (Armoric)  very  much.  Indeed  the  Welsh  is 
closely  related  to  us. 

"  Hence  we  may  easily  account  for  the  similarity 
existing  between  the  Cornish  and  Armoric ;  for  the  coasts 
of  Bretagne  (Brittany)  are  opposite  to  the  shores  of 
Cornwall. 


21 

"  This  is  evidenced  by  the  colloquial  resemblance  to 
this  day  (1790)  subsisting  betwixt  the  Cornish  on  the 
south-western  margin  of  the  County,  and  their  opposite 
neighbours  at  Morlaix,  and  other  parts  of  Bas  Bretagne, 
where  the  low  French  and  the  Cornish  seem  almost  one 
and  the  same  dialect." 

Pryce  remarks,  that  if  he  had  not  been  otherwise 
well  apprised  of  this  fact,  his  opinion  would  have  been 
confirmed  by  what  he  had  heard  from  a  very  old  man  now 
(1790)  living  at  Mousehole  near  Penzance,  who  as  Pryce 
believed,  was  at  that  time,  the  only  person  capable  of 
holding  half  an  hour's  conversation  on  common  subjects 
in  the  Cornish  tongue.  The  old  man  told  Pryce  "  that 
about  three  score  years  ago  (in  1730)  being  at  Morlaix  on 
board  a  smuggling  cutter,  and  the  only  time  he  was  ever 
there,  he  was  ordered  on  shore  with  another  young  man  to 
buy  some  greens,  and  not  knowing  a  word  of  French  as  he 
thought,  he  was  much  surprised  to  find  that  he  understood 
a  great  part  of  the  conversation  of  some  boys  at  play  in 
the  street;  and  upon  further  inquiry,  he  found  that  he 
could  make  known  all  his  wants  in  Cornish,  and  be  better 
understood  than  he  could  be  at  home,  when  he  used  that 
dialect  " 

Pryce,  referring  to  a  correspondence  between  Lhuyd 
and  Tonkin,  says  that  "Mr.  Lhuyd  had  gone  great  lengths 
towards  the  formation  of  a  Cornish-British  vocabulary,  and 
he  stated  at  the  end  of  his  Cornish  grammar  (Archseologia 
p.  253)  that  looking  over  the  sheets  of  his  grammar  he 
must  recall  the  promise  made  in  his  preface  (p.  222)  of  a 
Cornish-English  vocabulary,  there  being  no  room  for  it  in 


that  volume  of  glossography,  and  therefore  must  defer  it 
till  the  next." 

Lhuyd  died  about  the  year  1 709,  two  years  after  his 
great  work  was  printed,  which  death,  says  Pryce,  "must 
have  been  the  greatest  loss  to  this  pursuit  that  it  ever  had, 
or  ever  will  meet  with,  on  account  of  his  profound  learning 
and  singular  attachment  to  the  recovery  of  our  primitive 
language." 

Hals,  about  1715,  took  uncommon  pains  to  heap  to- 
gether a  mass  of  words  which  he  entitled  "Lhadymer  ay 
Kernow,  or  the  Cornish  Interpreter."  Mr.  Tremayne  lent 
this  manuscript  of  Hals  to  Dr.  Pryce,  who  says  of  it  that 
"  it  is  a  most  strange  hodge-podge  of  Hebrew,  Greek,  Latin, 
and  British  words,"  but  as  it  contained  some  words  worth 
notice  he  selected  them  for  his  vocabulary. 

About  the  year  1709,  Messrs.  Tonkin,  Keigwin,  and 
Gwavas,  with  other  associates,  kept  up  a  correspondence  in 
their  native  tongue,  as  well  as  they  could,  by  collecting  all 
the  mottoes,  proverbs  and  idioms,  on  which  they  could  lay 
their  hands,  and  Dr.  Pryce  availed  himself  of  their  manu- 
scripts. 

The  grammar  of  the  ancient  Cornish  by  Pryce  con- 
tains in  the  first  part,  "  the  marroAV  of  Mr.  Lhuyd's  gram- 
mar, with  some  additions."  The  second  part  contains  a 
Cornish  vocabulary  of  about  four  thousand  words,  collected 
and  arranged  from  the  materials  already  mentioned.  The 
third  and  last  part  consists  of  many  Cornish  names  of 
places,  "  with  their  distinctions  of  the  old  and  the  modern 
Cornish." 

As  ancient  English  diil'ers  from  muJern,  so  docs  old 


23 

Cornish  differ  from  modern,  and  this  may  be  illustrated  by 
a  very  short  example,  thus  : — the  phrase  "  Many  thanks 
to  God"  expressed  in  old  Cornish  was,  "Maur  gras  tha 
Deu,"  in  modern  Cornish  it  was  "Meor  'ras  tha  Dew," 
which  is  contracted  into  one  word  "  Merastadu  "  and  mean- 
ing the  same. 

Although  Dr.  Pryce  has  been  praised  for  the  Cornish 
grammar  and  vocabulary  bearing  his  name,  yet  it  should  be 
noticed  that  the  greater  credit  is  due  to  Tonkin  and  Gwavas. 

Besides  the  writers  of  Cornish  History,  &c.  already 
named,  Davies  Gilbert,  AVhitley  Stokes,  and  Williams, 
have  done  a  great  deal  in  preserving  the  remains  of  the 
old  Cornish  language. 

To  Whitley  Stokes  we  are  much  indebted,  as  may  be 
seen  stated  in  the  Preface  to  Williams's  Cornish  Dictionary, 
of  which  further  notice  will  be  taken. 

From  what  precedes,  and  follows,  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  remains  of  the  ancient  Cornish  language  are  much 
more  extensive  than  is  generally  supposed. 

In  the  "  Western  Morning  News"  of  August  2,  1871, 
there  was  published  a  list  of  the  Gwavas  manuscripts, 
which  is  very  suitable  for  insertion  in  this  place,  and  so 
useful,  that  it  cannot  fail  to  be  of  interest  to  any  one  who 
feels  any  liking  for  the  subject. 

At  the  end  of  the  list  are  a  few  remarks  about 
Gwavas,  &c. 

THE  GWAVAS   MANUSCRIPTS. 
The  Gwavas  manuscripts  were  formerly  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  Rev.  William  Veale,  of  Trevaylor.     After 
his  decease  they  passed  to  the  Rev.  William  Wriothesley 


24 

"Wingfield,  the  vicar  of  Gulval,  by  whom  they  were  pre- 
sented to  the  British  Museum.  They  are  in  a  bound 
volume,  lettered  Gwavas  MSS.  and  are  known  as  "British 
Museum  Additional  MSS.,  28,554." 

Letter  from  Davies  Gilbert,  dated  East  Bourne,  22ud 
July,  1836,  to  Eev.  W.  Veale;  p.  1. 

Three  letters  from  John  Boson,  dated  Newlyn,  1709, 
1711,  1720,  to  W.  Gwavas,  Brick  Court,  Middle  Temple, 
London;  pp.  2,  10,  12. 

Letter  from  W,  Gwavas,  dated  1711,  to  Oliver  Pendar, 
merchant,  Newlyn;  p.  3. 

Letter  from  0.  Pendar,  dated  Newlyn,  1711,  to  W. 
Gwavas,  London;  p.  4. 

Letter  from  W.  Gwavas,  dated  Middle  Temple,  1711, 
to  J.  Boson,  Newlyn;  pp.  8-9. 

Letter  from  W  Gwavas  to  ,  dated  March,  1731, 

state  55;  p.  11. 

Three  letters  from  Thomas  Tonkin,  dated  Polgorran, 
1735,  to  W.  Gwavas,  Penzance;  pp.  14,  18,  22. 

Three  letters  from  W.  Gwavas,  dated  Penzance,  1735- 
36,  to  T.  Tonkin;  pp.  16,  20,  23. 

Copy  of  "  The  Creation,  finished  by  J.  Keygwin,  gent., 
in  y*  year  1693,";  pp.  24-49. 

Copy  of  "  Mount  Calvary,"  amended  and  corrected  by 
W.  H.,  1679-80;  pp.  51-58. 

The  Lord's  Prayer  in  Cornish;  p.  50. 
Cornish  glossary — A  to  CI.;  pp.  59-78. 
Cornish  vocabulary —  A  to  W;  pp.  80-89. 
Cornish  verses,  &c.;  pp.  91-97. 

The  ten  commandments  in  Cornish;  pp.  97-99;  By  T. 
Boson,  1710;  pp.  107-108;  pp.  110  114. 


25 

The  third  chapter  of  Genesis  iu  Cornish;  pp.  100-101. 

The  fourth  and  seventh  chapters  of  St.  Matthew  in 
Cornish;  pp.  102-106. 

The  creed  in  Cornish,  by  T.  Boson,  1710;  p.  106;  by 
W.  Gwavas;  p.  143. 

Sundry  Cornish  writings,  pp.  115-25. 

Story  of  a  Man  and  Woman  in  St.  Levan,  "  in  a  place 
called  the  house  of  a  Eamm"  (unfinished);  pp.  128-29. 

Letter  from  Jane  Manly  to  W.  Gwavas;  pp.  130-32. 

The  First  Chapter  of  Genesis  in  Cornish;  pp.  126-27. 

Cornish  song  to  the  tune  of  "The  modest  maid  of 
Kent;  p.  131. 

Copy  of  "Carmen  Britannicum  Dialecto  Cornubiensi" 
(6th  cent.),  by  Edwd.  Lhuyd,  from  the  original,  with  Mr. 
Jenkin,  of  Alverton;  pp.  132,  34. 

Song,  "  Fair  Maid,"  Cornish  and  English,  for  Edwd. 
Chirgwin;  p.  135. 

Song  by  Mr.  Jenkins,  of  Alverton;  p.  136. 

Inscription  in  Cornish  for  "My  Ball,"  by  Thos.  Boson; 
p.  137. 

On  death  of  Mr.  J.  Keigwin,  20th  April,  1716,  by  J. 
Boson;  p.  142. 

Song;  p.  138. 

Letter  from  J.  Keigwin,  dated  1693,  to  W.  Gwavas; 
pp.  139-40. 

Cornish  Derivations,  by  W.  Gwavas,  dated  Penzance, 
1735;  pp.  144-46. 

Tenants'  names  versified  in  Cornish,  by  Mr.  Collins, 
parson  of  Breage,  dated  1723;  p.  147. 

Pilot's  motto  on  a  ring,  dated  1734;  p.  148. 

On  fishing,  &c.;  pp.  154-55. 


26 

Sundry  Cornish  writings,  by  W.  Gwavas,  dated  1731; 
pp.  156-65,  167-68. 

Monumental  inscription  to  be  put  on  my  tomb,  dated 
16th  September,  1719;  Wm.  Gwavas,  parish  of  Sithney, 
son  and  heir  of  Will  Gwavas;  p.  166. 

Mr.  William  Gwavas  was  the  son  of  William  Gwavas, 
and  was  born  in  1676.  He  became  a  barrister  of  the 
Middle  Temple,  Avhere  he  for  some  time  resided  in  Brick- 
court.  He  was  impropriator  or  lay  vicar  of  Paul,  and  in 
that  capacity  had  various  disputes  with  the  fishermen  of 
that  parish  respecting  the  tything  of  fish.  A  printed 
document  referring  to  this  matter,  a  copy  of  which  is  now 
in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Henry  Williams,  of  the  ^Mount's 
Bay  Bank,  Penzance,  bears  the  following  title,  "Private 
case  between  William  Gwavas  and  William  Kelynack,  and 
116  parishioners  and  fishermen,  relating  to  the  right  of 
tything  fish.  An  appeal  before  the  House  of  Lords,  1730, 
fol.  Privately  printed."  Some  time  ago  there  was  pub- 
lished "  Some  observations  on  the  Rev.  K.  Williams's 
preface  to  his  Lexicon,  by  Prince  L.  L.  Bonaparte  [London, 
May,  1865,]  s.sh.,  4to."  This  work  contains  "A  copy  of 
a  letter  from  the  Rev.  (sic)  W,  Gwavas  to  T.  Tonkin," 
dated  Penzance,  25th  Jan.,  1732,  and  is,  as  far  as  we  know, 
the  only  other  document  referring  to  Mr.  Gwavas  besides 
those  already  mentioned.  Some  of  Mr.  Gwavas's  Cornish 
writings  have  been  printed  by  Borlase,  Pryce,  and  Pol- 
whele.  Mr,  Gwavas  died  in  1741,  and  was  buried  at 
Paul,  on  the  9th  Jan.  in  that  year." 

In  1865,  was  published  the  Lexicon  Cornu-Britannicum 
by  the  Rev.  Robt.  Williams,  M.A.    This  dictionary  of  the 


27 

Coniisli  language  is  a  work  of  great  labour  and  learning, 
and  has  supplied  to  a  very  great  extent  the  want  so  much 
lamented  by  Pryce;  viz.,  in  Lhuyd  having  died  before  a 
second  volume  of  his  great  work  the  "  Archaeologia  Brit- 
annica  was  printed. 

"Whether  any  manuscript  of  Lhuyd's  intended  second 
volume  still  remain,  it  seems  hopeless  to  inquire,  perhaps 
a  copy  may  be  lying  hid  somewhere  even  now.  However 
this  may  be,  the  Cornish  Dictionaiy  by  Williams  is  indeed 
a  great  advance  towards  the  preservation  of  the  ancient 
tongue. 

So  instructive  is  the  preface  to  Williams's  Lexicon 
Cornu-Britannicum  that  it  seems  very  necessary  to  include 
it  in  this  little  book,  for  after  the  list  of  the  Gwavas 
Manuscripts,  just  given,  Williams's  remarks  appear  to  be  all 
that  are  recjuired  to  complete  this  division  of  the  subject. 

Tlie  object  of  the  Editor  of  the  Lexicon  Cornu- 
Britannicum  "  was  to  collect  and  explain  all  the  remains 
of  the  ancient  British  language  of  Cornwall."  The  book 
contains  about  9000  Cornish  words,  with  an  immense 
number  of  quotations  to  render  the  meanings  clearer,  also 
the  first  chapter  of  Genesis,  the  Ten  Commandments,  the 
Creed,  the  Lord's  prayer,  &c.  in  the  orthography  of  the 
Cornish  dramas.  It  is  published  in  quarto,  and  contains 
400  pages. 

Perhaps  an  enthusiastic  student  by  the  help  of 
Williams's  Dictionary,  a  Cornish  grammar,  and  the  trans- 
lations of  old  Cornish  into  English  now  in  print,  might 
actually  learn  the  language,  and  even  get  at  the  pronun- 
ciation, by  observing  how  Cornish  words  are  still  spoken. 


,. ,^  28 

Is  not  the  ancient  tongue  worth  preserving  just  as, 
but  not  perhaps  to  the  same  extent  as  Greek  and  Latin? 

We  have  only  to  consider  the  labours  of  those  who 
have  contributed  to  the  accumulation  of  the  remains,  and 
we  shall  be  led  to  answer  this  question  in  the  affirmative. 
The  language,  as  we  have  seen,  was  once  spoken  by  a 
numerous  people,  over  a  large  extent  of  land,  and  remained 
a  vernacular  speech  for  many  centuries,  indeed  from  a  time 
lost  in  the  obscurity  of  ancient  history. 

The  history  of  the  Cornish  branch  of  the  Celtic 
tongue  extends  so  far  back  into  the  dim  past,  that  even  on 
such  grounds  the  Archaeologist  and  the  Philologist  may 
easily  be  induced  to  befriend  its  preservation. 

The  language,  which  was  spoken  when  the  Phenicians 
voyaged  to  the  coasts  of  Cornwall,  must,  from  its  anti- 
quity alone,  demand  affection  and  respect,  especially  from 
Cornishmen. 


THE  PEEFACE  TO  THE  CORNISH  DICTIONARY 
BY  WILLIAMS. 


The  following  is  the  Preface  already  referred  to  as 
written  for  the  Lexicon  Cornu-Britanniciun,  by  the  Revd. 
Robert  Williams,  M.A.,  and  dated  1865. 

"The  object  of  the  Editor  in  the  compilation  of  this 
work  was  to  collect  and  explain  all  the  remains  of  the 
ancient  British  language  of  Cornwall,  and  by  comparing 
the  words  with  the  synonyms  in  the  cognate  dialects  to 
supply  an  acknowledged  want  in  Celtic  literature.  The 
sources  for  the  supply  of  material  are  very  few,  and  may 
be  briefly  enumerated. 

The  learned  philologist  Edward  Lhuyd,  in  his  Arch- 
aeologia  Britannica,  (fol.  Oxford,  1707;)  first  published 
a  grammar  of  the  Cornish  language,  as  spoken  in  his  time, 
being  then  in  a  state  of  corruption  and  decay.  He  also 
gave  a  promise  of  a  Cornish  vocabulary,  which  he  did  not 
live  to  accomplish. 

In  1769,  (the  present  writer's  copy  is  dated  1754, 
with  a  vocabulary)  Dr.  Borlase  published  a  Cornish-English 
vocabulary,  in  his  Antiquities  of  Cornwall,  which  is  chiefly 
derived  from  Lhuyd.  The  next  work  published  was  the 
vocabulary  of  Dr.  Pryce,  in  1790,  4to.  This  is  so  full  of 
errors  that  the  Editor  soon  felt  satisfied  that  Pryce  was 


30 

entirely  ignorant  of  the  Cornish  language,  and  had  no 
acquaintance  whatever  with  the  Welsh.  The  discovery  of 
the  original  manuscript,  now  in  the  possession  of  Prince 
Louis  Lucien  Bonaparte,  shews  the  work  to  have  been 
compiled  in  1730,  by  Tonkin  or  Gwavas,  and  disingenously 
published  by  Pryce  as  his  own.  These  printed  works 
relate  to  late  Cornish,  but  more  important  documents 
existed,  which  would  furnish  examples  of  the  language, 
when  spoken  in  a  state  of  purity,  and  which  it  was 
desirable  should  be  properly  elucidated. 

The  earliest  is  a  vocabulary  of  Latin  words  with 
Cornish  explanations,  preserved  in  the  Cottonian  Library, 
in  the  British  Museum,  and  there  entitled  'Vocabularium 
Wallicum,'  (Bibl.  Cot.  Vespas.  A.  14).  This  was  first 
noticed  by  Lhuyd  in  the  Cornish  Preface  to  the  Archte- 
ologia,  (p.  222,)  and  proved  by  him  to  be  not  AVelsh  but 
Cornish. 

It  has  been  printed  in  the  same  order  as  it  is  written, 
and  elucidated  by  Zeuss,  in  his  Grammatica  Celtica  (2  vols. 
8vo.,  Leipsic,  1853.)  It  has  since  been  printed  alphabeti- 
cally by  Mr.  Norris  in  his  '  Cornish  Drama,'  with 
additional  illustrations  from  the  cognate  dialects.  This 
vocabulary  is  of  great  jihilological  importance.  The  manu- 
script was  written  in  the  thirteenth  century,  and  may  have 
been  a  copy  of  an  older  original,  even  of  the  ninth 
century,  as  it  closely  agrees  with  the  Welsh  of  that  age, 
and  it  contains  important  proofs  that  the  Welsh  then  more 
closely  approximated  to  the  Cornish  than  in  later  ages. 
The  next  important  document  is  a  poem,  entitled  Mount 
Calvary;  a  manuscript  of  the  fifteenth  century;  it  contains 


31 

259  stanzas  of  8  lines  each  in  heptasyllabic  metre  with 
alternate  rhymes.  The  subject  of  this  Poem  is  the  Trial 
and  Crucifixion  of  Christ.  There  are  four  copies  of  this 
manuscript,  the  oldest  being  in  the  British  Museum,  and 
the  other  three  appear  to  be  copies  taken  from  it.  Two  of 
them  are  in  the  Bodleian  Library,  and  in  these  a  translation 
by  John  Keigwin  is  written  on  the  opposite  page.  This 
poem  was  pubhshed  by  Mr.  Davies  Gilbert,  in  1826.  The 
typographical  errors  are  so  numerous,  that  Zeuss  observes 
that  it  does  not  seem  to  have  been  corrected  after  leaving 
the  hands  of  the  compositor,  and  eight  errors  in  every 
stanza  are  below  the  average.  The  Editor  had  carefully 
collated  the  manuscript  in  the  British  jMuseum,  with  the 
intention  of  adding  a  corrected  copy  as  an  appendix  to  the 
Dictionary,  but  the  necessity  no  longer  remains,  as  an 
excellent  edition  has  lately  been  printed  for  the  Philological 
Society  under  the  care  of  a  most  able  Celtic  scholar,  Mr. 
AYhitley  Stokes,  of  Lincoln's  Inn,  (8vo.,  1862). 

The  text  now  given  is  very  accurate,  and  the  numer- 
ous errors  in  the  translation  have  been  rectified.  The  only 
other  work  accessible  was  a  Drama,  called  '  The  Creation 
of  the  World  with  Noah's  Flood,'  which  was  written,  as 
stated  upon  the  manuscript  containing  it,  on  the  12th  of 
August,  1611,  by  William  Jordan.  Of  this  Drama  the 
oldest  manuscript  is  in  the  Bodleian  Library,  and  there 
is  another  in  the  British  Museum,  with  a  translation  by 
John  Keigwin,  in  1693.  This  was  also  printed  by  Mr. 
Davies  Gilbert,  in  1827,  and  is  equally  remarkable  for  its 
typographical  errors.  A  new  and  corrected  edition,  by  Mr. 
Whitley  Stokes,  was  printed  for  the  Philological  Society  in 
1864. 


This  Drama,  being  of  much  later  date,  shews  the 
Cornish  language  to  have  become  greatly  corrupted,  and  it 
is  full  of  English  words.  The  above  mentioned  works  com- 
prised all  the  accessible  material  for  the  Dictionary  when 
the  Editor  drew  out  the  plan  some  thirty  years  ago. 

Lhuyd  had  mentioned  that  there  were  three  Dramas 
preserved  in  the  Bodleian  Library,  of  which  he  gave  the 
first  lines,  and  the  Editor,  finding  that  his  Dictionary 
would  be  a  meagre  performance  without  obtaining  a  copy 
of  them,  in  vain  endeavoured  to  meet  with  a  transcriber 
to  supply  him.  Several  commenced,  but  after  a  short 
attempt  they  gave  up  the  task  in  despair.  This  circum- 
stance has  delayed  the  Dictionary  for  many  years,  and  it 
would  never  have  been  completed  but  for  the  publication 
of  these  Dramas  in  1859.  They  turn  out  to  be  of  much 
greater  importance  than  could  have  been  supposed;  they 
are  of  greater  amount  than  all  the  other  remains  of 
the  Cornish  language  taken  together,  and  are  most  invalu- 
able specimens  of  it  when  spoken  in  great  purity. 

The  three  are  of  the  same  antiquity  as  the  Poem  of 
Mount  Calvary.  The  series  represents  scriptural  subjects 
from  the  Creation  to  the  Death  of  Pilate,  the  first  being 
entitled  Ordinale  de  Origine  Mundi.  2,  Passio  Domini 
Nostri  Ihesu  Christi.  3,  Ordinale  de  Eesurrectione  Domini; 
and  they  are  of  the  same  kind  as  the  old  Mysteries,  or 
Miracle-plays,  so  common  in  the  middle  ages. 

They  were  published  by  the  University  of  Oxford, 
in  2  vols.  8vo,,  being  most  ably  edited  by  Mr.  Edwin 
Norris,  who  has  added  a  literal  translation  on  the  opposite 
page. 


33 

He  has  also  added  a  Sketch  of  Cornish  Grammar,  and 
the  early  Cornish  Vocabulary,  with  a  valuable  appendix. 

By  the  appearance  of  these  volumes  the  editor's 
difficulties  were  overcome,  and  he  hastened  to  complete 
his  cherished  work.  The  whole  of  the  Dramas,  and  other 
documents  are  now  incorporated  in  the  Dictionary,  and 
copious  examples  are  given  for  the  illustration  of  the 
words. 

To  complete  the  subject  the  editor  intends  publishing 
in  due  form  a  copious  Grammar  of  the  Cornish,  compared 
with  the  cognate  dialects,  and  an  essay  on  the  characteris- 
tics of  the  six  Celtic  languages,  together  with  alphabetical 
tables  of  words,  common  to  two  or  more  of  them.  A  list 
of  words  will  also  be  given  of  words  borrowed  from  Latin 
by  the  Welsh  during  the  stay  of  the  Eomans  in  Britain, 
Avhich  will  be  found  much  more  extensive  than  is  generally 
imagined.  The  whole,  it  is  presumed,  will  be  found  of 
service  in  arriving  at  the  history  of  the  population  of  the 
British  Isles." 


A    FEW    SPECIMENS    OF    THE    ANCIENT 
CORNISH    LANGUAGE. 


Norden,  writing  of  the  Cornish  people  and  language, 
about  the  year  1580,  says :  "The  Cornislre  people  for  the 
most  part  are  descended  of  the  Britishe  stocke,  though 
muche  entermixed  since  with  the  Saxon  and  Norman 
bloude;  but  untill  of  late  yeares  retayned  the  Britishe 
speache  corrupted  as  theirs  is  of  Wales ;  for  the  South 
Wales  man  understandeth  not  perfectlye  the  North  Wales 
man,  and  the  North  Wales  man  little  of  the  Cornishe,  the 
South  muche. 

"  The  pronunciation  of  the  tounge  differs  in  all,  but 
the  Cornish  tounge  is  farr  the  easieste  to  be  pronounced ; 
for  they  strayne  not  ther  wordes  so  tediouslye  throwgh 
the  throate,  and  so  harshlye  throwgh  and  from  the  roofe 
of  the  mouth ;  as  in  pronouncing  Ehin,  they  fetch  it  with 
Eh.  Rhin,  and  LL  with  a  kinde  of  reflecting  the  tounge. 

"  But  of  late  the  Cornishe  men  have  muche  conformed 
themselves  to  the  use  of  the  Englishe  tounge,  and  ther 
Englishe  is  equall  to  the  beste,  espetially  in  the  easterne 
partes;  even  from  Truro  eastwarde  it  is  in  a  manner 
wholy  Englishe.  In  the  Weste  parte  of  the  Countrye,  as 
in  the  hundreds  of  Penwith  and  Kerrier  the  Cornishe 
tounge  is  most  in  use  amongste  the  inhabitants." 


Carew,  Avriting  about  the  same  time,  and  whose 
"Survey  of  Cornwall"  was  published  in  1602,  gives  us 
more  information  about  the  ancient  Cornish  language. 

Norden  is  said  to  have  been  a  native  of  Wiltshire, 
and  naturally  would  not  take  the  same  interest  in  the 
old  language  as  Carew,  a  Cornishman,  and  a  member  of 
an  ancient  and  honoured  Cornish  family.  We  shall  not 
be  disappointed  on  enquiring  what  Carew  has  told  us. 

Of  Cornish  names  he  says,  most  of  them  begin  with 
Tre,  Pol,  or  Pen,  which  signify  a  town,  a  top,  and  a  head. 

"  By  Tre,  Pol,  and  Pen 
You  shall  know  the  Cornishmen." 

but  Camden  im  his  "Eemains"  (p.  114)  has  a  much  more 
expressive  rhyme,  viz  : 

"  By  Tre,  Eos,  Pol,  Lan,  Caer,  and  Pen 
You  may  know  the  most  Cornishmen." 

Carew,  like  others,  says  the  "  Cornish  is  more  easy  to 
be  pronounced  "  and  softer  in  its  sound  than  the  AVelsh. 

To  the  Englishman,  the  following  examples  must 
appear  very  uncouth  and  uninviting,  yet  doubtless  his 
opinion  would  be  changed,  could  he  hear  the  old  Cornish 
spoken  in  its  original  purity,  but  this  is  now  impossible  of 
course. 

Carew  names  a  friend  of  his,  "one  Master  Thomas 
Wilhams,"  who  judged  that  the  Cornish  was  derived  from, 
or  resembled  the  Greek,  and  Polwhele,  in  his  Cornish 
History,  compared  a  number  of  Greek  and  Cornish  words; 
but  this  is  a  question  for  the  experienced  philologist,  and 


36 

is  only  alluded  to  here  to  exi^lain  the  introduction  of  a 
list  of  words  given  by  Carew. 


Ch-eeTc. 

Cornish. 

English. 

Teino 

Tedna 

Draw 

Mamma 

Mamm 

Mother 

Episcopus 

Escoppe 

Bishop 

Klyo 

Klowo 

Here 

Didaskein 

Dathisky 

To  teach 

Kyon 

Kye 

Dog 

Kentron 

Kentron 

Spur 

Metliyo 

MethoAv 

Drink 

Scaphe 

Schapth 

Boat 

Ronchos 

Eonchie 

Snorting 

Carew's  Survey  published  by  Lord  de  Dunstanville  in 
1811,  (at  p.  150)  contains  a  note  respecting  the  above 
words,  as  follows  : 

"Whoever  will  read  Mr.  Lhuyds'  Archseol.  Brit.  p. 
267,  will  not  wonder  that  several  of  the  Cornish  words 
should  agree  with  the  Greek,  since  he  there  says,  that  both 
the  Greek  and  Latin  are  but  of  one  common  origin,  viz., 
the  old  Gaulish  or  Celtic;  and  that  several  of  the  greatest 
philologists  of  England  and  France  have  maintained  that 
the  tongues  spoken  in  Cornwall,  Wales,  and  Bas-Bretagne, 
are  the  chief  remains  (if  not  the  whole)  of  the  Celtic  Ian- 


Latham,  in  his  "  Elements  of  comparative  philology," 
(and  as  other  writers  inform  us,)  says  that  the  Celtic  lan- 
guages are  divided  into  two  branches  :  1st  the  British;  as 
known  by  the  Welsh,  the  Cornish,  and  the  ancient  language 


37 

of  Brittany :  and  "  that  it  is  almost  certain  that  the  old 
British,  and  the  ancient  language  of  Gaul,  belonged  to 
this  branch." 

2nd;  The  Gaelic  or  Erse;  as  represented  by  the 
present  Irish  GaeHc,  the  Gaelic  of  the  Highlands  of  Scot- 
land, and  the  Manks  of  the  Isle  of  Man. 

The  following  table  of  numbers  \vill  give  the  reader 
some  idea  of  the  resemblances  between  English,  Welsh, 
Cornish,  and  Breton,  as  given  by  Latham. 

English.  Welsh.  Cornish.  Breton. 


One 

un 

onan 

unan 

Two 

dau 

deu 

daou 

Three 

tri 

try 

tri 

Four 

pedwar 

peswar 

pevar 

Five 

pump 

pymp 

pemp 

Six 

chwech 

whe 

chued 

Seven 

saith 

se}i;h 

seiz 

Eight 

wyth 

eath 

eiz 

Nine 

naw 

naw 

nao 

Ten 

deg 

dek 

dec 

Twenty 

ugain 

ugens 

ugent 

Hundred  cant  cant  cant 

That  quaint  old  writer  Andrew  Borde,  who  died  in 
1539,  gives  the  numerals  in  Cornish  thus: — 1,  Onyn;  2 
dow;  3,  tray;  4,  peswar;  5,  pimp;  6,  whe;  7,  syth;  8,  eth 
9,  naw;  10,  dec;  11,  unec;  12,  dower;  13,  tredeec;  14, 
peswardeec;  15,  pympdeec;  16,  whedeec;  17,  sythdeec;  18, 
ethdeec;  19,  nawdeec;  20,  igons;  21,  onj-n  war  igons;  22, 
dow  war  igons;  23,  tray  war  igons;  24,  peswarygons;  and 
so  on  up  to  thirty. 


38 

Borde  says  "  no  Cornyshe  man  dothe  number  above 
XXX,  and  this  is  named,  Deec  warnegons.  And  whan 
they  have  told  thyrty,  they  do  begyn  agayn," 

For  a  hundred  they  said  "  leans,"  and  for  a  thousand 
"  myle." 

Carew  gives  for  40,  Deaw  Eigganz;  for  100,  cant; 
1000,  mille;   10,000,  molla. 

He  also  quotes  the  following  simple  phrases,  viz  : — 
Durdatha  why. — Good  morrow  to  you. 
Ternestatha. — Good  night. 
Fatlaghan  a  why  ] — How  do  you  do  ? 
Da  durdalatha  why. — Well  I  thank  you. 
Betha  why  lawanneck. — Be  you  merry. 
Benetugana. — Farewell. 

The  following  are  examples  of  old  Cornish  from  the 
Lexicon  Cornu-Britannicum  by  Williams. 

1. — Ku'm  fay,  lemmyn  a'n  caffen,  er  an  ascal  y'n 
toulsen  yn  creys  an  tan. 

By  my  faith,  now  if  I  could  catch  him,  I  would  cast 
him  in  the  midst  of  the  fire. 

2. — My  ny  won  pyw  e  cammen. 

I  know  not  who  he  is  at  all. 

3. — My  a'd  car  mur. 

I  love  thee  much. 

4. — Y  welas  ef  ny  gara  na  bos  yn  y  gowethas. 

He  loved  not  to  see  him,  nor  be  in  his  company. 

5. — Cariah  an  stuft'  stena  an  stumpes. 

Carry  the  tin  stuff  to  the  stamping  mill. 


39 

6. — Mi  rig  gwelas  an  carnow  idzha  an  idhen  mor  kil  y 
ge  neitlio. 

I  saw  the  rocks  where  the  sea-birds  make  their  nests, 

7. — Ni  allaf  cavos  powes. 

I  cannot  find  rest. 

8. — Mar  menta  gwelas  an  ost  an  chy  ki  da'n  gegen, 
ha  enna  ti  a'n  cav. 

If  thou  wishest  to  see  the  host  of  the  house,  go  into 
the  kitchen,  and  there  thou  shalt  find  him. 

9. — Stean  San  Agnes  an  gwella  stean  en  Kernow. 

The  tin  of  St.  Agnes  (is)  tlie  hest  tin  in  Cornwall. 

10.— Ysedheuch  yn  kesoleth,  rak  scon  why  a  fydli 
servys. 

Sit  down  in  quietness,  for  you  shall  soon  be  served. 

11. — Sens  dhe  clap,  na  fydh  bysy,  rak  ny  fynnaf 
dhys  crygy. 

Hold  thy  prating,  be  not  busy,  for  I  will  not  believe 
thee. 

12. — Out  warnas  harlot,  pen  cok,  scon  yn  mes  a'm 
golok. 

Out  upon  the  rogue,  blockhead,  immediately  out  of 
my  sight. 

13. — Eag  cola  worth  un  venen,  gulan  ef  re  gollas  an 
plas. 

For  listening  to  a  woman,  he  has  cjuite  lost  his  place. 

14. — Kyn  pen  vis. 

Before  the  end  of  a  month. 

1 5. — Eva,  kyns  del  vy  serrys,  my  a  wra  oil  del  vynny. 

Eva,  rather  than  thou  shalt  be  angry,  I  will  do  all 
that  thou  wishest. 


40 


THE  FIRST  CHAPTER  OF   GENESIS  IN 
OLD   CORNISH. 

(As  given  by  TFilliams  in  his  Lexicon  Cornu-Briiannicum,  in 
the  orthogrcqyhy  of  the  Cornish  dramas). 

AN  CEXSA  CABYDUL  A'N  LYVYK  AN  GENESIS. 


1. — Yn  dalleth  Dew  a  wrug  nef  ha'n  nor. 

2. — Hag  ydh  es6  an  nor  heb  composter  ha  gwag ;  ha  tew- 

olgow  ese  Avar  enep  an  downder,  ha  Spyrys  Dew  rilg 

gwaya  war  enep  an  dowrow. 
3. — Ha  Dew  a  leverys,  bydhens  golow,  hag  ydh  es6  golow. 
4. — Ha  Dew  a  welas  an  golow  may  fe  da:    ha  Dew  a 

dhyberthas  an  golow  dheworth  an  tewolgow. 
5. — Ha  Dew  a  henwys  an  golow  djdh,  ha'n  tewolgow  ef  a 

henwys  nos  :  ha'n  gorthuer  ha'n  myttyn  o  an  censa 

dydh. 
6. — Ha  Dew  a  leverys,  bydhens  ebren  yn  creys  an  dow- 
row, ha  gwrens  e  dhybarthy  an  dowrow  dheworth  an 

dowrow. 
7. — Ha  Dew  a  wrug  an  ebren,  ha  dhybertJias  an  dowrow 

es6  yn  dan  an  ebren  dheworth  an  dowrow  ese  a  uch 

an  ebren  :  hag  yn  delna  ydh  o. 
8. — Ha  Dew  a  henwys  an  ebren  nef :  ha'n  gorthuer  ha'n 

myttyn  o  an  nessa  dydh. 


41 

9. — Ha  Dew  a  leveryp,  bydhens  an  dowrow  yn  dan  an  nef 

cuntullys  warbarth  dlie  un  tyller,  ha  bydhens  an  tyr 

sych  dyscudhys  :  hag  yn  delna  ydh  o. 
10. — Ha  Dew  a  henwys  an  tyr  sych.  an  nor,  ha  cuntellyans 

warbarth  an  dowrow  ef  a  henwys  mor:    ha  Dew  a 

welas  may  fe  da. 
11. — Ha  Dew  a  leverys,  gwrens  an  nor  dry  rag  gwels,  ha 

losow  ow  ton  has,  ha'n  gwydh  ow  ton  avalow  warlerch 

aga  echen,  neb  usy  aga  has  ynne  aga  honan,  war  an 

uor :  hag  yn  delna  ydh  o. 
12, — Ha'n  nor  a  dhros  rag  gwels,  an  losow  ow  ton  has 

warlerch  aga  echen,  ha'n  gwydh  ow  t6n  avalow,  neb 

usy  aga  has  ynn6  aga  honan  warlerch  aga  echen  :  ha 

Dew  a  welas  may  fe  da. 
13. — Ha'n  gorthuer  ha'n  myttyn  o  an  tressa  dydh. 
14. — Ha  Dew  a  leverys,  bydhens  golowys  yn  ebren  nef 

dhe  cihybarthy  an  dydh  dheworth  an  nos,  ha  bydhens 

y  rag  tavasow,  ha  rag  termynyow,  ha  rag  dydhyow, 

ha  rag  bledhynnow. 
15. — Ha  bydhens  y  rag  golowys  yn  ebren  nef  dhe  rey 

golow  war  an  nor  :  hag  yn  delna  ydh  o. 
16. — Ha  Dew  a  wrug  dew  golow  bras:  an  brassa  golow 

dhe  rewlye  an  dydh,  ha'n  behanna  golow  dhe  rewlye 

an  nos  :  ha'n  ster  ef  a's  gwrug  yn  wedh. 
17. — Ha  Dew  a's  goras  yn  ebren  nef,  dhe  rey  golow  war  an 

nor. 
18. — Ha  dhe  rewlye  an  dydh  ha'n  nos,  ha  dhe  dhybarthy 

an  golow  dheworth  an  tewolgow,  ha  Dew  a  welas  may 

fe  da. 


42 

19. — Ha'n  gorthuer  ha'n  mj^ttyn  o  an  peswer^  dydh. 

20. — Ha  Dew  a  leverys,  gwrens  an  dowrow  dry  rag  pfir 
ver  an  taclow  us  ow  gwaya  gans  bewnans,  liag  edhyn 
dhe  nyge  dres  an  nor  a  les  yn  ebren  nef. 

21. — Ha  Dew  a  wrug  an  morvilow  bras,  ha  ceniver  tra 
bew  us  ow  gwaya,  neb  a  rilg  an  dowrow  dry  rag  pur 
ver,  warlercli  aga  echen,  ha  ceniver  edhen  gans  ascal 
warlerch  hy  echen ;  ha  Dew  a  welas  may  fe  da. 

22. — Ha  Dew  a  wr<ig  aga  benyge  y,  ha  leverys,  bydhouch 
luen  a  h^s,  ha  drouch  rag  pur  ver,  ha  lenouch  an 
dowrow  yn  mor,  ha  gwrens  an  edhyn  dry  rag  piir  ver 
yn  nor. 

23. — Ha'n  gorthuer  ha'n  myttyn  o  an  pempes  dydh. 

24. — Ha  Dew  a  leverys,  gwrens  an  nor  dry  rag  an  taclow 
bew  warlerch  aga  echen,  an  lodnow,  ha'n  taclow 
cramyas,  ha  bestes  an  nur  warlerch  aga  echen ;  hag 
yn  delna  ydh  o. 

25. — Ha  Dew  a  wriig  bestes  an  n6r  warlerch  aga  echen, 
ha'n  lodnow  warlerch  aga  echen,  ha  ceniver  tra  As  ow 
cramyas  war  an  nor,  warlerch  aga  echen :  ha  Dew  a 
welas  may  fe  da. 

26. — Ha  Dew  a  leverys,  gwren  den  yn  agan  del  ny,  war- 
lerch agan  havalder ;  ha  gwrens  y  cemeres  gallos  dres 
an  pusces  an  mor,  ha  dres  an  edhen  an  ebren,  ha  dres 
an  milyow,  ha  dres  ol  an  nor,  ha  dres  ceniver  tra 
cramyas  fts  ow  cramyas  war  an  nor. 

27. —  Yn  delna  Dew  a  wrfig  den  yn  havalder  y  honan,  yn 
havalder  Dew  of  a'n  gwrftg ;  gorrow  ha  benow  ef  a's 
gwrug. 


43 

2S. — Ha  Dew  a  wriig  aga  benyg^,  lia  Dew  a  leverj^s 
dhedhe,  bydhouch  luen  a  has,  ha  drouch  rag  pGr  ver, 
ha  lenonch  an  nor,  ha  bydhouch  dresto;  ha  cemerouch 
gallos  dres  pusces  an  mor,  ha  dres  an  edhyn  yn  ebren, 
ha  dres  ceniver  tra  vew  (is  ow  gwaya  war  an  nor. 

29. — Ha  Dew  a  leverys,  mirouch,  yma  reys  genef  vy 
dheuch  ceniver  losow  ow  ton  has,  neb  us  war  ol  an 
nor,  lia  ceniver  gwedhen,  us  an  avalow  an  gwedhen 
ynny  ow  ton  has,  dheuch  y  fydh  rag  boys. 

30. — Ha  dhe  oil  an  bestes  an  nor,  ha  dhe  geniver 
edhen  an  ebren,  ha  dhe  geniver  tra  iis  ow  cramyas 
war  an  nor,  us  bewnans  ynne,  yma  reys  genef  ceniver 
lusuan  glas  rag  boys,  hag  yn  delna  ydh  o. 

31. — Ha  Dew  a  welas  ceniver  tra  ese  gwreys  ganso,  ha 
mirouch,  ydh  o  ve  pur  dha;  ha'n  gorthuer  ha'n  myttyn 
0  an  wheffes  d}'dli. 


THE   PEOVINCIAL   DIALECT    OF    COENWALL. 


In  the  preceding  account  we  have  seen  how  the  old 
Cornish  language  had  been  driven  from  the  East  to  the 
extreme  West  of  the  County  by  the  onward  and  un- 
ceasing progress  of  the  English  tongue. 

A  little  more  than  three  hundred  years  ago,  the 
ancient  Cornish  was  understood,  and  spoken,  from  one  end 
of  Cornwall  to  the  other.  About  the  year  1700,  we  find 
its  use  confined  to  the  Land's  End  district,  about  St. 
Paul,  and  St.  Just,  and  there  used  only  by  fishermen, 
market  people,  and  tinners.  By  the  end  of  the  last 
century  it  had  become  all  but  utterly  extinct,  and  now, 
(1881)  as  an  oral  language,  scattered  words  are  all  that 
are  left ;  and  so  ends  the  use  of  a  fine  old  language  which 
dates  back  to  almost  unknown  time. 

We  must,  however,  except  the  names  of  persons, 
towns,  farms,  villages,  hills,  valleys,  &c.,  and  also  the 
technical  names  used  by  miners,  farmers,  fishermen,  &c., 
a  great  proportion  of  such  words  being  actual  remains  of 
the  old  Cornish  language. 

During  the  long  period  that  the  old  tongue  was  being 
superseded  by  the  encroaching  English  language,  the 
people  of  Cornwall  had  gradually  become  accustomed  to 
the  use  of  the  new  language,  and   the   remote,   almost 


46 

island-like  position  of  Cornwall,  is  no  rloubt  the  cause  of 
the  retention  in  the  Cornish  dialect  of  so  many  old 
English  words  in  use  to  this  very  day. 

We  have  in  the  provincial  dialect  a  singular  mixture 
of  old  Cornish  and  old  English  words,  which  gives  so 
strong  an  individuality  to  the  Cornish  speech. 

As,  in  speaking  English,  a  Frenchman,  or  a  German 
uses  more  or  less  of  the  accent  peculiar  to  each,  so  it  is 
very  probable  that  the  accent  with  which  the  Cornish 
speak,  is  one  transferred  from  their  ancient  Cornish  lan- 
guage. 

The  "sing-song,"  as  "strangers"  call  it,  in  the  Cornish 
speech  is  not  so  evident  to  Cornishmen,  when  they  listen 
to  their  own  Dialect. 

It  has  been  observed,  that  when  Tregellas,  in  any 
place  out  of  the  County,  gave  one  of  his  inimitable  lectures 
on  the  Cornish  patois,  it  was  not  appreciated  as  it  deserved, 
yet  Cornish  audiences  richly  enjoyed  it ;  but  then  the 
latter  were  more  Celtic,  and  those  in  distant  places  more 
Saxon. 

The  cerebral,  and  subtle  difference,  between  the  Celt 
and  the  Saxon,  may  be  the  reason  why  the  former  per- 
ceived the  wit  and  fun,  and  the  latter  little,  if  at  all. 
Truly  of  this  may  it  be  said  that  appreciation  is  one  of 
the  talents. 

As  the  old  Cornish  gave  place  to  English,  a  provincial 
dialect  composed  of  both  being  the  result,  so  the  last  in 
its  turn,  as  we  are  witnessing  in  our  day,  is  rapidly  passing 
away,  and  there  threatens  to  be  at  no  distant  time  a 
similarity  of  speech  everywhere.     As  this  general  levelling 


47 

a  large  number  of  forcible  and  quaint  words, 
and  phrases,  -will  be  lost  unless  they  be  recorded. 

It  may  be  thought  that  to  preserve  such  dialectic 
words  will  be  neither  useful  nor  ornamental  to  English 
speech,  on  the  contrary,  that  it  would  be  better  for  such 
barbarous,  vulgar,  and  uncouth  modes  of  speech,  to  be 
thrust  aside. 

But  are  they  barbarous,  vulgar,  and  uncouth?  What  if 
the  charges  were  reversed  1  Suppose  modem  English  con- 
demned as  vulgar,  and  an  order  given  that  the  Cornish 
dialect  should  be  used  instead.  In  a  short  time  the 
dialect  which  had  become  fashionahle,  would  be  found  to 
be  of  high  polish,  elegant,  and  expressive. 

Somebody  said  that  "grammar  was  made  for  language 
and  not  language  for  grammar,"  and  as  to  words  being 
vulgar,  it  depends  on  the  manner  in  which  they  are  used, 
and  from  whose  mouths  they  fall.  The  words  are  not  so 
much  in  fault,  for  we  have  often  heard  sentences  full  of 
grossness  and  vulgarity,  expressed  in  very  elegant  lan- 
guage. 

It  would  be  startling  and  amusing,  if,  in  an  English 
drawing-room,  an  elegant  lady  were  to  turn  to  a  friend  and 
make  a  request,  thus,  "  Woll'ee  ax  en  plais"?  instead  of 
saying  "Will  you  ask  him  if  you  please"'?  yet  all  that 
could  be  said  of  it  would  be,  that  the  former  expression 
was  spoken  in  a  dialectic  form,  and  the  latter  simply  in 
current  English. 

Now  as  to  the  word  'Ax'  (for  ask),  we  are  told  by 
Toone  in  his  "Dictionary  of  obsolete  and  uncommon 
words,"  that  Ax,  though  now  considered  as  vulgar  and 


48 

ungrammatical,  was  in  use  centuries  before  the  modern 
word  '  ask,'  to  signify  the  same  thing ;  in  truth  the  latter 
word  is  corrupted  from  the  Saxon. 

"  Axe  not  why,  for  the'  thou  axe  me 
I  ivol  not  tellen  God's  privitie. 

Chaucer,   "  Millcfs  Tale." 

In  this  quotation  two  of  the  words  in  the  lady's 
request,  ax  for  ask  and  ivol  for  will,  have  very  good 
authority  for  their  use,  and  we  find  them  still  retained  in 
the  Cornish  dialect. 

Words  like  them,  therefore,  are  not  vulgar,  they  are 
simply  disused  by  the  educated  of  modern  days.  As  to  a 
dialect  being  vulgar  and  ungrammatical,  there  may  be 
found  in  Latham's  Elements  of  Comparative  Philology 
some  instructive  remarks  on  this  very  subject.  He  says 
"  of  that  particular  form  of  his  mother  tongue  which  any 
individual  uses,  the  speaker  is  thoroughly,  and  in  every 
sense,  the  master.  He  uses  it  as  an  instrument  of  his  own. 
He  uses  it  as  he  uses  his  arms  and  legs :  to  a  great  extent 
unconsciously,  but  almost  always  instinctively.  He  cannot 
err  in  this,  so  long  as  he  is  at  one  and  the  same  time, 
unconscious,  spontaneous,  and  intelligible.  If  he  thinks 
about  grammar,  and,  by  so  doing,  modify  its  spontaneity, 
it  is  pro  tanto,  a  language  influenced  aliunde. 

"As  long  as  he  speaks  it  simply  from  his  instincts 
it  is  in  good  grammar;  being  simply  what  he  makes  it. 
What  is  called  bad  grammar  is  a  detail  in  which  he  differs 
from  some  one  else  who  calls  his  i'onn  of  speech  good 
grammar. 


40 

"It  does  not  follow  however,  from  this  that  there  is  no 
such  thing  as  bad  grammar.  The  term  has  two  meanings, 
if  signifies  the  actual  representation  of  a  language  and  the 
formal  scheme  of  a  language. 

^^  Language  as  a  fact,  must  he  taken  as  it  is,  and  repre- 
sented as  it  best  may  he. 

"  If  language  at  all  times  and  in  all  places,  stands  in 
the  same  relation  to  its  ideas  as  an  exponent  it  is  equally 
good  as  a  language." 

But,  whatever  difference  of  opinion  may  exist  as  to 
the  elegance  or  the  rudeness  of  a  language  or  dialect,  one 
thing  seems  very  certain,  that  at  no  distant  time,  that 
arch-enemy  of  all  dialects,  the  modern  school-board,  will 
rapidly  bring  about  a  great  change  in  Cornish  speech. 

Already,  to  a  large  proportion  of  Cornish  people, 
especially  the  young,  the  Cornish  dialect  is  become  almost 
a  dead  language,  and  many  of  the  words  are  to  them  as 
unintelligible  as  Sanscrit. 

The  greater  intercommunication  during  the  past  fifty 
years  has  made  a  great  change,  and  this  has  been  much 
accelerated  since  the  ojDening  of  the  Cornwall  railway  in 
1859. 

Formerly,  instead  of  one  Cornish  dialect  there  were 
many,  which  differed  more  or  less  from  each  other,  indeed, 
even  in  adjoining  parishes  there  were  different  modes  of 
speaking.  Still,  taken  as  a  whole,  there  was,  and  is,  a 
marked  distinction  between  the  dialect  of  Cornwall  and 
the  other  parts  of  the  kingdom. 

Eude  as  the  patois  of  Cornwall  may  appear  to  stran- 
gers, yet  no  Cornishman  familiar  with  it,  listens  to  it  other 

D 


50 

than  with  fondness.  Whether  at  home,  or  in  the  distant 
colonies,  the  sound  of  the  homely  Cornish  dialect  falls 
pleasantly  on  the  ear,  and  revives  a  host  of  kindly  thoughts 
and  feelings. 

As  a  dialect,  it  may  be  asserted,  that  it  is  one  of  the 
most  quaint,  expressive,  and  friendly-sounding  of  any  in 
the  kingdom,  and  its  characteristics  seem  to  be  the  reflex 
of  the  civil,  manly,  and  independent  character  of  the 
inhabitants  themselves ;  terms  of  eulogy  given  to  them  so 
long  ago  by  Diodorus  Siculus. 

The  shadow  of  the  dead  Cornish  language  still  hangs 
over  the  dialect,  and  gives  it  a  character  not  easily 
described;  due  probably  to  the  intermixture  of  words, 
and  the  constant  use  of  names  of  places,  persons,  &c.,  such 
names  being  of  ancient  Cornish  origin. 

The  dialect  is  very  capable  of  expressing  odd  ideas 
with  fun  and  wit,  and  the  "sayings"  whether  imported 
or  native,  are  frequently  very  amusing,  and  characteristic 
of  the  Cornish  people,  thus  ; 

"  Laughing  like  a  piskey," 

is  curious  as  referring  to  the  traditionary  merriment  of  the 
fairies.     Again : — 

"  Like  Collins's  cow,"  {i.e.  worried  in  mind). 

Then  again,  the  fun  and  superstition  combined  in  the 
following  proverb,  which  however  is  spoken  out  of  Corn- 
wall also : 

"  A  whistling  woman,  and  a  crowing  hen, 
Are  two  of  the  unluckiest  things  under  the  sun," 


51 

also,  the  quaint  adaptation  of  the  name  of  a  place  of  bad 
repute,  to  anything  expressive  of  dirt  and  disorder,  as 

"  The  place  is  like  Lanson  jail," 

meaning,  what  old  Lanson  jail  was  formerly,  viz.,  dirty  and 
disorderly. 

Then  the  fun  and  the  fear  in  the  following  rhyme : 

"Jack  o'the  lantern!  Joan  the  wad 
■Who  tickled  the  maid  and  made  her  had 
Light  me  home  the  weather  is  bad." 

Couch's  "  Polperro." 

The  terse  proverb  used  of  a  good  catch  of  pilchards  is 
very  Cornish  like, 

"  Meat,  money,  and  light, 
All  in  one  night." 

Ibid. 

and  satirical  sayings  like  the  following,  have  the  peculiar 
vein  of  Cornish  fun  and  wit,  and  when  uttered  in  the 
Cornish  dialect  sound  droll  enough. 

"He  is  like  the  Mayor  of  Calenick  who  walked  two  miles,  to 
ride  one." 

"  Like  Nanny  Painter's  hens,  very  high  upon  the  legs  "  (said 
of  a  tall  thin  person;. 

"  He  is  like  the  Mayor  of  Falmouth,  who  thanked  God  when 
the  town  jail  was  enlarged." 

B.  HunVs   "  Romances  of  the  West  of  England." 

But  such  "  sayings  "  fall  flat  on  paper,  they  have  only 
to  be  heard  spoken  by  a  Cornishman  in  his  native  dialect, 
to  be  appreciated.  If  the  reader  desire  more  real  and 
characteristic  examples  of  the  dialed,  he  should  read  the 


52 

"Tales"  by  Tregellas,  Forfar,  Daniel  &c.  (See  the  Ap- 
pendix.) Tregellas  was  "thorough,"  and  it  may  well  be 
asked,  where  shall  we  find  his  like  again  1  Who  again 
will  so  amuse  with  droll  Cornish  stories  as  they  were  told 
by  William  Hicks,  of  Bodmin.  What  tales !  and  with 
such  a  hearty  relish  too  in  relating  them  ! 

The  stories  of  Tregellas,  really  amusing  and  faithfully 
illustrative  as  they  are,  fall  far  below  what  they  seemed 
when  told  by  the  living  man  himself.  His  perfect  assump- 
tion of  character  and  Cornish  accent,  his  expression,  action 
and  fun,  were  irresistible  provokers  of  mirth,  and  his 
listeners  were  sure  to  have  aching  sides  after  hearing  him. 
The  writer  has  heard  him  lecture  again  and  again, 
more  than  forty  years  ago.  It  was  something  to  listen  to 
Tregellas,  the  very  master  of  the  Cornish  dialect,  and  the 
King  of  Cornish  fun. 

The  dialect  of  Cornwall  is  a  compound  one,  as 
already  stated,  and  its  name  should  be  "motley"  for  it  is 
found  to  be  composed  of,  1st,  The  remains  of  the  old 
Cornish  language;  2nd,  Many  old  English  words;  3rd, 
English  words  used  in  a  provincial  manner;  4th,  Many 
words  which  apparently  are  mere  slang.  The  origin  of 
the  last  there  seems  no  method  of  accounting  for,  probably, 
like  "Topsy"  in  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  they  "growed"; 
and  5th,  Purely  English  words  spoken  in  the  usual  manner. 
About  forty  or  fifty  years  ago,  there  were  just  as 
many  shades  of  the  dialect  as  there  are  towns  in  the 
County,  and  as  at  that  time  there  was  comparatively  but 
little  inter-communication,  the  people  of  different  districts 
were  easily  known  by  certain  peculiarities  of  speech. 


Tregellas  used  to  notice  this  in  his  lectures,  and  give 
ilhistrations,  so  that  his  listeners  could  at  once  perceive  the 
difference  even  between  two  mining  districts. 

Although  there  were,  and  still  are,  many  minor  shades 
of  Cornish  speech,  yet  speaking  generally  it  may  be  said 
for  the  sake  of  making  a  convenient  distinction,  that 
there  are  two  dialects  in  the  County,  one  which  may  be 
called  that  of  the  husbandman,  the  other  that  of  the 
miner. 

Where  they  border  on  each  other  they  intermingle, 
where  districts  are  more  widely  separated,  in  each  the 
dialect  is  more  distinct  and  characteristic. 

This  is  observed  in  the  towns  also,  although  as  may 
be  sujiposed  the  difference  is  not  so  marked. 

During  the  past  half  century  the  peculiarities  of  speech 
in  the  towns,  and  indeed  in  the  rural  districts  also,  have 
very  much  altered,  and  have  been  tending  to  greater 
uniformity. 

Formerly  it  was  very  easy  to  distinguish  between  a 
man  of  Bodmin,  and  one  from  either  Launceston,  Liskeard, 
Withiel,  St.  Columb,  and  more  especially  from  St.  Agnes, 
Redruth,  or  St.  Just. 

In  the  west  of  the  County  we  find  a  considerable 
number  of  old  Cornish  words  still  in  use,  but  they  become 
much  fewer  as  we  go  eastwards.  In  distant  parts  of  the 
County,  the  words  are  often  the  same,  although  spoken 
with  different  accents.  Indeed,  the  provincial  words  are 
so  inextricably  mixed  up,  that  it  is  hard  to  say  as  regards 
a  large  proportion  of  them,  which  are  of  the  eastern  and 
which  of  the  western  dialect.     The  accent  of  the  husband- 


54 

man  is  intensified  towards  the  east,  that  of  the  miner 
towards  the  west,  but  with  various  interminglings  of  each. 

It  is  hard  to  point  out  a  line  of  demarcation,  so 
insensibly  do  the  branches  of  the  dialect  overlap  each 
other,  and  become  gradually  shaded  away. 

The  writer  considers  that  somewhere  between  Bodmin 
and  St.  Austell,  a  line  drawn  north  and  south  from  sea  to 
sea  across  the  County,  would  indicate  the  locality  where 
the  dialect  of  the  miner  and  that  of  the  husbandman 
merge  into  each  other.  Mr.  T.  Q.  Couch,  in  the  introduc- 
tory remarks  to  his  glossary  of  East  Cornwall,  considers 
that  such  a  line  should  be  further  west,  viz:  "from 
Crantock  Bay,  on  the  St.  George's  Channel,  to  Veryan 
Bay,  on  the  English  Channel."  This  question  is  not  very 
easy  to  decide. 

The  story  (given  further  on)  of  Richard  and  Betty  at 
St.  Austell  is  intended  by  the  writer  as  a  specimen  of 
the  dialect  of  that  part  of  the  County.  It  will  be  found 
to  be,  not  exactly  a  miners'  dialect,  or  very  much  that  of 
the  husbandman,  and  yet  there  is  in  the  tale  a  mixture  of 
both. 

The  miner  holds  to  his  pecuHar  form  of  speech, 
apparently  with  more  tenacity  than  the  husbandman. 

It  requires  close  attention  to  discover  any  provincial 
accent  among  the  educated  classes.  It  is  however  notice- 
able more  or  less  among  them  as  we  travel  westwards,  and 
especially  near  the  mining  districts. 

This  is  perceptible  in  travelling  the  short  journey 
from  Bodmin  to  St.  Austell. 


55 

There  is  a  diflFerence  between  Launceston  and  Liskeard, 
but  in  both  the  English  accent  among  the  educated  is  very- 
good,  so  also  in  Bodmin ;  in  St.  Austell  there  is  more 
of  the  miners'  accent,  but  it  is  not  very  perceptible 
without  close  attention. 

In  Truro  the  English  accent  has  been  noticed  even 
by  the  old  writers  to  be  remarkably  pure,  and  so  it  conti- 
nues to  this  day. 

This  is  rather  surprising  when  we  remember  how 
short  a  distance  separates  Truro  from  the  mining  popu- 
lation. 

The  Cornish  idiom  can  be  understood  by  a  stranger 
to  the  County  by  reading  such  tales  as  those  by  Tregellas, 
Forfar,  &c.,  &c.,  but  of  course  to  understand  the  accent  it 
must  be  heard ;  perhaps  it  is  only  a  genuine  Cornishman 
who,  in  in  what  looks  like  simple  fun,  can  discover,  or 
appreciate  the  very  spirit  and  humour  of  the  tale. 

The  Cornish  sometimes  attend  their  funerals  in  great 
crowds,  and  it  is  a  custom  to  sing  hymns  as  the  coffin  is 
being  borne  along.  When  all  are  silent,  and  walking 
slowly  along,  the  aspect  of  the  crowd  is,  of  course,  sad,  or, 
as  we  say  in  Cornwall,  "wisht." 

As  some,  in  deepest  grief,  break  out  into  laughter  as 
if  defying  sorrow,  so  this  trait  in  human  nature  is  seized 
upon,  for  some  other  occasion,  *  by  Tregellas,  who,  in 
two  simple  but  humorous  lines  gives  the  signal  for  cheer- 
ing up  with  singular  felicity, 

"  To  shaw  our  sperrits  lev  us  petch 
The  laast  new  berrin-tune." 

*  See  "  The  St.  Agnes  Bear  Hunt,"  by  Tregellas. 


56 

The  following  speech  said  to  have  been  made  at  a 
farmer's  dinner  not  far  from  ^Yadebridge  will  serve  as 
an  illustration.  Whether  it  referred  to  landlords,  or  to 
tenants,  is  not  certain,  perhaps  to  both. 

"  Eff  yiew  wur  te  dew,  as  yiew  oft  te  dew,  yiew 
wud  dew  a  guddel  bettur  then  yiew  dew  dew." 

Compare  this  with  the  miners'  dialect  as  in  this  sentence : 

"  That's  awnly  paart  uv  et,  'tes  my  belief  thee 
doan't  knaw  whan  thee'rt  wale  awf." 

In  the  Cornish  dialect  we  find  ordinary  English  words, 
a  large  number  of  old  English  words,  many  of  which 
seem  spoken  as  in  the  time  of  Chaucer,  and  as  before 
noticed  a  great  number  of  names  of  places,  persons,  &c., 
derived  from  the  old  Celtic  language  of  Cornwall. 

The  following  is  a  specimen  of  the  dialect  in  a  form 
which  is  fast  becoming  disused : — 

"A  es  pinnikin,  palchy,  an  totelin,  a  es  clicky, 
an  cloppy,  an  a  kiddles,  an  quaddles  oal  daa, — 
Tes  wisht." 

which,  turned  into  the  ordinary  English,  means,  "  He  is 
little,  weakly,  and  imbecile,  he  is  left-handed  and  lame, 
and  he  fidgets  idly  about  all  the  day  long.  Tis  sad."  It 
is  not  the  object  of  the  writer  to  explain  to  any  great 
extent,  the  origin  of  such  words,  such  a  task  is  very  wil- 
lingly left  to  the  practical  philologist,  who  certainly  has  a 
wide  field  for  his  exertions  in  dealing  with  the  dialect  of 
Cornwall.     That  there  are  many  common  words,  and  even 


Cornish  forms  of  expression,  and  thought,  to  be  found  in 
the  writings  of  Chaucer,  seems  evident  from  the  compari- 
sons and  quotations  from  that  poet,  as  given  further  on. 

It  is  difficult  to  say  what  was  the  exact  pronunciation 
of  English  500  years  ago  when  Chaucer  wrote,  but  it  is 
startling  to  find  so  many  words  common  to  him,  and  to 
the  Cornish  dialect  of  the  present  day,  and  judging  by  the 
rhyme,  after  making  due  allowance  for  the  poet's  license, 
pronounced  in  the  same  manner. 

In  the  Cornish  pronunciation  we  commonly  find  that 
i  is  pronounced  like  e,  as  selver  for  silver ;  the  e  like  ai,  as 
raide  for  read;  the  a  like  aa,  as  traade  for  trade;  the  o 
like  aw,  as  awnly  for  only ;  the  s  like  z,  as  said  for  said ; 
the  u  like  oo,  as  oogly  for  ugly ;  the  /  like  v,  as  vaather  for 
father,  and  the  g  is  almost  always  dropped  at  the  end  of 
a  word,  as  writin  for  writing,  seitin  for  sitting.  There  are 
other  differences  also ;  the  miner  may  be  said  to  speak 
more  broadly  than  the  husbandman,  and  to  more  fre- 
quently use  aw  for  o,  and  v  for  /. 

There  is  a  frequent  use  of  the  word  do;  instead  of 
saying,  /  know,  it  is,  /  do  know,  or,  as  in  the  western 
dialect,  /  de  knaw ;  the  Cornishman  in  saying,  "  I  do 
know,"  does  not  use  the  word  do  with  emphasis,  as  in 
ordinary  English ;  and  also  for  /  tUnk  the  western  man 
will  say,  I  de  theenk,  which  in  the  eastern  dialect  is 
expressed  by  "  semmee  to  me." 

In  such  words  as  thick,  thing,  and  thin,  the  th  is 
pronounced  not  like  (/,  or  like  th,  but  in  a  manner  half- 
way between  the  two.    The  vowel  is  doubled,  or  prolonged, 


58 

and  the  words  become  theek,  theeng,  and  theen.  This  is 
apparently  a  transmitted  peculiarity  from  the  old  Cornish 
language. 

Williams  in  his  Cornish  Dictionary  (Celtic)  has  no 
word  beginning  with  th  in  the  ancient  language,  and  he 
says  of  the  letter  d,  that  in  the  Cornish,  "  when  radical 
it  changes  its  construction  into  dh  which  has  the  sound  of 
th  in  the  English  words  this,  than."  In  some  parts  of 
Brittany,  they  pronounce  dh  as  z  to  this  very  day. 

It  is  well  known  how  hard  it  is  for  foreigners,  to 
pronounce  th  and  the  writer  well  remembers  how  great 
were  the  attempts  of  a  Frenchman  to  say 

"They  think  that  they  are  thoroughiy  thrashed" 
after  many  efforts  his  despairing  cry  was  "mais  c'est 
impossible  "  and  so  it  was  to  him ;  but  we  know  that  it  is 
not  so  with  all  foreigners.  Four  or  five  hundred  years 
ago  when  the  Cornish  began  to  lose  their  ancient  lan- 
guage, they  may  have  had  the  same  difficulty  with  th,  and 
there  is  a  trace  of  this  in  their  manner  of  saying  theeng 
for  tiling.  Now,  as  a  race  the  Cornish  have  no  difficulty, 
l)erhaps  time  has  overcome  it,  as  it  might  in  a  race  of 
Frenchmen  after  speaking  English  for  centuries. 

There  is  another  very  common  phrase,  viz:  "How 
be'ee  1^  "  for,  How  are  you  1  this  is  only,  "  How  be  ye  1 " 
making  the  y  an  i  which  in  the  Cornish  dialect  is  pro- 
nounced like  e.  This  is  more  common  in  the  west  after 
passing  St.  Austell,  As  we  advance  eastwards  we  find 
that  the  word  7jieiv  (you)  is  a  very  representative  expression 
and  increasingly  so  as  we  travel  towards  the  Tamar  where 


59 

there  is   no   obvious   diflference   between  the  dialects   of 
Devon  and  Cornwall. 

The  Devon  dialect  drives  back  the  Cornish  from  the 
east  of  the  County. 

Near  the  Tamar  we  hear  the  people  saying  "How  are 
yiew  ? "  or  "  How  be  yiew ''  the  word  yiew  being  spoken 
with  a  curious  twist  of  the  mouth ;  also  the  expressions 
referred  to  already,  viz :  "  Semmee  "  or  "  Semmee  to  me  " 
for  "I  think." 

There  also,  we  hear  people  saying  her  for  she  as  "Ther 
her  gothe." 

In  all  shades  of  the  Cornish  dialect  it  is  very  common 
to  use  he  for  it  but  the  miner  generally  says  et  for  it  as  in 
this  expression  "  He' eve  a  dun  et "  for  "  He  has  done  it " 
and  a  for  he,  thus  :  "  Iss  a  ded"  i.e.  "Yes  he  did."  It  is 
rare,  if  ever,  that  in  the  dialect  the  adjective  is  used  after 
the  noun.  There  is  a  favourite  expression  in  the  west, 
and  one  of  endearment  when  speaking  to  a  little  child. 
It  is  "  cheel-vean  or  cheeld-vean,"  meaning  "  child  little." 

It  is  singular  that  the  Cornish  do  not  often  place  the 
adjective  after  the  noun;  in  speaking  their  ancient  lan- 
guage they  commonly  did  so. 

In  order  to  form  some  idea  of  the  pronunciation, 
the  following  examples  are  given,  and,  making  due  allow- 
ance for  differences  in  the  Cornish  dialect,  may  do  suffi- 
ciently well. 


60 

The  Alphabet  as  Spoken  in  Ordinary  English, 

AND    IN   THE    CORNISH   DiALECT. 


English.  Cornish. 


b 

bee 

bee 

c 

d 

see 
dee 

zee 
dey 

e 
f 

ee 
ef 

ai 
aaf 

g 
h 

jee 
aitch 

jee 

aatch 

i 

i  or  eye 

i  or  eye 

J 
k 

1 

jay 

kay 
el 

jaa 
kaa 
ael 

m 

em 

ame 

n 

en 

ane 

0 

0 

0 

P 

pee 
cue 

pey 

koo  or  kiew 

r 

ar 

ar 

s 

ess 

ess 

t 

tee 

tay 

u 

u  or  you 

00  or  yiew 

V 

w 

X 

y 

z 

vee 

double  u 
eks 
wy 
zed 

vey 

double  yew 
ex 

whye 
zad 

&c. 

ct  cetera 

ampassy,  also  passy 

61 

The  numerals  are  pronounced  just  as  follows:  1, 
Wawn ;  2,  Tew  or  dew;  3,  Dree;  4,  Fower,  or  vower; 
5,  Vyve ;  6,  Zix;  7,  Zebb'n;  8,  Ite;  9,  Nyne ;  IG,  Tane ; 
11,  Levv'n,  or  Lebb'n:  12,  Twaelve:  &c. 


Conjugation  of  the  Auxiliary  and  Xeuter  Verb 
To  Be,  in  the  Cornish  Dialect. 

INDICATIVE  MOOD. 
Present  Tense. 
Singular.  Plural. 

1.— Ibe.  1.— Webe. 

2. — Tliee  airt,  or  thee'rt.  2. — Yew  be. 

3. — A  es,  she  es,  et  es.  3. — Thay  be. 

Imperfect  Tense. 
Singular.  Plural. 

1. — I  waz.  1. — We  waz. 

2. — Thee,  or  Yew  waz.  2. — Yew  waz. 

3.— A  waz.  3.— Thay  waz. 

Perfect   Tense. 
Singular.  Plural. 

1. — I  haave  a  ben.  1. — "\Ve  haave,  or  wee've 

a  ben. 
2. — Thee'st  a  ben.  2. — Yew  haave,  or  you've 

a  ben. 
3. — A  haave  a  ben.  3.  — Thay  haave,  or  thay've 

a  ben. 


62 

PLUrERFECT   TeNSE. 

Singular.  Plural. 

1. — I  haad  a  ben.  1. — We  liaad  a  ben. 

2. — Thee  hciad,  or  theed  a  2. — Yew  haad  a  ben. 

ben. 
3. — A  haad  a  ben.  3. — Thay  haad  a  ben. 

FiKST  Future  Tense. 


Singular. 
1. — I  shaal,  or  shul  be. 

Pluml. 
1.— We  shaal,  shul,  or  wol 
be. 

2. — Thee  shust,  wust,   or 
wol  be. 

2. — Yew    shaal,    shul,    or 
wol  be. 

3. — A  shaal,  or  wol  be. 

3. — Thay   shaal,   shul,    or 
wol  be. 

Second  Future  Tense. 
Singular.  Plural. 

1. — I  shaal,  or  shul  a  ben.  1. — We  shul  a  ben. 

2. — Theelt  a  ben.  2. — Yew  wol  a  ben. 

3. — A  wol  a  ben.  3. — Thay  wol  a  ben. 

IMPEBATIVE  MOOD. 
Singular.  '  Plural. 

1. — Lemm^,  or  laiv  ma  be.  1. — Laiv  us  be. 

2. — Be  tha.  2.— Be  yew,  or  be'ee. 

3. — Lett'n,  or  laiv'n  be.  3. — Lett'm,  or  laiv'm  be. 

POTENTIAL  MOOD. 

Present  Tense. 

Singular.  Plural. 

1. — I  may,  or  caan  be.  1. — AVe  may,  or  caan  be. 

2. — Thee  mayst,  wust  or  i^. — Yew  may,  or  caan  be. 

cust  be. 

3. — A  may,  or  caan  lie.  3. — Thay  may,  or  caan  be. 


63 

Imperfect   Texse. 
Singular.  Plural. 

1.— I  might,  cud,  Avud,  or  L— We  might,  cud,  wud, 

shud  be.  or  shud  be. 

2.— Thee    mights,    cudst,  2.— Yew  might,  cud,  wud, 

wudst,  or  shudst  be.  or  shud  be. 

3.— A   might,    cud,    wud,  3. -Thay  might,  cud,  wud, 
or  shucl  be.  or  shud  be. 

Perfect  Tense. 

Sinrjular.  Plural. 

1. — I  may,  or  caan  a  ben.  1, — We  may,  or  caan  a  ben. 

2. — Thee  mayst,   wust  or  2. — Yew  ma}-,   or  caan  a 

oust  a  ben.  ben. 

3. — A  may,  or  caan  a  ben.  3.  — Thay  may,  or  caan  a 
ben. 

Pluperfect  Tense. 

Singular.  Plural. 

1. — I  might,  cud,  wud,  or  1. — We  might,  cud,  wud, 

shud  a  ben.  or  shud  a  ben. 

2. — Thee    mights,    cudst,  2. — Yew  might,  cud,  wud, 

wudst,  or  shudst,  a  ben.  or  shud  a  ben. 

3. — A  might,  cud,  wud,  or  3. — Thay  might,  cud,  wud, 
shud  a  ben.  or  shud  a  ben. 

SUBJUNCTIVE  MOOD. 
Present  Tense. 

Singular.  Plural. 

1.— Eflbe.  1.— Efwebe. 

2. — Ef  thee  be,  or  airt,  or  2. — Ef  yew  be. 

thee'rt. 
3.— Ef  a  be,  or  a  es.  3.— Ef  thav  be. 


64 

Imperfect  Tense. 
Singular.  Plural. 

1. — Ef  I  waz.  1. — Ef  we  waz. 

2. — Ef  tha,  or  thee  waz.  2. — Ef  yew  waz. 

3. — Ef  a  waz.  3. — Ef  thay  waz. 

The  remaining  Tenses  are  in  accordance  with  similar 
ones  in  the  previous  moods. 

INFINITIVE  MOOD. 
Present  Tense.     To  be.       Perfect  Tense.     To  haave  a  ben. 

Participles. 

Present,  Bein.         Perfect,  Ben. 

Compound  Perfect,  Haavin,  or  hevvin  a  ben. 


65 


SHORT  SPECIMENS  OF  THE  CORXISH  DIALECT. 


It  is  beyond  the  scope  of  this  book  to  make  long 
extracts  from  Cornish  writers  of  tales,  and  not  very  neces- 
sary, because  the  reader  can  so  easily  obtain  original  books 
full  of  the  dialect. 

What  is  here  quoted  will  only  be  just  sufficient  to 
give  some  idea  of  what  the  Cornish  dialect  is  like.  The 
reader  should  remember  how  the  letters  are  pronounced  in 
reading  the  following  from  Tregellas's  story,  called  "  Cali- 
fornia." 

"And  so  Isaac,  you  have  been  fortunate  in  California, 
have  you  1  Iss,  why  how  fortinate !  I  have  had  putty 
good  speed  theere,  and  a  good  many  good  little  sturts. 
"Well,  as  you  may  say,  I  have  done  well-a-fine.  But  'twas 
coose  work  theere  I  'suree.  My  brother  Tom  was  out 
theere  weth  me,  and  we  lived  like  pigs  a'most,  we  ded 
a'most,  both  of  us ;  that  es  to  say,  for  the  time  you  knaw. 
Aw,  my  dear  !  sich  sour  maggoty  bread,  and  sich  ratten 
stinkin  biskies,  and  sich  sour  belly-vengeance  beer,  when 
we  could  git  any. 

And  then  the  soort  of  a  house  we  lived  in  wasn't 
better  then  a  cow-house,  what  we  righted  up  weth  trees 
and  sich  like ;  and  as  for  our  bed,  Aw,  my  dear !  'twas 
nothin'  but  strawy  traade  and  leaves,  and  like  that ;  and 


66 

all  the  waater  we  had  to  drink  was  the  saame  as  we 
washed  the  gowld  dowst  in,  and  'twas  alwaj^s  puddled. 
Aw,  loar !  the  owld  gipsies  what  do  live  'pen  hedgyboors 
and  that  soort  of  niait,  was  more  betterer  off  then  we  wor 
as  regaard  to  livin'.  Why  we'd  awnly  waun  laarge  soort 
of  saucepan  to  booil  everything  in,  and  baake  too,  and  we 
had  no  spoons  but  two,  what  Tom  and  I  maade  out  of 
two  sticks," 

In  the  following  example  the  words  are  spelt  more  in 
accordance  with  sound.  It  is  from  the  story  called,  "Visit 
toLunnun'"'  by  "  Uncle  Jan  Treenoodle." 

"Dost  thee  knaw,  soas,  I've  ben  op  te  Lunnun  Church 

town  1 
A  vine  passel  uv  things  I  zeed  theere  te  put  down, 
AVer  I  sliced  into  slivers  ze  theen  as  a  straw, 
I  cudd'n  tell  tha  haaf  tha  braave  theengs  as  I  zaw. 
Whay,    now,    what  do'ee   theenk?    thaive   got   temberin 

rooads. 
Which  es  vitty  at  times,  but  for  quilkins  an  tooads ; 
Puor  spoort  for  tom-toddies,  or  a  padgit6  pooe ; 
An  whan  et  do  cum,  cheel,  but  a  bit  uv  a  skew. 
Why  tha  rain  et  do  maake  em  so  slippy,  and  slottery, 
'Tes  no  wawnder  thay  bosses,  do  git  stogged,  or  trot  awry. 
Then  tha  '  Cabs '  as  they  caals  'em,  keeps  pootin  about, 
Like  a  Angleditch  twisten  etselve  en  an  out. 
An  thay  'Busses  uv  which  then  plaise  sure  theere's  a  mort, 
Skeyes  about  like  tha  bilers  uv  ingines  en  spooart. 
Wale  cheel,  as  fur  tha  shops,  I  wer  quite  in  a  maze, 
'Fath  I  ne'er  zeed  sich  booties  en  oal  ma  boom  daays. 


67 

Theere  es  sum  wetli  out-wenders  as  laarge  as  tha  housen 
Oal  prink'd  op  se  pridy,  wetli  theere  picters,  an  cloasen. 
An  then,  ef  I  ever  !  sich  vine  tummals  uv  cloam, 
Thay  maakes  a  scat-marchant  uv  thay  spaars  op  te  horn. 
Fur  tha  maaids  thee  mayst  zee  too,  sich  nackins  an  gownds, 
An  sich  aperns  an  coats ;  I'd  as  lieve  as  tew  pounds, 
That  ma  wive  baan't  slocked  en  thicky  noshuns  te  zee, 
Fur  ma  vangings  wud  look  scoy  an  wisht  ef  so  be. 
She've  jist  caal'd  ma  a  cropeing  timdoodle  i'facks  ! 
'Caas  uv  cuyu  I  ded  gev  her  less  than  she  ded  axe. 
Then  plaise  sure,  theere's  no  caase  te  be  creenin  or  dreulin, 
Be  bedoled  weth  tha  rhoomatiz,  roadlin  or  pulin. 
Fur  theere's  doctirs  as  pomstirs  oal  soarts  uv  desaises, 
Theer't  palcht  op  quite  braave-like  whenever  thee  plaises. 
What's  tha  odds,  ef  theer't  scat  oal  abroad  1  'tes  a  pity, 
But  en  few  hours'  vallee,  theer't  flam-new  an  vitty." 

THE   INVITATION.     (A  Parody.) 


Az  wance  down  Lemon  Street  I  strayed, 

A  leetle  while  agoan, 

I  mit  a  putty  lukkin  maaid, 

A  waalkin  oal  aloan. 

My  dear  !  Naow  woll'ee  haa  a  chaht  1 
Tha  aivnin  es  sa  vine, 
Ses  she,  I  caa'nt  agree  to  thaht, 
Becaase,  'tes  haaf  paste  nyne. 

Aw  !  haaf  paste  nyne ;  my  dear,  yew'm  wrong 
Plais  shore,  yew  caan't  be  right, 
Be  thikky  clock  I  cum  along, 
'Twas  awnly  haaf  paste  ite. 


68 

Cum  weth  ma,  soas  !  Naow  do'ee  cum, 
We'el  waalk  abaout  tha  plaace  ; 
She  sweeng'd  her  aarm,  an  hikkin  glum, 
She  scat  ma  in  tha  faace. 


BILLY  TELLING  THE  NEWS  TO  YOUNG  FARMEK 
KESSELL.     (A  rarody.) 


Kessell. — Hiillaw  Billy  !  How  be'ee  1  How  es  oal  horn  ? 

Billy. — Bad,  shore  nufF.     T'howl  magpie  es  dade. 

Kessell. — Aw  !  Ee's  dade,  es  a  ?  How  cum  that  te  be  ? 

Billy. — A  ovver-ait  hesselve,  a  ded. 

Kessell. — Ded  a  1  What  waz  et  a  ait  ? 

Billy. — Hoss-flesh,  tell  a  cudd'n  clunk  no  moar. 

Kessell. — How  cum  a  te  git  that  soort  uv  mait  1 

Billy. — Maister's  bosses. 

Kessell. — Thay  baen't  dade  be'um  1 

Billy. — Iss,  oal  awin  te  haard  wurk. 

Kessell. — What  haard  wurk  do'ee  main  1 

Billy. — Thay  putt' em  te  draa  waater. 

iTesse/^.— What  vur  1 

Billy. — le  put  tha  vire  out  weth. 

Kessell. — Vire  !  what  vire  ? 

Billy. — Doant'ee  knaw  ;  Way  Maister's  houz  es  oal  a  burn 

down 
Kessell. — Vaather's  houz  a  burn  down  !  How  waz  et  1 
Billij. — Thay  gashly  owld  lanturns  ded  et,  I  de  theenk. 
Kessell. — Lanturns!  what  be'ee  laalkin  abaouf?  whane  waz 

et] 
Billy.— "Yhsit  theeie  time  wliane  we  was  bcrrin  yewer  poar 

mawther. 


69 

KesseU. — JMawther  !  Es  she  dacle  1 

Billy. — Iss,  and  nevvur  spok  no  moar  aafter  tlialit. 

KesseU. — Aafter  what  ? 

Billy. — Aafter  ower  owld  maister  dide. 

KesseU. — Es  vaather  dade  too  % 

Billy. — Iss,  a  tuk  to  es  bade  direkly  a  was  towld  ? 

KesseU. — Towld  !  what  waz  a  towld  ? 

Billy. — Desmal  newas,  plais  shore. 

KesseU. — Aw  loar  !  what  wisht  newas  waz  et  1 

Billy. — Wale  ef  yew  must  knaw  I'le  tell'ee,  Tha  Bank's  a 

brok'. 
KesseU. — Aw,  dear  !    Aw,  dear  !    Thickky  es  tha  wishtest 

theeng  uv  oal.     "We  shul  oal  be  scat,  evvery  wawn 

uv  us. 

In  the  following  story  the  writer  has  endeavoured  to 
show  that  the  Cornish  Dialect  is  as  capable  of  pathos  as 
of  fun.  The  dialect  put  into  the  mouths  of  Eichard  and 
Betty  is  a  specimen  of  what  may  be  heard  near  St.  Austell. 


EICHAED  AND  BETTY  AT  ST.  AUSTELL  FEAST. 
(A  Parody.) 


Wawn  day  laast  week  I  caaled  inta  owld  Spletfigs  fur 
te  buy  a  bit  a  bacon,  whane  Avho  shud  I  mit  but  my  owld 
swithart  Betty  Polglaze;  she  stopp'd  oal  to  waunce  an 
zaid,  "  Way  Eechard  es  that  yew,  1 "  an  I  zaid  "  Iss,  'tes 
me  shore  nulF,"  an  she  zaid  "  Eechard  be'ee  cummin  te 
St.  Austell  Faist  temorra?"  an  I  zaid  '"No — I  ded'n  knaw, 


70 

I  might  prAps,"  an  Betty  lafFed;  an  thane  I  zaid  "I  wud," 
an  zo  I  niaade  op  me  mind  te  go  te  St.  Austell  Faist, 
Nex  mornin  I  got  out  a  bade,  an  put  on  me  clain  things 
an  a  noo  pair  uv  lace-ops  what  I  boft  in  te  town  laast 
maarket  day. 

Thay  waz  Cordivan  letther,  an  thay  draad  me  vit  zo 
that  I  cud  haardly  cloppy  along.  Howsumevvur  whane  I 
cum  inte  town  I  zeed  Betty  in  her  faether's  doar-way,  an 
tew  cha^DS  hangin  awn,  wawn  wawn  zide,  an  tha  t'other 
tha  other,  an  I  ded  feel  oal  ovver  in  a  putty  way.  Aw  ! 
Massy !  I'de  a  nation  good  mind  te  give  aich  uvv'um  a 
good  clout  onder  tha  ear,  fur  Betty  she  ded'n  take  no  notice, 
zo  I  glaazed  at  her,  but  she  ded'n  mind,  an  thane  I  gived 
her  a  bit  of  a  titch  in  tha  aelbaw,  an  thane  she  zaid  "Way 
Rechard  es  that  yew  1"  an  I  zaid  "  Iss  'tes  shore  nufF," 
an  she  zaid,  "  Rechard  woll'ee  cum  in  an  set  down  a  bit  1 " 
and  I  zaid  "Iss  I  wud"  an  zo  I  ded,  an  I  waalked  in; 
an  whane  I  cum  in  I  found  a  fine  passel  uv  people  inside, 
lots  uv'um,  an  Betty  zaid,  "Rechard,  woll'ee  haave  aliddl 
drap  a  sumthini"  an  I  zaid,  "Iss  thenk'ee,"  an  I  ded,  an 
a  nice  liddl  drap  et  waz,  an  I  laffed,  an  waz  feelin  cum- 
furtable  like,  very  cumfurtable ;  an  Betty  zaid,  "  Rechard 
woll'ee  zing  a  bit  uv  a  zong  1  and  I  zaid  "  Iss  I  wud  way 
oal  me  hart,"  an  zo  I  ded. 

Aw !  I  caal  te  mind  very  wale  that  thikky  waz  tha 
fust  zong  I  zing'd  te  Betty,  an  she  zaid,  "Yew'l  zing 
wawn  moar,  want'ee?"  an  I  zaid,  "Iss,  that  I  wud,"  an 
zo  I  ded,  an  turn'd  to  an  zing'd  wance  moar. 

Aw,  dear !  Thikky  waz  tha  laast  zong  evvur  I  ded 
zing  te  poar  Betty. 


71 

Et  waz  gittin  laate  an  zo  I  zaid,  "Betty,  'tes  time  fur 
me  te  go  hom,"  an  she  zaid,  "whanever  yew  de  wish 
Rechard,"  an  I  zaid,  "Woll'ee  cum  an  ze  ma  paart  uv  tha 
way  hom,  Betty"?"  an  she  zaid  she  wud,  an  zo  she  ded,  an 
cum  along  way  me  oal  tha  way  down  te  tha  bottom  uv  tha 
town;  an  thane  I  lukked  at  Betty  an  I  zaid  "Betty  give 
us  a  kess,  now  woll'ee  ? "  an  she  zaid  "  Iss  she  wud,"  an 
she  ded  too,  an  she  gived  me  a  kess. 

"  Wale,  Betty,  thee'st  lemm'ee  cum  an  ze'ee  te-morra 
night?"  an  she  zaid  "'tes  jist  as  yew  de  wish  Eechard" 
an  zoon  aefter  I  staerted  fur  hom,  an  got  inte  bade. 

Tha  aivnin  aefter  that,  I  went  te  mit  Betty.  Ite 
a'clock !  an  Betty  wadd'n  cum — Nyne  a'clock  !  an  no  Betty 
— tane  a'clock,  an  no  Betty — lebb'n,  twaelve  a'clock,  an  no 
Betty ;  zo  I  zaid  to  meselv,  'tes  sa  well  te  go  hom  as  stay 
heer,  an  zo  I  ded,  an  nex  mornin  I  heerd  that  poar  Betty 
waz  tuk  very  bad,  very  bad  shore  nufi",  an  that  she  sent 
word  fur  me  te  cum ;  zo  I  went,  an  zeed  poar  Betty,  an 
she  zaid,  "  Rechard,  ef  so  be  that  I  waz  te  die,  yew'l  go 
te  me  berrin  want'ee  ?"  an  1  zaid,  "  I  dedn't  knaw  what 
te  zay "' — "  praps  " — an  thane  I  zaid,  "  I  wud,"  an  I  ded, 
an  I  waalked  behind  tha  coffin  zingin  hymns  oal  tha  way, 
fur  poar  Betty  dide — Iss  she  ded — an  I  de  nevvur  go 
inside  St.  Austell  berrin-groun  wethout  I  de  drap  a  tear 
in  mind  uv  poar  Betty  Polglaze. 


WOEDS   IN   THE   COENISH   DIALECT 

Compared  icith  several  which   are  found  in  the  tvriting  of 
Chancer. 

(Chaucer  was  born  A.D.  1328,  aud  died  A.D.  1400.) 


The  following  are  some  common  words  as  spoken  in 
Cornwall.  Without  asserting  that  all  are  correctly  com- 
pared, yet  taken  as  a  whole,  they  sesm  very  familiar  to  a 
Cornishman,  as  he  meets  with  them  in  the  quaint  old 
English  verse  of  Chaucer. 

It  is  not  contended  that  similar  words  are  never  used 
elsewhere ;  only  that  they  are  not  now  so  pronounced  by 
the  educated  classes  in  Cornwall,  and  that  while  found  in 
Chaucer's  writings,  such  words  also  form  a  portion  of  the 
Cornish  dialect. 

As  is  well  known,  many  old  words  in  Spenser,  and  in 
Shakspere,  are  still  used  in  Cornwall,  but  they  are  few 
compared  with  those  to  be  found  in  Chaucer. 

The  form  of  English  which  first  reached  Cornwall 
when  the  ancient  language  was  passing  away,  was  appar- 
ently that  of  Chaucer,  which,  after  his  death,  at  last 
passed  the  banks  of  the  Tamar,  and  spread  gradually 
towards  the  west. 

As  the  language  changed,  influenced  as  it  must  have 
been  by  such  writers  as  Spenser,  Shakspere,  &c.,  so  in 
succession,  wave  after  wave  of  English  passed  from  the 


74 

east  into  Cornwall,  each  wave  modifying  the  dialect  spoken 
by  the  Cornish  during  the  long  period  of  the  decay  of  the 
ancient  Celtic  tongue  of  the  County. 

As  a  Cornishman,  one  often  feels  "at  home"  in 
reading  some  parts  of  Chaucer,  especially  the  "  Coke's 
Tale  of  Gamelyn,"  thus,  the  following  verse,  when  read 
in  Cornish  fashion,  does  not  seem  to  have  been  written 
500  years  ago  : — 

"  As  they  were  eting  and  drinking 

Of  the  best  wele  and  fine. 

Then  said  the  t'on  to  the  t'other 

This  is  yonge  Gamelyn." 

In  the  following  comparisons,  the  ordinary  English 
word  is  first  given  in  black  letter  ("Advise"),  then 
the  Cornish  form  of  it  in  ITALICS,  and  for  each  some 
quotations  by  way  of  illustration.  Thus  the  reader  will 
be  enabled  to  judge  for  himself. 

The  spelling  in  the  extracts  from  Chaucer,  is  that 
given  in  "The  Complete  Edition  of  the  Poets  of  Great 
Britain  "  published  by  John  and  Arthur  Arch,  of  London, 
and  Bell,  Bradfute  and  Mundell  of  Edinburgh.  The 
following  is  the 

LIST  OF  WOEDS  COMPARED  WITH  SOME  IN 
CHAUCER,  VIZ  :— 

Advise.  AFISE. 

"Now  be  well  avysed  ageyne  to-morowe  day, 

Then  shalt  thou  have  thy  jugemeut,  ther  is  no  more  to  say." 
(The  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 
"  And  so  much  the  more  that  thou  art  uat  wise, 

And  cans't  nat  me  of  no  mauer  avisc."  {Ibid.) 


75 
Afraid.  AFERED. 

"Was  in  a  bush,  that  no  man  might  him  se, 
For  sore  afercd  of  his  deth  was  he." 

[Canterhury  Tales.) 

Alas!  ALA  AS/     (so  pronounced.) 

"  Thus  herte  mine  !  for  Antenor  a/as  ! 
But  how  shull  ye  doeu  in  this  wot'ull  caas." 

{Troilus  <£•  Creseide.) 

"What  shall  I  doon,  my  Pandarus  Alas! 
Sens  that  there  is  no  remedy  in  this  caas." 

(Ibid.) 

Are.  AAR.     (so  pronounced.) 

"  That  it  n'ill  as  the  moeble  fare, 
Of  whiche  thei  first  delivered  are.'" 

[Bomaunt  of  the  Rose.) 

Ask.  AX. 

"You  lovers  axe  I  now  this  question, 

Who  hath  the  werse,  Arcite  or  Palamon?  " 

[The  Knight's  Tale.) 

"Under  the  mone  that  may  wane  and  waxe, 
And  for  my  werk  right  nothing  wol  I  axe.'' 

{The  Doctour's  Tale.) 

Asked.  AXED. 

"If  that  he  axed  after  Nicholas." 

{The  Miller's  Tale.) 

' '  And  gan  to  bord  ageyn  and  axed  him  in  game, 
Sith  thou  art  our  fadir  who  is  then  our  dame  ?  " 

(The  Merchant's  Second  Tale. J 

Asking.  AXING. 

"  I  you  forgeve  this  trespas  every  del. 
And  they  him  sware  his  axinf)  fayr  and  wel." 

(The  Canterbury  Tales.) 


76 
Bailiflfs.  BAILIVES. 

"  These  joly  knights  and  bailives 
These  nonnis  and  these  burgeis  wives." 

(Romaunt  of  the  Rose.) 

Bark.  BERK,     (also  pronounced  baark.) 

"  And  to  herh  as  doith  an  hound  and  sey  Baw  baw." 

(Merchant's  Second  Tale. J 

Beasts.  B  A  1ST  IS. 

"  Of  faire  wethir  and  tempestis, 
Of  qualme,  of  folke,  and  of  testis." 

(The  House  of  Fame.) 

Before.  AFORE. 

"  Thou  must  pass  through  the  hall,  but  tary  nat  I  rede, 
For  thou  shult  fynd  a  dur  up  right  afore  thyu  hede." 

(MerchanVs  Second  Tale.) 

"  For  as  the  seven  sages  had  afore  doclarid." 

(Hid) 
"  What  should  Mercie  do  but  Trespas  go  afore. 
But  Trespas,  Mercie  woll  be  litill  store." 

(Cfiaucer's  Ballads.) 

Between.  BETJVIX. 

"Every  man  to  other  will  seyne, 
That  hetwyx  you  is  somme  synne." 

[Romance  of  the  Lyfe  of  Ipoinydon.) 

"  This  was  the  forward  pleinly  for  t'endite, 
Betwixen  Theseus  and  him  Arcite."  (Ibid). 

Black.  BLAKE,     (pronounced  blaak.) 

"  Of  lambe  skynnys  hevy  and  blake, 
It  was  full  olde  I  undertake." 

(Romaunt  of  the  Rose.) 
"  As  soon  as  poverte  ginueth  take, 
With  mantil  and  with  wedis  blake." 

{Ibid.) 
"  An  hat  upon  his  bed  with  frenges  blake, 
Sire,  quod  the  Sumpnour,  haile  and  wel  atake. " 

(The  Frere's  Tale.) 


77 

"  Have  here  a  light  and  loke  on  all  these  hlake. 
But  oftin  gan  the  hert  to  glad,  and  quake." 

{Troihis  and  Creseide.) 

Brass.  BEAZ. 

"  I  found  that  on  the  wall  there  was 

Thus  -written  on  a  table  of  bras." 

{The  House  of  Fame.) 
"  Toke  out  his  blacke  trompe  of  bras, 

That  foulir  then  the  devill  was."  {Ibid.) 

Bull.  BULL.     (The  m  ijronounced  as  in  dull, 

the  same  also  in  the  word  bullocks.) 
"  For  of  the  Pope  I  have  the  bull, 
I  ne  hold  not  mj'  wittis  dull." 

Busy.  BEST. 

"  The  besij  larke  the  messenger  of  day, 
Salewith  in  hire  song  the  morwe  gray." 

{Canterbury  Tales.) 
"  And  while  he  besy  was  this  fendly  wretch, 
This  false  chanon,  the  foule  fend  him  fetch." 

(Ihe  Chanone's  Yeomannes  Tale.) 

Busily.  BESILY. 

"  Gan  I  beholdin  besihj, 
And  I  wol  tel  you  redily."  {liomaunt  of  the  Rose.) 

Carry.  CARY. 

"  And  said  twise  by  Saint  Mary, 
Thou  art  a  noyous  thinge  to  cary." 


Case.  CAAS. 

"But  if  it  be  in  certaiue  caas." 


(The  House  of  Fame.  J 


{Romaujit  of  the  Rose.) 


"  But  thei  would  hatin  you  parcaas, 
If  that  ye  iillin  in  ther  laas."  {Ibid.) 

"  That  'till  a  lover  longith  in  this  caas." 

{Troilus  and  Creseide.) 
"  That  ben  his  frendis  in  such  manir  caas." 

{Ibid.) 
"  I  tuck'd  up,  with  arowes  in  ther  caax." 

( Lefjend  of  Dido.) 


Chest.  CHIST. 

"And  eke  of  brotberhed.  if  that  thee  list, 
I  have  gold  aud  silver  lying  in  my  cJiist." 

(TJte  Frere's  Tale.) 

Contrary.  CONTRABY. 

"Away  fro  truth  it  doth  so  varie, 
That  to  gode  love  it  is  contrdiie." 

(Romaunt  of  the  Rose.) 

Crisp.  CRIPS. 

"  As  writeth  th'on  in  the  Apocalyps, 
Her  here  that  was  owndie  and  crips." 

{Hotise  of  Fame.) 

Danger.  DAUNGER.     (also  pronounced  daanger.) 

"  Wythout  more  daunger." 

{The  Merchanfs  Second  Tale.) 

Dark.  DERK.     (also  pronounced  daark.) 

"  N'iste  wher  she  was  for  it  was  derk, 
But  faire  and  wel  she  crept  in  by  the  clerk." 

(The  Here's  Tale.) 
"The  shadowe  makith  her  hemes  merke, 
And  her  hornis  to  shewin  derke." 

(Romavnt  of  the  Rose.) 

Darkness.  DERKNESS. 

"  For  thre  dayis  incessantly  the  derkness  among  them  was." 
{The  Merchanfs  Tale.) 
"  For  fere  of  night  so  hatith  the  derknesse.'" 

(The  Legend  of  Good  Women.) 

Deaf.  DEFE.     (deef.) 

"  For  that  1  rent  out  of  his  book  a  lefe, 
That  of  the  stroke  myn  ere  wex  all  f/c/e." 

(The  Wif  of  Bathe\<t prologue.) 
"  Why  that  I  rent  out  of  his  book  a  lefe, 
For  which  he  smote  me  so  that  I  was  defe." 

[Ibid.) 


Drove.  DEOV  or  DEOFF. 

"And  dro§'e  all  Lis  brother's  men, 
Eight  soue  on  an  hepe." 

[The  Coke's  Tale  of  Gamehjn.) 

Dwale.  DJVALE. 

"  Ther  n'as  no  more  ;  nedeth  hem  no  dwale, 
This  miller  hath  so  wisly  bibbed  ale." 

[The  Beve's  Tale.) 

Ease.  AISE.     (ese.) 

"And  said,  I  love  the  both  and  preise. 
Sens  that  thine  answere  doth  me  ese." 

Else.  ELS  or  ELLES. 

"  Have  we  nat  els  now  for  to  think  oppon." 

(  The  Merchant's  Second  Tale,) 
"For  she  desirid  nothinge  elles, 
In  certain,  as  the  boke  us  telles." 

{The  House  of  Fame.) 

Far.  FEE.     (or  Fur,  also  Ver). 

"  As  fer  as  that  the  day  beginneth  dawe." 

(The  Monhe's  Tale.) 
"  As  ferre  as  I  have  remembraunce." 

[The  Romaunt  of  the  Rose.) 

Fast.  FASTE  or  FAASTE. 

"  Then  now  in  our  tyme  ;  for  all  thing  doith  waste, 
Saff  vile  and  cnrsid  lyviug,  that  growith  ali  to  faste." 

Four.  FOJFEE.     (also  Vower.) 

"  With  other  foircr  I  dare  well  sale, 
That  uevir  woll  be  toke  awaie." 

{Romaunt  of  the  Rose.) 

Fringes.  FRENGES. 

"  An  hat  upon  his  hed  \\\i\ifrenries  blake. 
Sire,  quod  the  Sumpnour,  haile  and  wel  atake." 

{TheFrere's  Tale.) 


80 

Full.  FULL,     (the  u  as  in  dull.) 

"  Now  is  the  mone  yong  and  of  light  dulle, 
Ere  he  come  home  it  will  be  at  the  ftille." 

(The  Bemedie  of  Love.) 

Full  time.  JLL  TIME. 

"Lo  Grenwich,  there  many  a  shrew  is  inne, 
It  were  al  time  thy  tale  to  begin." 

{The  Beve's  Prologue.) 

Further.  FORTHER  FORE,     (or  Vorthervore.) 

''Farther for  they  wer  aftir  sent,  and  was  their  charge." 

{The  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 

Gave.  GOF  or  GOFF,  also  GA  V. 

"  He  toke  to  the  one  staff, 
And  beginning  to  worke  wele, 
And  gode  strokes  he  gaff." 

{Coke's  Tale  of  Gamelyn.) 

Glad.  GLADE  or  GLAAD. 

"  But  God  that  alle  made, 
That  I  shold  sittin  here  fasting, 
And  othir  men  make  glade. " 

{Coke's  Tale  of  Gamelyn.) 

"  So  shortly  to  conclude,  the  marriage  was  made, 
Betwene  hir  and  Beryn,  many  a  man  to  glade." 

{TJie  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 

Goes.  GOATHorGOTH. 

"  Ther  stomblen  stedes  strong  and  down  gnth  all, 
He  roUeth  under  foot  as  doth  a  ball." 

( The  Knight's  Tale.) 

Gown.  GOJVND. 

"  When  Machyn  wept  sore  and  brought  his  fadir's  goimid, 
And  gaf  bym  the  same  knyfif  oppon  the  see  strond." 

{Tlie  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 


81 

Had.  HADE,     (pronounced  haacl) 

"  She  of  her  love  grauut  to  him  made, 
Sir  Mirths  her  by  the  fingir  hade." 

(Romaunt  of  the  Rose.) 
"  Upon  the  woundis  that  he  hade, 
Thorough  the  eye,  in  my  herte  made." 

(Romaunt  of  the  Rose.) 

Haul.  3ALE. 

"And  cast  over  a  perch,  and  hale  along  my  throte." 

(Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 

Have.  EAAFE. 

"  And  yet  I  had  levir,  as  God  my  soule  save, 
Se  theswondir  pleys  then  all  the  good  I  have." 

(Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 
"  And  if  that  wickid  Deth  him  have, 
I  well  go  with  him  in  his  grave." 

(Romaunt  of  the  Rose.) 

Home.  HOM. 

"  If  that  I  walke  or  play  unto  his  hous, 
Thou  comest  hom  as  dronken  as  a  mous." 

(Wife  of  Bathe's  Prologue.) 

If  it  happen  so.  IF  so  BE.     (pro.  Ef  so  be.) 

"And  if  so  be  that  thou  my  lady  win. 
And  sle  me  in  this  wode,  ther  I  am  in." 

(Canterbury  Tales.) 
^*  If  so  he  that  thou  ne  mayst  not, 
Thin  owen  conseil  hide." 

(The  Taleof  Melibeus.) 
"Be  queinte  or  torned  in  another  place, 
If  so  be  thou  wolt  not  do  me  grace ." 

(The  Knighte's  Tale.) 
Is.  BE. 

"  I  trowe  his  habitation  be  there." 

(The  Pardoner's  Tale.) 

F 


82 

Fey.  IS  FEY.     (By  my  fey.) 

"For  he  shal  tell  a  tale  by  my  fey, 
Although  it  be  not  worth  a  hotel  hey." 

(The  Manciple's  Prologue.) 

Kep-kep-kep.  (The  call  for  a  horse  to  come  of 

his  own  accord,  as  used  in  Cornwall,  and  supposed  to 
be  not  now  used  in  any  other  County.) 

"With  Kepc-Jccpe;  stand,  stand,  jossa  warderere, 
Or  whistle  thou,  and  I  shal  Icepe  him  here." 

(Tlie  Reve's  Tale.) 

Keys.  KAYS. 

"  Adam  toke  the  kaies  and  lat 
Gamelyn  out  anon." 

(The  Coke's  Tale  of  Oamehjn.) 

"  The  opened  and  shet,  and  went  hir  wey, 
And  forth  with  hem,  they  caried  the  Icay." 

(The  Chanone's  Yemanne's  Tale.) 
"  And  if  that  bokis  were  awaie, 
I  lorne  were  of  all  remenbraunce  the  Jcaie." 

(The  Legend  of  good  women.) 

Kiss.  KESSE. 

•'  For  would  she  of  her  gentilnesse, 
Withoutin  more  me  onis  kesse." 

(The  Eomaunt  of  the  Rose.) 

Laugh.  LOFF.     (Lawgh.) 

"  The  burgoyses  gon  to  lawgh." 

(The  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 

Lend.  LEN  or  LENE. 

"  I  n'ere  but  lost ;  and  therefore  I  you  prey, 
Lene  me  this  summe,  or  elles  mote  I  dey." 

(The  Shipmaime's  Tale.) 


83 

"  Beseching  him  to  lene  a  certain 
Of  gold  and  he  wold  quite  it  him  again." 

(The  Clianone's  Yemanne's  Tale.) 
"  Lene  me  a  marke,  quod  he,  but  dayes  three, 
And  at  my  day  I  wol  it  quiten  thee." 

(Ibid.) 

Mad.  MAZED. 

"  Thyn  help,  quod  Beryn ;  lewde  fole, 
Thow  art  more  then  masid, 
Dres  the  to  the  shippis  ward  with  thy  crown  yrasid." 

(  The  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 

Master.  MAISTER. 

"  Sire  Knight  (quod  he)  my  maister  and  my  lord, 
Now  draweth  cutte  for  that  is  min  accord." 

(The  Canterbury  Tales.) 
"  But  at  the  last  his  maister  him  bethought, 
Upon  a  day  whan  he  his  paper  sought." 

(The  Coke's  Tale.) 
*'  And  afterward  he  said  unto  the  Frere, 
Tel  forth  your  tale  min  owen  maister  dere." 

(The  Frere' s  Prologue.) 

Merchant.  MARCHANT. 

"  Yit  nethirles  yf  thy  hert  be  so  inly  set. 
For  to  be  a  Marchaunf,  for  nothing  woll  I  let." 

(The  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 

•'  Though  he  be  chapman  or  marchaunt, 
And  have  of  golde  many  besaunt." 

(The  Romaunt  of  the  Rose.) 

Merchandise.  MARCHANDISE. 

"Of  my  marchandise,  such  as  he  to-fore  had  seyn," 

(The  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 
"  Or  that  he  wold  bergeyn  eny  marchandise, 
And  right  doith  these  marchandis  in  the  same  wise." 

(Ibid.) 


84 
Myself.  MYSELVE. 

"  It  passeth  not  ten  days  or  twelve, 
But  it  was  tolde  right  to  myselve." 

(The  Eomaimt  of  the  Rose.) 

Nature.  NATUE. 

"Geffrey  was  right  myghty,  and  wele  his  age  did  here, 
For  natur  was  more  substantial!  when  tho  dayis  wer." 

(The  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 

Needle.  NIDILL. 

"And  gan  this  nidill  threde  anone." 

(The  Romaunt  of  the  Rose.) 

Near  to.  iriSTE. 

"  And  u'lste  wher  she  was,  for  it  was  derk." 

(The  neve's  Tale.) 

Neither.  NETRIR. 

"  For  comfort  nethir  counsaiU  of  my  men  have  I  noon." 

(The  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 

Nonce.  NONES. 

"  Adam  seide  yong  Gamely n, 

Y  blissid  he  thy  bones. 

That  is  a  righte  gode  counsaile, 

Y  givin  for  the  nones." 

(The  Coke's  Tale  of  Gamelyn.) 

None.  NO  AN. 

"All  was  for  naught,  for  still  as  stone. 
He  lay ;  and  word  ne  spoke  be  none." 

(Chaucer's  Dream.) 

Not.  NAT. 

"  Geffry  was  so  nigh  com  that  Beryn  myght  nat  fle." 

(7  he  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 

"  Naie,  certainly,  it  shall  nat  be." 

(Tlie  Romaunt  of  the  Rose.) 


85 
Number.  NOMBER. 

"  Of  my  diseses  there  is  no  nomber, 
Daungir  and  shame  me  encomber." 

(The  Romaunt  of  the  Rose.) 
Own.  OTVEN.     (Oan). 

"And  sayd,  this  is  a  short  conclusion, 
Your  Given  mouth  by  your  confession." 

(The  Canterbury  Tales.) 

"  Ne  spaireth  not  min  oive)i  maister  dere." 

(The  Frere's  Tale.) 

Pass.  PAAS. 

"Wherefore  er  I  woll  ferthir  gone  or  paas, 
Yet  efte  I  the  beseche  and  fully  sale, 
That  privity  go  with  us  in  this  caas." 

(  Troilus  and  Creseide.) 

Place.  PLASE.     (plaas.) 

"  And  rid  so  forth  talkying  a  soft  esy  pase, 
Homward  to  his  plase  ther  that  Eame  was." 

Pour.  POWER,     (poure.) 

"  The  selfe  dale  or  that  veri-y  houre, 
That  I  on  hem  began  to  poure'^ 

(The  House  of  Fame.) 

Round.  ROUK 

"  Wherefore  they  gon  roune." 

(The  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 

Run.  RENNE  or  REN. 

"Which  that  I  herde  renne  faste  by." 

(The  Romaunt  of  the  Rose.) 
"  And  doen  his  lose  so  wide  renne, 
That  all  quicke  we  shouldin  him  brenne." 

(Ibid.) 
"  For  pitee  renneth  sone  in  gentil  herte, 
And  though  he  first  for  ire  quoke  and  sterte ." 

(The  Knighte's  Tale.) 


'*  And  many  a  yere  as  it  passed  henne, 
Sin  that  my  tappe  of  lif  beganne  to  renne." 

( The  Reve's  Prologue.) 
"  The  wif  came  leping  inward  at  a  renne, 
She  sayd  Alas  !  youre  hors  goth  to  the  fenne-" 

(The  Beve's  Tale.) 

Scatter.  SCATER. 

"  And  som  are  scatered  all  the  shore  aboute, 
Som  lepen  into  the  roof  withouteu  doute." 

(TJie  Clianone's  Yemanne's  Tale.) 

Self.  SELVE. 

"  It  passith  not  ten  dales  or  twelve, 
But  it  was  tolde  right  to  my  sclvc.'" 

(The  Eomaunt  of  tlie  Rose.) 

Shall.         SHUL. 

"  And  ye  shid  both  anon  unto  me  swere, 
That  never  mo  ye  sliul  my  contree  dere." 

(The  Knighte's  Tale.) 
"  Ne  never  shul  have,  terme  of  all  hir  lives." 

(The  Frere's  Tale.) 
"  Bring  eke  with  you  a  boile  or  elles  a  panne 
Ful  of  water,  and  ye  shul  wel  see  thanne." 

(Ihid.) 

Should.  SHUDDE.     (shud.) 

"  He  knew  not  Caton,  for  his  wit  was  rude, 
That  bade  a  man  shiidde  wedde  his  similitude." 

(The  Miller's  Tale.) 
Shut.  SHETTE.     (shet.) 

"  This  Nicholas  his  dore  faste  shetie, 
And  douu  the  carpenter  by  him  he  sette." 

(The  Miller's  Tale.) 
"  Voideth  your  man,  and  let  him  be  thereout, 
And  shet  the  dore,  while  we  ben  about." 

(The  Chanone's  Yemanne's  Tale.) 


87 

"Of  man  ne  woman  forth  right  plaine, 
But  shette  her  one  eye  for  disdaine." 

(The  Eomaunt  of  the  Rose.) 

"  Tho  were  the  gates  shette,  and  cried  was  loiide, 
Do  now  your  devoir,  yonge  knightes  proude." 

(The  Knifjhte's  Tale.) 
"And  on  the  Monday  whan  it  di-ew  to  night, 
He  shette  his  dore,  withouten  candell  light." 

(Tlie  Millefs  Tale.) 

Small.  SMALE.     (smaal.) 

"  And  smale  foules  maken  melodie," 

(The  Canterbury  Tales.) 

"  This  goddesse  on  an  hart  ful  heye  sete, 
With  smale  houndes  all  about  hire  fete." 

(Ibid.) 

" Wol  ye  here  the  Tale  ? 

Ovide,  amonges  other  thinges  smale." 

(The  Wif  of  Bath's  Tale.) 

"  Leteth  your  othes  bothe  gret  and  smale, 
But,  Sires,  now  wol  I  tell  you  forth  my  tale." 

(The  Pardonere's  Tale.) 
"  How  Sire  Thopas  with  sides  smale, 
Priking  over  hill  and  dale." 

(The  Rime  of  Sire  Thopas.) 
"The  mavis  and  the  nightingale. 
And  othir  joly  birdis  smale.''' 

(The  Eomaunt  of  the  Rose.) 

"  Turn  over  the  leef,  and  ehese  another  tale. 
For  he  shal  find  ynow  bothe  grete  and  smale." 

(The  Pardonere's  Tale.) 

Smart.         smert. 

"  For  many  a  man  so  hard  is  of  his  herte. 
He  may  not  wepe  although  him  sore  smerte." 

(Canterbury  Tales.) 


Some.  SOM. 

"  And  som  man  wold  out  of  his  prison  fayn, 
That  in  his  house  is  of  his  mevnie  slain." 

(Canterbury  Tales.) 
"  That  by  som  aventure  or  som  tretee. " 

(Hid.) 
"  Som  in  his  bed,  som  in  the  depe  see, 
Som  in  the  large  feld,  as  ye  may  see." 

(The  Knighte's  Tale.) 

Soul.  SOULE.     (sowl.) 

"  As  God  my  soide  save." 

(The  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 

Sound.  SOUK 

"This  man  comi^linin  with  a  pitous  soiin, 
For  even  like  without  addicioun." 

(The  Complainte  of  the  Blaclce  Knighte ,) 
"Of  'hem  that  makin  blodie  soun, 
In  trumpe,  heme,  and  clarioun." 

(The  House  of  Fame.) 

Standeth.  STONDETH. 

"  And  is  so  grow  in  yeris  that  LX  yeer  ago. 
He  sawe  nat  for  age ;  and  yit  it  stondith  so." 

(  The  Merchant's  Second  Tale,) 

Step.  STAP. 

"  And  cried,  out-aud-harrowe  !  and  nere  hym  gan  to  stap." 

(TJie  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 
"  And  would  fayn  have  voidit  and  outward  gan  to  stapp, 
But  Machaigne  arose,  and  sesid  by  the  lapp." 

(Ibid.) 

Sudden.  SODEN.     (soaden.) 

"But  feir  and  soft  wyth  ese  homward  they  her  led, 
For  her  soden  sekenes  ful  sore  they  were  adred." 

(TJie  Merchant's  Second  Tak,) 


89 


Suddenly.  SODENLY. 

"  0  !  word,  for  pure  anguysh  that  he  toke  sodenhj.^' 

(The  MercJiant's  Second  Tale.) 
"  AndsoDgeu  all  the  roundel  lustily, 
Into  a  studie  he  fell  sodenly." 

(The  Knighte's  Tale.) 

Swift.  SJFIFF. 

"Beryn  made  a  swyff  pase  ;  ther  myght  no  man  him  let." 

(The  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 

Swoon.  SJFOUN. 

*'  Or  of  aught  elles,  fledde  were  out  of  toune, 
Adoune  he  fell  all  sodainly  in  swoune." 

(Troilus  and  Creseide.) 

Tackling.  TAKELING. 

"  They  made  their  talceltjng  redy,  and  wend  the  sail  acres." 

(The  MerchanVs  Second  Tale.) 

Than.  THEN. 

"  Se  the  wondir  pleys  then  all  the  good  I  have." 

{The  MerchanVs  Second  Tale.) 

The  other.  THE  T'OTHER. 

"  The  father  sette  on  erth,  and  fast  began  to  fie." 

(Coke's  Tale  of  Gamelyn.) 
"  Should  do  the  t'odir's  bidding." 

(The  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 

There.  THEER  and  THER. 

"  And  aspyed  reddy  yf  ye  fynd  me  thej-e  (theer), 
In  the  meen  while  I  woU  abyde  here." 

(The  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 
"  And  so  them  thought  betir  and  leve  their  good  ther, 
Then  abyde  ther  oppon  and  have  more  fere." 

(Ibid.) 


90 
Throat.  THROTT. 

"  And  yknet  fast  with  a  riding  knot, 
And  cast  over  a  ijerch,  and  hale  along  my  throte." 

(The  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 

Torment.  TOURMENT,  TURMENT. 

"  And  eke  with  peine  that  love  me  yeveth  also, 
That  doubleth  all  my  tourment  and  my  wo." 

(Tlie  Canterbury  Tales.) 
"  For  she  is  so  grete  turment." 

(The  Eomaxint  of  the  Rose.) 
"  For  turment  that  he  had,  so  wery  he  was  and  fente. 
And  to  God  above  thus  he  made  his  pleyut." 

(The  MerchanVs  Second  Tale.) 

Treason.  TRAISON. 

"  He  that  purchasid  the  traison, 
Of  Boulande  and  of  Olivere." 

(The  Dreme  of  Chaucer.) 

Truly.  TREIFELY. 

A  !  quod  this  sumpnour,  benedicite,  what  say  ye  ? 
I  wend  ye  were  a  yeman  trewdy." 

(Tlie  Frere's  Tale.) 
"  Bur  trewely,  min  owen  maister  dere." 

(The  Pardoner's  Tale.) 

Twice.  TWISE. 

"  Now  (quod  Pandare)  er  houris  twise  twelve, 
He  shal  the  ese  unwist  of  it  himselve." 

(Troilus  <k  Creseide.) 
"  I  have  herd  sale  eke  times  twise  twelve. 
He  is  a  fole  that  woU  foryete  him  salve." 

(Ibid.) 

Upon.  OPPON. 

"  When  he  saw  the  pangis  of  deth  comyng  so  fast, 
Oppon  his  wife  Agea  almost  his  hert  to  brast." 

(The  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 


(The  Tale  of  Melibeus.) 


"  Fawnus  oppon  a  dey,  when  Beryn  cam  at  eve, 
Was  set  ojjpon  a  purpose  to  make  his  son  leve." 

(The  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 

Was.  JVAAS.     (also  waz.) 

"  And  rid  so  forth  talkyng;  a  soft  esy  pase, 
Homward  to  his  plase  ther  that  Kame  was." 

(The  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 
"  Thus  they  talkid  to  eche  othir  tyl  they  com  into  the  plase, 
And  wer  yentrid  in  the  hall,  ther  the  steward  was." 

(Ibid.) 

We.  US. 

"  Wherefore  us  ought  as  wel." 

Weary.  WEBBY. 

"  We  enviroun  bothe  londe  and  se, 
With  all  the  worlde  werrijin  we." 

(The  Romaunt  of  the  Rose.) 
"  Wery  and  wet,  as  bestis  in  the  rain, 
Cometh  sely  John,  and  with  him  cometh  Alein." 

(TheHeve's  Tale.) 

When.  TFEAN. 

"  Withouten  any  lenger  tarying, 
A  morwe  whan  the  day  began  to  spring." 

"  Doth  to  the  ladies  whan  the  from  him  wente, 
But  shortly  for  to  telle  is  min  entente." 

(The  Canterhury  Tales.) 
"  Whan  that  the  time  shall  be." 

(The  Coke's  Tale  of  Gamelyn.) 

Where.  JFHEB. 

' '  Wher  as  this  lady  romed  to  and  fro. 
And  with  that  sight  hire  beautie  hurt  him  so." 

(Tlie  Knighte's  Tale.) 


92 
While.  TVHILES. 

"  Whils  that  I  here  stoud." 

(The  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 

Wm.  JFOL.    (or  wul.) 

"And  after  wol  I  tell  of  our  viage, 
And  all  the  remenant  of  our  pilgrimage." 

(The  Canterhnry  Tales.) 
"  And  thus  he  thoughts  wel  that  every  man, 
Wol  helpe  himself  in  love,  if  that  he  can." 

(lUd.) 
"Till  we  be  fast,  and  than  we  icol  hem  shewe, 
Wel  may  that  be  a  proverbe  of  a  shrewe." 

(The  Wif  of  Bathe's  Prologue.) 

Wonder.  WAUNDER. 

"  Of  whom  thou  hast  grete  fere  and  ivonder, 
And  dwellinge  with  the  god  of  thonder." 

(The  House  of  Fame.) 

Wore.  WERED. 

"  Of  fustian  he  ivered  a  gipon, 
Alle  besmotred  with  his  habergeon." 

(The  Canterbury  Tales.) 
"Upon  his  hede  he  toe7'ed  of  laurer  grene, 
A  gerlond  fresshe  and  lusty  for  to  sene." 

(The  Knighte's  Tale.) 

Wouldest.  JFUST. 

"  Where  me  be  wo  o  mightie  God !  thou  ivoste." 

Wound.  WOUNDE.     (wownde.) 

' '  But  cruil  day,  so  welaway  the  stounde. 
For  whiche  hem  thought  thei  felin  deth'is  icounde." 

(Troilus  and  Creseide.) 
"  And  how  Hipomudon  in  a  litil  stounde, 
Was  dreint,  and  dedde,  Parthenope  of  wound." 

(Ibid.) 


93 

"  That  to  my  foe  that  gave  my  herte  a  wounde, 
And  namily  there  were  none  may  be  founde." 

(The  Complaint  of  the  BlacTce  Knighte.) 

Wrestling.  WRASTLING. 

"  Wrastlen  by  veray  force  and  veray  might, 
With  any  yong  man,  were  he  never  so  wight." 

(TheMonlce's  Tale.) 
"That  was  so  doughti  a  champion, 
In  wrastling  and  in  fight." 

(The  Coke's  Tale  of  Gamehjn.) 
"  Y  cryid  a  ivrastling."  (Ibid.) 

Yet.  YIT. 

"  And  met  nevir  man  ylt,  that  me  coud  tell  with  mowth." 

(The  Merchant's  Second  Tale.) 

Yock.  YOXETH.  (Yuck,  to  try  and  swallow 

when  the  mouth  is  empty,  to  hiccough.) 

"  He  yoxeth,  and  he  speketh  thurgh  the  nose. 
As  he  were  on  the  quakke,  or  on  the  pose." 

(TheReve's  Tale.) 

You.  YEW. 

"  A !  Sir  be  yeio  that  man  ?  of  yew  1  have  y  herd, 
Gentill  Sir,  doutith  nat,  ne  be  nothing  aferd." 

(The  Merchant's  Second  Tale,) 


94 


COMMON    ENGLISH   WORDS   IN   THE 
C ORNISH  DIALECT. 


Many  ordinary  English  words,  although  not  exactly 
dialectic,  are  much  changed,  and  differently  pronounced  in 
the  Cornish  dialect,  and  as  we  meet  with  them  in  reading 
Cornish  tales,  such  Avords,  being  in  situ,  often  arrest  the 
attention  by  their  peculiar  quaintness,  and  force. 

Hundreds  of  English  words  are  so  "  handled  "  by  the 
Cornish,  that  it  is  difficult  to  say  whether  such  words 
should,  or  should  not,  be  included  in  a  Glossary. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  make  a  list  of  some  of  them, 
and  although  the  catalogue  could  be  much  lengthened,  the 
following  may  suffice.  To  extend  it  would  be  of  no  great 
use,  and  certainly  tedious  for  perusal.  The  selection  of 
words  in  the  following  list  will  illustrate  to  some  extent 
the  peculiarities  of  the  dialect. 


CORNISH. 

ENGLISH. 

CORNISH. 

ENGLISH. 

Aant  or  Un.. 

.  Aunt 

Apern 

..  Apron 

Abroad 

.   Wide  open 

Apernt 

..  Apron 

Afore 

.  Before 

Apsen 

..  Aspen 

Aise 

.  Ease 

Arg           ^ 

Anatomy      . 

.  Skeleton 

Argy 

..  Argue 

Anend 

.   On  end 

Argyfy      ) 

Antic 

.  Fool 

ArterorAaft 

er  After 

COBNISH. 

ENGLISH. 

CO  BN IS  FT. 

ENGLISH. 

Atliurt 

..  Athioart 

Brether 

..  Brother 

Atween 

.  Between 

Brik 

..  Break 

Atwixt 

..  Betwixt 

Broffc 

..  Brought 

Avore 

..  Before 

Brudge 

..  Bridge 

Awnly 

..  Only 

Buts 

..  Bots 

Ax 

.  Ask 

Bye 

..  Lonely 

Baan't 

..  Am  not 

Caalin 

..  Calling 

Bait 

..  Beat 

Caan't 

..   Cannot 

Bakester 

..  Baker 

Capp'n 

..  Captain 

Bankrout     . 

..  Bankrupt 

Cause 

..  Because 

Beel 

..  Bill 

Cause 

..  Case 

Beel 

.  Beak 

Chacks 

..   Cheeks 

Belk 

.  Belch 

Chainy 

..  China 

Belve 

.  Bellow 

Chait 

..  Cheat 

Berrin 

..  Funeral 

Cheeld 

..  Child 

Bestest 

.  Best 

Chelder 

..   Children 

Betterfit       . 

..  More  suitable 

Cheldern 

..  Children 

Bettermost  . 

.  Best 

Cheen 

. .  Chine 

Billees 

.  Bellotvs 

Cliimbly 

..  Chimney 

Bilt 

.  Belt 

Chimley 

..   Chimney 

Bind 

.  Band 

Cliing 

..  Chin 

Bine 

.  Bind 

Choorin 

. .  Charing 

B'law 

.  Believe 

Chow 

..  Chew 

Blawed 

.  Bloived 

Chuck 

..  Choke 

Boalin 

.  Boiling 

Ch'town 

..   Churchtown 

Boft 

.  Bought 

Chain 

. .  Clecm 

Bould 

.  Bold 

Claps 

..  Clasp 

96 


CORNISH. 

ENGLISH. 

CORNISH. 

ENGLISH. 

Clath 

.  Cloth 

Drule 

..  Drivel 

Clem 

.  Climb 

Dryth 

..  Dryness 

Coin 

.  Corner 

Dung 

..  Manure 

Coose 

.  Coarse 

Dung 

..  Mud 

Coose 

..   Course 

Eerth 

..  Earth 

Crabbit 

..  Crahhed 

Emperent 

..  Impudent 

Crack 

..   Blow 

Ent 

..  Empty 

Craw 

..  Crop 

Euties 

..  Empties 

Crepple 

.  Cripple 

Faather 

..  Father 

Crids 

..  Curds 

Faist 

..  Feast 

Criddle         . 

.  Curdle 

Fetterlock 

..  Fetlock 

Critch 

.   Crutch 

Filth 

..  Fuhiess 

Croom 

.  Crumh 

Find 

..  Provide 

Crougin 

.  Crouching 

Fine  and 

..    Very 

Cruds 

.   Curds 

Fitty 

..  Proper 

Cruddle 

..  Curdle 

Flanuin 

..  Flannel 

Cruel  fine     . 

..   Very  fine 

Flick 

..  Fling 

Crully 

..   Curly 

Full  drive 

..  Fast  driven 

Cud 

..   Quid 

Fur 

..  Far 

Cussn't 

..   Cannot 

Fur 

..  For 

Dafter 

. .  Daughter 

Furder 

...  Further 

Bail 

..  Deal 

Furriu 

...  Foreign 

Batch 

..  Thatch 

Fust 

...  First 

Derk 

..  Dark 

Gashly 

..  Ghastly 

Deef 

..  Deaf 

Girts 

..  Gh-oats 

Disliclout     . 

..  Dishcloth 

Go  abroad 

..  Dissolve 

Drane 

..  Drone 

Gone  poor 

..  Tainted 

COBNISH. 

ENGLISH. 

CORNISH. 

ENGLISH. 

Gone  poor    . 

..  Sour 

Innerds 

..  Intestines 

do. 

Decayed 

Insye 

..  Inside 

Goodness     . 

..  Fat 

Janders 

..  Jaundice 

Gov 

..  Gave 

Joice 

..  Juice 

Gwain 

..  Going 

Kail 

..  Keel 

Gress 

. .  Grease 

Keem 

..  Comb  (v.) 

Gripe 

..  Ditch 

Kep  or  kip 

..   Cap 

Gurt 

..  Great 

Kit 

..  Kin 

Haaf 

..  Half 

Kivver 

..  Cover 

Hack 

..   Dirj 

Knack 

..  Knock 

Haps 

..  HasiJ 

Knawed 

..  K7iew 

Harve 

..   Harrow 

Knitster 

..  Knitter 

Heed 

..  Hide 

Lafs 

..  Laths 

Hollin 

..  Shouting 

Lank 

..  Flank 

Holt 

..   Grasp 

Lappy 

..  Lap  (v.) 

Holm 

..  Holly 

Lash  down 

. .  Throw  down 

Horn  or  hum 

Home 

Laurer 

..  Laurel 

Homly 

..  Homely 

Liard 

..  Liar 

Homward     . 

..  Homeward 

Lick 

..  Smear  (v,) 

Honey-sweet 

Sweet  as  honey 

Licks 

..  Leeks 

Hong 

..  Hang 

Lights 

..   Lungs 

Howsumever 

Hoicever 

Loff 

..  Laugh 

Howsumdeve 

r  However 

Lookin 

..  Expecting 

Housen 

..  Houses 

Maa 

..  Maw 

Hunk 

..  Himch 

Maake  hum 

..  Shut 

Hungry 

..  Greedy 

Make  horn 

..  Shut 

Innerd 

..  Inward 

Mash 

..  Marsh 

98 


OORNISH. 

ENGLISH. 

CORNISH. 

ENGLISH. 

Maun 

..  Maund 

Outlander    . 

.  Foreigner 

Mawther 

..  Mother 

Ovver 

..  Over 

Maxims 

..   JFhims 

Ovvergone   . 

.   Exhausted 

Moyle 

..  Mule 

Parae 

.  Falm 

Mait 

..  3£eat 

Pankin 

.  Panting 

Mait 

..  Flesh 

Passel 

.  Many 

Maity 

..  Fleshy 

Passel 

.  Much 

Maunge 

..  Munch 

Passel 

.  AM 

Meddick 

..  Emetic 

Pass'n 

..  Parson 

Moral 

..  Likeness 

Peart 

.  Brisk 

Munge 

..  Munch 

Peart 

..  Pert 

Musicianer 

..  Musician 

Tere 

.  Ap2)ear 

Naet 

..  Night 

Peasen 

..  Peas 

Nawl    • 

..  Awl 

Peeth 

.  Pith 

Naw^e 

..  Nose 

Peethy 

..   Witty 

Nevvy 

..  Nephew 

Pella 

..  Pillow 

Niddle 

..  Needle 

Pennerd 

..  Pennyworth 

Noaise 

..  Noise 

Petch 

..  Pitch 

Norra 

..  Neither 

Piecen 

..  Patch  (v.) 

Nuther 

..  Neither 

Pilclier 

..  Pilchard 

Oddit 

..  Adit 

Pin 

..  Hip 

Oft 

..  Ought 

Pitched 

.  Taken  root 

Ool 

..   Wool 

Poam 

..  Pummel 

Ood 

..   Wood 

Poor 

..   Tainted 

Oogly 

..  Ugly 

Poss 

.  Post 

Oppon 

..   Upon 

Portmantle  . 

.  Portmanteau 

Orry 

..  Either 

Pots 

.  Bowels 

99 


CORNISH. 

ENGLISH. 

CORNISH. 

ENGLISH. 

Powdered 

..  Corned 

Sherd 

..  Shard 

Prentis 

.    Apprentice 

Shoul 

..  Shovel 

Progue 

..  Prohe 

Skivver 

..  Skewer 

Proper 

..  Handsome 

Slat 

..  Slate 

Pult 

...  Pulse 

Slish 

...  Slice 

Put  horn 

..  Shut 

Sliver 

...  <S7/ce 

Putcher 

...  PikUr 

Slone 

...  Sloe 

Putty 

...  Pretty 

Smert 

...  Smart 

Rabbin 

...  Rolhi 

Sodger 

...  Soldier 

Eemlet 

...  Piemnant 

Soils 

...  Seals 

Eish 

...  Bush 

Sond 

...  Sand 

Eossum 

...  Bosin 

Sonny 

..  Son 

Eowl 

...  Boll 

Soun 

...  Sound 

Eub 

...  Bob 

Sound 

...  ^m;oow 

Eud 

...  Bed 

Soundin 

...  Fainting 

Ruggy 

...  Bugged 

Spare 

...  S/om; 

Ruggy 

...  Bubbly 

Sperrits 

...  (Sprigs 

Euttlin 

...  Batiling 

Sperrits 

...  Courage 

Sample 

...  Supple 

Spore 

...  Spur 

Sample 

...  Soft 

Squinny 

...  6'3M?«^  (v.) 

Say 

...  Sea 

Splat 

...  *Spi 

Scrunch 

...  Crunch 

Staarch 

...  >S^arc/i 

Skerd 

...  Abraded 

Stap 

...  Step 

Shale 

...  Scale 

Stirrage 

...  Hti6&M& 

Sharps 

...  Shafts 

Stuffle 

...  Stifle 

Shanks 

...  ^i^ote 

Sturch 

...  ,Storc/i 

Shellard 

...  Shillings- 
worth 

Sturt 

...  Siar/ 

100 


CORNISH. 

ENGLISH. 

CORNISH. 

ENGLISH. 

Survey 

..  Auction 

Vut 

..  Foot 

Swoun 

..  Swoon 

Walvin 

. .   Wallowing 

Swound 

..  Swooti 

Waps 

..   Wasp 

Swoundin 

..  Fainting 

Way 

. .  The  reason 

Sye  or  Zye 

..  Scythe 

(why) 

Taw 

..  Tow 

Wered 

.   Wore 

Teel 

..  Plant  (v.) 

Whap 

.   Whop 

Tell 

..  Count  (v.) 

Whichy 

.   Which 

Tend 

..  Attend  (v.) 

Widdy 

.   fPidow 

Thikky        . 

.   That 

Widdy-man . 

.   Widower 

Thoft 

.  Thought  (v.) 

Widdy-woman  Widow 

Trikle 

.  Treacle 

Winder 

.   Window 

Trist 

.  Trust  (v.) 

Wust? 

.    Will  you? 

Truckle 

.  Trundle 

Wust 

Worst 

Turmets 

.  Turnips 

Wuth 

Worth 

Twiggle        .. 

.    Wriggle 

Yaller 

Yellow 

Ubb'n 

.  Oven 

Yowlin 

Tloxvling 

Vaatlier 

.  Father 

Zad 

Sad 

VeetorVit  .. 
Vitty 

.  Feet 
Proper             | 

Zad 

Zed  {Z.) 

101 


ON  THE  GLOSSARY  OF  CORNISH 
PROVINCIAL  WORDS. 


Although  some  of  the  words  contained  in  the  follow- 
ing glossary  are  in  use  in  other  parts  beyond  Cornwall, 
yet,  taken  as  a  whole,  they  may  be  said  to  represent  the 
provincialisms  peculiar  to  the  County. 

No  doubt  there  are  many  omissions,  and  some  words 
may  be  thought  to  scarcely  deserve  a  place  in  the  list. 

To  know  with  certainty  what  to  admit,  or  what  to 
exclude,  requires  a  knowledge  of  most  of  the  dialects  of 
the  Kingdom,  but  the  simple  rule,  which  has  been  followed 
here,  is  to  include  such  words  as  are  not  generally  spoken 
by  the  educated  classes  in  Cornwall,  and  so  are  considered 
as  fairly  belonging  to  the  provincial  dialect  of  the  County, 

The  following  is  an  example  of  words  common  to 
another  district  besides  Cornwall,  notwithstanding  this, 
such  words  are  also  claimed  as  belonging  to  the  Cornish 
dialect. 

Latham,  in  his  book  on  the  English  Language,  (3rd 
Ed.  p.  561)  alludes  to  English  dialects  not  in  conformity 
with  the  mother  tongue,  and  says,  "  that  among  the  most 
remarkable  is  what  may  be  called  "Little  England  beyond 
Wales."  "In  Pembrokeshire  and  Glamorganshire  the 
language  is  English  rather  than  Welsh." 


102 

In  the  following  list  are  words  collected  by  the  Eevd. 
J.  Collins,  and  included  in  the  "Transactions"  of  the 
Philological  Society,  No.  93.  (see  Latham.)  The  following 
is  a  selection  compared  with  Cornish  provincial  words. 


PEMBROKE. 

CORNWALL. 

Angletouch.. 

Angleditch,  or  .. 
Angletwitch. 

.  Earthworm. 

Brandis 

Brandis 

.  Iron  stand  for  a  pot  or 
kettle. 

Cloam 

Cloam  or  Clome.. 

.  Earthenware. 

Clit 

Clib 

.  To  stick  together. 

Dreshel      .. 

Drashel 

.  A  flail. 

Eddish       .. 

Arrisli 

.  Corn  stubble. 

Evil 

Evil,  Eval  or     .. 
Heeval 

.  A  three-pronged  dung  fork 

Foiist 

Foust 

.  To  tumble. 

Hamrach    . . 

Hames 

.  Straw  horse-collar. 

Nesseltrip  .. 

.  Nessel-bird 

.  The  smallest  pig  in  a  lit- 
ter ;  in  Cornwall,  the 
youngest  in  a  family. 

Ovice 

.  Ovvice 

.  Eaves  of  a  building. 

Peert 

Peert 

.  Lively,  brisk. 

Quat 

.  Quat 

.  To  press  down,  to  flatten. 

Reremouse.. 

.  Airymouse 

.  The  bat. 

Suant 

.  Suant 

.   Regular,  in  order. 

Want 

.  Want 

.  A  mole. 

Weest        .. 

.  Wisht 

.  Lonely,  desolate. 

103 

These  resemblances  between  words  in  South  West 
\Yales,  and  Cornwall,  point  to  the  inter-communication 
by  sea,  because,  in  journeying  by  land,  the  traveller  passes 
through  districts  in  which  such  words  are  not  used. 

The  writer,  being  a  native  of  central  Cornwall,  will 
be  found  to  have  spelt  many  words  which  are  not  exactly 
so  pronounced  in  other  parts  of  the  County ;  it  has  been 
explained  how  the  Cornish  dialect  varies  between  the 
Tamar  and  the  Land's  End,  yet  it  is  hoped  that  the 
spelling  and  the  meanings  are  not  very  different  from 
what  we  find  in  other. districts.  There  are  various  ways 
of  spelling  provincial  words,  and  as  each  writer  is  guided 
by  his  hearing  the  spelling  of  a  great  many  of  them  must 
be  phonetic. 

Young  Cornish  people  appear  to  be  unaware  how 
rapidly  their  language  is  altering  because  of  so  much  more 
travelling  and  intercourse,  therefore  it  may  be  of  some 
interest,  if  not  use  to  collect  all  the  provincial  words 
w^hich  the  writer  can  remember,  or  glean  from  other 
scources ;  without  so  doing  it  would  be  impossible  that  a 
glossary  could  ever  be  completed  or  rendered  useful. 

Like  two  colours,  the  Miner's  dialect  and  that  of  the 
Husbandman  shade  off  into  each  other;  this  shading  is 
more  or  less  intensified  in  difi"erent  places,  and  the  dia- 
lectic words  are  being  continually  scattered,  or  intermingled 
by  the  constant  movements  of  the  Cornish  population. 

^Yestern  people  coming  eastwards,  and  Eastern  people 
going  westwards,  must  therefore  keep  up  a  continual 
interchange  of  Western  and  Eastern  dialect. 


104 

For  the  sake  of  simplicity  and  uniformity,  the  writer 
has  made  this  attempt  to  compile  one  glossary  for  the 
whole  County. 

He  is  convinced  that  such  a  method,  if  it  can  be 
perfected,  will  be  found  to  be  more  useful  and  practical, 
notwithstanding  the  wide  difference  in  dialect  between  the 
extreme  ends  of  the  County. 

The  names  and  authorities,  so  far  as  they  can  be 
ascertained,  are  given  in  the  reference  table  at  the  end  of 
the  glossary. 

Wherever  words  are  quoted  they  are  signified  by 
initials  or  names  to  each  of  them. 

The  rest  of  the  glossary  not  so  initialed  consists  of 
words  known  to  the  writer. 

A  large  number  of  Rabelaisque  words  could  be  added 
but  for  obvious  reasons  they  are  entirely  omitted. 


GLOSSARY 

OF 

CORNISH  PROVINCIAL   WORDS. 


Abear.  To  bear.  (In  Spenser.)  Always  used  nega- 
tively in  the  Cornish  dialect  as,  "I  caan't  ahear  te 
do  et." 

Abroad.  Wide  open,  as,  "the  door  is  abroad,"  also, 
mistaken,  as,  "  he's  all  abroad  there." 

Addle -pooL  A  cess-pool.  In  Celtic  Cornish  it  is 
ato.l,  refuse,  waste;  and^o/,  a  pond,  a  pool,  stagnant 
Avater,  a  miry  place,  mire,  mud,  slime  ;  a  well,  a  pit. 

Adventurer.       A  shareholder.     As  in  a  mine,  &c. 

Afered.      Afraid. 

"  Of  Ms  visage  children  were  sore  afered"      Chaucer. 
"  Were  thou  afered  of  her  eye  ?  "       Gov:er. 

Afty  or  Aafty,  Arter  or  Aarter.       Various  forms 

of  the  name  Arthur. 
Agar.       Ugly.     This  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word  and  spelt 

hage.'i\    meaning  ugly,   deformed,   rough,    foul,    evil, 

naughty,  fierce,  cruel. 

Agate.  "All  agate,"  i.e.,  full  of  expectation,  all  eye 
and  ear,  on  the  (^i  vive. 


106 
Agist,  Aginst,  or  Agin.     Against.  (Ageins.  Chaucer.) 
Aglets.       The   berries  of  the  hawthorn  (haws);    also 

called  aglen  and  aivglen.     Craicegus  oxyacantha. 
Agnail.       A  whitlow;  from  Ange-nail,  i.e.,  pain-nail. 
Ailer,  or  Heller.      See  Eaihr. 
Airy-mouse.       The  bat.      The  boys  call  to  it  thus, 

"  Airymouse  !  Airymouse  !  fly  over  my  head, 
And  you  shall  have  a  crust  of  bread, 
And  when  I  brew,  and  when  I  bake, 
You  shall  have  a  piece  of  my  wedding  cake." 

(Couch's  History  of  Polperro.) 

Aitch-piece.      The  catch  or  tongue  of  a  buckle,    m.a.c. 

Ake.       A  groove  in  a  stone  for  a  rope  or  iron  band, 
secured  so  as  to  be  used  as  an  anchor.  W.N. 

Aketha !       Forsooth !  u.J.t. 

Alley.       The  allis  shad.     Alosa  vulgaris.  C. 

Alleys.       Boys  best  marbles  of  white  stone,  or  of  china. 
Used  mostly  as  taws. 

Allsanders.       Called  sUt  or  sheet  by  boys  who  made 
squirts  of  the  stems.     Smyrnium  ohisatrum.  C. 

AmenutS.       Almonds.  U.J.T. 

AmpaSSy,   also  Passy.       Terms   meaning  et  ccetera, 

(&c.) 
Anan  P    or  NanP       "What?  ^Y\xat  do  you  say?  Nan 

is  also  used  in  Kent. 


107 
Anatomy.     A  skeleton.    See  'Natomy. 

AncsU.       A  steelj-ard.  The  Cornishman. 

Anek.  "  Crying  anek."  This  crying  of  anik  is  a  harvest 
ceremony,  probably  of  very  great  antiquity.  The 
a  is  pronounced  like  a  in  mate;  the  accent  is  very 
strong  on  nek.  There  are  some  variations  in  "crying 
an^k."     This  is  how  the  writer  remembers  it : 

The  reaper,  with  his  reaping  hook,  (it  was  thought  a  shame 
to  cut  wheat  with  any  other  tool)  having  cut  a  last  handful  of 
wheat,  held  and  waved  it  high  over  his  head,  as  with  a  loud 
and  joyful  voice  he  cried, 

"  I  have  et,  I  have  et,  I  have  et," 
on  which  the  other  harvesters  standing  around  shouted, 

"What  have'e?,  Whathave'e?,  Whathave'e? 
and  then  arose  the  triumphant  cry, 

Anek,  Anek,  Anek.— Hooraa ! 

Lhuyd  (Archoeologia)  says,  Anaic  (Irish)  means 

"save   (thou)   me,"     It   would   seem   that   when   a 

Cornishman  cries  Anek,  an6k,  an^k — Hooraa  ! "   its 

equivalent  in  English  is 

Saved,  saved,  saved — Hurrah  ! 

A  full   account    of    this    ceremony   is    given   in    E.    Hunt's 
"Romances  of  the  West  of  England." 

Angallish.       Gallows-like.     Vicious. 

Angleditch.       Earthworm.     Also  called  Angle-twitch, 

and  Angle-touch.     Carew  calls  it  Tag-worm. 
In    Devonshire   it   is   Angle-dog,  and   Angle-twitch. 
(Angdtwecca.     Ang.  Saxon.) 


108 

Anker.       A  small  cask  or  keg  of  about  four  gallons, 
used  for  brandy. 

The  ankers  which  contained  smuggled  brandy  used  to  be 
cut  in  two,  and  so,  many  of  the  Cornish  provided  themselves 
with  tubs.  "Free-traders"*  imported  their  "moonshine" 
in  such  ankars  when  the  nights  were  dark. 

See  Moonshine. 

Anointed.       Used  thus,   "you   anointed   vellan,"  i.e., 

"you  confounded  rascal." 
Antic.       A  good  humoured  fool.     "  Such  an  antic." 
Anyst,  or  Anist.       Close  by,  near  to. 
Appledrane.       A  wasp.  CdUngton. 

Apple -bird.       A  chaffinch.  Polwhele. 

Appurtenances.      See  Purtens. 

Apsen.       The  aspen  tree. 

Apty-COCk.       A  sharp  little  fellow.  7F.  Briton. 

Ardar.       A  plough.     This  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word,  in 

which  language  we  have  Den  ardar,  a  ploughman. 
Arear !       Oh,    strange !    Wonderful !    from    the   Celtic 

Cornish  Bed,  meaning  the  same. 
Arg,  or  Agyfy.       To  argue,  to  dispute. 
Arrant.       An  errand.  (Arande.     Chaucer.) 

Arrant  boy.       An  errand  boy. 
Arrish.       Stubble  land  after   the  corn  has  been  cut. 

Errish  in  Devon,  Ersh  in  Sussex. 
Arrish-geese.       Stubble  fed  geese. 

*  Smugglers. 


109 

Arrish-mOW.  A  round  pile  of  corn  sheaves,  about 
ten  feet  high  ending  with  a  cone,  crowned  by  a 
single  sheaf.  Raised  in  the  fields  for  fear  of  rain 
before  the  corn  is  carried. 

Arry.       Any.     Arry  wawn.     i.e.,  any-one. 

A-sam.  Partly  open,  as  of  a  door.  "The  door's 
a-sam." 

Ascrode.       Astride.  C. 

Ass.  This  animal  has  several  names  in  Cornwall,  viz  : 
Ass,  Donkey,  Jackass,  Neddy,  Negger,  Dicky;  Moguz 
and  Peter  Moguz,  in  Callington ;  King,  in  Redruth. 
Asen  and  Rounsa.n  are  Celtic  Cornish  for  ass. 

Ass-neger.       A  silly  fellow,  a  fool,  u.J.T, 

Brewer,  in  his   "Dicty.    of  Phrase  and  Fable," 
spells  it  assinego,  and  calls  it  a  Portuguese  word. 

"Thou  hast  no  more  brain  than  I  have  in  mine  elbows; 
an  assinego  may  tutor  thee." 

Troilus  and  Cressida. 

Atal.  (Pronounced  aitle.)  Mine  rubbish,  refuse,  or 
waste.  A  Celtic  Cornish  word.  It  has  even  been 
said  that  this  is  a  Phoenician  word. 

Atal  Sarazin.  The  offcasts  of  the  Saracens,  old 
works  supposed  to  have  been  worked  by  them. 

Keigwin,  quoted  by  Pryce  in  Ms  Cornish 
English  Vocabulary. 

Atween.       Between.     "  Right  atween  the  two." 
"  Her  loose  long  yellow  locks,  like  golden  wire, 
Sprinkled  with  perl,  and  perliug  flowr's  atween."  Spenser. 


110 
Audit.       An  adit.     Carew. 

Aunt  or  Un.  These  words  are  often  used  instead 
of  Mrs. —  in  speaking  of  an  aged  Cornishwoman, 
even  though  not  related  to  the  speaker.    See  Uncle. 

Avise.  Advise.  "  I  caan't  avise  et."  The  same  word 
is  in  Chaucer. 

"Of  warre  and  of  battaile  be  was  full  avise." 

P,  Langloft's  Chron. 

Aw  !       Oh  !     Aw  !  Jimmery !        Oh  !  Gemini ! 

Awner's  'Count.  At  the  expense  of  the  "adven- 
turers." 

Ax.       Ask.     "  Ax  en,"  i.e.,  Ask  him. 

Axed  out.       Having  had  the  banns  called  in  church. 

U.J.T. 

Aye  facks  !       Yes  faith  !  yes  indeed !  see,  I'facks,  &c. 

Azue.  When  a  cow  is  dry,  that  is,  ceases  to  yield 
milk,  she  is  said  to  be  "azue,"  or  "gone  to  zue." 
The  Celtic  Cornish  for  dry,  is  zeh. 

Bace.  Prisoner's  bace  (or  base.)  A  game  so  called. 
It  is  an  ancient  pastime  mentioned  in  the  records  of 
Edward  3rd.  (1327  to  1377.)     Toone. 

"  So  ran  they  all  as  they  had  been  at  bace, 
They  being  chased,  that  did  others  chase." 

Spenser's  Fairy  Queen. 
"  The  country  base."  Shakspere  in  Cymheline. 

Babby-rags.     Small  bits.  c.f. 


Ill 

Back-1  ouster.       An  itinerant  fish-dealer  who  carries 

the  fish  in  a  caical,   or  basket,   on  the  back.     See 
Cowal  and  Jowder-     MouselwU. 
Backlet,  or  Backside.       The  yard,  or  court  behind 
a  house. 

Backsyfore,  or  Backsyforsy.       The  hind  part 

before. 
Bagganet.       Bayonet. 
Bal.       Amine.     Celtic  Cornish  hcdas,  to  dig,  to  delve, 

and  hal,  a  pick,  a  mattock,  a  shovel. 
Bal.        Loud    talking    or   chattering,  "Hould   tha  bal, 
dew,"  "  Hould  yer  bal,"  i.e.,   Do  cease  talking,  hold 
your  tongue. 
Bal.       To  thump  or  thrash  any  one,  "  Gibb'n  a  good 

balin,"  "  Bal'en  well." 
Balin.        (Pronounced   bah-lin.)     A   thrashing.      Also, 
crying  or  blubbering, 

"  What  be'ee  balin  about  ?  " 
Beo.l,   bealo,  Saxon,  meaning,  misery,  misfortune, 
and  in  Celtic  Cornish,  bal,  a  plague,  or  pestilence. 

"The  one  side  must  have  bale." 

Shakspere  in  Coriolanus. 
Also  poison,  as 

"For  light  she  hated  as  the  deadly  bale." 

Spense7-'s  Fairy  Queen. 

Bal-maid,  Bal-girl,   Bal-maiden.     A  girl  who 

works  on  the  surface  at  a  mine. 
Balch.       A  stout  bit  of  cord,  a  rope. 
Bal-dag.       To  bespatter  with  mine  slime.  M.A.C. 


112 

Balk.       Timber  squared  as  imported. 

Balscat.       A  cross  patch,  a  termagant. 

Balshag.       A  very  shaggy  flannel  used  in  mines. 

Ball-eyed.       Wall-eyed. 

Ballymuck.  An  ill  constructed  thing,  as  a  "bally- 
muck  of  a  dock."  The  Comishman. 

Bally-rag.       Violent  or  coarse  abuse. 

Bandeleer.  A  wooden  toy  like  a  thin  flat  reel,  moved 
by  a  string  to  wind  and  unwind.  M.A.C. 

Banes,       Beans. 

Banger,  or  Banging.      Big,  very  large. 

Banister.       The  baluster  of  a  staircase. 

Bankers.       Seat  cushions. 

Bannel.  The  plant  known  as  broom.  In  Celtic  Cornish 
it  is  hanal  and  hanatliel.  Cytisus  Scoparius. 

Bare-ridged.  "  Biding  bare-ridged,"  i.e.,  riding  with- 
out a  saddle. 

Bargain.  A  contract  for  certain  work  in  a  mine, 
claywork,  &c. 

Barker.       A  whetstone.  C. 

Barker's  knee.  Hunt,  in  his  "Romances  of  the 
west  of  England,"  says  that  the  fairies  called  buccas, 
or  knockers,  once  left  all  their  tools  on  Barker's  knee. 
The  knee  was  so  injured  that  it  continued  stiflF  ever 
after.  "As  stifi'as  Barker's  knee"  became  a  proverb. 
Who  Barker  was  is  not  stated. 


113 

Barm  or  Burm.  Yeast.  It  is  hurm  in  Celtic  Cornish, 
and  herme  in  Chaucer. 

*'  And  sometimes  makes  the  drink  to  bear  no  harm" 

Shakspere  in  the  Midsummer  Niglifs  Dream. 

Barragon,  or  Barracan.     Fustian.     h.r.c. 

Barrow.       A  sepulchral  mound. 

Barwell,  or  Barvii.       A  fisherman's  leathern  apron. 
W.P.  by  W.N. 
In  Celtic  Cornish,  barvas,  means  a  cod-fish. 

Basting.  A  beating  or  thrashing.  "Thee'lt  git  a 
putty  basting."     JBaston  (Spanish)  a  stick. 

Basting.       A  kind  of  light  or  loose  sewing,  or  stitching. 

"In  the  swete  sesou  that  lefe  is, 
With  a  thred  basting  my  slevis." 

Chaucer's  Romaunt  of  the  Rose, 

Bawk.  A  shy,  as  of  a  horse;  clumsiness,  as  "he  made 
a  bawk  (muddle)  of  it " ;  a  jeer,  as  "  he  made  a 
bawk  at  me";  hindrance,  objection,  as  "he's  sure  to 
make  a  bawk  about  it." 

Bazzom.       Blue,  purple. 

Bazzomy.  Bluish,  purplish.  Mostly  used  of  the  skin, 
face,  and  especially  the  lips. 

Beagle,  or  Bagle.  A  troublesome  person.  "Beagle 
it"!  or  "  Ad  beagle  it "  !  i.e.,  "bother  it."       m.a.c. 

Beam  or  Bine.  A  band,  a  binder,  as  of  a  rope  of 
straw,  hay,  &c. 

Bean.       A  withy  band.       c. 

F 


114 

Bee-butt.       A  bee-hive.     Butt,  a  beehive,  is  a  Celtic 
Cornish  word. 

Bee-skip.       A  bee-hive.       M.A.C. 

BQQ-skih  ?  Skiber  is  Celtic  Cornish  for,  a  large  room. 
Beat,   or  Bete.       Turf  cut  and  dried,  for  burning  at 

home,  or  in  the  fields. 
Beat    burrows.       Heaps   of   dry   turf   collected    for 

burning   on   the   open   ground.      Also   used   of   the 

burrows  Avhen  burnt. 
Beat-burning.       The  firing  of  dried  turf  for  the  sake 

of  the  ashes  as  manure.     Bete  (Saxon)  to  make  fires. 

"  To  bete  fires,"  Chaucer. 

Beauty.       Used  as  a  term  of  contempt,  thus,    "that 

beauty  ! "  or  thus,  "  you'm  a  putty  beauty  ! " 
Becker.       A  species  of  bream.       c. 
Bed-ale.       Christening  or  lying  in  ale.  Polwhele. 

Bedman.     A  sexton,     c. 

Bedh  is  Celtic  Cornish  for,  a  grave. 

Bedoled.       Overdone  by  grief  or  pain — see  Dowlin. 

Bed-tye.       A  feather  bed — see  Tye. 

Bedwaddled,    or    Betwattled.       Bewildered,    con- 
fused.       W.T.A.P. 

Beety.       To  mend  fishing  nets. 

Beheemed.      Sickly,      m.a.c. 

Bell-metal.       A  brass  pot  or  crock  used  for  boiling 
fruits  for  preserves  or  jams. 


115 

Belly-tember.      Grood  and  solid  food. 

Belvin.  Blubbering,  weeping  aloud  ;  also,  howling,  as, 
"  Belvin  (or  howling)  like  Tregagle." 

Bender.  A  big  thing,  as,  "  What  a  bender  ! "  also  a 
great  lie,  as,  "that's  a  bender,"  i.e.,  that's  a  "thun- 
dering "  lie. 

Berrin.  A  funeral.  "How  was  it  you  wasn't  to 
Betsey's  berrin?  It  was  a  bootiful  corps,  one  solid 
scab  all  ovver.  We  had  a  pleasant  arternoon,  and  a 
fine  rig  in  the  evenin."     Near  Bodmin.  W.  Hicks. 

Besom.  A  broom;  also,  heath,  viz.,  that  used  for 
making  brooms.     See  Griglan  or  Grig. 

Beth.  Be  ye,  or,  "be'ee";  are  you,  or,  "arre'e" ;  5e^A 
in  Chaucer  also. 

Bettermost.  The  best  of  anything.  The  upper  hand, 
or  advantage  gained  over  another,  as,  "I  got  the 
bettermost  of  him." 

Betwattled.     See  Bedwaddled. 

Beverage.       A  weak  drink,  as  that  of  the  weak  cider 

made   from   the   apple  cake  of  the   cider  press   by 

adding  water.     See  Pimpey. 
Bevering,  or  Biwering.       Quivering,  trembling,  or 

shaking  with  cold.     Also  the  peculiar  quivering  of 

an  infant's  under  jaw  when  yawning. 

Bezibd.       "  It  is  not  allotted  me."      R.H. 

"  'Tis  not  bezib'd,"  i.e.,  fortuned.  Carew, 

Bib.       A  small  fish  ■  a  blind.       M.A.C. 


Biddix.  A  double  digging  tool,  one  end  pointed,  the 
other  flattened. 

Bilders.  Heradlum  spJioncUlmm.  Cut  as  fodder  for 
pigs.  Couch  (Hist,  of  Polperro)  thinks  that  this 
name,  in  other  parts  of  Cornwall,  is  applied  to  the 
poisonous  hemlock,  water-drop-wort.     JEnanihe. 

Billis,  Billez,  Billees.       Bellows;  {belous,  Chaucer.) 

Bishop.       The  fish  Coitus  scorpius.       c. 

Biscan.  A  finger  glove  of  leather,  used  by  the  harvest 
women,  particularly  in  support  of  a  wounded  finger. 

Fohvhclc. 
This  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word,  and  is  also  written 
bcsgan  and  vesMn.  (Bis,  a  finger,  and  Bisgan,  a 
thimble.     Fryce.)     See  Veskin. 

Biskey,  BiskeyS.       Biscuit,  biscuits. 

Bits.  Scraps  of  beef,  liver,  &c.,  sold  by  the  lump 
as  "  bits  "  for  a  "  false  roast,"  or  a  fry.  This  name 
is  also  given  to  a  green  tender  herb  resembling 
spinach  and  used  for  pies,  or,  as  "greens." 

Bitter-weed.       An   unruly,    mischievous   person; 
"  She's  a  bitter  weed." 

Blaad,  Vlaad,  or  Flaad.     See  Blawed. 

Blackhead.       A  boil.     Furunculus. 

Black-jack.       Sulphuret  of  Zinc.     Blende. 

Black-strap.  f^in  and  treacle;  Bad  wine  for  poor 
and  lowly  guests.       J.W. 


Black  tin.  Tin  ore  fit  for  the  smelting  or  blowing 
house. 

Black- wine  toddy.       Port  wine  negus. 

Black-worm.       The  black  beetle  of  the  kitchen,  &c. 

Blamed,  or  Blame.  "  Well,  I'm  blamed  ef  I  knaw." 
"Blame  me  ef  I  doan't."  (The  word  blowed  is  also 
used  thus.)     It  seems  a  mild  form  of  swearing. 

Blast.  A  sudden  inflammation  of  an  eye.  "  A  blast 
in  the  eye." 

Blawed.       Quite  out  of  breath. 

Blawed.      Also,  Blaad,  Vlaad,  and  Flaad.  Terms 

used  of  cows  which  have  eaten  too  largely  of  grass, 
causing  meteorism. 

Blinch..       To  catch  a  glimpse  of       C. 

Blind-buck-a-davy.       Blind-man's  buflf.       c. 

Blind-nettle.       A  stiugless  nettle.     Galeopsis. 

Blink.  A  small  light  or  flame.  "  There  isn't  a  blink 
of  fire. 

Blobber,  or  Blob.  A  large  bubble.  A  vesication 
as  from  a  blister;  "  all  in  great  blobbers." 

Bloody   sea-dock.       The  Lapatkum  marinum  sangui- 

neum.  Borlase. 

Bloody -warriors.       Wall  flowers.    (The  red  crane's 

bill.         M.A.C.) 

Blood-sucker.       The  sea  anemone.       j\LA.C. 


118 

Blooth.  Blossom,  (Careic);  Blath,  Gaelic;  Blodon, 
Celtic  Cornish ;  Bluthe,  German. 

Blowing-house.  A  place  for  melting  tin.  So  called 
from  a  fire  or  blast  perpetually  kept  by  a  large  bellows 
turned  by  a  water  wheel. 

Blowing  tin.       Melting  tin  ore  in  the  blo-wang-house. 

BlOWSer.  One  employed  in  a  seine  boat,  in  the 
pilchard  fishery. 

Blubber.       A  large  jelly-fish.     Sting-blubber. 

Blue-poll.       A  kind  of  salmon.       c. 

Board-em.  An  old  fashioned  round  game  of  cards. 
The  players  may  be  from  two  to  eight  persons.   M.A.c. 

Bob.       The  great  beam  of  a  mine  pumping  engine. 

Bobbery.       A  fuss,  a  row,  an  uproar. 

Bobble.       A  pebble.       C. 

A  ground  swell  of  the  sea.       M.A.C. 
Bobble.       To  bob  up  and  down. 
Boilin,    or  Boailin.       "The  whole  boilin,"  i.e.,  the 

whole  lot  of  them.     The  whole  "crew." 

Bock.      See  Bawk. 

Boist,  or  Busthious.     See  Boostis. 

Bolt.       A  stone-built  drain.       M.A.C. 

Bon-crab.  The  female  of  the  edible  crab.  Platy- 
carcbms  imgums.       c. 


119 

Boo,  or  Booey.  A  louse.  "  oil !  another  great  booey !" 
In  Celtic  Cornish  hoaivhoe.  Pryce. 

Boobish.  Lubberly,  Carew.  In  Celtic  Cornish,  hoha, 
a  blockhead,  a  booby. 

Boobus,  Booba,  or  Boobun.  A  wick  for  a  small 
lamp.  Newlyn. 

Booley,  or  Bulley.       A  boy's  very  large  marble. 

BoOSterin.  Hard  and  hot  work.  "'Tes  boosterin 
work,"  i.e.,  "a  sweating  job."  In  Celtic  Cornish,  hoys 
means  heavy,  weighty. 

BoOStis,  or  BoistOUS.  Fat,  corpulent.  In  Celtic 
Cornish  hoys  means  meat,  food,  "He  is  getting  quite 
boostis." 

Boozy.       Intoxicated.     "Always  boozy."     Boos,  Celtic 

Cornish,  to  drink  to  excess. 
Boryer.       A  borer,  an  iron  bar  with  a  wedged  shaped 

end,    for   boring   holes  in  rocks  for  the  powder  in 

blasting. 
Boss.       The  master  or  manager.  CalUngton. 

Boots  and  Shoes.       The  columbine.       c. 

The  flowers  of  monkshood.     Aconitum  napeUus. 
Botany  bay.       The  Hydrangea. 
Botham.       A   wheal,    or   lump   caused   by   a   blow. 

Polwhele. 
Bothem.       Fever-few.     The  herb  so  called. 

Bottom-pie.  Potatoes  and  pork  baked  on  a  thick 
layer  of  dough.       w.N. 


120 
Bottoms.       Valleys,  old  stream  works,  stents. 

Boulter.  A  long  fishing  line,  with  short  branches 
and  many  hooks.  Careiv. 

Bounds.  Tin  bounds  are  parcels  of  land  marked  out 
by  small  pits,  about  a  foot  deep  and  wide,  at  the 
angles  of  the  ground.  Straight  lines  from  pit  to  pit 
fix  the  boundary. 

Bounders.       The  holders  of  tin  bounds. 

Bowerly.  Good-looking,  handsome.  "Eve's  a  fine, 
bowerly  maid."  3frs.  Parvus  Adam  &  Eve. 

BoWgie  or  Bougie.  A  sheep's  house,  or  shed  for 
cattle.       M.A.c. 

The  Celtic  Cornish  word  is  hondi,  and  Lhuyd  gives 
boudzi  deves,  a  sheep-fold.  Boudi  was  anciently  bouti 
from  the  old  word  bou,  a  cow,  and  ti  or  iy  a  house. 

Bowings.  The  large  joints,  especially  the  knees.  "I've 
got  such  pains  in  my  bowings." 

Bowjouler.       A  place  in  a  fishing  boat  for  hauling 

the  footline  through.       W.F.P. 
Bowldacious.       Brazen,  impudent,  "you  bowldacious 

hussy." 
Boxing    Harry.       A   commercial  room  phrase,  used 

of  one  who  shirked  the  cost  of  dining  with  his  fellows 

at  the  inn.     Doing  so  was  "  boxing  Harry."     A  term 

also  used  elsewhere. 

Boys'  love.  The  herb  Southernwood,  also  called  by 
the  very  proper  name  "  Maidens'  delight." 


121 

Braave.  First  rate,  very  well,  capital.  This  is  a 
very  representative  word  in  tlie  Cornish  dialect. 
"  He's  gittin  on  braave,"  i.e.,  very  well  How  be'ee  1 
'■'  Braave  thenk'ee,"  and  so  on.  Spenser  used  the 
word  brave  for  what  is  not  only  valiant  and  good,  but 
fine  and  spruce. 

Braa  set-up.     A  row,  a  fuss. 

Brace.       The  mouth  of  a  shaft.       W.N. 

Braggashans.     Bragging,      u.j.t. 

Braggety.       IMottled.     Often   used  of  the  skin  of  a 

baby's  limbs,  "  See  what  braggety  legs  he's  got." 
Br  aging.       Raging.       m.A.c.     A  corruption  of  raging, 

or  perhaps,  from  hridzlian  or  bredion,  Celtic  Cornish, 

to  boil. 
Brandis.       An  iron  triangular  stand  with  three  short 

legs  for  resting  the  crock,  kettle,  &c.,  on,  over  the  fire. 
Brash.       An  eruption  on  the  skin. 
Breach.       Coarse,  furzy,  and  heathy  ground  on  which 

the  turf  has  been  cut  and  burnt.  Tonkin. 

Breachy.       Brackish,  saltish. 
Breedy.       To  make  a  fishing  net. 
Breeming,  or  Briming.       A  phosphorescent  shining, 

or  sparkling  of  the  sea  at  night,  when  agitated  by 

steam-paddles,  &c.     Briming,  Couch.     Briny,  Carew. 
Breez,    or   Browse.       Small-coal,    broken   wood-fuel, 

and    such-like.     In   Celtic   Cornish   broivsian,   means 

crumbs,  fragments ;  and  brosij  to  destroy. 
Breal,  or  Breel.       A  mackerel.       B.v, 


122 

Bren,  or  Br  end.  To  frown,  to  wrinkle  the  brow. 
Brik,  or  Brek.  A  break,  a  rent.  Brike,  Chaucer. 
Brink.       The  gill  of  a  fish.  W.  Noye. 

Briny.      See  Breeming. 

Brit.  Small  fish,  about  half  the  length  of  a  sprat. 
Brith.il,  or  Breithal.       A  mackerel.     Also  a  name  for 

a  trout.     It  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word.     From  lyrUh, 

mottled.     Brilli,  mackerel. 
Broil.       The  back  of  a  lode.     "The  lode  has  its  top 

covered  over  with  a  parcel  of  loose   (more  or  less 

mineral)  stones  and  earth this  in  Cornwall 

we  call  the  broil  of  the  lode."     Borlase's  Natl.  Hist. 
Brood.       Impurities  mixed  with  ore.       M.A.c. 
Broom-Swike.       A  twig  of  heath  broom. 
Brose  of  het.       Very  hot,  perspiring  copiously.     "I'm 

in  a  brose  of  het."     See  Bulderin. 
Broth,  or  Brath.       The  Cornish  say,  "I'll  have  afeio 

broth." 

Browse,  or  Bruss.     A  thicket.    See  Breez. 

Brown-wort.       Fig-wort.     Scroplmlaria  vodosa. 
Browthy.       A  term  for  light  and  spongy  bread.     M.A.C. 

Brythall.      A  trout.      h.r.c.    See  Brithil. 

Bubble  and  squeak.  Cold  potatoes  and  cabbage, 
mixed,  chopped,  and  fried.  Elsewhere  the  same 
phrase  is  used  for  cold  boiled  meat  and  greens  fried. 
The  meat  hnhhkd  in  the  boiler,  and  sqneaked  in  the 
frying  pan.  Brewer. 


123 

Buck.  A  kind  of  minute  fungus  ?  infesting  ill-kept 
dairies.  It  is  called  "  the  buck  "  and  the  dairy  con- 
tents become  spoilt  by  it.  Buchar  is  Celtic  Cornish 
for,  bucked  milk,  sour  milk.  Pryce. 

Also  a  name  given  to  the  spittle  fly.       m.a.c. 

Bucking.       Breaking  up  the  ore  into  small  pieces. 

Buckle  to.       To  set  about  anything  in  earnest. 

Buckle  up  to.  To  defy  or  "show  fight,"  also,  to 
court. 

Bucha,  or  Bucca,  and  Bucha-boo.  A  ghost,  hob- 
goblin, or  scare-crow.  Bucca  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word 
for  ghost. 

Buck-horn.  Whiting  salted  and  dried.  c.  (Buch- 
thorn.     M.A.C.) 

Bucky-how.  A  boy's  game  resembling  "  touch  tim- 
ber."       M.A.C. 

Buddie  A  mining  term.  It  is  "a  pit  seven  feet  long," 
three  wide,  and  two  deep,  for  washing  the  ore  in. 
Borlase.  In  Celtic  Cornish  huclchl,  to  buddle,  to 
drown.  Pryce. 

Buddie.       A  bubble. 

Buddling.       Washing  ore. 

Bud-picker.       A  bullfinch,  Pohchele. 

Buffiehead.  A  thickhead,  a  fool.  "Yew  gashly 
bufflehead." 

Bulderin.  Hot  and  perspiring.  (Boldering,  lowering 
weather.     Polwhele.J 


124 
Bulgranack.       The   pool,    or  bull   toad   in   sea  rock 

pools.         H.K.C. 

Bulk-headed  fool.       Said  of  one    "who   is   always 

rnnning  liis  head  against  a  wall."      H.R.C. 
Bulgranade.       Stickleback.       M.A.C. 
Bulhorn.       A  snail.     This  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word. 

Bulk.      See  Bunch. 

Bulk  or  Eelk.  To  belch  ;  (Bidl:,  to  toss  as  by  the 
horns  of  a  cow.)       M.A.C.     Also  see  Bulking. 

Bulking.  Piling  up  pilchards  in  regular  order  against 
the  walls  of  a  cellar ;  with  salt  between  each  layer. 

Bulley.      See  Booley. 

Bullum.  The  fruit  of  the  bullace  shrub.  (Bolas  tree, 
Chaucer.)     Primvs  insititia. 

Bultys.     See  Boulter. 

Bum.  A  bloAv.  This  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word.  To 
bum.       "  I  bunwied  my  head  right  against  the  door. 

Bumfoozle.       To  humbug,  to  mystify. 

Bunch.       A  mass  of  ore  in  a  lode. 

Bunch.  To  butt  at,  or  toss  with  the  horns,  as  with  a 
ram,  or  a  cow.  Children  playing  and  running  "  head 
on,"  cry  out,  "  I'll  bunch'ee,  I'll  bunch'ee." 

Bunchy.  A  lode  is  so  called  when  the  ore  is  irregularly 
distributed  in  it. 

Bunken,  or  Bumpkin.  A  piece  of  iron  projecting 
from  the  bow  of  a  boat,  to  which  the  jil)  is  fastened. 
W.N. 


125 
Bunker  headed.       "Bunker  headed  fools."    Givinear. 

T.C. 

Built.       The  concavity  of  a  sail,  or  of  a  fishing  net. 
Bunting.       Sifting  flour. 

Burm.       The  Celtic  Cornish  word  for,  barm,  or  yeast. 
Bum.       "A  burn  of  hake."    21  hakes.    Jlousehule.    Also, 

a  pile  of  furze,  a  rick  of  hay. 
Burranet.       The  shell-drake.       M.A.C. 
Burrow.      See  Barrow. 

Bush.       An  apparatus   formed  of  two  hoops  at  right 

angles,  covered  with  white  calico ;  used  for  signalling 

the  position  of  a  school  of  pilchards. 
Bushing  corn.       Beating  out  corn  into  a  barrel  by 

threshing  bunches  of  it  against  the  side  of  the  barrel. 

No  flail  is  used. 

Busken  or  Busk.  The  "breast  bone"  of  an  old- 
fashioned  stays.  Formerly  of  wood,  or  whalebone, 
about  two  feet  long,  and  two  inches  wide  ! 

Busker.  An  "  out  and  out "  fisherman  who  dares  all 
weathers. 

Busthious.     See  Boostis. 

Buss.       A  yearling  calf  still  sucking.       c. 

Bussa  calf.       A  calf  which  in  time  weans  itself.     Pol- 

ichcle. 
Bussa-head,  or  Buzza-head.        A  thick-head,  an 

empty  fool.     From  the  Celtic  Cornish  Buzza  a  pan. 

A  poor  bmln-pun. 


126 

Busy.  What  demands  all  ones  time,  or  energy.  Thus, 
It  will  busy  all  the  time,  i.e.,  take  all  the  time.  "It 
will  busy  all  he  can  rise  to  pay  it."  "It  will  busy  all 
he  can  do  to  finish  it  in  time."  Bysy  is  a  Celtic 
Cornish  word  and  means,  diligent;  and  hesy,  needful. 

But.       Buttock  of  beef. 

But.       To  sprain,  or  put  out  of  joint. 

But-gap.       A  hedge  of  pitched  turf.  Polwhele. 

Butt.  A  two-wheeled  cart.  This  is  a  Celtic  Cornish 
word  still  used  in  Devon  and  Cornwall. 

Butter  and  Eggs.       The  double  yellow  daffodils. 

Butter-dock.       Burdock.     Arctium  lappa. 

Butty.       A  comrade,  a  "  chum."       W.T.A.P. 

Buzz  a,  or  Bussa.       A  coarse  earthenware  pan,  or  jar. 

Buzzy,  or  BuSSy  milk.  First  milk  after  the  cow 
has  calved. 

Caaled.       Called  or  cryed  by  the  town  cryer. 

Cab.       A  mess,  anything  wet,  sticky,  or  dirty. 

Cab-a-rOUSe.  This  is  in  seamen's  language,  to  pull 
together  at  a  cable  shouting  and  singing.      (A  gall 

or  callous.      H.R.c.)    See  Caperhouse. 

Cabby.       Wet,  or  sticky  and  dirty. 

Cabbed,  Cabbed  up,  Cabbled,  or  Cabagled. 

Terms  us(h1  of  anything  which  has  been  messed  or 
dirtied  by  handling,  &c. 


127 

Cabobble.  To  mystify,  to  deceive.  "T'ull  uiver  do 
for'ee  to  try  to  cabobble  Uncle  Zibedee."  Mrs.  Parrs 
Adam  &  Eve. 

Caboolen  stones,  (w.f.p.  cand  b.v.)  See  Min- 
nies. 

Caddie.  To  do  household  work  in  an  untidy  and 
irregular  manner. 

Caddler.  One  who  "caddies  about  the  house,"  i.e., 
working  but  messing. 

Cader.       A  small  frame  of  wood  on  which  a  fisherman 
keeps  his  line.     Fohchele.     (Cantor,  Penzance,     m.a.c.) 
Caff.       Refuse  of  any  kind,  rubbishy  stuff. 
Cage.       A  set,  as  "  a  cage  of  teeth." 
Cagged.       Annoyed,  vexed. 

Cag  Mag.  Tough  old  geese ;  food  which  none  can 
relish.  (Gaelic  and  Welsh,  cag  magu.  Breiver.)  In 
Celtic  Cornish  cagal  means  rubbish,  dirt,  Borlase. 

Cake.  A  fool,  a  poor  thing.  "A  regular  cake." 
Brewer  derives  it  from  the  Greek  word  halcos,  bad. 

Cal.       Tungstate  of  Iron. 

Calcar.  The  lesser  weaver,  or  sting  fish.  The  lance 
fish.     Sennen.       h.r.c. 

Call-out.       To  have  the  banns  called  in  Church,     u.j.t. 

Calve's  snout.      The  snap-dragon.    Antirrhinum  minus. 


128 
Cam  or  Cand.       Flour  spar. 
Camels.       Chamomile  flowers. 
Canker.       The  Celtic  Cornish  name  for  a  crab-fish.     It 

also  means  the  rust  in  corn.     (Kankar.     Borlase.) 
Cannis.       To  toss  about  carelessly.      c. 
Cant.       A  fall.     Polwhele.     "A  amt  of  a  way,"  i.e.,  a 

long  way.       w.N. 

Capel  or  Cockle.      Shorl. 

Caper-longer.  The  razor  shell  fish.  Tonldn.  The 
shell  ^^\\  jnnna  hujens.       C. 

Cappen,  or  Capp'n.  Captain,  or  head  man  of  a 
mine,  claywork,  &c.  Grass-capp'n  is  the  term  used 
for  one  who  is  manager  "at  grass,"  i.e.,  on  the  surface. 

Caperhouse,  or  CaprOUSe.  Uproar,  row,  con- 
fusion; a  "kick  up,"  a  "jolly  row." 

Carbona,  or  Carbonas.       An  accumulation  of  rich 

ore  in  a  mine,  a  "house"  of  ore. 
Care.       The  mountain  ash.     Pyrus  auaqxtria.       c. 
Cam   or   Cairn.       A  heap   of  stones.     A   sepulchral 

mound  of  stones.     A  rock.     Cam  is  Celtic  Cornish. 
Carney.       To  wheedle,  to  keep  caressing,  and  calling 

another  cava,  (dear).     Breicer. 
Carrots.       Nickname  for  a  person  with  red  hair. 
Casabully.       Winter  cress.  Fohchck. 

Casling.       Prematurely  born,  a  castling. 
Cat-lap.       Derisive  term  for  insipid  fluid  drink. 


129 

Catch  up.  To  lighten  np,  as  of  a  fire ;  to  dry  up,  as 
of  clothes,  &c.  Also  thus,  "catching"  (changeable) 
weather. 

Catin-the-pan.  " He  turned  cat  in  the  pan,"  i.e.,  he 
proved  himself  a  traitor.     Also  a  play  of  head  over 

heels  round  a  bar  while  still  holding  on. 

Cats  and  dogs.       The  catkins  of  the  willow. 

Cauch.  A  mess.  This  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word  for 
ordure,  manure,  dung. 

Cauchy.       Messy,  dirty,  sloppy. 

Caudle.       A  mess,  a  muddle. 

Caudler.  One  who  messes  and  muddles.  An  impro- 
vident person ;  a  foolish  spendthrift. 

Caulk.  A  "drop"  of  liquor.  "I've  had  a  bit  of  a 
caulk  but  not  a  drop  more."    3Irs.  Fans  Adam  &  Eve. 

Caunter.       A.  cross-handed  blo-sv. 

Cawed.       A  sheep  affected  with  the  rot,       c. 

Chackin,  or  Chackt.  Very  thirsty,  very  dry  in  tlie 
throat."     "  I'm  chackin  with  thirst." 

Chacks.  The  cheeks.  "  I'll  scat  your  chacks,  that  I 
will,  you  gashly  great  bufflehead." 

Chad.       A  small  fish  like  a  bream. 

Chad.  "To  put  a  cliacl,"  i.e.,  a  turn  of  a  rope  in  the 
horse's  mouth.  /.  H.  NanUvell. 

I 


130 
Chakky  Chesse.       The  fruit  of  the  common  mallow. 

c.    See  Cheeses. 

Chall.       A  cowhouse. 

Champion  lode.       Principal  or  leading  lode. 

Chamy.  (Pronounced  Chah-me).  The  profile  of  a 
toothless  person,  when  it  falls  in  at  the  mouth,  gives 
the  appearance  called  chamy. 

Chape.       The  catch  of  anything,  as  of  a  buckle,  or  the 

hook  of  a  scabbard.     The  tip  of  a  scabbard. 
Chaunt  or  Chaunty.       To  scold,  to  mutter,  to  prate. 

M.A.C. 

Cheel  or  Cheeld.      Child.    Cheldern.      Children. 

Cheel-vean.  Little  child.  Often  used  as  a  term  of 
endearment.     Vean,  Celtic  Cornish  for  little. 

Cheeldin.  In  labour  with  child,  also  pregnant.  "  The 
chihling  autumn,"  i.e.,  the  pregnant  autumn. 

Shalxsperc  in  the  Midsummer  Night's  Dream. 
(Chylded.     Brought  forth.)     Spenser. 
Cheens  or  Cheins.       The  loins,  the  small  of  the  back; 
cheim  is  Celtic  Cornish  for  back. 

Cheening.  Sprouting  in  the  dark,  as  of  potatoes  in  a 
dark  cellar. 

Cherk   or   Chark.       A    cinder,   a  piece  of  charcoal. 

Chirk,  Callhujton. 

Cheeses.  Seed  vessels  of  the  mallow.  Chuck-cheeses. 
(Chukky-cheeses.       f.c.) 


131 

Cheese  et.       Stop  it,  i.e.,  Dont  go  on  quarrelling  so. 

CalUngton. 

Chet.  A  newly  born  cat.  This  is  a  Celtic  Cornish 
word.  Kittens  horn  in  May  used  to  be  drowned, 
that  month  being  thought  unhealthy  and  unlucky. 
"  May  chets  bad  luck  begets." 

Cheevy.       Thin,  miserable  looking.       m.a.c. 

Chewidden  day.  "  (Jeu-ivhydn,  Cornish.)  White 
Thursday.  That  is  one  clear  week  before  Christmas 
day,  it  being  the  day  on  which  black  tin  or  ore  was 
first  turned  into  white  tin,  or  metal."       u.j.t. 

Chick.  To  crouch  down.  To  "  chicky  down."  (The 
sitting  cestrum  in  hens.       c.) 

Chicker.       The  wheatear.    Polwhcle.    Also  chick-chack. 

( Chick-chacker.       m.a.c.) 

ChifF-chaff.       The    white-throat.     Sylvia   hippolais. 

Ogilvie. 
Childermas  day.       Innocents'  day. 
Chill.       A  small  earthenware  lamp.     Anciently  in  use. 
Chimbley.       A  chimney.     Shimbla  in  Celtic  Cornish. 
Chipper.       The  cross-bill.       m.a.c. 

Chitter.     Thin.       Chitter-face.     The  face  thin 

and  furrowed.       c. 
Chitterlings.       The  shirt  frills  of  former  days.    M.A.C. 
Chives.       A  kind  of  small  onions,   called  also,   chive 

garlic.       Ogilvie.       Used   cut   up   to   flavour   broth. 

Allium  shcenop-asum. 


132 

Chiwels.        Another   name    for   chives.       Q.v.       See 

Gives. 

Chivvy.       A  row,  an  uproar,  a  fuss. 
Chod.       A  stew.     A  "  stodge."       Q.v. 

Choog,  or  Choogy.     A  pig.    Choogy-pig.     A 

little  pig. 

Choog-Choog-Choog.       A  cry  inviting  the  pigs  to 
meals.     (Chee-ah.     Bottrell.) 

Choust.       A  cheat.     To  choust,  to  cheat. 

Chorus.       A  carouse,  a  feast. 

Chorusing.       Feasting.     "  A  grand  choru.siug." 
Croicst  is  Celtic  Cornish,  for  luncheon. 

Chores.       Household  jobs.     "  A  few  chores." 
Chowter.       Fish  dealer.     See  Jowder. 
Chuck.       The  fat  beneath  the  chin,  the  "  double  chin," 
so  called.     "  He  is  very  big  about  the  chuck." 

Chuck.       The  throat  or  swallow. 

Chuck-children.        The   allis   shad.        C.       (Choke- 
children.)     So  called  because  the  fish  is  full  of  bones. 

Chuck-sheep.       A   term   of  offence,   and   contempt. 

"  Ah  !  you  old  chuck-sheep." 

Chucklehead.     A  booby. 

Church-ale.        "  A   feast   in   commemoration    of  the 
dedication  of  a  church." 


133 

Church-town.  (Pronounced  ch'town.)  A  hamlet,  a 
village,  or  a  town  near  tlie  cliurcli;  even  a  city, 
tlius,  "Lunnun  ch'town." 

Cider-pound.       Cider-press. 

Cives.       A  species  of  very  small  leek,  growing  in  tufts, 

used  like  chives  for  flavouring  broth. 
Clabby.       Wet  and  sticky.       See  Cabby. 
Clack.       Much  noise,  a  great  deal  of  talking.     "  Hould 

your  clack,  do."     See  Clap. 
Clacker.       A  woman's  tongue,  a  rattle,  a  pump  valve. 

"The  clacker  of  a  mill,"  i.e.,  the  noise  and  rattle  of 

it.     "  Your  tongue  goes  like  the  clacker  of  a  mill." 

See  Clap. 
Clain,    or    Clain-oflf.       Very    well,    perfectly,    quite. 

"A  ait  et  clain-awf,"   i.e.,  he  ait  the  whole  of  it. 

"A  ded  that  clain-awf,"  i.e.,  he  did  that  perfectly. 
"Let's  hew  his  limbs  'till  they  be  dean  consumed." 

Shalspere  in  Titus  Andronicus, 

Clam.       A   tree,  or  plank  used  as  a  bridge  across  a 

stream.    Pohchele.    The  star  fish  Asierias  glacialis.    C. 
Clammed.       Out  of  health.     Fohvhele.     Half-starved, 

as,  "Better  clam  than  go  to  the  Union."     Brewer. 

Clamdere  is  Celtic  Cornish  for  to  faint  away,  to  swoon. 
Clap.       Prating.     "Hould   yer   clap."     It   is   a   Celtic 

Cornish  word. 
Clappin.       Throbbing,  as  in  pain.     See  Loppin. 
Church-hay.       The  churchyard,  or  close. 


134 

Clavel.  The  impost  on  a  square  headed  window,  door, 
or  chiuine3\       c. 

Clay  dues.  The  holder  of  a  china  clay  sett  pays  from 
3/-  to  3/6  per  ton  on  clay  sent  or  sold  out  of  the 
Avorks,  as  dues  to  the  land-owner. 

Clay  maidens.  Girls  employed  in  china-clay  works, 
generally  as  "scrapers."  They  remove  the  outside 
sand,  &c.,  from  the  dried  clay.     See  Clay  pans. 

Clay  pans.  Shallow  places  from  50  to  80  feet  square 
and  about  IS  inches  deep.  The  floors  being  covered 
with  sand,  the  semi-fluid  clay  from  the  "  clay  pit "  is 
poured  or  pumped  into  them,  so  as  to  filter  off"  and 
evaporate  the  water,  until  the  clay  is  firm  enough  to 
be  cut  out  in  square  blocks,  to  be  further  dried  in  the 
sun.  The  process  is  now  generally  superseded  by  the 
Dry.    Q.v. 

Clay  pit.  A  large  water-tight  pit,  about  8  feet  deep 
and  from  40  to  80  feet  square.  The  china  clay  held 
suspended  in  water  is  allowed  to  deposit  in  such  a 
pit,  the  clear  water  running  away.    See  Clay  pans. 

Clay  sett.  A  portion  of  land  containing  a  bed  of 
"clay,"  (i.e.,  granite  in  a  decomposed  soft  form) 
marked  out  for  raising,  washing,  or  preparing  china 
or  porcelain  clay. 

Clay  stopes.  The  place,  or  pit  where  the  decomposed 
granite  is  dug  up  and  "washed"  so  as  to  separate  the 
sand  and  mica  from  the  pure  porcelain  or  china  clay. 


135 

Clays,  or  Clayers.  Boys  marbles  made  of  brown 
clay  fired. 

Clecky.     See  Cloppy. 

Clem,  or  Clember.  To  climb,  or  mount  up,  "  clem 
op,'"'  i.e.,  climb  up. 

Clem,  or  Clemmin.     Very  thirsty.    See  Chackin. 

Clems.       Fish  and  potatoes  fried  together.       M.A.c. 

Clemmed.  Simply  adhering,  as  plate  glass  to  plate 
glass,  or  as  do  the  leaves  of  a  new  book.  Weve 
anything  like  gum,  &c.,  put  between,  then  things 
would  be  said  to  be  digged,  or  clibbed  together.  See 
Clibby  and  Cliggy.  "Clemmed"  is  a  term  also 
used  of  a  period  in  the  cestnivi  of  dogs. 

Clever.  Very  well,  doing  very  well,  in  good  health. 
"How  are  you?"  "Clever  thank'ee."  "How  are 
you  getting  on  ?  "     "  Clever  shore  nufF." 

Clibby,  or  Cliggy.  Anything  wet,  sticky  or  adhesive, 
as  entrails,  wet  untanned  skins,  gum,  tar,  treacle, 
birdlime,  &c.  "My  fingers  are  clibbed  (or  digged 
together."  Clyhye  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word  and  means, 
to  wet,  or  moisten.  Glyhye,  or  glihhie,  is  also  Celtic 
Cornish,  and  means  the  same  as  clyhje. 

Click.       A  sharp  c^uick  blow.     See  Clip. 

Click-handed,  or  Clicky-handed.     Left-handed. 

From  the  Celtic  Cornish  word  cledhec,  left-handed. 
Clickpaw  or  Clicky-paw.       Left-handed. 

Cliders.     See  Clyders. 


136 
Clidgy.       Same  as  Clibby  or  Cliggy.       Sticky. 
Clidgy.       Sugar  stick.     Toffy. 

Clink.  A  town  or  parish  blackhole  for  tramps  and 
rogues. 

The  word  clinh  is  old  and  known  outside  Cornwall. 
The  writer  when  a  boy  knew  no  other  name  for  a 
blackhole.  CUnh  is  giving  place  to  the  term  "the 
lock  up."  The  derivation  is  obscure.  Dr.  Johnson 
says  "  dink  is  perhaps  softened  from  clank,  or  corrup- 
ted from  click." 

Clicket  (in  old  French  cUqiict)  means  a  key,  or  instru- 
ment to  open  a  door. 

"  Save  he  himself  for  the  smale  wicket 
He  bare  alway  of  a  silver  clicket.'" 

Chaucer's  MerclianVs  Tale. 

Compare  clink  with  the  Latin  dingo,  to  encompass. 
(In  Fcstus,  Mindiew.) 

Clip  or  Click.  A  fillip,  or  light  quick  blow.  "I'll 
giv'ee  a  clip  in  the  ear."  Also,  a  short,  snappish  way 
of  speaking,  as,  "  She's  very  clip." 

Clip.       To  turn  the  earth  for  a  crop. 

Clisty.      See  Clusty. 

Clitter.       A  clatter,  a  confused  noise,  a  fuss. 

Cloam,  or  Clome.       Earthenware.     This  word  is  also 

used  in  Pembrokeshire,  &c. 
Cloamin.       JNIade  of  "  cloam."      q.y.     A  stupid  person 

is  called  "  a  cloamin  fellow." 


137 

CloameiS.       Boys' clay  marbles.       See  ClayS. 
Clob.       A  lump  of  earth,  or  clay.     Also  Cob.     Q-V. ; 

Coarse  clay  and  straw  mixed,  for  building  a  coh  wall. 
Clobbed.       Begrimed.     Dirty  clothes,   ol-  utensils  are 

said  to  be  "clobbed  with  dirt." 
Clobbed  up.       Choked,  as  thus  of  a  man's  pipe  stem, 

"  it  is  clobbed  up." 
Clock.       The  crop,  or  maw. 
Clodgy.       Sticky  like  pitch,  or  birdlime. 
Clop,  or  Cloppy.       To  walk  lame,  to  limp  along. 
Cloppy.       Lame.     In   Celtic   Cornish  cloppec  and  dof 

mean,  lame,  crippled.     (Kloppeh     Borlase.) 

Clopper.  One  who  halts,  or  limps  in  walking.  "A 
blinker  and  a  clopper  were  never  caught  in  a  good 
trick."     A  hard  old  saying. 

Clopping.       Walking  lame.     "Cloi^ping  along." 

Close.       Eeticent,  reserved.     "He  is  always  very  close." 

Clouching.       Without  character,  not  to  be  believed. 

St.  Buryan. 
Clout.       A  blow,  a  slap.     "I'll  giv'ee  a  clout  under  the 
ear."    This  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word. 

Cluck,  Clucky,  Clucky  down.  To  lower  the  body 
to  a  very  stooping  posture ;  sitting  on  the  heels  and 
bending  the  neck  very  much,  is  a  posture  comparable 
to  that  of  a  barn  door  fowl,  "clucking,"  i.e.,  sitting 
flat   down   with   the    head    lowered.      Lhuyd    gives 


138 

KeliocJc  as  Celtic  Cornish  for  a  cod:,  a  name  probably 
originating  from  the  sound  dnk  Avhich  the  bird  makes. 
(Clutty.       w.F.P.) 
Clubbish.       Rough  and  brutal  in  manner. 

Clum.       Benumbed  with  cold.     "  My  hands  are  clum 

with  the  cold." 
Clump.       An  extra  sole  to  a  boot,  or  shoe. 

Clunk,       To  swallow.     This  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word. 

(Khink.     Borlasc.) 
Clunker.       The  "swallow,"  or  fauces.     The  uvula. 

Clushy  in.  To  draw  nearer  together,  as  in  sitting  on 
a  form.  To  nestle  closer  together.  (Clouch,  gathered 
together.     Spenser.) 

Clusty,  or  Clisty.  Close  grained,  or  "heavy,"  as 
"  clusty  potatoes." 

Cluit.  A.  hurdle  of  rods  wattled  together.  Polwhele. 
A  crate,  a  wattled  gate.  JFilHams.  It  is  Celtic 
Cornish. 

Clut.  "A  gap  in  a  hedge.  To  fall  with  a  chit,  i.e.,  to 
fall  in  a  heap."  M.A.c.  (Clut  in  Celtic  Cornish,  a 
clout.) 

Clutchy.       sticky.     The  same  as  Clodgy.       Q.v. 

Clyders,  or  Clythers.  The  rough  bed-straw.  Galmm 
ajxir'me.  c.  In  Celtic  Cornish  Gledh  means  chick- 
weed.     (Clivers,  cleavers,  goose-grass.       H.ii.c. 

Clyne.       A  sea  bird's  feast.  M.  Dunn,  Mevagisscy. 


139 

Co.  This  curious  -word  has  opposite  meanings  according 
to  its  use,  as  "  Go  at  once,  co."  "Come  at  once,  co," 
Co  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word  and  means  the  memory, 
remembrance ;  also  cof,  and  Jco. 

Coady.      Sheep  with  diseased  livers  are  coady.    Stratton. 

Coanse,  Cawnse,  or  Scoanes.      The  stones,  or 

pavement.       U.J.T. 

Coanse-Way.       A  paved  path-way. 

Cob.  A  thump,  a  blow.  Also  the  top  locks  of  a 
horse's  mane.     (Welsh  coh  or  cop,  a  tuft.) 

Cob.  A  mixture  of  coarse  brown  clayey  earth,  and 
straw,  for  building  a  coh  wall. 

Cobba.  A  simpleton.  M.A.C.  Cobbe.  A  bungler. 
R.H.     (A  cobbler.     Dryden.) 

Cobber.       A  bruiser  of  tin. 

Cobbing.  Breaking  up  the  ore  into  small  pieces  with 
a  "cobbing  hammer."  Also,  a  thrashing,  as  "He 
deserves  a  good  cobbing."  In  Celtic  Cornish  dlw  coh, 
to  break,  or  bruise. 

Cob-nuts.  Hazel  nuts.  Also,  a  game  so  called  played 
with  nuts.     (Cock-haw.     Polichele.) 

Cobshans.       Money  or  savings.       U.J.T, 

Cockle.       Capel  or  Caple.     Schorl. 

Cockle  up.       To  buckle,  or  curl  up. 

Cockle  up  to.       To  confront  in  a  defiant  manner. 


uo 
Cockle-bells,  or  Cockle-buttons.     The  burrs  of 

the   Burdock.      Arctium    lappa.      Icicles   are   called 
Cockle-bells. 

Cock-a-hoop.  Full  of  hope  and  intent.  "All  cock-a- 
hoop." 

Cock  haw.       A  boy's  game  with  hazel  nuts. 
Cock-hedge.       A  thorn  hedge  trimmed.       M.A.C. 
Cockly-bread.       "To  make  cockly-bread,"  i.e.,  to  turn 

head  over  heels  in  bed.       M.A.C. 
Cocky.       Pert  and  conceited. 

Codgers'  end.  Shoemakers'  wax  ends.  (Coajer'.s- 
end,  cobler's-wax.       u.J.T. 

Codgy  wax,       Cobler's  wax. 

Codnor.       "  Cognomen  for  stewing."       T.w.s. 

Coffins.  Old  surface  mining  excavations,  often  opened 
into  by  mining  up  from  below,  E.N. 
(Koffen.  "  The  hollow  of  an  open  mine."  JFhitaker.) 
In  Celtic  Cornish  cofar  means  a  chest,  a  coifer; 
Welch,  cof,  a  hollow  trunk;  Armoric,  ai/cr ;  Irish 
cofra.  JFilliams. 

Coining  tin.  "  The  large  blocks  of  tin  being  brought 
to  a  coinage  town,  the  officers  appointed  by  the  Duke 
of  Cornwall,  assayed  it  by  taking  ofl'  a  piece  of  one 
of  the  under  corners  of  the  block  of  about  a  pound 
weight,  partly  by  cutting,  and  partly  by  breaking; 


141 

and  if  well  purified,  stamped  the  face  of  the  block 
with  the  impression  of  the  seal  of  the  Duchy."  This 
was  "coining"  the  tin,  after  which  it  became  "mer- 
chandable,"  and  not  before.  Borlase. 

Cold,  roste.  This  expression  has  been  used  by  one 
of  our  earliest  Avriters  in  this  way.  "A  beggarie 
little  town  of  cold  roste."  Is  this  last  the  sense  in 
which  it  is  used  in  connection  with  the  scan  pilchard 
fishery?  The  Cornishman,  1881. 

Colp.  A  thump,  a  cuff*.  (A  short  rope  used  for  carry- 
ing sheaves.       M.A.C.) 

Colpas.       A  prop  to  a  lever.       M.A.C.) 

Collaring  or  Collar.       The  top  boarding  of  a  mine 

shaft. 
CoUoping.       A  good  thrashing  or  beating. 

Collybran.  Summer  lightning.  The  smut  in  corn. 
Uredo  segetiim,  a  blight  in  corn.  In  Celtic  Cornish 
colbran,  lightning. 

Collywobbles.  Rumbling  and  flatulence  inside  the 
body.       Borborygmi. 

Come-by-chance.       Anything  obtained  fortuituously. 

Come-upping.      A  flogging,      ji.a.c. 
Comfortable.       Agreeable,  obliging.     "  A  very  •'' cow- 
fortable  man." 

Comical-tempered.       Cross,  ill-tempered. 
CondidcLle.       To  diddle,  cheat,  or  impose  upon. 


U2 

CondudleS.       Childish,  stupid  notions. 
Conger-douce.       Conger  split,  and  dried  without  salt. 

Tonkin. 
Confloption.       A  great  flurry. 

Conkerbell,   Cockabell,   or  Cockerbell.      An 

icicle. 

Continny.       To  continue.     "Yew  was  always  a  booti- 
ful  buoy  (boy)  my  dear,  and  so  yew  still  continnies. 

Near  Bodmin. 
Cooche-handed.       Left-handed.     Stratton. 
Cooler  or  Cool.       A  large  salting  tub. 

Coom  (or  Coomb.)       A  valley.    Borlase's  Celtic  Cornish 
Vocabulary. 

Copperfinch.       The  chaffinch. 

Cop.       The  tuft  on  a  fowl's  head.       In  Welsh  cob  or 
coj^,  a  tuft. 

Coppies.       Fowls  with  a  tuft  of  feathers  on  each  of 
their  heads  are  so  named. 

Core,  or  Coor.       Eight  hours  work.     Three  cores  in 
the  twenty  four  hours. 

Coose.       "Ill  coose,"  i.e.,  of  course,  provided  that. 

Coot.       A  thump.     A  Celtic  Cornish  word.       Cootin. 
A  thrashing. 

Coranting.       Frisking,  jumping  about,  gambolling. 

Corn-crake.       The^land-rail. 


143 

Cornish  diamonds.  Crystals  of  quartz,  "of  a  fine 
clear  water  but  some  are  yellow,  brown,  cloudy,  opake, 
white,  green,  purple,  black.  The  black  is  very  rare, 
and  called  by  Linnaeus  nitrum  quartzosum  nigrum,  or 
"Morion."  Borlase's  Natural  History. 

Cornish  organ.      The  bellows. 

Cornish  pies.  These  are  A'arious,  toothsome,  and 
wholesome.  Some  are  peculiar.  It  is  a  moot  c^uestion 
which  is  the  better,  a  Cornish  pie  or  a  Cornish  pasty. 
Here  is  a  list  of  a  few  pies  : —  * 


1. 

Squab  pie. 

9. 

Nattlin  pie. 

2. 

Fishy  pie. 

10. 

Muggety  pie. 

3. 

Star-gazing  pie. 

11. 

Likkey  pie. 

4. 

Conger  pie. 

12. 

Tetty  pie. 

5. 

Parsley  pie. 

13. 

Giblet  pie. 

6. 

Herby  pie. 

14. 

Taddago  pie. 

7. 

Lamb-y  pie. 

15. 

Bottom  pie. 

8. 

Piggy  pie. 

16. 

Sour-sab  pie,  &c. 

They  say  that  the  Devil  would  not  venture  into 
Cornwall,  fearing  that  the  Cornish  might  put  Jiim 
into  a  pie.     They  use  pepper  instead. 

Cornish.       "To  Cornish  together,"  i.e.,  several  persons 
to  use  only  one  glass  like  "a  loving  cup." 

Cornish  hair.       The  rough  wool  of  ancient  Cornish 
sheep.  Carew. 

»  The  composition  of  these  pies  is  given,  for  the  most  part,  in 
this  Glossary. 


Cornish  hug.  a  i^owerful  wrestling  grip,  very  eflfec- 
tual  if  it  can  be  made. 

Corrat.       "Pert,  impudent,  sharp  in  rejoinder."     "As 

corrat  as  Crocker's  mare."     East  Cornwall  Provb.       C. 
Corrosy.       An  old  family  feud.  Pohvhele. 

(Coreesy,  Corrizee.       m.a.c.) 

Corve.       A   floating   crab   box.       Captn.  H.    Pdchanls, 

Prussia  Cove. 
Corwich.       The  crab  Maia  squi7iado.       C. 
Cos'sened,       Hammered  into  shape  and  newly  steeled. 

H.R.C. 

Costan.       A  basket  for  straw  and  brambles.       iLA.c. 

Cothan.  A  stratum  of  sandy  earth  and  small  stones, 
so  called  by  tinners  "  wherein  the  sand-tin  is  usually 
found  about  a  foot  and  a  half  above  the  karn." 

Borlase, 

Country.  The  ground  itself,  especially  used  of  that 
about  or  near  an  excavation. 

Countryman's  treacle.       Garlic.     The  Hundred  of 

Stratton  in  Queen  Elizabeth's  time  was  remarkable 
for  its  plenty  of  garlic,  "the  Countryman's  treacle, 
says  Carew,  which  they  vent  not  only  in  Cornwall 
but  in  many  other  places." 

Cousin -jacky.       A  local  term  of  contempt. 

Cover-slut.  Any  clothing  "slipped  on"  to  hide 
untidiness  beneath. 


145 

Cow.       A  windlass  with  a  cowl  shaped  top  to  supply  air 

in  a  mine.       M.A.C. 
Cowal.       A  fish-basket  used  by  fish-jowders,  and  carried 

on  the  back.     This  is  from  the  Celtic  Cornish  cawal, 

caiiwal,  or  cowal,  a  hamper,  a  basket. 
Cow-flops.       Wild  parsnips. 
Cowl.       A  fish  bladder.       B.v. 
CoWShern,       Cow-dung. 
Cowsherny.       A  term  descriptive  of  the  colour  of  the 

sea  when  it  looks  olive-green,  or  turbid  as  if  coloured 

with  cow-dung.       c. 
Cowsy,  or  Coosy.       To  chat.    This  is  from  the  Celtic 

Cornish   cows  or   caws,  to   speak,    or   talk.     Cavsen, 

(Spenser),  to  argue  or  debate. 

Coxy.     See  Cocky. 

Crake,  or  Craak.  To  croak,  to  quaver  in  speaking, 
or  singing.     Crahe  and  cralel  are  Chaucer's  words. 

Craake.  A  croaker,  a  querulous,  fretting  person. 
"  She's  a  regular  craake." 

Craakin.  Always  fretting  and  complaining,  also  con- 
tinual and  melancholy  chatter.  "  Te's  wisht  to  hear 
her  craakin  hour  by  hour." 

Craaky.       Hoarse,  and  shaky.     Used  of  the  voice. 

Cracky.       Half  mad.     "Flighty." 

Crame.  To  creep.  "To  crame  down."  In  Celtic 
Cornish  cramia  means  to  creep,  and  cramyas,  creeping. 


U6 

Cram.       A  "white"  lie.     "That's  a  cram,"  i.e.,  that's  a 

likely  story.     Also,  to  crumple,  as  "Don't  cram  it." 
Crammer.       A  big  lie.     "  What  a  crammer  ! " 
Cran.       "A  cran  of  herrings,"  i.e.,  800  herrings. 
Cravel.       "  A  wood  cravel  in  a  chimney."  ( 1 ) 
Crawn.       A  dried  sheep's  skin.  Davy,  Zennor. 

Crease.       The  ridge  tiles  of  a  roof. 
Creem  or  Crim.       A  creeping,  trembling,  shuddering 

feeling,  as  from  fear.     Also  a  shiver,  as  from  cold. 
Creem.       To  squeeze,  crush,  or  press. 
Creeming.       Shivering  with  cold,  shaking  with  fear. 

"  I'm  creeming  all  over." 
Creener.       A  fretful  complaining  person. 
Creening.       Complaining,  fretting,  as  if  "bad  all  over." 

"  She's  always  creening,"  i.e.,   always  talking  about 

her  ailments. 
Crellas.       British   hut  circles.     "An  excavation  in  a 

bank,  roofed  over  to  serve  for  an  outhouse."  Bottrall. 

Cresser.       A  small  fish  resembling  a  bream,  but  more 

red.       H.A.C. 
Creeved.       Underdone.     M.A.c.     In  Celtic  Cornish  criv 

means  crude,  raw.  Pryce. 

Crib.       A  small  meal,  or  lunch.     "  I've  just  had  a  crib." 

A  crust  of  bread.       Cribs.     Fragments  of  food. 
Cribber.       A   pilferer;   a   small   eater.     "He's   but  a 

cribber." 


U7 
Cribbage  face.       A  thin  wrinkled  face. 
Cricks.       Di"y  hedge  wood.  Polichele. 

Cricket.       A  low  three  legged  stool. 
Crickly.       Frail,  rickety. 

Cricklin.  Breaking  down  from  overweight,  also,  stoop- 
ing in  walking.     "  Cricklin  along." 

Cripse.  To  craze,  or  injure  the  edges  of  anything 
brittle,  as  of  glass  or  china. 

Crim.       A  crumb.     A  little  bit  of  anything. 

Crissy-CrOSSy.       Criss-cross. 

Crock.       A  three  legged  iron  pot  used  in  cooking. 

Crogen.  A  shell.  It  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word.  (Crog- 
ijans  limpet  shells.       M.A.c.) 

Cromlech.  (pi'o.  krom'lek.)  A  term  applied  to 
ancient  Celtic  constructions  consisting  of  a  large  flat 
stone  supported  on  three  or  more  other  stones  set  on 
end.  Once  supposed  to  be  altars  but  now  judged  to 
be  ancient  British  tombs.  This  is  a  Celtic  word 
derived  from  lek,  a  flat  stone,  and  krum,  crooked,  and 
according  to  Borlase,  Cromlech  means  literally,  a  crook- 
ed flat  rock,  or  stone. 

Crooks.  Great  wooden  hooks  used  saddle  fashion  on 
horses,  donkeys,  and  mules,  for  carrying  goods.  Also 
called  pannier-crooks. 

CrOOm.  A  small  bit,  a  short  time.  "  Give  us  a 
croom."     "Wait  a  croom." 


148 
Croony.       Foolish,  imbecile. 

Cropin,  or  Cropeing.        Stingy,  miserly,  like    "an 

old  hunks." 
CrOUging.       Crouching,  shuffling,     "  Crouging  along." 

Crow,  or  CrOU.       A  hut,  a  hovel,   a  sty.     This  is  a 

Celtic  Cornish  word. 
Crowd.       "  A  wooden  hoop  covered  with  sheep  skin 

used  for  taking  up  corn."  Davy,  Zennor. 

Crowd.      A  fiddle.    Crowder.    A  fiddler. 

Crowdy.      To  play  the  fiddle.     Crowd  and  Crotvder 
are  Celtic  Cornish  words. 

CrOWSt  or  CrOUSe.       A  luncheon,  a  feed.     This  is  a 

Celtic  Cornish  word.     (Croust.    Pnjcc). 
Crowning.       An  inquest. 

Crow-sheaf.  The  crown  or  topmost  sheaf  of  an 
arrish  mow. 

Cruddy,  Crudded,  or  Cruddled.     Curdled. 

Cruel  shaape.  "in  a  cruel  shaape,"  i.e.,  in  a 
terrible  mess. 

Crulley-head.  Curleyhead.  (CruU,cwv\ei\,  Chaucer.) 
Krijllia.:,  curled,  in  Celtic  Cornish. 

Crum.  Crooked,  bent,  curved.  This  is  a  Celtic  Cornish 
word.  It  also  means  chilled,  or  cramped,  as  "my 
hands  are  amm  with  the  cold." 

Crum-a-grackle.  Perplexity,  bother,  "Here's  a 
pretty  crum-a-grackle."     St.  Just.        T.C. 


149 

Crummet.       A  very  little  bit.     A  crumb. 

Crumpling.       A  wrinkled  apple. 

Crunk.       To  croak  like  a  raven.       F.C. 

Cuckhold    dock.       The    Burdock.     Arctium    majus. 
(Cuckle  dock.       C.) 

Cuckoo,  or  Guckoo  spit.       A  frothy  little  mass  like 

spittle,   seen  on  bushes,  as  on  furze,  rosemary,  &c. 

Caused  by  an  insect  to  be  found  in  the  middle  of  it. 

(The  Cicadia  spumaria.       c.) 
Cud.       A  quid  of  Tobacco. 

Cuckoo,  or  Guckoo  flowers.       Wild  hj-acinths. 
Cudgelling.       A  game  at  fencing  with  stout  sticks,  or 

cudgels.     The  man  "who  first  "brought  blood"  was 

declared  the  victor. 
Cue.       An  ox-shoe.     An  iron  heel  for  a  boot,  or  shoe. 
Culch.       Oj-ster  spat.       c. 

Culiack.       A  good-for-nothing  person.        Davy,  Zennor. 
Culver-hound.       The  lesser  spotted  dog-fish.       c, 

Cunner  pots.     See  Weelys. 

Cuny.       Mildewed.       M.A.c. 

Curl.       A  carol,  as  sung  at  Christmas.     In  Celtic  Cornish 
Karol,  a  choir,  a  song. 

Curls.       Glands.     "The  curls  (i.e.  glands)  of  the  neck." 

Custis.       A  battle-door  or  nearly  circular  shaped  flat 

piece  of  hard  wood,  with  a  handle  about  ten  inches 


150 

long,  used  at  school  to  slap  the  boys  hands,  &c.     The 
punishment  itself  was  also  called    "the  custis,"    or 
"  having  the  custis." 
Cuttit.       Sharp  in  reply.     Pert,  impudent,       C. 

Cyphers.      See  Sives,  or  Chives.    (Clpeolon). 

Daark,    or   Derk.       Blind.     "  Th'ould  man  es  daark 

an  'most  totelin"  i.e.,  the  old  man  is  blind  and  nearly 

imbecile. 
Dab.       A  thump,  a  blow,  as  "  Gibb'n  a  dab" ;   also  a 

thrust,  as  "  he  dabbed  it  right  in  my  eye" ;   also  a 

lump  of  anything,  as  "a  dab  of  butter"  ;  also  a  clever, 

or  skilful  person,  as  "  he's  quite  a  dab  at  it." 
Dabbety  fay  !       An  exclamation  meaning,  "  Give  us 

faith.       H.R.C. 
DafFer.       Crockery  ware,  as  the  tea  things,  &c.    Polwhele. 
Dag.       An  axe  used  by  miners.    (A  hatchet.    CaUington). 
Daggens.       Sprinkled  heavily,   showing  a  good  crop ; 

something  plentiful.     T.W.s.     Also,  Daggins,  lots. 
Daggin.       Longing  to  do  a  thing,  ready  for  it;  as,  "He's 

daggin  for  it."     Also  draggling;  weighted  down  (i.e. 

daggin)  with  fruit. 
Daggin.       Draggling.     "  Daggin  in  the  mud." 
Dame-ku.       A  jack  snipe.       ii.ii.B. 
Dandy-go-russet.       Term    used   of   faded    clothing; 

also,  an  ancient  wig  which  has  done  good  service. 
Dane.       "Ked  headed  Dane"  a  sneering  term.       M.A.C. 

See  Carrots. 


151 

Daps  or  DopS.       Likeness,  or  image  of.     "The  very 

daiDS. " 
Dash-an-darras.       The  dram,  or   "stirrup  cup"  for 

the  parting  guest.  Pohchele. 

Datch.       Thatch. 

Datcher.       A  thatcher.     '*  This  is  the  weather  for  ducks 

and  datchers." 
Dawered.       Faded,  looking  old  and  worn. 
Day-berry.       Wild  gooseberry.       M.A.C. 
Deads.       Rubble  or  loose  rubbish  and  broken  stones 

in  a  mine,  and  containing  no  metal.  Borlase. 

Dealsey,  or  Delseed.     A  fir  cone.     m.a.c. 
Deaf,  or  Defe  nettle.     See  Blind-nettle. 

Deef,  Defe,  or  Deve.       Hollow,  decayed,  as  a  "deef" 

nut.     It  is  also  used  thus  in  the  North  of  England. 

There  is  a  term  also,  "  defe  as  a  haddock,"  meaning, 

very  deaf. 
Delbord.       The  nurse  hound.     Squalus  canicula.     N.E.c. 
Denneck,  or  Redanneck.       Piper,  or  Ellick,  names 

applied  to  a  species  of  tub  fish.       W.F.P. 

Derry.  "  A  putty  derry."  "  Kicking  up  a  putty 
derry."  In  Celtic  Cornish  demij  means  a  deed,  an 
exploit. 

Devil.       An  aval.       q.v. 

Devil's  bit,  or  Devil's  button.     Blue  scabious. 


152 

Dew-snail.      A  slug.       Limax  agrestis. 

Dido.       A  row  a  fuss.     "  Kicking  up  a  putty  dido." 

CalUnrjton. 

Dicky.  One  of  the  names  for  an  ass.  Used  also  in 
Yorkshire.  See  AsS.  Also,  a  sham  bosom,  or 
"  false-front "  to  a  shirt.      A  half  shirt. 

Dijey.       A  small  farm,  or  homestead.  Bottrall. 

Dig.  To  scratch,  as  when  itching.  "  Don't  dig  your 
head  like  that."  Also,  a  blow,or  poke,  as  with  the 
elbow.     "A  dig  in  the  ribs." 

Dinky.       Tiny,  very  small,  a  mere  mite. 

Dinged.  Reiterated.  "  He  dinged  it  into  my  ears 
from  morning  to  night." 

Dilly-dally.       To  do  anything  in  a  slow,  lazy  manner. 

Dinyan.       A  little  corner,     m.a.c. 

Dippa.  A  small  pit.  A  mining  term.  A  Celtic 
Cornish  word. 

Dippers.  In  the  catching  of  pilchards  the  boats 
which  attend  for  the  purpose  of  conveying  the  fish 
from  the  tuck-net  to  the  shore  are  termed  dippers. 

Dr.  Paris. 

Dish.  A  gallon  of  black  tin.  Carew.  Also,  the  land- 
lord's share  in  the  produce  of  a  mine. 

Dishwasher.       The  wagtail. 

Disle,  or  Dicel.  The  thistle,  especially  the  "Milky 
dicel "  (so  called  by  boys)  for  feeding  rabbits.  (SoncJms 
oleraceus.      c.) 


153 

Doat  figs.       Broad-figs.       u.j.t. 

Dob,  or  Dab.  To  throw,  or  fiing.  As,  "  he  dobbed  a 
great  stone  at  nie." 

Dobbet.       A  short,  stumpy  little  person. 

Dock.  The  crupper  of  a  saddle.  Also  used  in  Devon- 
shire. 

Docy.  Pretty,  charming,  or  neat  in  person.  "  A  docy 
little  maid."     "  She  is  very  docy." 

Dogga.       The  dog-fish.     Acanthius  vulgaris.       c. 

Doggetin  along.  Plodding  along  in  walking.  A 
"dog  trot"  pace. 

Dogg  along.       To  drag  along. 

Doggie.  To  totter  in  walking,  as  does  a  child,  "  dogglin 
along." 

Dole.       Mine  dues.     A  lot  of  ore. 

Doldrums.       In  low  spirits,  "  In  the  doldrums." 

Dollop.       A  lump  of  anything,  thus,  "  a  dollop  of  fat." 

Dollymop.       A  vulgar  flirt. 

Dollymoppin.       Flirting  with  the  girls. 

Dooda.       A  stupid  person.       M.A.c. 

Doodle.       To  diddle,  to  cheat. 

Dormant.  Melancholly,  sad,  gloomy.  "A  dormant 
house,"  i.e.,  a  gloomy  house.  "  Feeling  dormant,"  i.e., 
melancholly  or  sad.  Used  in  the  same  sense  as 
loisht.       q.v. 

Dorymouse.       The  dormouse. 


Dossity.  Spirit,  activity.  C.  (A  corruption  of  Auda- 
city).   'Dacity. 

Dot-and-gO-one.  A  term  used  of  a  lame  person. 
Skittering,  sliddering,  stapping,  straking;  stumping, 
stanking,  and  fooching  along ;  craming,  and  clopping, 
like  a  douching  ould  totle,  goes  thickky-there  poor 
ould  "dot-and-go-one." 

Douse.  To  throw  a  thing  down  violently.  To  lower, 
as,  "douse  the  sail."  To  thrash,  or  beat,  as,  "give 
him  a  good  dousing."  To  pay,  as,  "  come  douse  out 
your  money."  To  throw  water  over  anyone,  "  to  give 
him  a  dousing." 

Douse,  or  Doust.       A  blow,  or  thump. 

Dousse,  or  Doust.  The  husks  of  winnowed  corn. 
Poor  people  used  it  to  stuff  their  pillows  and  bed-ties. 

Doust.       To  pelt.     As  in  throwing  stones  at  one. 

Douster.       A  fall,  "  a  regler  douster." 

Doustin.       A  thrashing. 

Dover.  An  uproar,  a  row,  a  great  fuss.  "  There's 
dover,"  or,  "There's  dover  to  pay." 

Dow.       A  cross  old  woman.     Gwinear.       T.c. 

Dowl,  Dool,  or  Dolley.       To  toll  a  large  bell. 

Dowlin  pain.       A  dull,  persistent  pain. 

Down-danted.  Depressed  in  spirits.  Discouraged, 
"  down  in  the  mouth." 


155 

Down  SOUCe.  A  sudden  fall  of  anything,  as,  "down 
it  came  souce."  Also,  as  in  speaking  very  plainly,  "  I 
told  him  down  souce." 

Dowser.       One  who  uses  the  dowsing  rod. 

Dowsing-rod.  A  forked  branch  of  hazel  used  for 
discovering  a  mineral  lode.  Now  laughed  at  as 
useless,  and  dowsing  considered  as  silly  and  super- 
stitious.    Divining  rod. 

Drabbit !       Drat  it!     "  Aw  !  Drabbit  the  ole  scrubbin." 
Mrs.  Parr's  Adam  &  Eve. 

Draft,  or  Draff.  Brewers'  grains.  Used  as  food  for 
pigs.  Chaucer  uses  the  word  draf,  meaning  "things 
thrown  away  as  unfit  for  man's  food." 

Dram.       A  swathe  of  cut  corn.       Bottrall. 

Drang.  A  narrow  place^  passage,  trench,  gutter,  or 
drain. 

Dranged  up.      See  Dringed  up. 

Drash.  To  thrash  as  of  corn,  to  thump  or  beat.  To 
dash  a  thing  violently  down.  Also,  to  shut  or  open 
violently.     "  He  drashed  open  the  door." 

Drashel.     A  flail. 

Drasher.  A  thrasher  of  corn.  (In  Celtic  Cornish  it 
is  drushier  ;  or  drusher.     Borlase.) 

Drashin.       Thrashing  corn.     Also  beating,  or  flogging. 

Draw-bucket.  A  bucket  with  a  rope  to  draw  water 
up  a  well. 


Draxel,  or  Drexel.       The  thresliold.     (Drcdstool. 

Poluhele.) 
Drazac,  or  Drazackin.      Slow,  stupid,  dull. 

Dredge  corn.  A  mixed  crop  of  barley,  oats  and 
wheat,       c. 

Dredge  wheat.  A  bearded  wheat,  used  to  be  sown 
in  coarse  land.  Tonkin. 

Dredgy  ore.       Inferior  mineral.  Borlase. 

Dreshel.      See  Drashel. 

Dressel,  or  Dresshel.      See  Draxel. 

Dribbs,  or  Driflfs.       Small  quantities  of  anything. 

Drift.  A  trench  cut  in  the  ground  resembling  a 
channel  dug  to  convey  water  to  a  mill-wheel. 

Drilsy.       A  low,  murmuring,  and  monotonous   sound, 

or  hum, 
Dring.       A  crush  of  people,   "  a  regular  dring."     Also, 

a  narrow  place.     See  Drang. 

Dringed  up.  Crowded  up  together.  Generally  used 
of  people  in  a  crowded  room,  or  vehicle.  Soiled,  as 
with  dirt  at  the  bottom  of  a  dress. 

Dripshan.       Mother's  milk.     Spirits.       M.A.C, 

Driving  nets.  Nets  drawn  after  the  boats,  fastened 
only  at  one  end,  in  the  meshes  of  which  fish  are 
caught  as  they  try  to  pass  through. 

Droke.       A  wrinkle,  a  furrow,  a  passage.       M.A.c. 


157 

Droll-teller.  An  itinerant  story-teller,  news-monger, 
and  fiddler,  who  travelled  from  town  to  town,  and 
village  to  village.  There  were  two  such  in  Cornwall 
as  late  as  1829.       H. 

Droolin.       Drivelling,  as  with  an  infant,  or  an  idiot. 

Droozenhead.     A  stupid,  dull  person. 

Droozlin.  Stupid,  dull,  mournful.  (In  Celtic  Cornish 
dreuesy  means  mournful,  lamentable.       Prijce.) 

Drover.  A  fishing  boat  used  in  taking  fish  with  a 
driving  net.     Usually  called  driving  boat. 

Druckshar.       A  small  solid  wheel.       M.A.C. 

Drug.  To  drag,  as  "drug  the  Avheel."  The  word 
drugge  is  used  by  Chaucer  for  drag. 

Druggister.       A  druggist.     Now  elegantly  called  "A 

pharmaceutical  chemist." 
Drule,  or  Drool.  Drivel. 
Drumblin.       Stupid,  obtuse. 

Drum.     To  flog.    Drumming.    Flogging.    "Gibb'n 

a  good  drumming." 

Drusy.       I^i  niost  veins  (lodes)  there  is  a  central  line 

or  fissure formed  by  the  close  apposition  and 

occasional  union  of  two  crystallized  or  as  they  may 
be  called,  drimj  surfaces.  Br.  Paris. 

Dry.  The  name  given  to  a  long,  low  building,  (from 
100  to  150  feet  long),  with  a  tall  chimney  at  one  end 
and  a  coal-burning  furnace  at  the  other.     There  are 


158 

flues  beneath  the  tiled  floor.  On  the  hot  floor  the 
semi-liquid  china  clay  is  dried  and  rendered  fit  for 
shipment.  This  mode  of  drying  Clay  has  been  used 
about  20  or  30  years. 

Dryer.  A  dram  or  "  nip "  of  spirit  after  drinking 
beer.  "  We  had  fower  pints  of  beer,  and  haaf  a 
noggin  of  rum  for  a  dryer."  J.  T.  Tregellas. 

Duffan.  "  An  egotistical  hypocrite."  "  A  regular 
duff"an." 

Duifed.      Struck.     E.N. 

Duffy.       An  outspoken  person.  Bottrall. 

Dug.       A  push,  a  thrust,  a  poke.     A  "  dig." 

Duggle.      See  Doggie. 

Dule.       Comfort.  Carew. 

Dull  of  hearing.       "Hard  of  hearing." 

Dum-dolly.       A  mishapen  marble.       M.A.C. 

DummetS,  or  Dimmets.  Twilight.  "Between  the 
two  lights." 

Dumbledory,  Dumbledore,  Dumbledrone, 
D  rumble  drain,  and  Dumbledrane.      Difter- 

ent  names  for  a  drone.  (In  Celtic  Cornish  drane 
means  "a  thorne,  a  bryer,  a  bramble."     Pryce.) 

Dungin'.  Manuring.  Dunged.  IManured.  Messed 
or  dirtied.  "I'll  have  ivy  graw  oal  roun'  the  tower," 
says  the  passon.     "  And  so  you  shall,  my  dear,"  says 


159 

the  churchwarden ;  and  when  the  passon  was  gone  he 
beginned  to  put  some  in ;  a  Trura  man  looked  in  and 
seed  un,  and  thoft  he  was  dungiii  the  tower  to  maake 
un  graw."  J.  T.  Tregellas. 

Durgy  or  Dourgy.  A  short,  stout  person.  M.A.C. 
It  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word  and  also  means  a  small 
turf  hedge.  Pryce. 

Durk,  or  Dark.     Blind. 

Dum.  The  door  post.  The  side  post  of  a  door  or 
gate.     Dorn,  Celtic  Cornish,  the  door  post. 

Duty.  The  estimated  work  done  by  a  mine  steam- 
engine.  The  amount  of  duty  is  registered  and  issued 
on  "duty  papers." 

Dwalder.       To  speak  tediously  and  confusedly.       C. 

Dwaling.  A  dreamy,  sleepy  manner  of  muttering. 
It  is  often  said  of  a  sick  person  that  he  has  been 
"  dwaling  all  night."  Angl.  Sax.  divelian.  (Divale,  a 
sleeping  draught.     Chaucer.) 

Ear-bosoms  or  Ear-busses,     The  glands  of  the 

throat.  When  swollen  it  is  said,  "My  ear-bosoms 
are  down."     The  orifices  behind  the  gills  of  a  conger. 

Ear-buzz,  or  Ear-buzzer.  The  spinning,  or  brown 
Cock-chafer.  The  Oakwebb.  Boys  make  the  insect 
spin  or  "  buzz  "  by  putting  a  pin  in  its  tail. 

Ear-wig.  A  millipede  kind  of  insect.  It  is  an  old 
belief  in  Cornwall,  that  if  an  earwig  crept  into  the 
ear,  deafness  would  be  caused. 

Easement.       Relief.     (Esement,  Chaucer.) 


160 

Easy.       Feeble  minded.     Silly. 

Eaving.      See  Heaving. 

Edge  on.       To  egg  on,  to  incite. 

Eggy-hot,   or  Egg-hot.       Hot  beer  with  eggs,  and 
sugar  beaten  up.     Sometimes  flavoured  with  rum. 

Ekky-mowl.       The  titmouse. 

Elbow-crookin.     Tippling. 

Elbow  grease.       Work  or  labour  in  doing  a  thing 
well.     "Give  it  more  elbow  grease." 

Elecompanie.     A  tomtit.  PolwheU. 

Element.       The  atmosphere,  the  sky. 

EUeck.       The  gurnard.    Trigla  cuculus.     c.    See  lUek. 

Emmut.       In  the  eye  of  the  wind,  i.e.,  in  the  emmut 
(or  brunt)  of  it.  Polwhcle. 

Empidenter.       More  impudent.     "He's  moar   empi- 
denter  then  I  caan  suffer." 

Ena,  mena,   out.       A  row  of  children  stood  facing 
another  child,   and  the  latter,  pointing  to  each  in 
succession,   said  these   words  in  an  ordinary  voice, 
except  the  word  "  out,"  which  was  shouted. 
"  Ena,  mena,  mona,  mite, 
Bascalora,  bora,  bite, 
Hugga,  bucca,  bau ; 
Eggs,  butter,  cheese,  bread. 
Stick,  stock,  stone  dead,— Out." 


161 

The  moment  "  out "  was  said,  the  one  on  whom  this 
word  fell  had  to  quit  the  row ;  and  so  seriatim, 
repeating  the  above  words  each  time. 

In  West  Cornwall  according  to  m.a.c.  the  following 
are  the  words  used  :  — 

"Ena,  mena,  mona,  mi, 
Pasca,  lara,  bona,  (or  bora,)  bi, 
Elke,  belke,  boh, 
Eggs,  butter,  cheese,  bread, 
Stick,  stack,  stone  dead." 

In  the  game  of  Blindman's  Buff. 

"Among  the  many  evidences  that  furnish  the  philologist 
with  the  proof  that  a  once  powerful  people  existed  in  our 
midst  are  those  "wandeiing  words"  that  flit  through  the 
atmosphere  of  our  every-day  lives.  At  first  their  indistinctness 
adds  nothing  to  their  beauty ;  but,  after  a  careful  scrutiny, 
their  roughness  wears  away,  and  amidst  an  accumulation  of 
what  is  seemingly  unreal  and  unsatisfactory,  we  begin  to 
discover  something  that  eventually  will  repay  us  for  the 
labour  we  have  bestowed  upon  them.  There  is — so  to  speak — 
nothing  too  common,  nothing  too  mean,  nothing  so  out  of  the 
everyday  working  of  our  lives,  that  ■R-ill  not  lead  us  to  a  suc- 
cessful issue.  A  bit  of  bronze,  a  battered  flint,  a  broken  bussa, 
a  single  word  or  expression, — each  canies  us  back  to  a  peiiod 
when  manners,  di-ess,  domestic  ai^phances,  and  the  prevalence 
of  a  now  forgotten  tongue  were  scattered  up  and  down  our 
land ;  and  which  differ  from  the  England  and  the  EngUsh  in 
every  essential  of  the  present  day. 

For  instance,  who  would  sui-mise  that  the  talismanic  words 
uttered  by  our  children  in  their  innocent  games  have  come 
down  to  us  very  nearly  as  perfect  as  when  spoken  by  the 
Ancient  Briton;  but  with  an  opposite  and  widely  different 
meaning  ?  The  only  degree  of  likeness  that  lies  between  them 
now  is  that  where  the  cMld  of  the  present  day  escapes  a 
certain  kind  of  juvenile  punishment  the  retention  of  the  word 
originally  meant  death  in  a  most  cruel  and  barbarous  way. 


162 

The  couplet,  as  near  as  I  can  bring  it  to  orthographical  stand- 
ing, will  read  thus : 

"  Ena,  mena,  bora — mi — 
Kisca,  lara,  mora — di." 
The  force  of  habit  is  so  strong  in  our  modes  of  actions, — 
of  seeing,  hearing,  and  doing, — that  the  endless  repetition  of 
those  seemingly  childish  words  has  taken  no  further  hold  on 
us  than  the  generality  of  such  nursery  twaddle  would.  In 
this  instance  the  case  ought  to  be  -n-idely  different ;  for  this  is 
a  veritable  phrase  of  great  antiquity — "  the  excommunication 
of  a  human  being,  'preparatory  to  that  victim's  death." 

The  analysis  of  the  two  lines  in  question  will  show  that  a 
double  meaning  was  clearly  involved;  the  first  Une  laying  a 
ban  on  the  then  chief  articles  of  food,  or  life-producing  ele- 
ments, eggs,  butter,  bread;  the  second,  or  judicial,  line 
foreshadowing  death  by  beating,  or,  as  the  line  clearly  enough 
expresses  it,  ''beaten  to  death  by  sticks."  il/i  and  di  are  the 
old  British  ordinals,  and  stand  iox first  and  second  ;  therefore, 
the  twofold  principle  would  make  it  appear  as  if  the  criminal 
not  only  suffered  the  deprivation  at  home  of  home  comfoi-ts 
but  that  death  followed  with  unerring  severity." 

T.W.S.  in  the  '  Cornishman'  on  ^'Wandering  words." 

Engine-stack.       The  lofty  chimney  of  a  mine-engine 

house. 
Epiphany.  A  name  applied  in  west  Cornwall  to  the 
Cuscuta  Epithymum,  abundantly  growing  amongst  the 
furze,  "  winding  its  spiral  structure  in  all  directions 
and  producing  from  its  reddish  hue  a  beautful  con- 
trast."   Dr.  Paris. 

Epping-stock.     See  Hepping-stock. 
Erish,  or  Errish.     See  Arrish. 
Ettaw.       A  shackle  used  to  fixsten  two  chains,  so  as  to 
make  one.       Mousehole.      w.f.p. 


163 

Eval,  Hewal,  Yewal,  Yewl,  or  Devil.  A  dung- 
fork  with  three  prongs  has  these  different  names. 

Ever,  or  Aiver.     See  Heaver. 
Eving,  or  Eaving.     See  Heaving. 
Evet,  Ebbet,  or  Emmet.     A  newt. 

Fackle,  or  Feckle.  An  acute  inflamation  in  the 
foot.        M.A.C. 

Fade.  (Faddy).  To  go.  As  at  Helstone  on  Furry- 
day. 

Fade  tune.  The  furry-song  tune  as  played  at  Helstone 
on  the  8th  of  May.  The  music  of  it  is  given  in  Dr. 
Paris's  "  Guide  to  Mount's  Bay  and  Laud's  End,"  p. 
222  ;  in  "  Specimens  of  Cornish  Provincial  Dialect," 
by  Uncle  Jan  Trenoodle,  pp.  106-7-8,  and  also  in 
other  books  on  Cornwall. 

Fadging  along.  Walking  along.  Getting  on,  pros- 
pering. 

Fadge.       To  suit,  or  fit.     "How  will  it  fadge?"  i.e., 

how  will  it  suit,  fit,  or  answer.     Angl.  Sax.  fegan. 

"I'll  have   thy   advice   and   if  it  fadge  thou   shalt   eat." 

Mother  Bombie,  1594. 

"  You  see  how  matters  fadge."  The  Merry  Devil  of  Edmonton. 

Fadgy.       "  How  do'ee  fadgy  1 "  i.e.,  how  do  you  get  on  ? 

Fagot.  A  Cornish  wrestler  who  has  bargained  not  to 
win,  is  said  to  have  "  sold  his  back,"  and  he  is  con- 
temptuously called  a  fagot.  It  is  also  a  name  of  con- 
tempt and  anger  for  an  impudent  girl,  or  "hussy." 
"  Ah  !  you  fagot  1 " 


164 
Fair-a-Mo.       Pig  f^-ir  in  November  at  St.  Ives.    M.A.c. 

Fairmaid,  fumade,  or  fermade.      Names  for  a 

cured  (formerly  smoked)  pilcliard.     Pilchards  "  when 

caught,   used   to   be   preserved  by  smoking," 

"  therefore  denominated  fumadoes  by  the  Italians  to 
whom  then,  as  now,  we  principally  sold  them,  and 
which  are  still  denominated  fumadoes  by  the  very 
populace  of  Cornwall,  even  when  they  are  now  pre- 
served by  pressing."  IFhitaker's  ancient  Cathedral  of 
Cornwall,  Vol.  2,  pp,  248,  249.  "Fumadoes  were 
perhaps  the  gerres  of  Pliny."  Camden. 
"  They  carry  them "  into  Spayne,  Italie,  Venice,  and 
divers  places  within  the  straytes,  where  they  are  very 
vendible,  and  in  those  partes  tooke  name  fumades  for 
that  they  are  dried  in  the  smoake."    (Norden,  A.D.  1584). 

Fair  play !    Fair  play !    Make  a  ring !     A 

favourite  Cornish  cry  when  there   is  a  fight,   or  a 
strife  for  mastery. 

When  Cornishmen  fought,  or  cndgellecl,  or  wrestled,  they 
did  so  generously,  and  like  men,  and  very  often  for  the  sake  of 
prowess  without  a  sign  of  rancour.  They  did  not,  two,  three 
or  four  together,  fall  on  a  single  man,  or,  kick  or  strike  him 
when  he  was  down,  nor  did  they  like  cowards  pull  out  their 
knives,  or  revolvers,  but  they  used  the  weapons  (and  good  ones 
too)  with  which  nature  had  provided  them.  In  their  quarrels 
they  were  rough  enough,  but  they  were  not  tyi^ical  of  the 
modem  "rough,"  on  the  contrary,  in  their  quiet  moments 
there  were  no  men  more  civil,  and  good  natured. 

When  the  writer  was  a  youth,  it  was  common  to  sec  a 
fight  in  the  street  on  a  market  day.  The  constable  would  be 
sometimes  present,  apparently  to  keep  ordei-.  The  men  first 
shook  hands,  then  set  to,  and  again  shook  hands  at  the  finish. 


165 

Tlien  both  parties  adjourned  to  an  inn,  smoked  a  pipe,  drank 

ale,  settled  about  the  next  trial  in  fisticuffs,  and  finished  by 
singing  a  song  or  two  to  the  tune  of  "  the  old  hundred." 

A  celebrated  preacher  once  said  that  he  did  not  see  why 
the  De^dl  should  have  the  best  tunes,  and  these  men  thought 
conversely.  Yet  they  were  very  kindly,  worked  hard,  lived 
hard,  and  stood  by  one  another  like  bricks  in  a  strong  wall, 
veritably  like  "  One  and  all." 

Once  when  the  writer  had  lost  his  way  on  a  wild  moor, 
late  at  night,  one  of  such  men  rose  from  bed  and  guided  him 
in  safety  away  from  the  mine  shafts.  A  reward  for  the  trouble 
was  ex-idently  quite  unlocked  for,  and  it  would  have  given  of- 
fence to  have  pressed  it.  The  wTiter  merely  records  the  facts  as 
known  to  him.  These  Comislmien  gave  hard  blows,  and  what 
is  harder,  they  learnt  how  to  take  them.  With  all  their 
roughness  they  were  better  men  than  Pecksniff,  or  Mawworm ; 
but  times  are  changed,  and  we  are  changed  vriih  them.  So 
much  the  better.     But  how  much  ? 

Fairy.      A  weasel.       c. 

Falky.       A  long-stemmed  plant.  Halliwell. 

Fal-the-ral.       Nonsense. 

Fallows.       Risers   to   a  cart,    to  make  it  hold  more. 

Fang,  or  Vang.       To  get,  to  seize.       (Fong,  Saxon). 

FangingS,  or  VangingS.       Earnings,  winnings. 

Fantads.       Eediculous  notions. 

Fardle.       A  burtlien.     Fardd,  Chaucer.     It  is  fardel  in 
Celtic  Cornish. 

Fare  nuts.       Earth  nuts.     Ground  nuts. 

Farthing  of  land.       Thirty  acres  of  land.    HaUiwell 

Fawt.      Fault.     This  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word. 


166 

Fay.       Faith.     Iss  fay!    Yes  faith !     Fay  in  Chaucer. 

Fey  und  fay  are  Celtic  Cornish  words. 
Feather-bow.       The  plant  fever-few. 
Feather-bog.       A  quagmire.       M.A.c. 
Feather-tye.       A  feather  bed. 
Feebs,  or  FeepS.       Pitch  and  toss.       M.A.C. 
Fellon.       Alveolar  abscess.     A  cattle  disease. 
Fellon-herb.       Chickweed.       m.a,c.     Fehii  is   Celtic 
Cornish  for  wormwood.    (The  mouse-ear  hawk  weed,    c.) 
Fer.       Far.     Fer,  Chaucer. 
Fernig.     See  Furnig. 
Fem-webb.       A  small  brown  beetle  used  in  fishing. 

(Fernicock.       3I.a.c.)     Melorontha  horticola. 
Fescue,  or  Vester.       A  pointer  for  teaching  children 

to  read.     Polwhele.     Vester  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word 

meaning  master. 
Fetch.       To  reach  to,  arrive  at,  or  get  to ;  as,  "  fetch  it 

down,"  "hard  work  to  fetch  hom." 
Few.       Some.     Curiously  used  thus,   "I'll  have  a  few 

broth."     Also  used  thus  in  Yorkshire. 
Figs.       Raisons  are  so  called  in  Cornwall.     In  Celtic 

Cornish,  figes  ledan,  broadfigs;  figes  an  houl,  raisins, 
Figgyduflf.      Dough,  suet,  and  raisins,  mixed  and  baked 

in  the  shape  of  a  pasty.     Also  called  figgy-hobbin. 
Figgy   pudden.        Plum    pudding.     Fig    pudding   is 

more  correct  than  plum  pudding.     In  Celtic  Cornish 

figes  an  houl  means  figs  of  the  sun,  raisins. 


167 

Filth.       "A  filth,"  i.e.,  a  dirty  slut.     Also,  a  bellyfull. 

"I've  had  my  filth." 
Fingers.       The  depth  of  a  hole  for  blasting  rock  is 

measured  by  a  miner  placing  his  fingers  against  the 

borer  in  the  hole.     "There's  three  more  fingers  to 

bore." 
Fire-tail.       The  red-start.       M.A.c. 
Firk.       V.     To  tease  roughly  by  hand.       F.c. 
Fish-fag.       Female  fish-dealer.     A  fish-wife. 
Fish-jousting.       Hawking  fish. 
Fitchered.       Baulked.     "Used  by  miners  when  some 

difficulty  occurs  in  boring  a  hole  for  blasting." 

Garland. 

Fitch,  Fitcher,  or  Fichet.     A  polecat. 

Fitty,  or  Vitty.       Suitable,  proper,  well  adapted. 

Fish-jowster,  Fish-jowder,  or  Fish-chowter. 

Names  for  an  itinerant  fish  dealer.  One  who  carries 
a  cowal  of  fish  on  the  back  is  also  called  a  back- 
jouster. 
Five-stones.  A  boy's  game  with  five  small  stones, 
placed  on  the  palm  of  the  hand  and  then  tossed  up 
together  a  few  inches  high  so  as  to  be  caught  by  a 
quick  turn  on  the  back  of  the  same  hand.  He  who 
thus  catches  the  greatest  number,  after  a  series  of 
such  turns,  wins  the  game. 

Flair.        Pig's  kidney  fat.        M.A.C.        Flair  in  Celtic 
Cornish  means  a  smell,  a  stink. 


168 

Flaad.     See  Blawed. 

Flam.       A  flame.       This   is   a   Celtic   Cornish  Avord : 

flamhe  in  Chaucer. 
Flam-new.      Quite  new. 
Flap.       A  flash,  "a flap  of  lightning." 
Flip.       A  fillip,  or  slight  quick  blow. 
Flaygerry.       Frolicsome. 
Fleeting.       Guttering  of  a  candle. 
FlicketS,  or  VlicketS.       Flushes,  blushes. 

Flink.  A  pert,  or  insolent  kind  of  deportment.  "She's 
in  one  of  her  flinks  again." 

Flip-jack.       A  rude  fire  place.       m.a.c. 

Flisk.       A  large  tooth  comb.       m.a.c. 

Flookan.  ''(An  a  fair,  a  cut),  it  being  a  parcel  of 
ground  which  calleth  off"  one  part  of  a  lode  from 
another."  BorJase. 

Flop.       A  slap. 

Flop-down.  To  sit,  or  drop  suddenly  down  on  a  seat, 
or  the  floor. 

Flopper.       An  under  petticoat.  Folwhele. 

Flora-day.     See  Furry-day. 

Floor  of  tin.  A  stratum  of  tin  ore  as  it  lies  in 
alluvial  deposit.     As  in  a  stream  work. 

Flosh.  To  flush,  or  well  wash  with  water,  as  in  wash- 
ing a  courtlage. 


169 

Flote  ore.       Seaweed.  CareiD. 

Floury  milk.       Hasty  pudding.     See  Whitepot. 

Floury.       Mealy,  as  a  floury  potatoe. 

Flox.  To  agitate,  or  shake  up  fluid,  as  in  a  barrel 
which  is  partly  filled. 

Flummox.      To  cheat,  deceive,  or  impose  upon.    "Eeg- 

ularly  flummoxed  ! " 
Flush,  or  Flushed.       Full  fledged. 
Flushet.       A  stream  dam. 

Fly-by-night.       A  silly,  thoughtless,  restive  girl. 
Flying  mare,       A  wrestling  term. 

Foacer.  There  are  two  such,  viz  :  liquid,  and  solid. 
The  solid  one  is  a  good  lump  of  plain  pudding  before 
cutting  the  joint,  so  as  to  take  off  the  edge  of  a  sharp 
hunger.  The  liquid  one  is  a  large  basin  of  broth 
before  dinner,  so  as  to  damp,  or  rather,  whet  the 
appetite  of  young  folks.  Such  domestic  tricks  have 
been  done  once  too  often.  A  boy,  in  desj^eration  at 
the  sight  of  so  much  broth,  when  asked  to  say 
"  grace,"  cried  out,  "  Oh  !  deliver  us  from  this  ocean 
of  broth,  and  land  us  safely  upon  the  little  island  of 
mutton  ! "  The  following  was  often  said,  "  Woll'ee 
haa  a  foacer,  cheeld  ?  " 

Foacin.       Pushing,  striving.     "  Doant'ee  be  so  foacin." 

Foathy,  or  Forethy.  Forwards,  intrusive.  "  She's 
very  foathy." 


Pogans,  or  Foogans.       A  kind  of  cake.       u.J.T. 
Folyer.     See  Volyer. 

Foot  of  tin.       Two  gallons  of  tin  ore.  Carm. 

Footway    shaft.       The   shaft   by   which   miners   go 

down  to  their  work  in  a  mine. 
Foo-ty.       Mincing,  affected,  ridiculous  in  manner. 

"  Such  footy  ways" 
Fooch.       Upon  occasion,  as,  "it  will  do  upon  a  fooch;" 

a  pretence,   "it  is  a  poor  fooch;"  also,  a  shove,  "I 

gov'n  a  fooch." 

Fooch.       To  poke  in  the  way,  as,  "  what  arr'ee  foochin 

about ] " 
Foochy.       Maladroit,   stupid,   clumsy   in   method,    or 

manner. 

Fooching  along.  Pushing  along,  getting  on  toler- 
ably well. 

Fore-right.     See  Vore-right. 

Forrel.  The  cover  of  a  book.  Forel  is  the  name  of  a 
kind  of  parchment  for  the  cover  of  books. 

Forth-and-back.  Shuffling  and  vaccinating  in  man- 
ner. 

Fouse.       To  handle  carelessly,  or  crumple. 

Fouster.       To  work  hard,  to  bustle  about. 

Foxy.  When  china-clay  contains  much  oxide  of  iron, 
there  is  produced  a  reddish  tint  when  it  is  burnt. 
This  spoils  the  pure  white  colour,  and  this  reddish 
tint  gives  to  the  clay  the  term  "  foxy." 


Frape.       To  bind  tightly.     "Lor  !  how  she  es  fraped  in 
about  the  waist,"  i.e.,  tight  laced. 

Frange.       To  spread  out  like  a  fan.       M.A.C. 

Free-fish.        Fish   so   called  in   contra-distinction  to 
shell-fish.  Carew. 

Freath.       A  gap  in  a  wattled  hedge.       C. 
Frith.       A  wattled  hedge  or  gate.  Dr.  Bannister. 

Frickets.     See  Flickets. 

Fringle.       A  kitchen  grate.       M.A.C. 

Fuggan.       A  pork  pasty.     See  Hoggan. 

Full-drive.       Fully  driven.     (Ful-drive,  Chaucer). 

Fulling.       That   which   well   satisfies   hunger.     "And 
good  fulling  traade  et  was." 

Fulsome.       Food  too  fat,  rich,  or  sweet.     "  It  is  as  fat 
and  fulsome."     Shahpere. 

Fumade.     See  Fairmaid. 

Furr.       V.     To  pull  the  ears.     "  I'll  furr  your  ears,  you 
rascal." 

Fuzz.       Furze.     Gorse. 

Fuzz-chet.       The  stone-chatter. 

Fuzz-kite.       The  ring  tailed  kite.       JLA.c. 

Fuzzy-pig.       The  hedge-hog. 

Fumig,  Femig,  or  Fumiggy.       To  outwit,  deceive, 
or  cheat. 


172 

Purry-SOng.  The  song  of  the  Furry-day,  for  which 
consult  Cornish  Histories.  It  is  noticed  here  because 
of  the  words  "  with  Halantow,  Eumbelow ! "  which 
by  Polwhele  are  written  thus,  "  With  Halantow, 
Jolly  rumble  0."  Sir  John  Stoddart  in  his  learned 
treatise  on  "  Grammar  "  in  the  Encyclopoedia  Metro- 
politana,  says,  "But  the  old  Scottish  and  English 
"  Heve  and  How,"  and  "  Eumbelow,"  is  singular 
enough  to  be  cited  : — 

"  With  hey  and  how !  rohumbelow  ! 
The  young  folk  wer  full  bold." 

Peblis  to  the  Play. 

"  They  rowede  hard,  and  sungge  ther  too, 
WithHeuelovr!  and  rumbeloo." 

Richard  Coiur  de  Lion. 

"  Your  maryners  shall  synge  arowe, 
Hey  how  !  and  rumbylowe." 

Sqiiyre  of  loice  degree. 

Furry  day.  A  Cornish  custom  from  time  immemorial, 
is  to  hold  a  festival  on  the  8th  of  May  at  Helstone. 
Anciently  at  Penryn  on  the  3rd  of  May;  at  the 
Lizard,  near  the  beginning  of  the  century,  on  the 
1st  of  May ;  and  also  in  the  parish  of  Sithney. 

Dreids  Hist,  of  Cornwall. 
It  is  generally  supposed  that  this  was  an  institution 
of  pagan  origin,  designed  to  celebrate  the  return  of 
spring. 

Polwhele  says,  that  to  suppose  Furry  to  be  a  corrup- 
tion of  Flora  "  is  a  vulgar  error."  "  Furry  is  derived 
from  the  old  Cornish  word  Fer,  a  fair  or  jubilee."     It 


173 

is  not  correct  therefore  to  call  it  Flora  day,  it  should 
be  Furry  day.  It  is  sometimes  called  Faddy  day,  or 
as  Whitaker  spells  it,  Fadi  day. 

Beal  (Britain  and  the  Gael)  speaks  of  Davies  as  referring 
to  old  Briton  rites,  in  the  words  of  the  Bards,  and  by  a  quota- 
tion from  Greek  poetry.  "  Buddy  was  the  sea  beach,  and 
the  circular  revolution  was  performed  by  the  attendance  of  the 
white  bands  in  graceful  extravagance,  wben  the  assembled 
train  were  dancing  and  singing  in  cadence  with  garlands,  and 
ivy  branches  on  the  brow." 

"  On  Ida's  mountain  with  his  mighty  mother. 

Young  Bacchus  led  the  frantic  train  ; 
And  through  the  echoing  woods  the  rattling  timbrels  sound. 

Then  the  Curetes  clashed  their  sounding  arms, 

And  raised  with  joyful  voice  the  song, 
While  the  shrill  pipe  resounded  to  the  praise  of  Cybele, 

And  the  gay  satyrs  tripped  in  jocund  dance,  &c," 

Beal  says,  (p.  85),  "In  the  month  of  May,  a  memorial  of 
something  like  this,  yet  lingers  in  an  ancient  Cornish  town." 
Whitaker  says  in  a  letter  to  Polwhele,  (Polwhele's  Biographical 

Sketches  in   Cornwall,   vol.   3,   p.   97),   "When you 

derive  Furry  from  Per  (Cornish)  a  fair,  and  now  suppose  the 
Fair-o  of  the  song  to  confii-m  your  conjecture ;  1  thoroughly 

concur  with  you Only  I  never  considered  i^er  (Cornish) 

as  the  word  "  whence  (comes)  the  Latin  Feria." 

The  Latin  is  the  original  term,  and  the  Cornish  only  a 
derivative  from  it.  Per  (Cornish)  being  the  same  with  Foire 
(Irish)  and  so  forming  Fair-o  or  Furry  in  pronunciation. 

Gaby.     A  fool. 

Gad.  A  short,  wedge-like  mining  tool,  used  with  a 
hammer  in  splitting  rock,  &c.  Gecln  and  gad  are 
Celtic  Cornish  for  a  wedge. 

Gaddle.  To  drink  greedily  with  haste.  "She  gaddled 
it  up  in  no  time." 


174 

Gaert,  or  Gurt.  Great.  "Agaert  maur  o' fuzz,"  i.e., 
a  great  root  or  stump  of  furze. 

Gait,  or  Gate.  Manner,  habit,  or  way.  w.t.A.p. 
Gate,  Chaucer.     "  What  a  gate  you  have  of  doing  it!  " 

IVadehridge. 

Gake,  Gaake,  or  Geke.  To  stare  about.  "  What 
be'ee  gaakin  about  1 " 

Gale.  An  ox.  U.J.T.  A  childless  man.  Garland. 
An  impotent  bull.       c. 

Galliganter.  A  hulking,  big  woman.  ''She  is  a 
regular  galliganter."  This  word,  (galliganter)  is  from 
Galligantus,  the  name  of  "  the  giant  who  lived  with 
Hocus-Pocus,  the  conjuror — Jack  the  Giant-killer 
blew  the  magic  horn,  and  both  the  giant  and  conjuror 
were  overthrown." 

Nursery  Tale  of  Jack  the  Giant-hiller. 

Gallivanter.       An  incurable  flirt. 

Gallivanting.       "Running   about   with   the   girls." 
Flirting. 

Gallus-rOW.  "A  gallow's  row."  (A  word  perhaps 
from  the  hanging  scenes  at  Newgate  prison).  A 
great  fuss,  or  outcry.  There  is  a  singular  resemblance 
between  these  words  and  the  Celtic  Cornish  word 
galar,  sorrow,  grief,  lamentation;  galarow  in  the 
plural  number.  Also  the  verb  galaroiv,  to  weep  for, 
to  bewail,  to  lament.     Galarow  reminds  one  of  the 


175 

old  word  Harow  !  an  exclamation,  (see  Chaucer),  or 
arowe,  as  in  the  old  line, 

"  Your  maryners  shall  synge  arowe^ 

Squyre  of  loice  degree, 

Gambers.       "  By  gambers  ! "     (An  exclamation). 

Gambrel.  A  spreader  for  the  feet  of  an  animal 
recently  killed.     (The  hock.       C.) 

GammutS.  Frolic,  fun,  play.  "You're  up  to  your 
gammuts  again." 

Gange,  or  Ginge.  To  gauge  a  hook  is  to  arm  it  and 
the  snood  with  a  fine  brass  or  copper  wire,  twisted 
round  to  prevent  its  being  bitten  off  by  the  fish. 

Garbage.  The  skimmings  of  salt,  filth  and  congulated 
oil  from  pilchards,  which  are  prepared  to  be  put  into 


Gashly.  Ghastly,  horrible,  ugly,  disagreeable.  "A 
gashly  wound."  "A  gashly  looking  thing."  "A 
gashly  temper."     "  You  gashly  bufilehead." 

Gathom.       A  mine  spirit,  or  phantom.       M.A.G. 

Gaully  grounds.       Ground  full  of  springs  of  water. 

Carew. 

Gaupuses.  Fools,  idiots.  "The  gaupuses  have  sook- 
ed  it  all  in,"  i.e..  The  fools  have  believed  it  all. 

3Irs.  Parr's  Adam  &  Eve. 

Gaver.       Crayfish.  Polwhele. 


176 
Gawk,  Gawky,  Gawkum,  or  Geek.     A  stupid, 

clumsy  fellow."  "The  most  notorious  r/cd'."  Shak- 
spere.  Goky  aud  Gukky  are  Celtic  Cornish  words 
meaning  foolish,  silly,  absurd. 

Gays.       Child's  i^laythings.       M.A.C. 

Geagled.  Draggled,  dirtied.  Geagh  is  Celtic  Cornish 
for  dirty,  filthy. 

Geese  or  Geez.       A  saddle-girth. 

Geeze-dance.     See  Guise-dance. 

Gerrick.       A  whistler  fish  ;  sea  pike.     (Garfish.       c.) 

Giblets.       Nickname  for  a  thin,  lanky,  bony  person. 

Gidge.       "  Oh  !  my  gidge."     An  exclamation.       m.a.c. 

Gifts.  Term  used  for  the  white  spots  seen  on  the 
finger  nails. 

"  A  gift  on  the  thumb  is  sure  to  come, 
A  gift  on  the  finger  is  sure  to  linger." 

Giglot.  A  giddy,  flighty  young  girl,  or  woman.  This 
is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word,  and  means,  a  foolish  laugh- 
ter, a  wanton  girl.  "  Away  with  those  giglots  too." 
"  A  giglot  wench,"  "  a  wanton  giglot."         Shakspere. 

Gill.       A  pint  of  black  tin.  Careiv. 

Ging.       A  whip  to  make  a  top  spin.       c. 

Giss,  or  Geist.  Hemp  girdle,  a  saddlecloth.  M.A.C, 
Gru-gis  or  Gri-gls  is  Celtic  Cornish  for  a  girdle,  a 
belt. 


177 

Giving.  Thawing,  bedewing.  When  stones  become 
wet  by  change  of  temperature,  they  say  "  the  stones 
are  giving."     See  Heaving. 

Giz-dance,  or  Geez-dance.     See  Guise-dance. 

Applied  to  the  Christmas  play. 
Gladdy.       The  yellow-hammer.       c. 

Glan.  "The  bank  of  a  river."  Pohvhele.  Gldn  is  a 
Celtic  Cornish  word,  meaning,  the  bank,  the  side, 
or  the  brink  of  a  river.     The  side  of  anything. 

Glawer.     ThQ^^hMorrlmiaminuta.       n.e.c. 

Glaws.  Dried  cow-dung,  formerly  used  for  fuel.  Tonkin. 
It  should  be  spelt  glose  or  gloas,  which  is  the  Celtic 
Cornish  for  "dried  cow-dung,  (used  as  fuel.")  (^^ Ha 
glose  tha  leshye."    And  dry  dung  to  burn.     Pryce.) 

Glaze.  To  stare  hard  at  anything,  or  person.  "What 
be'ee  glazin  at  ? " 

Glen-ader.  The  cast  skin  of  an  adder,  sometimes 
worn  as  an  amulet.  h.r.c.  Nader  is  Celtic  Cornish 
for  adder,  viper,  snake. 

Glidder.  Glaze,  or  varnish,  like  white  of  egg,  gum, 
&c. 

Gliddery.  Shiny,  as  the  surface  of  a  cake,  or  bunn 
when  varnished  with  white  of  egg.     Also,  slippery. 

Glint.      To  glance  at,  to  catch  a  sight  of    Glent,  Chaucer. 

Glumps.  Sulks.  "  He's  got  the  glumps."  "  He's  in 
the  glumps." 

Glumpy.       Sulky.     (Glombe,  Saxon,  to  look  gloomy). 


178 

Glumped  up.       Sitting  apart  in  the  "  sulks." 

Gluthening  up.  Gathering  into  rain.  "  A  common 
expression  in  ]\Ieneg."  Polichele.  Glutk,  Glut  or  Glit 
is  Celtic  Cornish  for  dew,  a  hoar  frost,  a  rime. 

Goad.       Half  a  square  yard  of  land. 

Gob.  A  mass  of  expectorated  phlegm.  (Gohhei,  a 
morsel,  a  bit,  Chaucer). 

Go-a-gOOding.  Poor  old  women  of  Polperro  "  go-a- 
gooding,"  travelling  the  parish  over  to  collect  mate- 
rials for  the  Christmas  cake,  and  pudding.       C. 

Goal.  Slow,  heavy  pain.  "A  goalin  pain."  In  Celtic 
Cornish  gelar  or  galar  means  anguish. 

Go-by-the-grOUnd.       A  short  little  person. 

God's  cow.       The  lady-bird,  (an  insect).        CalUngton. 

Goffans.     See  Coffins. 

Goggling  for  gapes.       Looking  foolishly  amazed. 

Goil.       Cuttle  fish.       (c.)     Sepia  officinalis. 

Golden  chain.  Bunches,  or  rather  the  natural  rows 
of  laburnum  flowers. 

GoUeS.  By  Golles !  An  exclamation.  Hercules 
was  worshipped  by  the  name  of  Golion  or  Goles; 
one  of  the  gates  of  a  city  in  Spain  was  dedicated  to 
Goles.  Hence  we  discover  the  meaning  of  the  oath 
of  the  common  people  of  Cornwall.  Aye  and  of 
gentlemen,  when  they  say  "By  Golles!"  i.e.,  "By 
Hercules."    Hogg's  Fah.  Ilist.  of  CormvaU,  note  p.  444. 

Gommock.     A  fool. 


179 

Gone  poor.       Decayed,  tainted,  turned  sour. 
Gone  to  lie.       Said  of  corn,  or  grass  beaten  down  by 
rough  weather. 

Gone  round  land.     Dead.    Gone  dead.     Dead. 

Good  carne.       Good  rocks  for  fishing  near.        Tonkin. 

Goodness.       The  richness,  or  fatness  in  food. 

Goodspoon.       A  young  brat.    A  "ne'er  do  well."  J.w. 

Lostwithiel. 

Goody.       To  prosper,  to  thrive.     "Its  sure  to  goody." 

Goog.       A  cliff  cavern.       N.E.C. 

Gook.  A  bonnet  shade  like  the  peak  of  a  boy's  cap, 
generally  blue.  Also,  a  bend  in  the  neck,  from  an 
awkward  habit  of  leaning  the  head  down,  and  thrust- 
ing the  face  forwards.    "  He's  got  such  a  gook." 

Goonhillies.  A  celebrated  breed  of  small  horses 
formerly  bred  on  the  Goonhilly  downs  in  Cornwall. 
Norden,  in  his  "Topographical  and  Historical  des- 
cription of  Cornwall,"  and  whose  survey,  says  the 
Editor  of  the  edition  of  1728,  was  probably  taken  in 
1584,  states  that,  "There  is  a  kinde  of  naggs  bredd 
upon  a  mountanous  and  spatious  peece  of  grounde, 
called  Goon-hillye,  lyinge  betweene  the  sea  coaste  and 
Helston ;  which  are  the  hardeste  naggs  and  bestes  of 
travaile  for  their  bones  within  this  kingdome,  resem- 
bling in  body  for  quantitie,  and  in  goodnes  of  mettle, 
the  Galloway  naggs." 

Goose-chick.  A  gosling.  A  symbol  of  exhaustion. 
"As  weak  as  a  goose-chick." 


180 

Gorry,  or  Gurrie.  A  large  wicker  flasket  with  a  long 
handle  on  each  side,  and  carried  like  a  sedan  chair. 

Gorseddan.  A  place  of  elevation,  whence  it  has 
been  said,  the  Druids  pronounced  their  decrees. 
Gorsedd  is  Celtic  Cornish  for  a  seat  of  judgment. 

GOSS.  A  tall  reed  growing  in  marshy  places,  or  in 
shallow  ponds.     The  boys  used  to  make  arrows  of 

the  stems.     Arundo  pliragmites. 

Goss.       A  fuss,  a  perplexity.       M.A.C. 

Goss.       Moor,  or  wood  (cos).  Dr.  Bannister. 

GosS-mOOr.  Great  (mawr)  moor  (cors) ;  or  wood 
{cos)  moor.  Dr.  Bannister. 

Gossawk.  A  lubber,  a  blundering  fellow.  "For 
loke  how  that  a  go.^hai(J:e  tyreth  (feeds)."     Chaucer. 

Gothhomm,  or  GoSShomm.  An  expression  of 
contempt,  as  if  to  say,  "  Go  home,"  "  Get  away," 
"  Get  out,  you  fools."  In  Celtic  Cornish  Gothoam 
(Pryce),  means  fools.  The  word  is  curiously  similar 
to  gothhomm. 

Gowk,  or  Gook.  Somewhat  like  a  Quaker's  bonnet 
in  shape,  with  a  "  curtain  "  behind.  It  is  of  large 
size.  "Worn  by  mine,  clay-work,  and  country  girls, 
or  women. 

Gozzan,  or  Gossan.  This  is  Celtic  Cornish  for  rust, 
the  rusty  ochre  of  Iron.  Also,  the  course,  bed, 
broil,  or  back  of  a  lode.  Hence,  "keenly  gozzan," 
i.e.,  a  pi'omising  lode. 


181 
Gozzan.       An  old,  rusty,  scratch  wig. 
Grab.       Very  sour. 

Grafted.       Coated,  or  loaded  with  dirt.     "Your  nails 
are  grafted  with  dirt," 

Grail.       A  three-pronged  fish  spear.       M.A.C. 
Grainy.      Sour-tempered,  close-fisted,  proud.    "A  grainy 
ould  chap." 

Grambler.      A  stony  place.     M.A.C. 
Grammer-sow.     See  Sow-pig. 
Gramfer,  or  Granfer.     Grandfather. 
Grange.     See  Grunge. 

Grass.       The  surface  at  a  mine,  a  miner's  term.    "  Gone 
to  grass,"  i.e.,  come  up  out  of  the  mine. 

Graving   clouds.       Clouds   moving   contrary  to   the 

wind  below  them.     A  sign  of  storm. 
Grebe.       A  handful,  a  small  portion. 
Green  sauce.       The  dock  sorrel.     Eumex  acetosa.    See 

Sour-sauce,  Sour-sabs,  and  Sour-sops. 
Greet.      T)ry  earth. 
Greet-board.       The  earth  board  of  a  plough. 

Greglan.     See  Griglan. 

Grend.       A  twist  or  kink  in  a  chain.  Mousehole. 

Grendin-Stone.       Grinding  stone. 
Grey.       A  badger.  Polwhele. 

Grey-bird.      The  song  thrush. 


182 
Gribble.       The  part  of  the  tree  for  grafting  on.     c. 
Griddlin.       Sitting   "hanging  over"   the  fire,   and  so 

warming  nose  and  knees  together. 
Griglan,   or  Grig.       Heath,  or  ling.     (At  St.  Agnes 

heath  flowers  are  called  "browth  of  the  griglans."  h). 

Celtic   Cornish  words.  Grig,  heath;  griglans,  sticky 

heath.     Borlase. 
Griggan.       A  grass-hopper.       M.A.C. 
Gripe.       The  ditch  along  the  foot  of  a  hedge. 
Gripy.       Greedy,  stingy,  miserly. 

Grishens.     See  Growshans. 

Grizzle.       To  grin.     Grisla  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word, 

and  means  to  grin  like  a  dog,  and  a  grisla,  grinning. 

"  What  be'ee  grizzlin  at  ?  "     "  You  ould  grizzla." 
Grobman.       A  bream  two  thirds  grown.  Polwhele. 

Grock.       To  pull,  to  tweak;  as  to  pull  the  hair  up  over 

the  ears.       H.K.C. 
Groot.       The  same  as  Greet.      Q-V.  CalUngton. 

Growan.       Soft  granite-like  ground.     Also,  a  name  for 

granite.     Celtic  Cornish,  grow,   gravel  or   sand;   or 

grean,  gravel. 
Growder.     A  soft  kind  of  decomposed  granite  used  for 

scouring. 

Growts,    grownds,    grudgings,    growshans, 

grooshans,  or  grishens.  Terms  used  of  coflFee 
grounds,  dregs  or  sediment  in  a  cup  of  tea,  &c. 
Probably  derived  from  the  Celtic  Cornish  word  graw, 
sand. 


Groyne.     A  seal.    m.a.c. 

Grunge,  or  Grange.  To  grind  the  teeth,  to  make  a 
grinding  sound  in  chewing. 

Guag.  Rubbish  is  so  called  by  shoaders,  TonUn. 
A  Celtic  Cornish  word.  Pryce  says  "when  the 
tinners  hole  into  a  piece  of  ground,  which  has  been 
wrought  before,  though  filled  up  again,  they  call  it 
holing  in  gioag." 

Gufif.     See  Caflf. 

Guinea-pigs.       Small  white  cowrie  shells. 

Guis.       "An   old   sow   that   hath   had   many   pigs." 
Pohvhek.     It  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word. 

Guise-dance.  A  kind  of  carnival  or  hal-masgud  at 
Christmas. 

Polwhele  calls  it  the  guise  or  disguise  dance,  for  so  the 
Cornish  pronounce  guise  (geez).  "This  dance  answers 
to  the  '  mummers '  of  Devon,  and  the  morrice  dancers 
of  Oxfordshire,"  &c.  In  Celtic  Cornish  ges,  means 
mockery,  a  jest. 

Gulge.       To  drink  to  excess. 

Gur.       The  shanny  fish.       c. 

Gurt.       A  gutter.  Callington. 

GurgO,  or  Gurgy.  A  low  hedge,  or  rough  fence. 
Giir  in  Celtic  Cornish  means  an  end,  an  extremity, 
and  ge,  a  fence. 


184 

Gurgoes.       Long  narrow  lanes.       w.f.p.       In   Celtic 

Cornish  gur,  end,  extremity ;  and  go,  a  particle  used 
with  words  to  denote  a  progress  towards.      Williams. 

Gurrie.  A  handbarrow  for  fish;  a  wicker  basket  with 
handles  as  in  a  sedan  chair. 

Gut.       A  narrow  gap,  trench,  or  passage. 

Guts.       A  contemptuous  term  for  a  glutton. 

Gwaith.       "The  breast  hook  of  a  boat."       M.A.C. 

Gweans.     See  Queens. 

Gwenders,  or  Wonders.     A  tingling  or  stinging 

of  the  extremities  from  cold.     In  Celtic  Cornish  gwan 
means  a  sting. 

Haaf  saved.     Half  witted.    See  Half  baked. 
Hadgy-boor.     See  Hedgy-boar. 

Haestis,  or  Hastis.      Hurriedly,  hastily,  impatiently. 

Haestis-gO-thurra.       The  diarrhea. 

Hag.       A  mist. 

Hager.       Ugly,  deformed,  rough,  foul,  evil,  fierce,  cruel. 

This  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word.     See  Agar. 
Hailer.       A  thief's  confederate.     "  The  hailer  is  as  bad 

as  the  stailer  "  (stealer). 

Hair-pitched.     Bald.    Ncwhjn.     t.c. 

Haivery.  Miserly,  greedy  of  money,  envious.  From 
the  Celtic  Cornish  avi,  aveij,  or  arij,  spite,  envy, 
discord. 


185 

Hale.  To  haul,  drag,  or  pull.  "  Hal' en  op,"  i.e.,  pull 
him  up. 

"  Hither  hale  the  misbelieving  Moor." 

"  I'll  hale  the  dauphin  headlong  from  his  throne." 

Shakspere. 
Halish.       (Pale.       M.A.C.)     Ailing,  weak. 

Half-baked,  or  Haaf  saved.     Said  of  one  who  is 

silly,  and  stupid. 
Hallyhoe.       The  skipper  fish. 
Hall    Monday.       The   day   before   Shrove   Tuesday. 

See  Nicka-nan  night. 

Halvan.       Kefuse  of  the  ore  after  spalling.  Tonkin. 

Halvaner.       One  who  receives  half  the  produce  for 

his  labour.       E.N. 

Hall-nut.       Hazel  nut. 
Hallan-tide.       All  saints'  day. 

Haly-Caly.  To  throw  things  to  be  scrambled  for. 
M.A.C. 

Hame.  A  circle  of  straw  rope.  A  straw  horse-collar. 
(A  hame  is  used  to  fasten  the  fore  leg  of  a  sheep  to 
prevent  him  from  breaking  fence.       c. ) 

Hange.       (Pronounced,    hanjh).       See    Head    and 

Hange. 

Hanges,  or  Hange.  The  heart,  liver,  and  lights  of 
a  sheep.  Those  with  the  head  are  called  "  Head  and 
hange,"  or  "head  and  hinge,"  (or  hinges.) 

Hardah.       Elvan  rock.       c. 


186 

Hard-head.       The  refuse  of  tin  after  smelting.     The 
plantain.       J.w. 

Hard-heads.       Centaury.     Centaurea  nigra. 

Hare's   meat.       The   common   wood   sorrel,      Oxalis 
acetosella. 

Harve.       To  harrow.     Harve.       A  harrow. 

Hatter-flitter.     A  jack-snipe.     m.a.c. 

Hauen.       Haven.     Carew. 

Havage.       Family  origin,  or  stock.     "  He  comes  of  a 
bad  havage." 

Hayned  up.       Land  left  to  grow  a  crop  of  grass  for 

hay. 
Haysing.       Poaching.     C. 
Haybands.       About  50  or  60  years  ago,  countrymen 

in  wet  weather  "wore  haybands,"  i.e.,  ropes  of  hay 

coiled  closely  round  each  leg  to  keep  it  dry. 

Mackintosh  was  not  known  then.     ("Haybands  up 

to  his  knees."     Tregellas). 

Head  and  Hange,  or  Head  and  Hinges.    The 

head,  lungs,  liver,  and  heart  of  an  animal. 
Heaps.       Thus  said  of  an  egotist,  "  He  thinks  hcaijs  of 

himself." 
Heaver,  or  Hay ver.       A  grass  seed.     Lolium  pcrcnne. 

Heaving,  Haiving,  or  Eaving.     The  stones  (large 

slate  stones)  becoming  wet  from  change  of  temper- 
ature,  are  heaving.     Also  said  of  ice   beginning   to 

thaw.    See  Un-eave  and  Giving. 


187 

Heavy.       Close  grained,  as  heavy  bread,  &c. 

Heel-tap.  The  leather  heel  of  a  boot,  or  shoe.  Also, 
the  metal  shield,  or  "  scute "  of  the  heel  of  a  boot, 
or  shoe.  Also,  the  last  few  drops  of  a  glass  of  grog. 
To  heel-tap,  to  repair  the  heel  of  a  shoe,  or  boot. 

Hedgy-boar,  or  Hadgy-boor.     A  hedgehog. 
Hellier,  Heller,  or  Healer.     A  slater  of  roofs. 

Helling.       A  slated  roof. 

Helling- stone.       A  slate  stone  used  for  roofs. 

Henderment,    or    Handerment.       Obstruction, 

delay,  hindrance. 

Hepping-stOCk,  or  Hipping-Stock.  An  erection, 
or  stand  of  three  or  four  steps,  for  more  easily 
mounting  a  horse.  In  Lancashire  it  is  called  Horse- 
block, or  Horse-stone. 

Herby-pie.  A  pie  made  of  spinach,  bits  (a  herb  so 
called  very  much  like  spinach),  parsley,  mustard-cress, 
pepper-cress,  young  onions,  and  lettuce,  with  some 
slices  of  bacon,  and  a  Little  milk.  Seasoned  with 
pepper  and  salt. 

Herring-baim.     A  sprat,     c. 
Hevah.     See  Hubba  and  Hevah. 
Hewal,  or  Hewal.     See  Eval. 

Hez.       A  swarm  of  bees.     (Also  gles).  Folwhele. 

Hick-mal.     See  Ekky-mowl. 

Hiding.       A  thrashing.     A  "  tanning." 


Higher-quarter  people.       People  from  the  uplands 

near  a  town.  St.  Austell. 

Hile.       The  beard  of  corn. 
Hilla,  or  Hillah.       The  nightmare.     Borlase.     It  is  a 

Celtic  Cornish  word. 

Hippety-hop,  or  Hippety-hoppety,      A  jumping 

kind  of  walk  or  gait. 

Hoase.       Forbear.  Careiv. 

Hobbies.       A  kind  of  hawk.  Careio. 

Hobbillj  or  Hobban.  Dough,  raisins,  and  fat,  baked 
in  the  form  of  a  pasty;  also  called  Figgy-duff, 
Q.v. 

Hobble.  A  band  for  the  legs  of  animals  to  prevent 
their  breaking  fence  or  running  away. 

Hobbler.  An  unlicensed  pilot.  Two  or  three  men 
own  a  boat,  so  as  to  tow  a  vessel  in  with  a  rope. 
They  share  the  hobbles,  or  profits  between  them. 

Hobbelers.  This  so  spelt  by  Hals,  is,  he  says,  the 
name  given  to  the  men  and  horses  posted  on  the 
Cornish  beacons,  to  give  notice  on  any  alarm  of  the 
approach  of  an  enemy.  On  the  beacon  was  a  pile 
of  wood,  or  barrel  of  pitch  elevated  on  a  pole,  and 
fired  in  the  night ;  or  in  daytime  a  smoke  was  raised 
from  some  combustible  matter. 

Hoddy-mandoddy.      A  simpleton,     u.j.t.    (Hocl- 

madoil,  N.  of  Etujlancl). 
Hoggan,  or  Fuggan.       A  pork   pasty.     A   tinner's 
pasty.     Iloyeii,  Celtic  Cornish.     Pryce. 


189 

Hogget.       A  two  year  old  ewe.     Hog  lamb.       A 

sheej)  under  a  year  old. 
Holidays.       Parts  left  untouched  in  dusting.     "Don't 

leave  any  holidays." 
Hollibubber.       One  who  earns  his  living  out  of  the 

refuse  of  the  slate  quarries  at  Delabole.       c. 

Holla-pot.     See  Tom-holla. 

Holm.       The  holly-tree. 
Holm-SCritch.       The  missel-thrush.       C, 
Holt,  or  Holster.       A  lurking  place,  a  place  of  con- 
cealment.    A  place  of  rendezvous.     (Hulstred,  Saxon, 
hidden). 

Honey-pin.       A  peculiar  sweet  apple.  Bottrell. 

Hood,  or  Ood.      Wood. 

Hoop.       The  bullfinch.     C. 

Hopps.       Small  hits,  as,  "Hopps  of  gold."  Carew. 

Hooraa!   Wurraa!   or  Wurraw!      Hurrah!  or 

Huzza  !     A  word  common  to  many  nations.     Jewish, 
hosanna  ;  Old  French,  hitzzer,  (to  shout  aloud);  Dutch, 
husschen;  Eussian,  hoera  and  hoezee.     Hurrar  is  a  cor- 
ruption of   Tur-aie  (Thor  aid),  a  battle  cry  of  the 
Northmen.     JFace,  "  Chronicle."     (Breiver's  Dicty). 
Hootin.       Blubbering,     "  Stop  tha  hootin',  dew." 
Hooze,  or  Hoozy.       Hoarse.     Eoz,  Celtic  Cornish. 
Hooze,  or  Hoost.       A  bronchial  disease  in  cattle. 

HoDzle-pipe.     See  Oozle, 


190 

Hoppety  bed.       A  game,  hopscotch.     In  playing  it,  a 

figure  like  the  diagram  is  marked  out  on  the  ground, 
on  a  space  about  9  or  10  feet  long,  and  about  4  feet 
wide.     The  figures  are  for  explanation. 


2  5 

1 4  7 

3  6 


A  small  stone  being  placed  at  No.  1,  the  player, 
standing  on  one  foot,  has  to  tip  the  stone,  in  hojiping, 
from  bed  to  bed,  as  numbered.  If  the  stone  go 
beyond  the  next  space,  or  over  the  line,  or,  if  the 
player  cease  to  stand  on  one  leg,  he  is  "  out."  (Pan 
bed.     Truro). 

Horn-fish.       The  gar-fish.  Borlase. 

Horny- wink.  Plover,  (in  the  east);  slugs,  (in  the 
west).  Dr.  Bannister. 

Horny-winky.  A  toad.  H.  J.  Royal  Instlt.  of  Corn- 
wall. 

Horny-winky.  Desolate,  outlandish,  as  of  a  place 
fit  only  for  "  horny-winks  and  lap-wings."       J.w. 

Hosen.       Stockings.     In  Celtic  Cornish,  hosan,  a  stock- 


Housey.  Ennui  from  too  much  confinement  in  the 
house,  '*  feeling  housey." 

HOSS  in  the  lode.  When  a  piece  of  "dead,"  ground 
(uuitiix)  is  found  in  an  expansive  form  in  the  lode, 
they  say  "  the  lode  have  taken  boss,"  (horse).     E.N. 


191 
Horse  adder.       The  horse  fly,  the  dragon  fly. 
Housen.       This  old   phiral   form   for  houses  is  nearly 

obsolete. 
Hov.       Heave.     In  Sj^enser,  Hove. 

Howsumever,  or  Howsomdever.    Howsoever. 

HuCCaner.       A  wood  corner.       M.A.c. 
Hucksen.       The    knuckles,   or  joints.     "Muck  up  to 
the  hucksen." 

Hubba  !  and  Hevah  !  "  Great  excitement  prevailed 
here  (St.  Mawes).  The  cry  of  Hubba!  rang  through 
the  town,  and  quantities  of  pilchards  were  reported 
to  be  passing  through  the  stems.  The  seines  were 
soon  manned  and  pulled  with  all  possible  speed." 

Cornishman,  Oct  13,  1881. 
"  The  welcome  sound  of  Hevah !  was  heard  at  St. 
Ives  yesterday,  and  the  boats  on  the  look-out  for 
pilchards  were  instantly  on  the  alert." 

JFestern  Morning  Neios,  Oct.  14,  1881. 
These  words,  Hubba  and  Hevah,  require  a  little 
notice.  Hubba  is  wrong,  it  should  be  Ubba  as  written 
in  ancient  manuscripts.  It  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word, 
meaning,  in  this  place,  here.  In  Ubba  we  seem  to 
have  the  sound  of  the  word  Hubbub.  Anciently 
Ubba  was  written  Ubma,  and  still  more  anciently  it 
was  omma,  in  which  we  have  some  of  the  sound  of 
the  word  hum,  a  continued  sound,  or  murmur. 
Hevah  by  the  change  of  a  letter  would  be  heuah  or 
hewah,  just  as  we  find  Eval  to  be  pronounced  Yeul  or 
Yewl  and  Yewol,  words  for  a  three-pronged  dung-fork. 


192 

In  Jimah  we  seem  to  have  the  sound  of  line  as  in 

"Hue  and  cry." 

Whether  the  origin   of  the  word  Hevah!  can  be 

traced  to  Evoe  !  is  not  very  clear,  yet  the  following 

quotation  by  Beal   (Britain  and  the  Gael)  may  be 

interesting  to  the  reader. 

"Strabo  (born  about  a.d.   19),  speaks  of  an  island 

near  Britain,  where  sacrifice  was  offered  to  Ceres  and 

Proserpine,  in  the  same  manner  as  at  Samothrace;  and 

in  the  words  of  Dionysius  Perieg,  (lines  1225,  1228), 

or  of  his  translator,"  it  is  said, 

•'  As  the  Bistonians  on  Apsinthus  banks 
Shout  to  the  clamorous  Eiraphiates ; 
Or,  as  the  Indians  on  dark-rolling  Ganges, 
Hold  revels  to  Dionysos  the  noisy, 
So  do  the  British  women  shout  EvOe  ! 


Finally,  it  may  be  observed  that  uhha  is  also  written 
upfa  (but  pronounced  oopa)  a  word  or  outcry  also 
meaning,  in  this  place,  here.     See  Uppa,  uppa, 

holye. 

Hud,  or  Hull.  A  shell,  as  of  a  nut,  &c.  In  Celtic 
Cornish  hudha,  to  cover,  to  hide. 

Hud.       The  dry  crust  or  scrab  on  a  sore. 

Huel.  A.  mine,  a  work.  ITwel,  wheal,  iclieyl,  ichel, 
and  u-Jujl  are  Celtic  Cornish  for  the  same. 

Huer.  A  man  stationed  on  some  look-out  place  near 
the  sea  to  give  notice  of  the  position  of  a  shoal  of 
pilchards.  Dr.  Paris,  in  describing  the  Pilchard 
fishery.  (Guide  to  Mount's  Bay  and  the  LniuVs  End, 
note,  p.  150),  says  that  Tunny-fish  were  caught  by  a 
similar   process  in  the  Archipelago.      "Ascendebat 


193 

quidam  (Anglice  the  Eiier,  Grsece  ThunoscoposJ  in 
ultum  promoutorium,  unde  Thunnorum  gregem  spec- 
uleretur,  quo  viso,  signum  piscatoribus  dabat,  qui 
ratibus  totum  gregem  iucludebant."  Vide  Blom- 
field's  Notes  on  the  Persse  of  Eschylus,  p.  148.  The 
seine  was  as  familiar  to  the  Athenians,  as  the 
Pilchard  fishery  is  to  the  inhabitants  of  Cornwall ; 
and  it  is  said  that  Eschylus  took  great  delight  in 
witnessing  it,"  and  they  had  a  "huer"  who  did 
exactly  as  in  Cornwall. 

Hiunmock.       A  stout,  unwieldy  womaru       M.A.C. 

Hurle.       A  filament.     Ourlen,  silk  in  Celtic  Cornish. 

Hurling.  A  game  of  throwing  or  hurling  a  silvered 
or  silver-gilt  ball,  played  by  two  opposing  parties,  each 
striving  to  get  the  ball  to  a  goal.  An  especial  game 
at  St.  Columb.  This  is  one  of  the  manly  and  exciting 
games  for  which  Cornwall  is  deservedly  famous. 

Hurling-ball  motto.  The  ball  is  a  round  piece  of 
timber  about  three  inches  diameter,  covered  with 
plated  silver,  sometimes  gilt.  It  had  usually  a  motto 
in  the  Cornish  tongue  alluding  to  the  pastime,  as, 
"Guare  wJieag  yw  guare  teag,"  i.e.,  fair  play  is  good 
play.  A  ball  at  Paul  had  this  motto,  "Paul  Tuz, 
whek  Gware  Tek  heb  ate  iuz  Eemvis,  llOi."  In  English 
thus,  "  Paul  men,  fair  play,  without  hatred,  is  sweet 
play."     Lake's  Parochial  Hist,  of  Cornicall. 

Hurrisome.      Hasty.    See  Haestis. 

Hurts,    or   Herts.       Whorts,    whortleberries.       See 

Whorts. 

N 


194 

Huscen.       Scolded.       T.\y.s. 

lies.  Flukes.  Distoma  Hepatka.  The  cause  of  the  rot 
in  sheep.  Also  the  name  given  to  a  plant,  Rosa  solis, 
by  eating  which  it  was  supposed  the  disease  was 
caused.  Tonkin.  The  plant  is  not  injurious  nntil  it 
becomes  infested  with  the  ova  of  the  "  fluke." 

Illek.       The  gurnard  fish.     Careio.     See  EUeck. 

Ill-wished.       Bewitched. 

Inchin.  Encroaching  inch  by  inch.  Boys  cried  out 
at  play,  "No  inchin,  no  inchin." 

IngrosserS.  Persons  who  bought  wheat  at  eighteen 
gallons  the  bushel,  and  delivered  the  same  at  sixteen 
gallons  the  bushel.  Careiv. 

Ire.      Iron. 

Ishan.  The  dust,  (douse)  or  husks  from  winnowed 
corn.  r.w.P.  It  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word  and  spelt 
ision,  or  usion,  meaning,  chaff,  or  husks  of  corn. 

ISS.       Yes.     "Iss  a  es,"  i.e.,  Yes  he  is. 

Issterday.       Yesterday. 

I-facks !       Yes  faith !    In  the  north  of  England  I-fakins! 

ISS  fath  !  IsS  fay  !  or  Iss  fey  !  Yes  sure  !  Fay 
and  Fey  are  Celtic   Cornish   words  meaning,  faith. 

"Whether  sayest  thou  this  in  earnest  or  in  play  ! 
Nay,  quod  Arcite,  in  earnest  by  my /ay."  Chaucer. 

"  By  my  fay."     The  London  Prodigal. 
(Piu'infayf    or  (Re-'m)  "  Bvm  fey,"  by  my  faith,  is 
also  Celtic  Cornish). 


195 

Jack.  Almost  if  not  quite  disused  in  Cornwall.  The 
well  known  name  of  the  machine  for  turning  a  spit 
in  roasting;  worked  by  a  weight  with  puUies,  by 
which  the  spit  was  turned  round 

Jack  Harry's  lights.  Phantom  lights  preceding  a 
storm,  superstitiously  thought  to  take  the  form  of  the 
vessel  doomed  to  be  lost. 

Jack-O-lent.       A  dirty,  slovenly  fellow.       c. 

Jack  with  the  lantern.     Will-o-the-wisp.     Ignis 

futnus. 
Jacky.       Too  much  Black  Jack  or  Blende  in  the  ore. 
"  For  the  ore  was  waik  and  jaclci/  in  the  stoan. 

Tregellas. 

Jacky-ralph.     A  wrasse.     m.a.c. 

Jaffle.       A  handful.     See  Yaffle. 

Jail,  or  Jaale.       To  walk  fast.     "Jailing  along." 

Jailer,  or  Jallishy  buff.     Yellow.      See  Yaller. 

Jan-jansy.       Two-faced.       M.A.C.     Janus-like. 

Jelly-flower.      Gilly-flower,  the  stock.    Gilo/re,  Chaucer. 

Jews'  ears.       Some  kinds  of  fungi.       c. 

Jews'  fish.  The  halibut,  Uppoglossus  vulgaris.  Called 
the  Jews'  fish  because  of  its  being  a  favourite  part  of 
their  diet.  (At  Plymouth  in  the  first  half  of  the 
century  the  brill  was  always  called  the  halibut). 

(The  Cornishman,  1882J. 

Jews'  house.       A  very  ancient  smelting  place  for  tin. 

Folwhele. 


19G 

Jews'  pieces.       Very  ancient  blocks  of  tin.    PohvJiele. 

Jews'  works.  Very  ancient  stream-works  "  are  now 
stiled,  JeAvs'  works,  and  were  used  to  be  stiled  in 
Cornwall  "  ntfal  sarazln,"  or  the  leavings  of  the 
Saracens."    Q.v.  Pohvhcle. 

Jick,  or  Juck;  Yrix,  Yuck,  or  Yock,  Yex,  (Yoxe 

Saxon,  and  in  Chaucer).     To  hiccough.     See  Yock 

or  Yuck. 
Jiggety-jig.       A  jog-trot  style  of  travelling  in  a  shaky 

vehicle,  ' '  gwain  j  iggety-j  ig." 
Jigging.       A  process  of  sifting  the  ore  from  the  refuse 

in  a  tub,  or  tank  of  water. 
Jimmery  Chry  !       An  exclamation  of  surprise.     Can 

it  be  believed  I !     In  Celtic  Cornish  we  have  krysy,  to 

believe,  to  have  faith  in. 
Jinny-ninny.      A  simpleton. 
Jinny-quick,  or  Jenny-quick.      Italian  irons. 

When  a  woman  wants  to  "do"  her  caps  aud  collars, 

she  calls  for  the  Jinny-C[uick. 
Joan  the  Wad.       The  name  of  one  of  the  fairies. 

JFad,  Celtic  Cornish,  a  forefather. 
John-jaick.       A  snail.  CalUngton. 

Jonnick.       "  That's  jonnick,"  i.e.,  that's  jolly. 
Josing.       Scolding.     "Jawing." 
JoUStin.       Shaking.     "  A  good  joustin." 

Jowder,  jowter,  chowder,  and  j  ouster.      An 

itinerant  fish-dealer  who  carries  the  fish  on  the  back 
in  a  coiml  (Q.v.)  Also  called  hack-jouster  (Q.V.)  In 
later  years  a  donkey  cart  has  been  umch  used  instead. 


197 

Jowds,  or  Jowders.     Pieces,  bits.     "  Tes  scat  oal  to 

jowders,"  i.e.,  It  is  broken  all  to  pieces. 
Jowlin.       A  dull,  gnawing  pain  is  so  called,  as  "  I've  a 

jowlin  tooth  ache." 
Juck.       See  Jick,  and  Yock,  or  Yuck. 
Jumpin.        Thus  used,   "a  jumpin   little    scamp."     A 

little  humbugging  fellow  is  a  "jumpin"  or  a  "rump- 

in  "  fellow.     A  term  of  contempt. 
Jung.       Young.     Jungk,  Celtic  Cornish,  young. 

Junket.  New  (or  raw)  milk  fresh  from  the  cow, 
curdled  by  rennet.  Clotted  cream  is  laid  on  the  top, 
and  the  whole  flavoured  with  nutmeg  and  rum. 
Elsewhere  junket  means  a  cheese  cake,  a  sweet-meat, 
properly  made  of  curd.  The  word  is  the  Italian 
giuncaie  (curd,  or  cream  cheese),  so  called  because 
carried  on  junk  or  bull  rushes  (giirnco).  Brewer. 

"  Yon  know  there  want  no  junTcets  at  the  feast. " 

Shakspere  "  Taming  of  the  Shrew." 

Just  alive.       Mining  term,  meaning  a  small  appearance 
of  ore  in  the  stone. 

Jyst.      A  joist  or  beam.    Jyst  and  gyst  are  Celtic  Cornish 
words  for  a  beam. 

Kager,  Keggas,  or  Kai-yer.     Wild  parsnip,  wild 

carrot.     H.R.c.     The  ancient  Cornish  called  hemlock 
kegas. 
Kan  Kayers.       Two  or  three  confederates  who  unite 
to  undervalue,  or  make  fictitious  offers,  and  praise 
anything  they  wish  to  sell ;  tricksters.  Bottrell. 


198 
Karn,  or  Carn.       The  solid,  hard,  or  rocky  ground. 

See  Cam. 

Katty-ball.       A  child's  ball  for  playing  with. 

Kearny.       IMould  on  a  liquid  surface. 

Kayer.       A  coarse  sieve  for  winnowing  corn.       M.A.C. 

Keddened,   (or  Cabagged,     b.v.)        Covered   over 
with  mud  or  dust.       w.F.P.     Kaggled.      H.R.C.     (See 

Geagled.) 

Keels,  or  Kails.       Skittles.     Ninepins. 
Keel-alley,  or  Kail-alley.       A  place  for  playing  at 

ninepins  or  skittles. 
Keem.       To  comb,  as  of  the  hair. 
Keeming  comb.      A  small-tooth  comb.     m.a.c. 
Keenly.       Promising  in   appearance,   as   of    a   lode. 

"  Keenly  gozzan."     Also,   clever,   as,    "  he  did   that 

putty  keenly." 

Keenly-gozzan.      See  Keenly. 
Keggled.     See  Geagled. 

Keg-nail,  or  Kag-nail.       An  ill  shaped  toe  or  finger 

nail.     A  thickened  toe-nail. 
Keeve,  or  Kieve.      A  great  tub,  or  vat;  also,  a  potatoe 

cave,    i.e.,   a   place  where   potatoes   are  heaped   and 

buried  with  earth.     Perhaps  cave  mispronounced,  in 

this  sense. 
Kelter.       "  In  good  kelter,"  i.e.,  in  good  condition,  as 

of  cattle. 


199 

Kendle  teening.  Candle  lighting  time.  To  tine,  or 
teen,  is  to  light,  as  ''  teen  the  candle." 

Kenack.       A  worm.     (A  weakly  child.       W.C.B.) 

KinaJc,  Borlase.     It  is  Celtic  Cornish. 
Kennin.       A  white  cloudy  spot  on  the  cornea,  like  a 

thin   film.     (Kennel.       m.A.C.)      Ken  is   a   Celtic 

Cornish  word  meaning  the  peel,  or  skin  of  anything. 
Kennin  herb.       A  plant,  the  decoction  of  which  is 

used  for  the  cure  of  a  kennin.     Polwhele  says  it  is 

Crow-foot.     Eammculus. 
Keeping   company.       Phrase  used  of  lovers  after 

"  popping  the  question." 

Keep  on,  keeping  on,  or  keeping  on  keeping 

on.       Idiomatic  phrases  used  of  a  scold  who  won't 

cease  talking.     Also  used  of  a  bully. 
Kep-kep-kep.       A  call  to  make  a  horse  come  near 

one.     (See  back  for  this  in  "  The  words  compared  with 

Chaucer.'') 
Kern.       To  curdle. 

Kerned.  Concreted.  "  He  has  also  seen  gold  kerned 
about  spar,"  that  is,  fixed  and  concreted  on  the  quartz. 

Borlase. 

Kerning.  Term  used  of  corn  as  it  ripens  after  the 
period  of  blossoming. 

Kert.  A  cart.  It  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word.  Also 
caart. 

Kib.   V.       To  repair,  as  of  a  hedge,  with  thorns,  &c. 


200 

Kibbed.       Ground  fenced  off  with  bushes,  furze,  &c. 

Polwhele. 
Kibble.       An  iron  mine  bucket,  used  up  and  down  a 

mine  shaft.     (Kibbal,  a  bucket,  a  little  tub).     Borlase. 

A  Celtic  Cornish  word. 
Kibby  heels.       Sore  heels.     Heels  with  chilblains  on 

them. 
Kick  and  sprawl.       The  courage  and  power  to  resist. 

"  If  people  tried  to  hand  him  over  to  any  one,  he 

would  soon  let  them  see  that  he  had  some  Jdck  and 

spraiul  in  him." 
Kicker.       A  small  mizen  used  by  fishing  boats.     W.F.P, 
Kicklish.       Ticklish.     A  dangerous  state,  or  position. 

A  delicate  or  difficult  job,  as,  "a  kicklish  job,"  "he 

is  standing  in  a  kicklish  place." 
Kicky.       To  stammer. 

Kiddaw.       The  guillem.     A  sea  bird.       m.a,c. 
Kiddliwink,  Kidleywink,  Kiddle-a-wink,  and 

Tiddly- wink.  These  are  names  for  a  beer-house. 
The  term  Kiddle  (^-e^//e)-a-wink  is  perhaps  the  cor- 
rect term.  At  a  conversazione  at  Laregan  in  1881, 
Mr.  F.  Holraan  gave  the  origin  of  the  word  thus. 
"At  the  time  the  name  arose  the  beershops  were  not 
all  kept  by  honest  dames,  for  they  were  then  fond  of 
keeping  a  little  smuggled  brandy  which  was  put  in 
the  kettle,  so  as  to  deceive  the  officers  of  the  law,  and 
those  who  were  in  the  secret,  when  they  came  into 
the  room,  and  wanted  some  of  the  brandy,  would 
ivink  at  the  kettle.  Hence  arose  the  term  "  Kettle  and 
wink,"  or  Kidley-wink."     Cornishman,  Nov.  17,  1881. 


201 

Kiddle,  Kiddly,  or  Kiddlin.  To  be  engaged  about 
various  little  jobs.     "  Always  kiddlin  about." 

Kidge.       To  stick,  to  unite,  to  "  chum  "  together. 

Kidney.       To  agree  together,  to  be  chums  together,  to 
confederate,  as,  "  they  kidney  together  very  well." 
(Kidge.     M.A.C.) 

Kiggal.  A  spindle.  BottreU.  This  is  a  Celtic  Cornish 
word,  spelt  Kijgd  or  Kigel,  and  meaning  a  distaff. 

Killas.       Clay  slate,  the  "  schist "  of  the  geologists. 

Killeck.       A  stone  used  as  an  anchor  for  punts.     w.F.P. 

Killi-more.  Earth-nuts.  Ealliwell.  Grove-nuts.  Pol- 
wliele.  Kelli  or  Killi  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word  mean- 
ing a  grove,  and  mor  berries.     Moran,  a  berry. 

Kimbly.  Couch,  in  his  History  of  Polperro,  says  that 
"at  weddings  it  was  formerly  the  custom  when  the 
party  set  out  for  church,  for  one  person  to  be  sent 
before  with  a  piece  of  bread  or  cake  in  his  or  her 
hand,  (a  woman  was  usually  selected)  and  this  was 
presented  to  the  first  person  met  in  the  procession. 
The  gift  was  called  the  "  kimbly,"  and  was  also  given 
at  births  to  the  person  who  brought  the  first  news  to 
those  interested  in  the  new  arrival."  Kimbly  was 
also  given  to  the  one  who  brought  first  news  in  the 
smuggling  times.  "  If  us  catches  sight  of  'em  (smug- 
glers) comin  in  we'll  rin  down  and  tell  the  news,  and 
you  shall  have  Idrnhly  for  telling  it." 

il/rs.  Parr's  Adam  &  Eve. 


202 

Kings.  The  name  used  at  Eedruth  for  donkeys. 
Corn.  Telegraph  1879.  An  ill  applied  name  to  so 
patient  an  animal. 

Kip.       A.  small  net  used  to  hang  vegatables  in.       w.C.b. 

Kipes.      See  Giblets. 

Kipper.       A  male  salmon.       c. 

Kiskey.  "  A  dried  brittle  stem."  "  A  withered /;/sZ;e?/ 
of  a  man"       m.A.c. 

Kist-vean.  A  Celtic  stone  built  chest  or  burial  place. 
It  is  Celtic  Cornish  and  reads  literally  chest  little. 

Kit.       A  smear.     To  kit.       To  dab.     EaJl'mell. 

Kit.  Kith  or  kin  "I'll  turn  out  the  whole  kit,"  i.e.,  the 
whole  lot  of  them.  In  Celtic  Cornish  heth,  the  com- 
mon people ;  also,  chet,  a  companion,  a  fellow. 

Kitey.       Flighty,  hair-brained,  impulsive. 

Kittens.       The  kidneys. 

Kittereen.  A  primitive  omnibus.  "The  Kit-tereen 
Avas  a  car  that  ran  between  Penzance  and  Truro,  set 
up  by  Christopher  Treen,"    (Kit  Treen.)       J.w. 

Kitting.       stealing  ore.     To  kitt.       To  steal  ore. 

Kitty-bags.  Coarse  cloths  bound  round  the  legs  of 
labourers  to  keep  them  dry.  They  used  also  to  wear 
straw  or  hay  rope  coiled  round  the  legs  as  a  protec- 
tion in  rough  weather.     See  Hay-bands. 

Kiwer.       A  cover.     Kevere,  Chaucer. 


203 

Knacked.       Stopped  working,  said  of  a  mine ;  also  to 
dissuade,  as,  "  I've  a  knacked  that  out  uv  lies  hade." 
Knap.       The  top,  or  summit  of  a  hill. 
Knick.       To  cheat. 

"Hes  stoanin  wights  and  temberin  scaales, 
I'm  sure  they  air  but  smaal, 
Beware  of  Moases  Tonkyn, 
Or  he  will  hnkh  ee  oal."  J.  T.  Tregellas. 

Knot  COW.  A  cow  without  horns,  having  a  little  knot 
or  knob  on  the  head  instead  of  them. 

Knuckle  down.      To  submit,  to  yield,  to  "  give  in." 
Ko.       See  Co. 
Koffen.      See  Coffins. 

Lace.       A  rood,  or  perch  of  land.       ai.A.c. 

Lace.  This  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word  meaning  to  lick 
or  slap ;  to  throw  about ;  to  cudgel ;  to  lash.  Pro- 
nounced lak  in  the  old  Cornish,  as,  "??;6  ath  Ink,"  I 
will  lace  thee. 

Laggen.  v.       To  splash  in  the  water.  MouseJioIe. 

Lagging.       Dragging  in  the  mud,  also  Ligging.     Q.v. 

Laister.       The  yellow  water-iris.       M.A,C. 

Lake.       Used  of  a  sea  cove,  as  Gwavas  lake,     (A  brook 

is  so  called  at  Lostwithiel.       J.W.) 
Lambs'  legs.       The  snivel  of  a  child's  neglected  nose. 

Lambs'  tails.  The  blossoms  of  the  crack  willow. 
Salix  fracjilis. 


204 

Lamb-y  or  Lammy-pie.  "  Lammy  pie  isn't  made 
of  Iamb" I  as  the  name  Avould  imply.  The  following 
tale  will  explain.  It  is  fully  given  in  Warner's  Tour 
through  Cornwall  in  1809.  "  A  Cockney  who  had  a 
mind  to  see  the  world,  strayed  down  as  far  as  St. 
Ives,  where  he  entered  an  inn  and  called  for  supper. 
Have  you  any  beef  for  a  steak  ?  No  !  Any  veal  for 
a  cutlet  1  No  !  Any  mutton  for  a  chop  1  No ! 
What !  no  meat !  No  please  your  honour,  except  a 
nice  lamnnj-ine,  which  was  baked  to  day.  The  Cock- 
ney licked  his  lips  at  the  prospect  of  a  cold  laml-pie, 
and  ordered  it  up.  Hunger  was  his  sauce;  he  ate 
heartily,  and  relished  his  meal  exceedingly.  He 
passed  the  night  in  horrors,  but  had  no  idea  they 
arose  from  the  indigestible  quality  of  his  supper,  till 
the  next  morning,  when  he  was  about  to  mount  his 
horse.  '  Well  Sir,'  said  the  ostler,  seeing  he  was  a 
stranger,  '  how  did  you  like  missuses  lammy-pie  last 
night  1  Excellent,'  replied  he,  '  twas  the  best  lamh  I 
ever  tasted.  Lord  love  ye,'  returned  John,  '  it  was 
not  that ;  lammy-pie  isn't  made  of  lamb.  Why  what 
the  devil  was  it  then  1  exclaimed  the  horrified  travel- 
ler. '  Why  our  poor  kiddy,  to  be  sure,'  returned  the 
other,  'who  died  yesterday,"  This  dainty  dish  is 
obsolete. 

Lamper.       A  lamprey. 

Lampered.  IMottled,  stained.  "Lampered  all  over 
with  dirt." 

Lannard.       A  kind  of  hawk.  Carew. 


205 

Lantern   fish.       The   soUa   kevis   or  Arnoglossus,    so 

called  because  it  is  a  very  transparent  sole. 
Lap;  or  Lop.       To  throb,  as  in  pain.     (Lap,  to  beat. 

Garland.) 
Lap,  or  Cat-lap.       Tasteless,  insipid  fluid,  or  drink. 

Lappy.     To  lap. 

Lappior.       A  dancer.     This  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word. 

Larrence.        (St.    Lawrence).       "  He    is    as    lazy    as 

Larrence." 
Larrikins.       Mischievious    young  fellows,   larkers. 
"  Mischievious   larrikins  who  pull   the  young   trees 
down."  The  CornisJiman. 

Lashin,  or  Lasher.       A  very  large  thing,  a   lot   or 
plenty. 

Lash.       To   throw  anything   down   violently,  as    *'he 
lashed  it  down."     To  pour,  as  of  rain. 

Lash.       Bait  cut  from  the  tail  of  a  mackerel.       c. 

Lasking.       Keeping  near  the  coast,  a  fisherman's  term. 

B.v.  Mousehole. 

Latteen,  Lattin,  or  Lattice.       Names  for  tin-plate. 

Lattice.       The  vegatable  lettuce. 

Lattis.       A  milk-pail.  Penwiih,  in  the  Antiquary. 

Probably  from  lait,  which  besides  being  the  French 
for  milk,  is  also  a  Celtic  Cornish  word,  and  it  is  "  the 
old  orthography  of  leijth  or  leth  as  written  in  the 
"  Ordinalia."  Williams's  Cornish  Didij. 


206 
Launder,  or  Lander.       A.  water  shute  of  a  building. 

Lauch.  A  sloppy  mess,  any  ill  combined  liquid  food. 
Beef  tea  and  treacle,  would  be  a  lauch  if  mixed. 

Lawn,  or  Lawen.  "  A  large  open  mine-work  in  the 
back   of  a   lode   left   in   a   dangerous   state." 

Toiccdnack.      T.c. 

Leaping-stock.      See  Hepping-stock. 

Leary,  or  Lairy.  Faint  and  hungry,  sinking  from 
want  of  food.  In  use  in  Devon  and  Dorset.  In  Wilt- 
shire they  say  leer,  (empty.) 

Leasing.       Picking  stones.  Folivhcle. 

Gleaning.       c. 

Leat.  An  artificial  channel  for  a  stream,  as  of  water 
for  a  mill. 

Leavers,  or  Lavers.  Marsh  iris.  Name  probably 
from  levar,  Celtic  Cornish,  a  book. 

Lemon  plant.       The  verbena. 

Lent-lillies.      Daffodils. 

Lerrick.       To  flap  about,  "  lerriking  about." 

Lerrup,  or  Lerruper.  A  slut.  "A  regular  lerrup." 
A  trollop. 

Lerrupin.  Trolloping.  Also,  something  very  big. 
"  a  lerrupin  great  turnip." 

Lerrups.       Rags,  tatters,  "all  to  lerrups." 

Lerrups,  or  Lirrups.     See  Bits. 


207 

Lester-cock.       A   floating   contrivance  with  a  small 

sail  to  carry  a  "  boulter  "  seawards  in  fishing.  Careu: 
In  Celtic  Cornish  Jester  means  a  ship,  and  coc,  a  boat. 

Let.  Hindrance,  hesitation,  delay.  To  let.  to 
hinder,  to  stop  or  impede.  This  word  was  in  use  in 
Cornwall  many  centuries  ago,  although  not  Celtic; 
being  the  old  English  lei,  as  in  the  following,  ''Hep 
no,  moy  Ut,^'  ie.,  without  any  further  delay. 

Letterputch.  A  dirty  untidy  person ;  also  a  short 
hornpipe  dance,  but  more  with  the  heels  than  the  toes. 
In  Lancashire  it  is  called  Letherty-patch.  An  idle 
person  stands  on  one's  doorstep,  hands  in  pockets, 
and  every  now  and  then  kicks  up  his  heels  to  this 
dance.  Those  within,  annoyed  at  the  sound  cry  out, 
"  there  goes  letherty-patch  again  with  his,  rat-tat,  rat- 
tat,  ratty-tatty,  rat-tat-tat.  Also  spelt  letterpooch,  and 
htferpouch. 

Leu,  Lew,  Leuth,  or  Lewth.  (Synonymous).  A 
sheltered  place.  It  also  means  concealment,  as 
"  He's  lying  lew  "  Le.,  lying  hid,  or  "  out  of  the  way." 
Eleo,  Celtic  Cornish,  sheltered. 

Leustre.       To  plan.       M.A.c. 

Level.       An  adit. 

Libbety-lat.  The  name  of  a  game  for  children. 
M.A.c. 

LibbingS.       "  The  webs  of  a  waterfowl's  feet."    M.A.c. 
Lick.       A  wipe  of  the  face  with  a  wet  corner  of  a 
towel.     "  I've  just  given  my  face  a  lick." 


208 
Lide.       The  month  of  March.       c. 

Lidden.       An  oft  told  tale.     "  Harping  on  one  string," 

always  telling  the  same  old  story,  "  that  old  lidden 

again."    Leden,  Chaucer.     Ledden,  Spenser.     In  the 

North  of  England  it  means  noise,  din. 
Lie.       "  Cxone  to  lie "  is  said  of  grass  or  coi'n  beaten 

down  by  rough  weather.     Also    "The  wind  is  gone 

to  lie,"  i.e.,  it  is  become  calm. 
Lifting  dome.       Tippling,  guzzling. 
Lig,  or  Liggan.       A  deposit,  as  of  seaweed,  a  detritus 

of  dead  leaves.     Ligge,  to  lie  down.     Chaucer.     Lig 

or  Liggen,  to  lie.       Spenser. 

Lig,  or  Liggan.       A  kind   of  sea  weed.       m.a.c. 

A  manure  formed  of  leaf  deposit.       c. 
Liggy.       IMuddy,  mucky,  damp. 

Ligging.       Dragging  along  and  smearing  with  mud; 

very  wet,  drizzly,  as  of  the  weather. 
Lights.       The  lungs.     "  Eising  of  the  lights  "  a  phrase 

used  of  a  choking  feeling  in  the  throat. 
Likky  pie.       Pie  of  leeks,  with  bacon,  and  an  egg  or 

two  broken  over  the  hot  contents. 
Lilly-bangers.       The  "  cup  and  dice  "  were  so  called 

at  Penzance.       M.A.C. 

Lilly-banger  stalls.  "Until  within  the  last  20 
years  it  was  the  custom  in  Penzance  on  Easter 
Monday  to  bring  out  tables  before  the  doors,  on 
which   were  placed   thick   ginger-bread    cakes   with 


209 

raisins  in  them,  cups  and  saucers,  &c.,  to  be  raffled 
for  with  Ulhj-bangers,"  and  the  stalls  were  thus  named. 

M.A.C. 

Limb,  or  Lemb.  There  is  a  curious  use  of  this  word, 
thus,  "My  face  is  my  best  limb."  Also,  a  young 
brat,  imp,  hussy,  or  termagant.  "She's  a  regular 
lemb."     A  she-devil. 

Lime-kill.  Lime  kiln.  "  Which  is  hateful  to  me  as 
the  reek  of  a  lime-hill.^' 

Shahpere  in  the  Merry  JFives  of  Windsor. 

Linsing,  or  Linching.       A  severe  thrashing. 

Ling.  Anything  very  tough  is  said  to  be  "  as  tough  as 
old  ling." 

Linhay.  An  outhouse,  or  shed,  with  a  lean-to  roof 
and  an  open  front. 

Lintem.     A  lintel 

Lipsy.       A  lisping.     "  He  speaks  all  lipsy." 

Listin.  The  selvedge  of  cloth.  Woven  and  used  for 
hearthrugs,  mats,  &c.  In  Celtic  Cornish  lysten,  a 
towel,  a  napkin. 

Listing.       Aching,  throbbing  with  pain. 

Living  stream.  A  course  or  stratum  of  stones  im- 
pregnated with  tin.  Borlase. 

Loader.       A  double  shaped  apple. 

Lob.  "  A  stone  tied  to  the  end  of  a  fishing  line,  to 
keep  it  fast  Avhen  thrown  from  the  rock."      c. 

O 


210 

Lobba,  Loaber,  Lubba.       An  awkward  fellow,  a 
lubber.       u.J.T. 

Locking    bone.        The   hip  joint.        See    Pin    and 

Whirlbone. 

Locus.       Sweet  stuff,  sugar  stick.     See  Clidgy. 

Lodden  or  Plodden.     A  pool.     m.a.c. 

Lodes.       Mineral  veins.    Most  lodes,  says  Prj'ce,  (Min- 
emlogia  Cornubiensis)   are  named  from  the  minerals 
contained   in  them.     He  divides   lodes  into   twelve 
different  kinds  as  under. 
1. — Gossan  lode.  7. — Crystal  lode. 

2.— Peach  lode.  8.— Killas  lode, 

3. — Scovan  lode.  9. — Mundick  lode. 

4. — Caple  lode.  10. — Black-jack  lode. 

5. — Pryan  lode.  11. — Flookan  lode. 

6. — Quartz  lode.  12. — Grouan  lode. 

To  notice  each  separately  would  exceed  the  limits  of 
this  book.     The  following  is  characteristic. 

"  What's  a  caunter  lode,  Uncle  Henney  ? "  "  Why 
thee'rt  old  enuff  and  ugly  enuff,  Old  Tom,  to  knaw 
what  a  caunter  lode  es  as  well  as  I  do."  "Well, 
so  I  thoft  I  ded  too/'  says  Old  Tom,  "till  I 
heer'd  our  boy  Jacky  readin  in  the  Mining  Journal 
that  a  caunter  lode  ded  run  north  and  south."  "Then 
a  couldn't  be  a  caunter,"  says  Uncle  Henney,  "  but 
a  cross-coose  running  right  athurt,  for  a  caunter  is 
slanting,  or  caunting  a  east  and  west  lode,  and  that 
is  the  meaning  of  a  caunter  lode,  for  suppose  there  is 
a   east  and  west  lode,   and   another  lode   running 


211 

north-east  and  south-west — slanting  the  east  and  west 
lode — the  north-east  and  south-west  lode  is  a  caunter, 
and  that's  all  that  can  be  said  about'n  I  reckon,"  says 
Uncle  Henney ;  "  and  I  say  so  too,"  says  old  Tom ; 
"and  I  say,"  says  Jan  Tenby,  "that  lots  of  they 
larned  men  going  about  now  a  day  don't  know  a 
caunter  lode  from  a  cross-coose,  or  a  true  tinker  from 
Old  Joe  H — y's  tinker."  From  the  "  Cornishman." 

Lode-plot.  A  lode  that  underlies  very  fast ;  or  hori- 
zontal, and  may  be  rather  called  a.  flat  lode.        Pryce. 

Lofty-tin.  Eich,  massive,  rough  tin  ore,  and  not  so 
weak  or  imperceptible  in  the  stone,  or  in  powder  on 
the  shovel.  Fryce. 

Logan  rock.  A  logging  rock.  A  rock  so  nicely 
balanced  as  to  rock  easily.  Hence  the  name  of  the 
celebrated  Logan  rock.  In  Celtic  Cornish,  logan, 
shaking. 

Loggers,  or  Lugs.       The  ears.       M.A.c. 

Long-cripple.  A  lizard.  M.A.C.  "In  Devonshire, 
a  snake."  J.w.  The  slow  worm  or  deaf  adder  of 
authors.     Borlase. 

Long-nose.       The  sea  pike,  the  garfish. 

Long  oyster.       The  sea  crayfish.  Fohvhek. 

Long-stone.  A  tall  (granite)  stone,  either  monu- 
mental, directing,  or  boundary.  Many  such,  of 
great  antiquity,  are  still  standing.  In  Celtic  Cornish 
maen  heir,  battle  stone,  or  maen  Mr,  long  stone.  Heir, 
battle:  Mr,  long. 


212 

LoobS.  A  Celtic  Cornish  mining  term.  The  tin  shme 
or  sludge  of  the  after  leavings  in  washing  tin.  The 
slime  "  leavings." 

Looby  weather.  Muggy  weather.  From  the  Celtic 
Cornish  looh,  slime,  sludge. 

LoOCh,  or  Loach.      Ssee  Lauch.     Looch,  filth,  refuse. 

Hayle.       t.c. 
Lootal.       A  tawdry  gadabout.       T.c. 
Loppard,  or  Lopper.       A  lame  person. 

Loppety  lop.  A  hopping,  or  lame-like  movement, 
moving  like  a  rabbit  is  to  go  "loppety  lop." 

Lopping.  Throbbing  with  pain.  "Its  lopping  very 
bad  ; "  also  walking  lame,  "  lopping  along." 

Lop-lolly,  Lob-lolly,  or  Lobba.  A  fag,  a  fac- 
totum j  a  lazy  fellow. 

Lords  and  Ladies.  The  common  Arum  or  Cuckow 
pint.     Arum  maculatum. 

Lost-slovan.  From  the  Celtic  Cornish  lost,  a  tail,  a 
rump.  Commonly  low-sloyan.  The  beginning  of  an 
adit  through  the  tail  or  end;  that  part  which  lies 
open  like  a  trench  before  they  drive  underground. 

Pryce. 

Louggy.       Tired.     G.  E.  in  the  "  Corniahmcm." 

Louning.       Long,  lank,  thin.       C. 

LoUSter,  or  Loustry.  To  work  hard.  "  He  who 
cau't  scheme  must  luuster." 


Loustering.       "A  loustering  man,"  i.e.,  a  well-gro-wTi 

powerful  man.     "Loustering  work,"  very  hard  work. 

Love-entangle.       The  fennel  flower.  Polwhele. 

Lubber-cocks.     Turkey  cocks.     (Lubber-leets. 

M.A.C.) 

Lucky-bone.       The  knuckle-bone  of  a  leg  of  mutton. 

Lud.       "  Sent  all  of  a  lud"  struck  all  of  a  heap.      W.N. 

Lugg.       Undergrowth  of  weed,  clover,  &c.,  among  corn. 

Lug-worm.  A  salt-water  worm,  used  for  bait  in 
fishing.     Beach  worm. 

Lump.  To  resign  oneself  to  what  is  inevitable.  "  If 
you  don't  like  it  you  must  lump  it." 

Lurk,  or  Lurgy.       Laziness. 

"  Fever  lurh,  neither  play  nor  work."     Brewer. 

Lurker.  The  small  boat  which  attends  the  other  boats 
in  pilchard  seining.  The  boat  in  which  the  master 
seiner  goes. 

Mabyers.       Chickens,  young  fowls.     In  Celtic  Cornish 

muh  (filius)  a  son. 
Maggots.       Whims.     "  Such  maggots  ! " 
Maggoty  pie.       A  mag-pie. 

Maggy-owler,  or  Maggy-owla.     The  goat  moth. 

Cossus  ligniperda. 
Mahogany.       Gin  s-weetened  with  treacle. 

Maidens'  delight.     See  Boys'  love. 


214 

Maiden  Elder.       The  elder  of  the  woorl,  or  in  Celtic 
Cornish  Scau-an-Cuz.     The  Sambucus  humilis  of  Ray. 


Malt.       To  feed,  "  go  and  mait  the  pigs." 
Mair.       Sheaves  of  corn  put  "longitudinally,  about  18 
feet   in   length    by  12  feet  deep,"  because  of  very 
uncertain  weather.     St.  Levan.     h.r.c. 
Mait  banes.       Broad  beans.     Callington. 
Magpies.       (Sayings  about  them.) 

"  One  for  sorrow ;  two  for  mirth, 
Three  for  a  wedding;  four  for  a  hirth." 

Couch,  Polperro. 
"  One  for  anger ;  two  for  mirth, 
Three  for  a  wedding;  four  for  death." 

St.  Austell. 
Make-wise.        A    substitute,    a    pretence,    a    "make 
believe." 

Making  wise.       Pretending  to  do  a  thing. 
Male.     The  fish  shanny,     Blennius  pliolis.     C. 
Malkin.       A  rag  mop  for  clearing  the  ashes  from  an 
oven.     A  dirty  person. 

Manshun  bread.  Small  bun  shaped  loaves,  mau- 
chets.       M.A.C. 

Man-engine.  A  machine  used  in  deep  mines,  to 
bring  the  miners  up  or  down  the  shaft,  and  to  avoid 
the  fatigue  of  using  the  ladders.  Although  differently 
constructed  it  serves  as  a  "  lift "  for  the  men.  Invent- 
ed about  40  or  50  years  ago. 


215 

Marchant  May's  little  summer.    A  fine  autumn. 

Marinade.  A  term  used  of  fish  cured  or  cooked  in  a 
particular  way  in  vinegar,  with  bayleaves  and  spice. 
"  Marinaded  pilchards." 

Marlion.  A  kind  of  hawk.  Carew.  (Merlion,  a 
merlin,  a  sort  of  hawk.     Chaucer.) 

Mash.es.  Large  cjuantities,  lots,  as,  "Mashes  of  mait." 
(meat. ) 

Massy!  Aw!  massy!  Exclamations,  just  as 
Mercy  !  or  Grammercy  !     (Mascie,  by  my  faith. 

Chancer.) 

Maunge.  To  chew  noisily,  to  munch.  (Monche, 
Chaucer.) 

Maur.     See  Mor  or  More,    a  root. 

Maw.       "  A  sugary  maw."     See  Wad. 

May-bee.       A  cockchafer.       M.A.C. 

May-bird.       The  whimbrel.       C. 

Maybum.       A  kind  of  bird.     Marhiran  {])  is  Celtic 

Cornish  for  a  Raven. 
May-games.       Frolics,  tricks,  practical  jokes. 

May-gemmin.  Frolicsome,  silly,  childish.  "  Such 
maygemmin  ways." 

Maazlin.       Knocked  foolish.       t.w.S. 

Mazed.       Greatly  bewildered,  downright  mad. 

Maazedish,  or  Maazedy.     Maddish. 


216 
Mazed  antic.       A  wild,  crazy,  foolish  person. 

Mazegary,  Mazegerry,  or  Mazejerry.     Crazy, 

half  mad. 

Mazejerry  pattick,  or  Mazegerry  pattick.     A 

mad  simpleton.       u.j.t. 

Meader.  A  mower.  Pohchck.  Medcr  is  a  Celtic 
Cornish  word,  and  means  a  reaper,  a  mower. 

Meara-geeks.       Noisy  or  obstinate  people. 

Hals  (a.d.  1736)  says,  '■^Camborne,  signifies  an  arched 
burne,  or  well-pit  of  water  ....  to  which  young 
people,  and  some  of  the  elder  sort,  make  frequent 
visits  ....  in  order  to  wash  and  besprinkle  themselves, 
out  of  an  opinion  of  its  great  virtue  and  sanctity, 
forsooth  !" 

Those  sprinkled  "  are  called  by  the  inhabitants  mer- 
rasicJcs.  These  again  by  others  are  called  mearagaks, 
alias  moragiks;  that  is  to  say,  persons  straying,  rash, 
fond,  obstinate."  In  Celtic  Cornish  gycke  or  gyc 
means  noise;  and  mh-e,  much. 

MeaS.       "A  meas  of  herrings,"  i.e.,  505  herrings. 

Meat-earth.  The  natural  soil  or  surface  of  the  land. 
"  A  load  of  good  meat  earth." 

Meddick.  An  emetic.  Medhec  is  a  Celtic  Cornish 
word,  and  means  a  physician.  Also  medhecnaid, 
physic. 

Melliers.       The  axles  of  the  frame  used  in  washing 


217 

Men-an-tol.  A  holed  stone.  (See  Cornish  History.) 
In  Celtic  Cornish,  maeti,  stone,  and  toll,  a  hole,  a 
perforation. 

Meneolas.  A  fisherman's  original  kind  of  wooden 
box  stove,  "filled  with  clay  and  stones"  on  which  to 
cook.  w.F.P.  Menolas.  H.R.C.  In  Celtic  Cornish, 
7ndcn,  stone ;  and  olas,  a  hearth,  i.e.,  hearthstone. 

Men  SCryfa.  An  inscribed  stone  (See  Cornish  His- 
tory.) In  Celtic  Cornish,  muen,  stone ;  and  screfa,  to 
write. 

Merle.       A  chain  link.       M.A.c. 

Mermaid's  purses.  Brown,  purse-shaped  cases 
often  found  on  the  sea  beach. 

Merry-dancers.  The  Northern  lights.  Aurora  bor- 
ealis.     So  called  because  of  their  undulatory  motion. 

Merryman.       The  clown  at  a  Circus  or  Theatre. 

Merry  sole.       The  French  sole-(fish.) 

Meryan.  An  ant.  w.f.p.  (Meryan  is  a  plural  noun 
and  means,  ants.  Murrian  is  the  true  Celtic  Cornish 
plural  for  ants ;  and  murrianen  or  menwionen,  for  an 
ant.) 

Metheglin.  Mead.  Honey  and  water  boiled  together 
and  fermented  and  flavoured  with  spice.  This  is  the 
name  used  in  Cornwall;  meat?  was  almost  an  unknown 
word  there.  It  js  a  Celtic  Cornish  word  from  medh, 
mead,  or  meith,  whey,  and  whegol  or  huegol,  all  sweet. 


218 

As  if  to  say,  "the  all  sweet  mead,"  or  whey.     In 
Wales  they  call  it  mezyghn. 

Ill   Sanscrit   are   the   words   madJm,  mada,  mad,   to 
intoxicate,  which  compare  with  mead  (or  medh.) 

Mewed.       "  Scattered  by  fright."       T.C.  Sennen. 

Mews.      Moss.    W.T.A.P. 

Mica.  In  the  china  clay  works  this  is  the  name  given 
to  the  coarser,  or  inferior  clay,  which  is  deposited  in 
the  mica  pits.  The  finer  clay,  held  in  suspension  in 
water,  passes  on  into  the  large  "  clay  pit."  It  is  the 
washing  away  of  this  "  mica,"  that  makes  the  rivers 
look  like  milk.  In  reality  "mica"  contains  a  very 
large  proportion  of  porcelain  clay,  and  therefore  is 
often  saved,  and  sold  at  a  lower  price. 

Mica-pits.  The  clay  in  the  siojyes,  (Q.V.),  held  in 
suspension  by  water,  having  deposited  the  sand,  flows 
into  shallow,  narrow,  but  long  pits  ;  as  the  clay  fluid 
passes  slowly  on,  the  mica  deposits  in  these  mica  pits, 
and  the  pure  clay  passes  as  it  leaves  these  pits  into 
the  day-pit.     (Q.v.) 

Michy.  (Pro.  Mit'chce.)  See  Minching,  or  Mich- 
ing.    Also  Minch  or  Mich. 

Midjans  and  jowds.       Shreds  and  tatters. 
Midgets,  or  Midjans.       Small  pieces,  or  bits. 

Midgetty-morrows.     Tlie  fidgets,      m.a.c. 

Midgetty  por,  Miggal  conpore,  Migglecnm- 

pore.       Synonymous  words  for  uproar. 


219 

Mimsey,  or  Minny.  A  minnow  (fish).  Menow, 
minow,  and  minys  are  Celtic  Cornish  words,  and  mean 
little,  small. 

Minch,  or  Mich.  To  play  the  truant.  In  Glouces- 
tershire they  say  mooch. 

Mincher,  or  Micher.      A  truant. 

Minching,  or  Miching.       Playing  the  truant. 
"Marry!  this  is  miching  Mallecho."     Hamlet. 

Milky-dicels,  or  disles.  Thistles  used  for  rabbits' 
food. 

MilpreV.  The  Druids'  or  serpents'  egg.  Lhuyd.  The 
ovum  anguinum  of  Pliny.  From  the  Celtic  Cornish 
mil,  a  thousand;  and  prev,  a  reptile.  It  was  a 
common  belief  in  Cornwall,  about  1700,  that  the 
glass  beads  which  are  frequently  found  in  Cornwall, 
and  Wales,  and  called  by  the  Welsh  glain  neidijr,  were 
the  work  of  snakes ;  and  it  is  a  common  belief  now 
in  Wales,  that  on  a  certain  day  of  the  year  an 
immense  number  of  snakes  come  together  and  make 
these  beads  with  the  foam  of  their  mouths.  This 
agrees  substantially  with  Pliny's  account,  and  has 
descended  from  the  Druids. 

JFilliams'  Cor.  DicUj. 

Milsey,  Milcy,  or  Milchy.  Corn  injured  by  damp 
undergoes  a  change,  and  becomes  milsey.  The  bread 
made  from  it  has  a  doughy  consistence,  and  a  pecu- 
liar taste,  and  is  called  milsey  or  ropy  bread. 


220 

Minnies.  Stones  fastened  to  stout  cords,  or  small 
ropes^  are  used]to  prevent  pilchards  from  escaping,  by 
plunging  such  stones  (or  minnies)  constantly  in  the 
gap  by  which  the  fish  may  escape  from  the  seine 
net. 

Miracle  plays.  Sacred  dramas  which  were  acted 
anciently  in  a  "round"  (q.v.)  In  Celtic  Cornish 
they  were  called  Guari  meers  or  Great  plays,  and 
Guar4  mirkl  or  Miracle  plays.  The  place  of  acting 
was  called  plaeji  an  guard.      (Gware.    Williams). 

Missment.       A  mistake,  an  error. 

Mix-medley.       A  jumble,  "  all  sorts  together." 

Miz-maze.       Confusion,  perplexity.     "We  are  all  in 

a  miz-maze." 
'Moast.        Almost,   nearly,    well    nigh,       "Et's   moast 

dun,"  i.e.,  it's  nearly  done. 

Mock.       The  apple  cheese  (Q.V.)  from  the  cider  press. 

PohcheU. 

Mock   or  Mott.       A  large  block  of  wood,  such  as  is 

used  for  a  Christmas  fire. 
Mocket.       A  bib  to  an  apron  to  keep  the  dress  clean. 
MogUSt,  or  MogUZ.       The  ass.  CalUngton. 

Mole.       The  fish  rock  goby.       C. 
Mollish's    land.        A    game   played   by   girls.      One 

stood  in  the  middle  of  the  street,  while  the  others 

rushing  across  had  to  be  caught  by  her. 


Mood.  A  mucous,  or  jelh'-like  mcatter  formed  in  fluids. 
Linseed  tea  wlien  too  thick  is  a  mood.  (Vegetable 
sap.  c.)  Also  a  name  for  the  Pancreas  of  an 
animal.  A  substance  formed  in  vinegar  is  a  mood 
(or  Mother  q.v.) 

Moonshine.       Smuggled  brandy  was  so  called. 
"  Woll'ee  haa  a  drop  uv  moonshine  I  " 

Moor-house.  A  hut  belonging  to  a  mine  for  the 
shelter  of  workmen,  and  keeping  their  implements. 

Borlase. 

Moorstone.  Granite  so  called  as  being  "scattered 
over  our  hills."  Borlase.  The  term  is  used  now  of 
granite  from  an}'  source. 

Mop.  In  the  game  called  Mop  and  hide  awa}-,  (i.e., 
Hide  and  Seek)  the  Mop  is  the  one  who  has  to  stand 
with  the  face  covered  by  the  hands,  facing  a  wall,  or 
in  a  corner,  waiting  to  seek  those  who  have  hidden 
away.     Doing  this  as  the  mop,  is  called  moppiug. 

Mor,  More,  or  Manr.  The  root,  stumi?,  or  bole 
of  a  plant,  or  tree. 

Mor.       The  guillemot.       c. 

Moral.       See  Daps.       The  very  image  of.     Likeness. 

Mord,  or  Mort.  The  fat  of  the  pig  from  which  lard 
is  melted  out.     It  is  also  used  for  lard. 

Morion.     See  Cornish  Diamonds. 


222 

Mort.       A  lot,  a  large  quantity  as  a  "mort  of  money." 

This  word  is  used  in  Kent,  &c. 
Moth.      See  Mews.     f.g. 
Mother,  or  Mood.       A  soft  jelly-like  matter  formed 

in  a  fluid,  as  in  vinegar. 

Mott.       See  Mock.       Generally  used  of  a  large  root 

of  a  tree. 
MoTlSey-pasty.       An  article  of  diet,  with  which  little 

children   who   wetted   their   beds   were    threatened, 

"  There  now,  you  bad  child,  I'll  give  you  some  mousey 

pasty." 
Mowhay.       The  rick-yard, 
MuggetS.       Sheep's  or  calf's  entrails. 
Muggety-pie.       A  pie   of   sheep's,    sometimes   calf's 

entrails,  flavoured  with  parsley,  pepper,  and  salt,  and 

enriched  with  cream. 
MugWOrt.       A   plant,   artemisia   vulgaris,   often    used 

to  make  tea  for  a  bad  cold,  or  taken  as  a  tonic. 
Mule.       To  knead  dough,  to  bespatter  with  mud.       C. 

To  work  hard. 

Mumchance.  By  mere  accident,  "twas  a  mum- 
chance." 

Mun.  Decayed  fish,  used  for  manure.  M.A.c.  In 
mining,  any  fusible  metal.     Fryce. 

Mundic.       Pyrites,  Marcasite. 

Munger,  or  MlUlgar.  A  straw  horse  collar.  Pol- 
ivhele.     It  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word. 


223 
Mur.       The  guillemot. 
Murs.       Mice.       Pohchele. 
Mured.       Squeezed,   forced,   or  thrust  against  a  wall. 

IlTur  a  wall  (French).     Mured  enclosed.       Si)enser. 
Murely.        Xearly,    almost,    well    nigh.        u.J.T.      In 

Celtic  Cornish,  mur,  much. 

Murfles.     Freckles.     Murfled  or  Murfly. 

freckled. 

Murgy    or  Morgye.       A  dog  fish.     An  ill   looking 
Avench.    It  is  Celtic  Cornish  and  sjDelt  morgi  by  Pryce. 

Murrick.      A  sloven.    E.j.c. 

Mute.       The  hybrid  between  an  ass  and  a  mare.       C. 

Mutting.       Moody.     Silent  and  sulky.     (Mute-ing  ? ) 

My  Ivers  !       An  exclamation  of  surprise.     (My  ver- 
nos !       M.A.c.) 

Nacked.      See  Knacked. 

Nacker.         The  wheatear.     Saxicola  cenanthe.       c. 

Nackin,  Nacken,  or  Nacker.     Handkerchief. 

Nagging  pain.       A  dull,  persistent  pain. 
Nag-ridden.       Troubled  Anth  the  nightmare. 

Nail-spring.       The  splitting  of  the  skin  at  the  root  of 

a  finger-nail,  or  a  small  splinter  of  the  nail  itself. 
Naked-jack.       A  crock-dumpling.  CalUngton. 

'Nan.     See  Anan. 

Nanny-viper.       A  caterpillar.       M.A.C. 


22i 
Nash.       Pale,  weak,  chilly.       M.A.C. 
Natey.       "  Streaky  "  meat  or  flesh.       C. 
Nation.       ^(^t^T,  very  big,  very  good,  as,  "  a  nation  big 

horse,"  "  a  nation  good  job,"  "  'tis  nation  nice." 
'Natomy.       A  skeleton.     Very  slight  and  wasted   in 

person,  "  a  mere  'natomy."     Anatomy. 
Nattlin  pie.       A  pie  made  of  pigs'  entrails. 
Nattlins.      Pigs'  entrails.    Those  not  used  for  the  skins 

of  sausages  are  sometimes  fried,   "  fried  nattlins." 
Neaps.       Turnips. 
Neck.       "  Crying  the  neck."     See  Anek. 

Neddy.     See  Ass. 

Neflin.       Newfoundland  cod.       M.A.C. 
Nepperkin.      Half  a  gill,      u.j.t. 

NeSSel.       A  snood  of  twisted   twine  fastened  to  the 

hook.       C. 
Nessel-bird.       The  smallest  of  a  brood.     A  woman's 

youngest  child.     A  petted  child.     It  is  ncsscl-trip  in 

Pembrokeshire,     and    nestling   or   nesscl-cock   in   the 

North  of  England. 
Nessel-taker.      A  fisherman's  contrivance  for  making 

a  nessel.       C. 

Nettle.  When  one  is  stung  by  a  nettle  an  old  rhyme 
is  thrice  repeated,  meanwhile  rubbing  the  part  stung 
with  a  dock  leaf  This  custom  is  very  old,  and  was 
noticed  by  Chaucer  500  years  ago. 


225 

"  But  canst  thou  j^lay  at  racket  to  and  fro  1 
Nettle  in,  clock  out ;  now  this  now  that  Pandure.' 

Chaucer. 
"  Is  this  my  in  dock  out  nettle  1 " 

Dissembler's  besides  women,  P.  0.  Moore. 
The  following  are  the  forms  used, 
"  Out  nettle,  in  dock, 
Dock  shall  have  a  new  smock," 
also  thus,  "  Out  nettle,  in  dock, 

Nettle  nettle  stung  me." 
and  simply  thus,  "In  dock,  out  nettle." 

New-fang  or  New-vang.  Any  new  fancy,  enter- 
prise, or  operation.  The  term  is  generally  applied 
satirically  as  "that's  one  of  his  new-fangs."  {Newe- 
f angel,  desirous  of  new  things.       Chaucer.) 

Nibby-gibby.       Narrowly  escaped ;  nicely  missed,    c. 

Nice  chance.       Nearly,  "a  close  shave,"  all  but. 

Nick.       Knack,  or  skill  in  doing  a  thing. 

Nick.       To  overreach,  to  deceive,  to  cheat. 

Nicka-nan  night.       "The   night   preceding    Shrove 

Tuesday  is  so  called  in  Cornwall,  because  boys  play 
impish  tricks   and  practical  jokes   on  the  unwary." 

Borlase. 

Nickers,  Nuggies,  Knockers.     See  Piskey. 

Nickety-knock.  Throbbing,  palpitating,  taj^ping, 
"my  heart's  gwain  nickety-knock." 

Niddil,  or  Neele.       A  needle.     (Nidill,  Chaucer.) 


Niffed.       Tiffed,  vexed,  in  a  pet,  "  put  out." 

Niggur,  or  Neggur.       See  Ass.     (Onager,  Latin.) 

Night-crow.       A   species   of  owl,   rare   in    Cornwall. 

"I  take  it  to  be  the  fern-owl  of  Shropshire,  called 

churn-owl  in  Yorkshire,  from  the  noise  it  makes  when 

it  flies.     The  goat-sucker,  the  Crapimvlgus  of  Ray." 

Borlase. 
Night-rere.       A  woman's  nightcap. 
Night-riders.       Piskey  (Fairy)  people  who  have  been 

riding  Tom  (the  name  of  a  horse)  again.       H. 
Nipped.       Vexed,     "  Her's    nipped    about    somethin." 
Mrs.  Parr's  Adam  d;  Eve. 

Nimpingale.     A  whitlow. 

Nog-head,  Noggle-head,  or  Noggy.      A  young 

fool.      Tir   na   nog,    in   Irish   means,    "  the   land   of 
youths." 
Noggy.       A  blockhead.  Garland. 

Nones,  or  Noance.       Nonce,  for  the  present  call,  or 

occasion.     Nones  in  Chaucer. 
Nool.       To  thump,  or  beat.     Noohng,  ^  thrashing. 
Nope.       A  bullfinch,  Borlase. 

Nort.       Nothing.     "  AVhat's  good  for  nort  comes  to  no 

hort."     (Hurt  or  harm.) 
Nosey.       Impertinent,  intrusive. 

Nowle.       Noddle.     Used  satirically.     Noule,  the  crown 
of  the  liead.     Simiser. 


227 
Nub.       A  knob.     "A  nub  of  sugar." 
Nuddick,  or  Niddick.       The  nape  of  the  neck. 

Nuddic  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word. 
Null.       A  dry  crust.       M.A.C. 
Nurly.      Sulky.      T.c. 

Nuttall  or  Nut-hall.       The  hazel  bush. 
Nyst.       Near  to,  nearly,  "  all  but." 

Oak-mask,  or  Oak-mass.     Acorns. 

Oal-the-WOr.       In  the  fashion.     ''Hoods  be  oal  the 

wor,  and  bunnets  be  wered  wai  a  dep."     (Heard  said 

near  Bodmin.) 
Off  his  chump.       Insane.  CalUngton. 

OgOS.       Cliflf  caves.     Polwhele.     Ogo  is  a  Celtic  Cornish 

word  for  a  cave.     See  Vugg,  a  cavern. 
Oilet.      A  frying  pan,  a  gridiron.      It  is  a  Celtic  Cornish 

word. 
Okum-snifFey.       A  hot  and  nice  little  glass  of  grog. 

"  Woll'ee  haa  a  drap  uv  okum-sniffey  ?  " 
Old  men.       This  term  is  applied  to  those  who  were 

mining  in  ancient  days;  perhaps  centui'ies  ago.     In 

this  way  it  does  not  mean  aged  men. 
Old  men's  backs.       Old  workings  in  a  mine.     When 

old  workings  are  explored  or  worked  again,  miners 

say,  "  they  are  scratching  the  old  men's  backs." 

Old  men's  workings,  or  Learys.  The  remains 
of  old  muiing,  and  stream  works,  done  anciently  by 
Cornish  Miners. 


228 

OUick,  or  HoUick.  House  JeeJc.  "  House  leek,  used 
to  be  grown  on  house  roofs,  from  the  notion  that  it 
warded  off  lightning." 

Brewer's  Did.  of  Phrase  and  Fable. 

Oliphant.       Elephant.     It  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word. 

Oodel-doodel.  Helter-skelter.  "And  runned  off 
oodel-doodel." 

Oost.     See  Hooze.       Jem  in  the  Cornishman. 
Oozle,  or  Oozle-pipe.       The  windpipe. 
Ore-dresser.       One   who    superintends   the    dressing 

operations  of  a  mine,  and  is  called  the  captain  of  the 

"  floors,"  also  "grass  captain."       e.n. 
Ore-plot.       The  place  for  depositing  the  dressed  ore. 

Oreweed     Sea  weed.    See  Flote-ore. 

Orrel.  A  raised  wooden  porch  or  balcony  of  a  house 
above  the  cellar,  and  approached  by  outside  steps. 

Organs,  or  Orgal.       Penny  royal.     Mentha  lyulegium. 

much  used  for  "  organ  tay,"  (tea). 
OrtS.      Leavings,  scraps,  fragments,  as  of  food,  (*^c.    This 

word  is  always  plural.     "  The  fractious  of  her  faith, 

oris  of  her  love  "       ShaJcspere. 

"Thou  son  of  crumbs  and  orts."       B.  Johnson. 
Outlander.       A  foreigner. 
Out  of  Core.       Working  "  out  of  core,"  i.e.,  employing 

the  spare  time  after  the  regular  period  of  woi'k. 

Out-winder.      A  bow  window. 


2  I'D 
Overgone.       "Done  up,"  exhausted,  fatigued. 
Overlooked.       Bewitched,  under  the  influence  of  the 
"  evil  eye."     "  Thou  wast  o'erlooked." 

Shakspere,  in  the  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor. 
Ovice,  or  Ovvice.       The  eaves  of  a  house. 
Over  nigh.       Near  to,  close  up  to.     "  Ovver  nigh  by 
the  dear." 

Owners,  or  Awners.      See  Adventurers. 

Padal,  or  Padel.  A  dish,  a  pan.  It  is  a  Celtic 
Cornish  word. 

Paddick,  or  Pattick.  A  small  brown  pitcher  hold- 
ing one  or  two  quarts. 

Paddle.  A  weeding  tool  with  a  long  handle  and  a 
narrow  blade. 

Padgy-paw,    Pagety-paw,     Paget-e-poo,    or 

Padzher-pOU.       Names   for  a   newt,   eft,   lizard. 
In  Celtic  Cornish  ])achar  means  four,  and  paiv  a  foot. 
Literally,  four-footed. 
Pair.       A  company  of  men  working  together   on   the 
same  bargain,  pitch,  or  take,  in  a  mine. 

Palch,  Palchy,  Palched.  Broken  down  in  health, 
very  frail  and  delicate  in  constitution.  The  writer 
has  often  heard  it  used  thus,  "  He  is  very  palchy." 
"He  is  very  much  palched."  Palch  is  a  Celtic  Cornish 
word  and  means,  weak,  sickly,  amending,  poorly. 

Pallace.  A  cellar  for  the  balking  (bulking)  of  pil- 
chards. In  Celtic  Cornish,  imlas,  means  to  dig  or 
delve.     The  word  probably  meant  originally,  a  place 


dug  out.  (Pallace  is  by  Phillips  derived  from  pallida, 
pales  or  paled  fences.  In  Devonshire  it  means  a 
storehouse ;  in  Totness,  "  a  landing  place  enclosed  but 
not  roofed  in,"  according  to  a  Lease  granted  by  the 
corporation  of  Totness  in  1703.     Breicefs  Didy.) 

Pan  bed.     See  Hoppety  bed. 

Fanes.  Parsnips.  This  is  a  Celtie  Cornish  word, 
panan,  a  parsnip,  panes,  or  ][)anez,  parsnips. 

Pannier-crooks.    See  Crooks. 

Pan-crock.       A  large,  brown,  earthen  pan. 
Panshion.       A  milk  pan.       M.A.c. 
Park.       An  enclosure,  a  field.     Pare  is  a  Celtic  Cornish 
word  for  the  same. 

Parrick.     A  little  jug.     t.w.s. 

Pasher.  A  clumsy  workman.  T.C. 
Patch-hook.  A  bill-hook.  M.A.C. 
PattiC.       A  simpleton,  a  fool. 

Pawse.  A  cold  that  runs  at  the  nose.  Policheh.  From 
the  Celtic  Cornish  paz  or  pas,  a  cough. 

Peach.       Chlorite.     A  bluish  green  soft  stone.     A  lode 

of  this  stone  is  called  "a  Peachy  lode." 
Peart.       Brisk,  lively.     (Pearh,  Spenser.) 
Peas.     The  hard  roe  of  fishes. 

Peson,  or  Paisen.  Pease.  This  is  the  old  plural 
form.  In  Celtic  Cornish  pes  means  poase,  pulse. 
Peson.     Chaucer. 


231 
Pedalincan.       The  great  cuttle  fish.       H.E.C. 
Pednan.       Small  pieces  of  turf.  Davy,  Zennor. 

Pedn-paley.       The  tom-tit.     (Blue-tit.      M.A.c.)     This 

is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word,  ijcdn,  a  head ;  p'^ihj,  satin, 

or  velvet. 
Pedn-borbas.       Cods'   head.       B.Y.     Celtic   Cornish. 

(Pedn  barvas.     Pnjce.) 
Peecher.       A  bait,  an  allurement.       b.y. 
Peel.       A  pillow.     PoJidiele.     Pih':e,  Saxon. 
Pelf  or  Pilf,  Pelfy  or  Pilfy.     See  Pluff,  and  Pluffy. 
Pelt.       In  a  pet,  passion,  or  hurry,     "  Back  he  comes  in 

a  reg'lar  pelt." 

Peendy,  or  Pindy.  Tainted.  Used  of  animal  food 
going,  or  gone  bad. 

Peeth.      A  well.     M.A.C.    (Wit;  Pesthy,  witty). 
Prize.       See  Pize.       Peise.     Chaucer. 
Peizen,  or  Pizen.       Weights.     Peizer.       a  weigher. 
Pellar.       A  conjurer,  a  cunning  man. 

Pellow-bere,   or   Pillow-bere.     A   pillow   case. 

Pehce-bere.       Chaucer. 

Pelch,  or  Pilch.  A  three  cornered  clout,  or  napkin 
used  for  infants.  Brewer,  (Dicty.  of  Phrases)  calls  it 
"  The  jlannel  napkin  of  an  infant."  Saxon,  pjlcliCy  a 
skin  coat.     Pilche,  Chaucer. 

Penny-cake.  The  leaves  of  navel-wort.  Children 
pluck  and  string  them  to  resemble  a  pile  of  pennies. 


Pezac.       A  pilchard  with  a  broken  back,     w.c.B.     In 

Celtic  Cornish  pesach  means  rotten. 
Piffed.       Slightly  affronted,  or  vexed.     See  Tiffed. 
Pigol,    or    Piggal.        A   pick-axe.      A   large   hoe    for 

cutting  turf.     Pigol  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word. 

Piggy-pie.     See  Taddago  pie.     Pigrnj-\ne  is  not 

exactly  pork-pie  as  generally  made,  and  is  now  pro- 
bably an  obsolete  dainty,  just  as  is  Lamby,  or 
Lammy--p\e. 

Piggy- whidden.  Piggy-wiggy,  or  the  smallest  pig  of 
the  litter.  The  little  ivhite  pig.  In  Celtic  Cornish 
whidn,  gwiden,  or  gwyn,  white. 

Pig's-CrOW.  A  Pig-sty.  Crow,  is  Celtic  Cornish  and 
means  a  hovel,  hut,  sty. 

Pile.       A  lot,  a  plenty,  as  "  a  pile  of  money." 

Pilcher.  Pilchard.  The  Clvpea  pilchardus  of  natur- 
alists. They  call  pilchards  gipsy  herrings  in  Scotland. 
As  is  well  known  pilchards  are  taken  in  immense 
quantities  on  the  Cornish  coast,  large  shoals  some- 
times make  their  appearance  on  the  Southern  coast 
of  Ireland,  and  about  90  years  ago,  a  tolerably 
good  fishery  was  there  carried  on.  Pilchards  are  also 
taken  off  the  French  coasts  but  not  in  large  quan- 
tities. These  fish  also  frequent  the  coast  of  Spain, 
but  not  in  great  numbers  as  on  the  Cornish  coast. 
"The  merchantes  that  do  deale  in  this  commoditie 
of  pilchards,  as  doe  divers  Londoners,  vent  them  in 
sundrie  places.     In  Fraunce  they  utter  their  pickled 


233 

pilchardes,  now  not  known  but  in  domestic  use, 
and  suche  as  they  pack  in  hogsheades  and  other 
caske,  wher  they  are  receyved  as  a  verie  welcome 
reliefe  to  the  sea  coaste  of  that  kingdome,  and 
from  the  coaste  revented  to  their  great  profit  in  the 
inland  townes. 

All  this  trade  into  France  is  now  gone.  The 
dryed  ware  they  carrye  into  Spain,  Italie,  Venice,  and 
divers  places  within  the  Straytes.  "Norden,  A.D  1584, 
quoted  by  "Whitaker  (Anc.  Cath.  of  Cornw.  Vol.  2,  p. 
249,  note.")  (In  Celtic  Cornish,  Hernan  and  Llean,  a 
pilchard;  Heme,  pilchards;  and  Allec,  herrings,  pil- 
chards.      Borlase.) 

Piler.  "  A  farm  instrument  used  to  pound  or  cut  the 
beards  from  barley  in  Minnowing."       b.v. 

Fillers.  Tufts  of  long  grass,  rushes,  &c.  M.A.C.  The 
name  seems  derived  from  the  hillocky  appearance  of 
large  tufts  of  grass  or  rushes.  Pil  in  Celtic  Cornish 
means  a  hillock. 

Pill.       A  pool,  a  creek. 

PlUaS,  Plllls,  or  Pellas.  Naked  oats,  bald,  bare,  or 
naked  oats  without  husks.  Dr.  Paris.  Avena  nuda. 
Piles,  or  Pilez  in  Celtic  Cornish  means  bare,  bald. 
Also  called  Pill-corn.  (Pilled,  or  piled,  bald.  Chancer.) 
Polwhele,  (a.d.  1803),  says  of  it  that  "it  is  still  used 
in  several  places,"  and  describes  it  as  a  "small  yellow 
grain  .  .  .  and  for  fattening  calves  accounted  superior 
to  any  other  nourishment." 


234 

Pillion.  The  tin  which  remains  in  the  scoria  or  slags 
after  it  is  first  smelted,  which  must  be  separated  and 
re-melted.  Pryce. 

Pillum,  Pillem,  or  Pllm.  Dust.  Film  is  a  Celtic 
Cornish  word,  and  means  according  to  Pryce,  "  dust 
flying  like  flour." 

Pil-jack,  or  Piliack.       A  low,  mean  fellow. 

Davy,  Zennm: 

Pimpey.  A  weak  cider  made  by  adding  water  to  the 
apple ''cheese."  Q.V.   It  is  also  called  "beverage."  Q.v. 

Pin,  or  Pin-bone.  The  hip.  The  hip-joint.  Pen- 
dim  is  the  Celtic  Cornish  word  for  the  hip-joint. 
Pen  the  head,  and  dun,  the  hip,  or  haunch. 

Pinnick,  or  Punick.  An  undergrown  weakly  child. 
Puny. 

Pinnickin.  Very  small  and  weakly.  "  What  a  poor 
pinnickin  child  ! " 

Pinni-menny.  This  was,  (and  is  now  by  a  few)  the 
name  given  to  the  little  chapel-well  near  Trenance 
bridge,  St.  Austell.  Young  people  wanting  to  know 
their  fortune,  dropped  pins  into  the  well  and  "wished." 
Menny,  or  Mynny,  in  Celtic  Cornish  means,  to  will,  to 
wish. 

Bernard  Quaritch,  in  a  review  of  Elton's  "  Origins 
of  English  History,"  says,  "There  is  ample  proof 
that  the  pin  is  not  a  mere  offering  to  the  spirit  of  the 
well,  such  as  a  rag,  a  pebble,  or  a  small  coin  might 
be,  but  is  flung  in  by  way  of  curse,  to  injure  the 


235 

person  who  is  present  in  the  mind  at  the  time  the 
pin  is  thrown  in.  It  is  a  companion  superstition  to 
that  of  sticking  pins  into  a  wax  image,  an  animal's 
heart,  an  orange,  or  an  apple,  which  is  prevalent  over 
a  great  part  of  the  world.  A  pin  is,  speaking  myth- 
ologically,  a  deadly  thing,  perhaps  because  it  is  a 
spear  or  dagger  in  miniature;  a  prick  from  one  is 
more  dangerous  than  from  a  needle  or  a  splinter  of 
wood,  because  it  gives  the  sufferer  the  '  evil  humours' 
of  the  person  who  has  carried  it  on  his  person.  In 
Iceland,  if  there  is  any  fear  that  a  dead  person's 
spirit  will  walk,  pins  are  driven  into  the  soles  of  the 
corpse's  feet. 

Pin-tail.       A  person  who  is  very  small  and  narrow  in 

the  hips. 
Pip.       A  disease  among  chicken. 
Pipe,  or  Bunny  of  ore.       A  great  collection  of  ore 

without  any  vein  coming  into,  or  going  from  it. 

Pryce. 
Piran.       Intoxicated.    "  He  was  Piran  last  night."   This 

is  a  slander  on  St.  Piran,  who  is  traditionally  said  to 

have  died  drunk,  yet,  says  Carew,  "  if  legend  lye  not 

he  lived  200  years  and  died  at  Piran." 
Piran  broad-cloth.       The  rush  mats  made  there. 

Tonkin. 
Pirl.       To  whirl,  twirl,  or  twist  around. 

Piskey.  A  fairy.  The  common  clothes  moth  is  also 
so  called  from  some  old  superstition.  In  Eobt,  Hunt's 
delightful   book,    "The   Komances   of  the   West   of 


236 

England,"  are  names  of  the  various  kinds  of  fairies, 
viz  :  1, — The  small  people.  2. — The  Spriggans.  3. — 
The  Piskies  or  Pigseys.  4. — The  Buccas,  Bockles,  or 
Knockers.  5.  — The  Browneys.  (Pisky  is  Celtic 
Cornish  for  Fairy.     Borlase.). 

Piskey  feet  or  Pixies'  feet.     See  Pysgy  pows. 

Piskey-led.  Said  of  one  bewildered,  confused,  or 
who  has  lost  his  way.  "  He's  like  anybody  piskey- 
led." 

Piskey-StOOl.       A  mushroom. 

Pit-work.  The  part  of  the  mine  machinery  which  is 
placed  in  the  shafts  or  levels.       e.n. 

Pitch.       A  bargain  of  work  in  a  mine. 

Pitch,  pitch,  butterfly !  An  invocation  by  which 
children  hope  to  catch  a  butterfly,  thus  "  Pitch,  pitch, 
butterfly,  down  low,  down  low." 

Pitch  to.       To  set  about  a  thing  in  real  earnest. 

Pitch-haired,  or  Pitchy-haired.  A  rough  staring 
coat,  as  of  a  horse  in  cold  weather. 

Pitch  up  to.      To  make  advances,  as  in  "making  love." 

Pize,  Pise,  Peize,  or  Peise.  To  weigh.  In  Corn- 
wall it  means  generally,  to  estimate  or  guess  the 
weight  of  a  thing  by  holding  it  in  the  hand,  as  "  I've 
a  pized  et,"  i.e.,  I  have  handled  it,  or  lifted  it  so  as 
to  judge  the  weight.  Peise.  Chaucer.  (Peysen, 
peisexi,  weights.       M.A.C.) 


237 

Planchin,  or  Planchen.  A  plank  or  wood  floor. 
In  "Ardeu  of  Feversbam"  is  this  expression  "Whilst 
on  the  planchers."  In  Celtic  Cornish  j-'^cmJcoi,  or 
phjnhen,  means  a  plank,  a  board. 

Plashet,    or   Ploshet       A   moist,   watery   place.     A 

quagmire. 
Plat.       A  plot,   or  small  piece  of  ground.     (In  Celtic 

Cornish,  j;/a/  means  flat,  also  in  Chaucer.) 
Platted  down.       Flattened  down,  pressed  down. 
Plat-footed.       Flat-footed,  splay-footed.    Plat  or  platte. 

Chcmcer.     Plat  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word  meaning  flat, 

sjylay. 

Plethan.  To  braid,  or  plait.  Pohvhele.  (In  Celtic 
Cornish  it  is  plegije). 

Pliskin.       An  egg-shell.     A  Celtic  Cornish  word. 

Polwhele. 
Plodj  or  plad.       Plaid,  or  check-pattern. 
Plosh.       A    puddle,    a   messy,   dirty  place.     Plos  is  a 
Celtic  Cornish  word  for  dirt,  filth,  &c. 

Plosher.       A  half  grown  bream.       M.A.c. 

Ploshy.  Splashy,  sloppy,  wet  and  miry.  In  Celtic 
Cornish  ^Zosec,  foul,  filthy. 

PlufF,  Pelf,  or  Pilf.  Fine,  or  broken  fragments  of  fur, 
feathers,  &c.  Also  the  fur  or  fine  hairy  coat  of  an 
animal,  as  of  a  hare,  Sec.  In  Celtic  Cornish  pluven 
means  a  feather,  a  pen,  pUv  or  pluv,  feathers,  and 
flufoc,  a  bolster. 


238 

Fluff,  Fluffy,  or  Floffy.  Soft  and  spongy  like  a 
dric'd  up  turnip.  "  Feeling  pluffy "  means  poorly, 
"out  of  sorts." 

Flum.  Anything  soft  and  springy,  as  a  pillow,  cushion, 
&c.,  also  leavened,  as  "the  dough  is  plum." 

A  Cornishman  would  not  say  mud  was  plum,  yet  if 
he  fell  on  it  he  would  say  that  "  he  fell  plum,"  To 
"fall  plum"  is  understood  as  contrary  to  " fall  hard." 
"  To  plum  up,"  is  to  swell  up  like  leavened  dough 
which  is  then  said  to  be  "plum"  or  "light."  "To 
plum  up"  also  means  the  resumption  of  the  former 
state  after  pressure  is  removed,  as  of  a  pillow  which 
"  plums  up  "  again.  The  shaking  up  of  a  bed,  or  a 
pillow,  is  to  "plum  up,"  the  bed,  or  pillow,  i.e., 
render  them  soft.  The  word  ])lum  meaning  elsewhere 
£100,000,  or  a  "nice  plum,"  was  formerly  spelt 
plumb,  and  refers  to  one  who  is,  "  pretty  well  oflF  for 
tin."  Tin  by  the  ancient  Romans  was  called  j^iumbum 
album.  Pluman  is  the  Celtic  Cornish  word  for  the  fruit 
plum,  and|:»/om  or  ])lobm  for  lead, 

Plummill.  The  yeast  mixed  with  the  flour  for  leav- 
ening, is  called  so. 

Foam.  To  pummel,  to  thump,  to  beat,  "poamen  well," 
(Pcmme,  the  palm  of  the  hand.     Chaucer.) 

Foaming.       A  pummelling. 

Fock.  A  push,  a  shove.  Poc,  or  Pock  is  Celtic  Cornish. 
See  Pool. 

Poddlin.       Poking  about,  meddling. 


239 

Podar.       Mundic,    pyrites.     In    Celtic    Cornish   ijodar 
means  rotten,  corrupt ;  mundic  ;  ugly. 

Borlase's  Corn.  Vocah. 

"  Upon  the  first  discovery  of  Copper  ore,  says  Dr.  Paris,  the 
miner  to  whom  its  nature  was  entirely  unknown  gave  it  the 
name  of  poder  (podar) ;  and  it  will  hardly  be  credited  in 
these  times,  when  it  is  stated  that  he  regarded  it  not  only  as 
useless,  but  upon  its  appearance  was  actually  induced  to 
abandon  the  mine,  the  common  expression  upon  such  an 
occasion  was  that  the  ore  came  in  and  spoilt  the  tin." 

The  writer  when  a  boy  used  to  hear  aged  men  speak  of 
copper  ore  (thought  to  be  podar  or  mundic)  having  been  used 
to  mend  the  roads. 

"About  the  year  1735,  saysDr,  Paris,  Mr.  Coster,  mineral- 
ogist of  Bristol,  observed  this  said  podar  among  the  heaps  of 
rubbish,  and  seeing  that  the  miners  were  wholly  unacquainted 

with  its  value he  entered  into  a  contract  to  buy  all  he 

could  get,  and  no  doubt  he  found  it  a  profitable  transaction." 

Podge.       A  short  fat  person,  '•'  quite  a  podge." 

Podgy.       Short,  thick,  and  fat. 

Pokemen.       Stupid,  clumsy,    "such  pokemen   waj^s," 
(Podging.      M.A.C.) 

Poldavy.       A  very  coarsely  woven  linen  cloth.     Sail 
cloth  was  formerly  called  PowU-davies. 

Polled.       Beheaded,  used  of  fish.       Pohchele. 

Pollet,  or  Polleck.       A  crooked  stick,  knobbed  at  one 
end.      w.F.p.     Polyn.     A  stick,     b.v. 

Polrumptions.       Uprorious,  restive. 

Pomster.       A   quack.     In   Celtic  Cornish  it  is  spelt 
lyonster,  meaning  quackery,  giving  improper  medicines. 


240 

Poochin.  Shoving,  poking  in  the  way.  "  What  be'ee 
poochin  like  that  vur  ] "     (Potch.     Shahpere.J 

PoOChy,  or  PoOChy-mOUth.  The  lips  very  promi- 
nent and  thick. 

Pooching.       Making  a  mouth  at  any  one. 

Pook.  A  heap  of  hay,  or  turf.  It  is  a  Celtic  Cornish 
word. 

Pooled.  Splitting  granite  "is  effected  by  applying 
several  wedges  to  holes  cut,  or  pooled  as  it  is  termed, 
in  the  surface  of  the  stone,  at  a  distance  of  three  or 
four  inches  from  each  other."     Dr.  Paris. 

Poor.       Tainted,  turned  sour,  decayed,  rotten. 

Poor  as  a  coot.  In  great  poverty.  (Coot,  the  bird 
F'uUca  atra.J 

Poor  tipple.       Small  beer  and  such  like  drink. 

Poot.       To  thump,  to  kick.     This  is  a  Celtic   Cornish 

word,  as  also,  j^ook  and  poulc. 
Pop  and  tOUSe.       A  general  row.     All  sorts  of  oaths. 

In  Celtic  Cornish  j^oj),  every ;  and  tos,  to  swear. 

Pop-docks,  or  Poppies.  The  fox-glove.  Digitalis 
purpurea.  ('C'or/i-poppy  is  the  name  for  the  common 
red  poppy.) 

Pope.       A  puffin.     M.A.C. 

Popple,  or  Bobble.       A  pebble. 

Por,  or  Poar.  Hurry,  fuss,  agitation.  "  What  a  poar 
you'm  in  ! " 


241 

Porbeagle.       A  small  kind  of  shark.     Boiiase. 

Porf.       A  pool  of  stagnant  Avater.       M.A.c. 

Porvan.       A  rush  wick  for  a  lamp.       M.A.C. 

Posh.  Phlegm  oppressing  the  breathing.  Polwhele. 
Pose.     Chaucer.     In  Celtic  Cornish  pos  means  heavy. 

POSS,  poss  up,  or  possed  up.  To  stand  up,  to 
"  stick  up,"  leaning  against  a  wall  or  a  post.  "  Theer 
a  stonds  possed  op,  lookin  like  a  vool."  Pos.  A 
post,  is  Celtic  Cornish. 

Post  groats.  "in  the  time  of  Henry  8th  there  were 
two  coinages  (of  tin)  in  a  year,  viz ;  at  Midsummer 
and  Michaelmas,  but  two  more  were  added  at  Christ- 
mas and  Ladyday  for  the  conveniency  of  tinners,  for 
which  they  paid  as  an  acknowledgment  four  pence  for 
every  hundred  of  white  tin  then  coined."  The  duty 
to  the  Duke  of  Cornwall  being  four  shillings  for 
every  hundred  weight  of  tin  coined,     Borlase.     See 

Coining  tin. 

Powdered.       Slightly  sprinkled  with  salt,  corned. 

Pots.  The  bowels ;  wooden  panniers  for  carrying 
manure  on  an  animal's  back,  dung  pots. 

Pot-crooks.  The  second  form  in  learning  to  write, 
next  to  making  strokes.     Pot-hooks. 

Pot  grouan.  Soft  granite-like  ground  in  which  it  is 
easy  to  drive  an  adit.  Pryce. 

Pot-ground.       A  miner's  term  for  loose  ground. 


242 

Pot-guidn.       White  pudding.     PolwheU.     It  is  Celtic 

Cornish.     Pot,  pudding ;  giiidn,  white. 
Power.       A  great  deal,  a  great  number,  as  "  a  power 

of  good,"  "a  power  of  people." 

Power.       The  fish  Gadus  minutus.       c. 
Preedy.       On  an  even  balance,  as  with  a  scales,       C. 
Preedy.       Easily,  creditably.     "  Putty  preedy." 
Preventive  men.       Coast  guard  men. 
Preventive  station.       Coast  guard  station. 

Pride  of  the  country.  A  miner's  term.  •'  When 
ore  is  found  near  the  surface,  at  a  level  where  it  is 
rarely  met  with,  and  in  great  abundance  and  very 
rich;  also  when  a  bunch  of  ore  is  found  out  of  a 
lode  like  stones  scattered  in  a  quarry,  they  say,  "  It 
is  the  pride  of  the  country."  Pryce. 

Pridy,  or  Preedy.       Proud,  handsome. 

Prid-prad,    Priden-prall.     See  Pednpaley. 

Prill.       V.  To  mix,  to  turn  off  sour,  to  get  tipsy  or  half 

drunk. 
Prill.       A  small  bit,  or  quantity. 
Prilled,  or  Prill.       Half  drunk.     "  He's  prilled." 
Prilling  a  sample.       Giving  a  false  sample  of  the  ore. 

E.N. 

Prince-town  college.  A  facetious  name  for  Dart- 
moor prison. 


243 

Prinked  up,   or   Prinkt  up.       Dressed  up  in  fine 
clothes.     "Dressed  to  tlie  nines."     PranU,  Spenser. 
Prinking  along.       Walking  in  an  affected  manner. 
Prong.       A  silver  fork  ;  a  hay  fork. 

Proper.       Prim,  handsome.     "  Being  so  proper." 

Shakspere  in  King  Lear. 
Proud  flesh.       Overgrowth  of  the  flesh    in  a  healing 
ivound. 

Prophecy  table.       For  casting  the  matrimonial  horo- 
scope. 
IN  CORNWALL.  ELSEWHERE. 


Tinker. 

Soldier. 

Tailor. 

Sailor. 

Soldier. 

Tinker. 

Sailor. 

Tailor. 

Rich  man. 

Gentleman. 

Poor  man. 

Apothecary. 

Apothecary. 

Ploughman. 

Thief. 

Thief 

Pryan  lode.  A  flookan  lode,  as  a  soft  clayey  vein  of 
tin.  In  Celtic  Cornish  pryan  ox  prian  means,  clayey 
ground. 

Pudlock.  A  short  beam  for  supporting  the  planks  of 
a  scaffold.  One  end  in  the  wall,  the  other  tied  to  the 
scaffold  pole. 

Pullan.  This  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word,  meaning  a  pit, 
a  pond.     (A  salt  water  pool       m.a.c.) 


244 

Pull-cronack.  A  small  fish  found  in  salt  water  pools; 
bully-cods,  the  shanny.  M.A.C.  Pul,  ox  pjl,  is  Celtic 
Cornish  for  pond,  &c.,  but  croncc  means  a  toad.     See 

Bulgranack. 

Pul-rose.  The  wheel-pit.  This  is  a  Celtic  Cornish 
word  ;  pul  or  pol,  a  pit,  etc.,  and  ros,  a  wheel.  Spelt 
Poul-roz  by  Pryce ;  and  Pul-roz  by  Borlase. 

Punick.      See  Pinnick. 

Punnion-end,  or  Punkin-end.      The  gable  end  of 

a  house. 

Pure,  or  Pur.  Very,  quite.  This  is  a  Celtic  Cornish 
word,  (Pure,  mere,  very,  Chaucer.)  "He's  pure 
and  fat,"  i.e.,  He's  very  fat. 

Purgy.  Thick  in  stature,  fat,  as  "  a  purgy  little  chap," 
"  a  purgy  pig." 

Purl,       "Watch,  "  on  the  purl,"  i.e.,  on  the  watch, 

Pohchele. 
Purser.       The  financial  agent  for  a  mine. 
Purt.       A  niff,  a  tiff.     "  He  has  taken  a  purt."       C. 

Purt'ns,  Purtens,  or  Port  ens.  The  heart,  liver, 
and  lungs  of  an  animal. 

Purvan.  Shreds  of  cloth,  w.f.p.  Purvans.  b.v. 
See  Porvan. 

Put  going.       Murdered. 

Put  horn,  home  or  hum.  Shut  or  close,  as  "put 
horn  the  door." 


245 

Pye.  Blocks  of  tin  when  formerly  adulterated  by- 
lumps  or  pieces  of  iron  being  enclosed  in  the  centre, 
were  called  pye.  Tonkin.  They  say  that  by  the  old 
Stannary  laws  a  person  convicted  of  this  fraud  was 
made  to  swallow  three  spoonfuls  of  melted  tin.  It 
was  a  certain  cure. 

Pysgy-pows,  or  Pixies'  feet.  "Ridge-tiles  are 
placed  on  houses  in  West  Cornwall,  having  a  round 
knob  on  them.  The  people  say  they  are  for  the 
pixies  to  dance  on ;  and  that  if  you  omit  to  place 
one  for  their  amusement  they  will  turn  the  milk 
sour."  JV.  C.  Borlase,  in  the  JFestern  Antiquary. 

Quab.  Sickly,  infirm.  Garland.  {Quad  or  quade,  bad, 
and  also  quappe  to  tremble,  to  quake,  are  in  Chaucer.) 

Quaddlin.       A  semi-imbecile,  stupid  manner. 

Quaff.       (Pron.  quaif )     To  puff"  up.       M.A.C. 

Quaiffed,  or  Quatted.       Satisfied,  full.       M.A.C. 

Quail.  To  wither.  Quailed.  Withered,  as  in 
speaking  of  flowers. 

Quailing.       A  sinking  sensation  in  the  stomach. 

Qualk.       A  heavy  fall.     "  I  came  down  with  a  qualk." 

Quarantine.       A  bright  red  apple. 

Quarry,  or  Quarrel.       A  pane,  or  square  of  glass. 

Quat.       To  squat,  to  flop  down,  to  flatten  down. 

Quandary.  Perplexity,  uncertainly,  in  a  wandering 
state  of  mind.  In  Celtic  Cornish  qiiandrd  means,  to 
walk  about,  to  wander;  but  this  is  borrowed  from 
the  English. 


246 

Quarey.       "  "When  a  lode  or  stratum  breaks  in  large 

hard  rocks,  being  jointed  as  it  were,  it  is  called  a 

quarey  lode  or  stratum,  from  its  joints  or  qiidres."  Pryce. 
Queedy.       Shrewd.     M.A.C.     Perhaps  from  the  Celtic 

Cornish  qucfhc',  to  work  or  labour  at. 
Queens,     or     Gweans.       Scallops.       (Perriwinkles. 

BoifreU.) 
Queer.       A  mining  term.     "A  queer  of  ground."     A 

square  piece  of  ground.     (1)  St.  Just.     See  Quarey. 
Quiddles.       Foolish  faucies. 

Quiddlin.      Same  as  Quaddlin.      Q.v. 

QuignogS.       Eediculous  fancies,  or  conceits. 
Quilkin,  Quilkey,  or  Quilkquin.      A  frog.    See 

Wilkin.     lu  Celtic  Cornish  it  is  kivilken,  guilkin,  or 

cuiken. 

Quillaway,  or  Quailaway.      A  stye,   or  small 

abscess  on  the  eyelid.     Hordeohirn. 
Quillet.       Three  leaved  grass,  clover.     BottreU. 
Quilter.       Flutter,   flurry,   agitation   of  mind.     "She 

was  all  in  a  cpiilter." 
Quilting.       A  severe  thrashing. 
Quinted.       Animals  over  filled  with  food  are  quinted. 
Quishin.       A  cushion.     This  word  is  in  Chaucer. 
Quoit.       A  broad  thin  stone  or  rock.     It  is  a  Celtic 

Cornish  word.    The  Cromlech  at  Lanyoii  is  called  the 

"Giant's  quoit."     The  large  table  stone  resembling  a 

disciLS  or  quoit. 


247 

Quoits.       A  game  played  with  roundish  but  flat  stones, 

thrown  at  a  mark   or   place.     Once   very  common. 

(Quoit  or  Koeten,  in  Celtic  Cornish,  means  a  broad 

thin  stone,  or  rock.     Borlase.) 
Rab.       Granite  rubble. 
Rabban.       Miner's  term  for  a   "yellowish  dry  stone 

resembling  gossa)]."  Pryce. 

Rabbet  et !  or  Od  Rabbet  et !       An  exclamation, 

as  if  to  say,  "  Confound  it." 
Rabble.       An  iron  rake  for  stirring  and  skimming  off 

copper  ore  in  calcination  and  melting.  Pryce. 

Rabblerash.       A  dirty,  noisy  mob.     "  The  great  un- 
washed."    Eubbishy  stuff. 
Rabble-fish.       Inferior  fishes. 

Race.       To  place  things  in  a  row.    Also,  to  string  things 

together,  as  "a  race  of  onions." 
Race.       A  go  cart.       M.A.c. 

Radgell.       An  excavated  tunnel.  The  IF.  Briton. 

Rafe  or  Raffe.       To  tear  or  rend. 

Raff,    or  Raffle.       Poor  stuff,  anything   scrappy   and 
inferior. 

Raffain.     Raff.     Raffain  ore.     Poor  ore  of  no 

value.  Pryce. 

Ram-cat.  A  "Tom"  cat. 

Rames.  The  skeleton,  as,    '-'the  rames  of  a  goose." 

J-W.  Lostwithiel 


248 

Rag.       A  large,  irregular,  slate  roofing  stone. 
Rag-pump.       A  chain  pump. 

Ramper.       Playful.  CalUngton. 

Ramping.       In  great  pain,  as  a  "ramping  tooth  ache"; 

also  raging.     "A  ramping  lion  rushed  suddenly." 

Spenser's  Faery  Queene. 

Ramping  and  roving.  in  a  state  of  almost  unbear- 
able pain. 

Randigall.       A  long,  rambling  story. 

Randivooze.  A  resort;  also,  an  uproar,  "a  putty 
randivooze  up  there."     (Rendezvous.     French.) 

Ranter's  jace.  A  "wild  goose"  errand.  A  ramb- 
ling hunt,  or  search,  or  chase. 

Ranter  go  round.  An  old  fashioned  game  of  cards 
so  called.       M.A.C. 

Rany.       A  ridge  of  rocks  which  is  bare  at  half-tide.     C. 

Ranny.      A  wren. 

"  Those  who  kill  a  robin,  or  a  -wTen, 
Will  never  prosper,  boy  or  man." 

Rap   and  rind.       "By  hook  or  crook."       F.C. 

Rare.       Flesh,  meat,  underdone.     Half  raw ;   any  eat- 

iible  thing  early  in  the  season  is  rare.     See  Rear. 
Rash.       Brittle,   as  applied  to  wood;  or   crisp,    as  of 

vegetables. 
Raunin,    or   Raunish.        Hungry,    ravenous.       He's 

got   a   raunin   appetite."     (Spenser   used    the    word 

royne,  to  bite  or  gnaw.) 


249 
Raw-milk.       The  milk  as  it  comes  from  the  cow. 
Raw-ream,   or  Ravz-Cream.       The  cream  of  milk 

not  scalded. 
Reamer.       A  flat,  perforated,  shovel  like  skimmer,  for 

removing  clotted  cream  from  "scalded"  milk. 
Rear.       Early.    (So  used  also  by  Milton  and  Shakspere. 

Polichcle.) 

Red-knot  wheat.  So  called  from  the  colour  of  the 
joints  and  husks.  Tonkin. 

Red-rabb.       Red  killas.  Pryce. 

Reed.       The  unbruised  stalks  of  corn,  so  called  in  the 

mass. 
Reeming.       Stretching  and  yawning  together. 
Re  en.       A  steep  hill  side.       M.A.C. 

Reese,  or  Reeze.  Overripe,  ripe  corn  shedding  the 
grains  is  said  to  reese.       M.A.C. 

Reeving.      Sifting  so  as  to  separate  various  sized  grains 

from  each  other. 
Ridar.      A  sieve,  a  riddle.     (Riclar  a  kazJw.)     A  sieve 
is  still  called  a  easier.     Pryce. 

Riders,  or  "  The  riders."       Circus  equestrians. 
Rig,  or  Rigs.       Fun,  frolic,  uproar,  fuss. 

Riggle,  or  Riddle.  To  poke  up,  or  to  stir  up  the 
fire,  also  to  rattle  out,  as,  "Kiggle  up  the  fire," 
"  Ptiggle  out  the  fire." 

Ringle.       To  ring,  to  tinkle. 


250 

Rise  in  the  back.       To  work  upwards  towards  the 
surface  in  iiiining. 

Rising   of  the   lights.       -An   hysterical  or   choking 

feeling  in  the  throat.  A  ball  in  the  throat.  Glohus 
hystericus. 

Roaring.       Blubbering.  Crying  aloud  with  tears. 

Robin's  alight.  A  game  of  forfeits  played  before 
the  fire,  by  whirling  a  burning  stick  around.  It  is  so 
moved  and  passed  from  one  to  another.  The  one 
who  last  holds  it  as  the  fire  in  the  stick  goes  out, 
pays  the  forfeit. 

Rock  basins.  Round,  or  oval  cavities  of  various 
sizes  on  the  surface  of  granite  rocks.  Most  rock 
basins  are  on  a  level,  some  on  a  sloping,  and  a  very 
few  on  a  perpendicular  face  of  the  rock.  These  basins 
are  formed  by  the  gradual  action  of  water  long  resting 
on  the  rock  in  little  pools,  causing  disintegration  in 
the  form  of  a  more  or  less  shallow  basin.  Some 
basins  are  so  artificial  in  appearance,  that  antiquaries 
have  thought  them  wrought  out  so  as  to  be  pools  of 
lustration.  Some  of  these  basins  may  have  been 
altered,  but  they  are  almost  entirely  of  natural  for- 
mation, whatever  their  Druidical  uses  may  have  been. 
"  Quid  magis  est  saxo  durum, — Quid  mollius  unda. 
Dura  tamen  moli  saxa  cavantur  aqua."    Ovid. 

Rode.       Gumption,  sense,  nouse. 

Rodeling,  Roodling,  or  Rodeless.  Hesitating 
and  uncertain   in  manner,   vaccillating,  maundering 


251 

and  stupid.     A  dull  stupid  way  of  speaking,  "  Such 
roodling  ways  ! "     In  the  Armoric  language  roddla 
means,  to  turn  or  wind  about. 
Rod-shaft.       The    engine-shaft  in   a   mine,   in  which 
are  the  rods  of  the  pumping  gear. 

Roper's    news.      News   not   new,  being  stale.     East 

Cornwall  saying.  C. 
Ropy.       A  term  applied   to   bread  made  with  milsey 

flour.  See  Milsey. 
Rouan.       The  name  of  a  good  cider  apple  grown  in  the 

Lizard  district.     Bouan  is  Celtic  for  Eoman. 

Rory-tory.  Anything  vulgar  in  design,  or  colour. 
Tawdry. 

Round  or  RoundagO.  An  ancient  circle  of  stones  or 
earth.  "  It  is  said  the  priests  (Druids)  danced  within 
an  enclosure  of  stones,  moving  sideways  in  imitation 
of  the  dragon,  or  serpent.  This  means  they  danced 
within  a  "round"  of  which  there  are  remains  in 
Cornwall."       Hogg's  Fab.  Hist,  of  Cormvall. 

Polwhele  describes  it  thus — "  Roundugo,  a  circle 
of  stones  standing  erect  or  piled  in  a  wall-like  form 
without  mortar.  Stone  circles,  originally  pagan,  were 
probably  used  by  the  Christian  Cornish  for  their 
miracle  plays  and  dances."  Polwhele  (Hist,  of  Corn- 
wall, vol.  2.  p.  84.)  also  says  that  the  rounds  were 
"  probably  places  of  meeting  of  the  general  stannary 
assemblies,"  (in  the  same  manner  Crockern  Torr  in 
Dartmoor  was  the  seat  of  assembly  for  the  tinners 


252 

of  Devon ;  and  the  place  of  general  assembly  for  the 
tinners  bofh  of  Devon  and  Cornwall  was  Heiigston 
Hill.") 

Rounders.  A  game  of  bat  and  ball,  somewhat  like 
cricket,  but  with  onh  one  batting  place,  from  which 
there  are  three  stations  to  run  round  by,  before 
reaching  the  batting  place  again. 

Round  robin.       The  angler  fish.       C. 

Roup.       To  drink,  or  gulp  down  fluid  in  a  noisy  manner. 

Rouse-about.     See  Stiracoose. 

Routing  out.       Turning   out   the    holes  and   corners, 

cleaning  up. 
Roving.       In  great  pain.     "  A  roving  toothache."     Also 

used  thus,  "roving  mad." 
Row.       Hough.     "  He  loked  wel  roice."       Chaucer, 
Row.       Refuse  from  the  ore  stamping  mills.       E.N. 
Row-hound.       The  fish  SquaJus  canicuJa.       C. 
Row-tin.       The  large  grained  rough  tin.       BorJase. 
Rud.       Red.     In  Celtic  Cornish  rudh. 
Rudge.       A  partridge.       Pohchele. 
Rouser.       Something  big,  or  resounding. 
Ruddock.       A  robin  red-breast.     Called  also  Rabbin, 

and  Rabbin-redbreast.  (Ruddock.    Chaucer.)  In  Celtic 

Cornish  it  is  Ruddoc.     Eydhic,  means  reddish,  in  this 

tongue. 
Ruinate.     Ruined,  overthrown.    Spenser  used  this  word. 


253 
Rumbustious.       Noisy,  cantankerous. 

Rummage.       Rubbish,  odds  and  ends,  a  rubbishy  lot 

of  things.     Confusion  or  disorder. 
Rummet.       Dandriff.       See    Scruff.       "The   child's 

head  is  full  of  rummet." 
Rumped  up.       Feeling  cold  and  miserable,  "  rumped 

up  with  the  cold."     See  Scrumped  Up. 

Rumpy.  Anything  coarse  and  uneven,  as  of  cotton 
&c. 

Rumpin.      The  same  as  Jumpin.      Q.v. 

Run.     A  mining  term  meaning  a  fall  of  loose  ground 

after  an  excavation. 
Runner.       A  round  towel  on  a  roller. 

Runky.     Hoarse,  wheezy  breathing.     In  Celtic  Cornish 

renkia  means,  to  snore,  to  snort. 
Running    ground.       Loose,   sandy,   or  soft  ground, 

which  falls  in  just  as  fast  as  it  is  excavated 

Runnin.       (Rennet.      M.A.C.)     Melted  fat. 

Running-wound.       A  wound  discharging  matter. 

Rush,  or  Rish.  "  Beginning  a  new  rush,"  i.e.,  turning 
over  a  new  leaf,  commencing  a  fresh  score. 

Russell's  wagon.  "As  big  as  Russell's  wagon."  A 
saying.  This  was  a  huge  vagon  for  the  conveyance 
of  goods  and  passengers,  drawn  by  6,  8,  even  10 
great  horses,  with  tinkling  bells.  It  took  nearly  a 
fortnight,  (50   years   ago)   to  go  from   Cornwall  to 


254 

London.  Passengers  sometimes  slept  in  it  on  their 
own  bedding,  and  made  their  wills  before  starting. 
The  writer's  own  father  has  made  wills  for  such 
travellers. 

Rustring  comb.       Dressing  comb.     A  Sinking  comb. 

Ruttlin.  The  sound  of  phlegm  rattling  in  the  bron- 
chial tubes. 

Ruxler,  or  Wroxler.  A  restless  fidgety  person,  one 
continually  shifting  about,  as  on  a  seat. 

Sabby.       Soft  and  wet. 

Saim,  or  Seym.  Train  oil,  fat,  grease.  Celtic  Cor- 
nish words. 

Sam,  or  Zam.      Half-heated.    A  Sam  oven,  is  one 

half-hot  after  bread  has  been  baked  in  it,  "  Tell  the 
baker  to  bake  the  biskeys  (biscuits)  in  the  sam  oven." 

Sammy-Dawkin.  A  thickhead.  A  Padstow  illus- 
tration of  incapacity.     "  A  regular  Sammy  Dawkin." 

Sampling.       Testing  the  worth  of  the  ores  of  a  mnie. 

Sample.       Soft,  pliant. 

Sampler.       A  small  square  of  canvas  on  which  girls 

stitched  letters  and  figures ;  one  who  tests  the  value 

of  mineral  ores. 
Sampson.       A   drink  of   cider,  brandy,  and  a   little 

water,  with  sugar.     M.A.C. 

Sam-sawdered,  or  Sam-sodden.     Anything  ill 

cooked,  and  insipid,  especially  if  tepid,  or  "half  hot." 


255 

Sang,  or  Zang.  A  small  sheaf  such  as  that  of  a 
gleaner.       c. 

Sape,  or  Sapey.      See  Zape. 

Saracens.       "The  Jews  therefore  denominated  them- 
selves, and  were  denominated  by  the  Britons  of  Corn- 
wall Saracens,  as  the  genuine  progeny  of  Sarah." 
Origin  of  Arianism,  pp.  329  .  .  325,  quoted  by  Polwhele. 

Save-all.  A  large  apron  to  cover  and  protect  a  child's 
dress. 

Sawen.      See  Zawn. 

Say-fencibles.       Sea-feucibles.     The   old  coast-guard. 

Scabby-gullion,  (b.v.)  or  Scabby-gulyun.  (w.f.p.) 

A  stew  of  cut  up  meat  and  potatoes. 
Scad.       The  horse  mackerel.     The  shad.  JBorhse. 

Seal,  or  Scale.     See  Schale. 

Scald  cream.       Clotted  or  clouted  cream. 
Scald  milk.       Milk   which  has  been  heated  and  de- 
prived of  the  clotted  cream. 

Scalpions.     Dry  salt  fish,  as  salt  whiting.       h. 
Scaly.       Grumpy,  ill-tempered,  miserly. 

Scammed.     See  Trowled. 

Scamp.  To  do  work  badly,  or  with  inferior,  or  scanty 
materials. 

Scarf.  A  joint.  Scarfe.  To  join.  They  are  Celtic 
Cornish  words,  "My  a'n  scarf  yn  ta  whare."  I 
will  soon  join  it  well. 


256 

Scarlet  runners.       Kidney-bean  plants. 

Scat.      A  slap.     "I'll  giv'ee  a  scat  in  the  faace;"  a  sharp 

frost,    as,    "a   scat   of  frost;"    diarrhoea;    anything 

burst  or  broken  open.     Scat  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word 

and  means  a  buffet,  a  box,  a  blow. 
Scat.  V.     To  slaj),  to  break,  to  smash,  to  be  bankrupt. 
Scat-marchant.        One  who  has  failed  in  business. 

It  was  formerly  a  term  of  great  contemjit,  and  the 

boys   even  mobbed    a    scat-marchant.      Noiv   he   is 

"  white-washed  "  not  mobbed. 
Scat  abroad.       Burst  open,  smashed,   "  Tes  oal  scat 

abroad."     A  SCat  tO,  a  "  set  to,"  or  quarrel. 
Scaval-an-gOW.     Chattering,  confused  talking.    Scaval- 

an-gow    (Cornish)    the   bench  of  lies.     u.J.T.     Scavel 

is  Celtic  Cornish  for,  a  bench,  a  stool,  and  gow,  a 

falsehood,  a  lie. 

Scavarnoeck,    Skavarnak,    or    Scovarnog. 

Celtic  Cornish  names  for  a  hare.  Scovarnog  is  the 
oldest  form  of  the  word.  (Long  eared,  still  used  in 
Cornwall.     Polwhele.) 

Scaw.       Elder  or  scaw  trees.     Scawen.       An  elder 

tree.     Scaw  and  scaiven  are  Celtic  Cornish  words. 
Scawsy-budS.       Elder  flowers. 
Schale.       A  scale,  as  a  "schale  of  earth,"  or  earth  slide 

in  an  excavation. 
Sclum,  Sclow,  or  ScrOW.       To  sclaw,  to  scratch,  as 

"  the  cat  will  sclum  you,"  also  used  thus,  "  Ah  !  you 

old  sclum-cat."  i.e.,  you  old  spite. 


257 
Scoad,  or  Scud.       To  spill,  to  shed,  to  pour,  to  scatter. 
ScOCe.       To  exchange,  to  barter.       c. 
Scoanes.       The  pavement,  the  stones.     See  Coanse. 

U.J.T. 

Scollucks.       Refuse  of  a  slate  quarry.     Delabole.       C. 
Scollops.       The   remains  of    pig's    "mord,"       Q.V. 

from  which  the  fat  has  been  melted  out.     Also  called 

scollop  fat,  and  ^^  scrolls." 

Scouring-geard.  A  soft  china-stone  granite  used  as 
sand  for  scouring,  or  for  whitening  floors.       M.A.C. 

Scovan  lode.  A  tin  lode.  Only  in  contra-distinction 
to  all  other  lodes.  Fryce. 

Scove.  Tin  stuff  so  rich  and  pure,  that  it  needs  but 
little  cleansing.  Pryce. 

Scovy.  Looking  smeared  and  blotchy,  as  a  badly  or 
unevenly  painted  surface. 

Scoy.  Thin,  poor,  as  applied  to  silks  or  stuflfs ;  small, 
insignificant,  "  for  my  wages  would  look  scoy."  tj.j.t. 
Perhaps  from  the  Celtic  Cornish  sJcez,  a  shade,  a 
shadow.     In  Manx,  scaa. 

Scrabble.       To  scramble. 
Scragged.       Strangled. 

Scranny.       To   scramble,    to   contend,    to   strive.     In 

Celtic  Cornish  it  i 


Scranching,  Scrunching.       Crushing  a  hard  sub- 
stance between  the  teeth. 


258 

Screech.       A  short  sudden  blaze.     "Some  tarn   fuzz 
for  a  screech." 

Screech  like  a  whit-neck.       To  make  a  great  out- 
cry. 

Screed.       A  scrip,  or  very  small  bit.     Also  a  very  thin 
person,     "  Looking  like  a  screed." 

Screedle.        To    cower    over   the   fire.       U.J.T.       See 

Gridddle. 
Screw.       The  shrew  or  field  mouse.       C. 
Scriff-SCraff.       Eummage,  a  lot  of  trumpery  things. 
Scrimp,  or  Scrimpy.       Scant,  scanty, 
Scrinkt.       Screwed.       U.J.T. 

Scrinking,  or  Scrinked  up.      Peeping  about  with 

(screwed  up)  half-closed  eyes,  and  puckered  mouth. 
In  Celtic  Cornish,  scryncye,  means  to  snarl,  to  grin. 

Scrip.       To  escape.     Carew.     "  He  will  never  scrip  it." 

Scritch.       A  crutch. 

Scroached,  Scrawed,  or  Scrowled.     Scorched 

or  broiled,  as  "  scroached  pilchards."  Before  being 
scroached,  they  are  split,  half  dried,  peppered,  and 
salted. 

Scrolls.       See  Scollops. 

Scrolled.    Same  as  Scroached.     Qv. 
Scrow.     See  Solum. 


259 

Scrowl.  "When  a  lode  is  interrupted  and  cut  off  by 
a  cross-gossan,  it  may  sometimes  be  found  again  by  the 
tendency  of  some  loose  stones  of  the  true  lode  in  the 
body  of  the  gossan,  ie.,  a  scroiol.''  Fryce. 

Scrowling.       Scratching. 

Scrouge,  Scrudge,  or  Scrooge.     To  squeeze,  as 

in  a  crowd,  to  crowd  together,  {scruze,  squeeze  out, 
press  out.  Sjjenser.)  "  We  cud  haardly  scrouge  room 
for  to  stond  in  the  fair." 

Scruff.       Dandriff.     See  Rummet. 

Scruff.       The  nape  of  the  neck.     The  scrag. 

SrufF.  V.  To  scuffle,  to  struggle.  "We  scruffed  to- 
gether." 

Scruffy.       Rough  and  scaly. 

Scruffy-head.  A  head  full  of  dandriff.  A  term  also 
of  contempt,  "  old  scruffy-head." 

Scrumped,  or  Scrumped  up.  The  same  as 
shrumped,  and  rumped-  Q-V.  In  Celtic 
Cornish  we  have  the  word  scruth  meaning,  a  shiver. 

Scry.  The  report  of  the  approach  of  a  body  of  fish,  as 
pilchards.  Lelancl.  c.  In  Celtic  Cornish  we  have 
scrymha,  an  outcry. 

Scub-maw  A  "  mess  "  of  food,"  anything  not  cooked 
in  an  orthodox  manner.     Scraps,  pieces,  orts.      Q-V. 

Scud.  To  spill,  see  Scoad;  to  crust  over  as  does  a 
sore.     To  scud  OVer.     To  scab  over. 

Scud.       The  dry  crust  or  scab  of  a  sore. 


Scndder.     See  Skitter. 

Scuffler.  An  agricultural  implement  for  breaking  up 
the  clods  after  ploughing.       CalUngton. 

Scule,  ScOOl,  or  School.  A  shoal  or  large  body  of 
fish  swimming  together. 

Scullions.       Onions.       T.w.s. 

Scute.  The  metal  shield  (scutum,  Latin)  of  the  heel  or 
toe  of  a  boot  or  shoe. 

Sea-adder.     The  pipe-fish. 

Seam  or  Zeam.  A  cart  or  wagon-load  of  hay,  manure, 
&c. 

Seam  of  tin.  A  horse  load,  viz  :  two  small  sacks  of 
black  tin.  Pryce. 

Searge.       A  sieve.  Pryce. 

Seech,  or  Sych.  Seech,  "the  rush  of  sea  waves 
inundating  the  streets  at  high  tides."  Bonds  Hist,  of 
Looe.  Sych,  "  the  edge  or  foaming  border  of  a  wave 
as  it  runs  up  a  harbour,  or  on  the  land."  Couch. 
Lhuyd  says  that  in  the  Armoric  language  gulab  a  sych 
means,  wet  and  dry.  Seek  or  Sych,  dry,  in  Celtic 
Cornish. 

Seed-lup,  or  Seed-lip.  A  sower's  box  or  basket  for 
holding  the  seed  while  sowing. 

Seine,  or  Sean.  A  pilchard  net  many  hundreds  of 
feet  long.     See  Stop  net. 


261 

Seine  boats.  In  iseining  for  pilchards  three  boats  are 
einplo3^eil,  viz  :  two  large  ones  and  a  small  one ;  each 
large  boat  containing  seven  men,  and  in  the  small  one 
are  the  master-seiner,  another  man,  and  two  boys. 
The  "Seine-boat"  and  the  "Follower"  are  the  names 
by  which  the  two  large  boats  are  distinguished,  and 
the  small  one  is  called  the  "Lurker." 

Semmee.  It  seems  to  me.  This  and  the  expression, 
"I  seem,"  for,  I  think,  is  common  along  both  banks 
of  the  Tamar,  &c. 

Sett.  Ground  within  the  bounds  of  which  a  mine,  or  a 
clay-work  &c.,  may  be  worked. 

Seven-sleeper,  or  Sound-sleeper.     A  speckled 

moth  (Ermine  moth,)  is  so  called  in  Cornwall. 
Seym.       Grease,   train   oil.     This  is   a  Celtic  Cornish 

word.     (Saim.     Borlase.) 
Shacky.     Shacky-fish.       A  small  fish  found  in  salt 

water  pools,  also  called  Goby  and  Slioky  fish. 
Shag.       The  cormorant   or  sea  raven.     "As  wet  as  a 

shag."     Shagga.     Pohvhele. 

Shale-stone,  or  Shellstone.     Slate  stone. 

Shallal.       A  serenade  of  kettles  and  pans. 

Shamedy.       Confused  and  ashamed. 

Shammel.  "A  stage  of  boards  used  in  old  'cofiins' 
before  shafts  were  in  common  use.  So  they  now 
call  any  stage  of  boards  for  shovelling  of  ore  or 
'  deads '  (rubble)   upon,  a  shammel."      Fryce.      See 

Coffins, 


262 

Shammels.       Stopes.     A  mining  term. 

Shammel-whim.  An  engine  for  drawing  the  ore  up 
over  an  inclined  plane. 

Shammel-WOrking.  "  A  method  of  working  by  an 
open  mine  where  ....  they  followed  the  lode  as  far 
and  to  as  great  a  depth  as  they  were  able  to  pur- 
sue it."  Polwlide. 

Shammick.       A  low,  mean,  shuffling  fellow. 

Shammick.       To  cheat,  to  act  with  low  cunning. 

Shanny.       The  fish  Bknnius  pliolis.       c. 

Shape,    or   Shaape.       A   bad   state   or   condition. 
"Here's  a  putty  shaape!"  i.e..  Here's  a  mess!    "What 
a  shaape  you'm  in  !  "  i.e.,  What  a  mess  ! 

Shenagrum.       Rum,  sugar,  and  lemon  with  hot  beer. 

M.A.C. 

SheevO.  "  Such  a  sheevo."  A  form  of  the  word  chivvij 
meaning  a  fuss  or  row. 

Shell-apple.       The  cross-bill.  Tonkin. 

Shell-stone.       A  slate  stone.    In  Devon,  shindle-stone. 

Shift.  A  form  of  displacement  m  a  lode  in  which  it 
has  become  disjointed.       e.n. 

Shigged.       Cheated.       t.c.     "  Shigged  out." 

Shiner.       A  sweet-heart.       w.t.a.p. 

Shivver.       One  of  the  bars  of  a  gate. 


263 

Shodes,  or   Shoads.       Scattered  or  dispersed  parts 

from  the  "broil"  (Q.V.)  of  a  neighbouring  mineral 
lode.     (Perhaps  from  shutten,  to  pour  forth.    Borlase.) 

ShoaderS.       Miners  engaged  in  shoading. 

Shoading.       Sinking  pits  and  trying  for  the  lode. 

Sheading  heaps.  Heaps  from  pits  in  the  search  for 
lodes.       E.x. 

Sheading  pits.       Pits  dug  in  the  search  for  a  lode. 
Shogg.       To  make  a  sifting  movement,  as  in  washing 

ore  in  water.  Carew. 

Shong.       A  broken  mesh.       B.V. 

Short  bob.      A  short,  black  or  well  seasoned  clay  pipe. 
Shot.       A  fish  closely  resembling  a  trout.  Carew. 

Shrimmed.      Chilled,     u.j.t. 
Shrumped,    or   Shrumped    up.       Shivering   with 

cold. 

Shuffer.      Full,  stout,  well.      T.c. 

Shune.       Strange.  Carew. 

Shute.  A  channel  of  wood  or  iron  for  conveying  a 
small  stream  of  water.  Also,  the  watering  place 
where  the  women  fill  their  pitchers  from  the  "shute." 
Also,  a  small  stream  of  water  running  from  a  shute 
or  channel. 

Shut-hom.       To  close,  as  "  shut-hom  the  door." 

Shutting  or  Shooting  ground.  Hard  ground  or 
rock  recimring  powder  for  blasting  it. 


264 
Sich.       Such.     It  was  also  used  by  Spenser, 

Sigger,  or  Sigure.       To  leak.      H.R.c.     In  Celtic  Cor- 
nish siger  means  hollow,  full  of  holes. 

Sight.       A  large  number  or  quantity,  as  "a,  sight  of 
people,"  "a  sight  of  money." 
"Where  is  so  huge  a  syght  of  monj^"   Acolastus  1540. 

Simmee,  and  I  sim.      See  Semmee. 

Sissling.       Moving  uneasily  in  sleep.  Garland. 

Sives.     See  Gives. 

Skainer.       One  who  runs  fast  is  said  "to  run  like  a 
skainer." 

Skal.       Calling   out.     "You   great   skal."     A   term   of 

abuse.     Neivlyn.       t.c. 
Skatereens.       Shivereens,  all  in  pieces. 
Skawd.       See  Scud.       Spilt,  scattered.     CalUngton. 
Sky-blue.       Milk  and  water  mixed. 

Skedgwith^  or  Skerrish.      Privet.      m.a.c. 
Skeer.       See  Skitter.     To  skim  a  stone  on  the  water. 
Skeer.       To  skitter  or  skutter.      q.v. 
Skeerin.       Fluttering,  flying  about. 

Skeese,  Skeyze,  Skeyce,  or  Scouse.     To  frisk 

about,  to  run  fast.      In  Celtic  Cornish  skesy  means, 
to  get  free,  to  escape. 
Skellet,   or  Skillet.       A   brass   pot   with   three   short 
legs  and  a  llattish  handle,  all  of  one  casting. 


265 
Skeeny.       A  sharp  and  gusty  wind.       c. 
Sker,  or  Skeer.       To  scrape  or  scramble  down  a  place. 

"To    come   scraping   down."     To   rub   against.     To 

abrade,  as  "  Ive  skerred  my  hand." 

Skerret,  or  Skivet.      (c.)    See  Skibbet. 
Skerrish.      Privet,      c.    See  Skedgwith. 

Skerrimudge.  It  is  not  used  of  a  scaramouch,  or 
buffoon,  in  Cornwall,  but  is  the  name  of  a  toy  of  a 
grotesquely  human  shape,  the  limbs  of  which  are 
moved  by  a  string  so  as  to  make  strange  antics. 

Skerry-Werry.  A  slight  active  person.  "  We  seed 
little  skerry-werry  cut  by  Eawe's  door."  /.  T.  Tregellas. 

Skew.  Thick  drizzling  rain.  u.j.t.  A  driving  mist. 
C.  Probably  from  the  Celtic  Cornish  word  kuaz,  a 
shower  of  rain.     (To  skew,  to  shun.     Careiv.J 

Skibbet,  Skivet,  or  Skerret.     A  small  box  fixed 

in  one  end  of  a  larger  one.     "  Look  in  the  box  and 
you'll  find  it  in  the  skibbet." 

Skiddery.     See  Skittery. 

Skimp.       To  scamp.       q.v. 

SkimpingS.       The  lightest  and  poorest  part  of  the  tin 
ore  in  the  dressing  of  it. 

Skipper,  or  Hopper.  A  kind  of  insect  infesting 
hams. 

Skirt,  or  Skeert.     Short. 

Skirtings.       The  diaphragm  of  an  animal. 


Skit.      A  syringe,  a  squirt. 

Skit.       The  name  given  to  a  plant  by  boys  who  cut 

out  portions   of   the   hollow   stems  to    make    skits. 

(Also  called  Alexanders,  or  AUsanders.      Smyrnium 

olusairum.       C.) 
Skit.       A  mine  pump  used  to  raise  water  from  a  small 

depth.     It  is  like  a  ship's  pump.  Pryce. 

Skit,  or  Skeet.       To  squirt.     Also  a  mode  or  trick  of 

expectorating   by   forcing   out   the    saliva    suddenly 

between  the  closed  teeth  at  one  of  the  corners  of  the 

mouth. 
Skitter.     A  track  on  ice  or  frozen  snow  for  sliding  (not 

skating)  on. 
Skitter.      One  who  slides.  To  skitter,  (or  shutter)  a  stone, 

is  to  make  it  hop  and  skim  along  the  surface  of  water, 

to  make  "  ducks  and  drakes." 
Skittery.       Slippery,  like  ice,  &c. 

Skivet.     See  Skibbet. 

Skove.       The  tinners  say  of  a  rich  lode  "  'tis  all  shove, 
or  scove  ;  pure  and  clean.       Celtic  Cornish.         Pryce. 

Skuat,  or  Skuit.       A  legacy,  a  windfall.     "  A  skuat  of 

money." 
Slack.     Impudent  talking.     "  Jaw."    "  Hold  your  slack." 
Slack,  or  Slacket.      Slight,  thin. 
Sladdocks.       A  cleaving  and  splitting  tool  for  slate. 
Slag.       Misty  rain,  sleet.       M.A.c. 


267 
Slam.       To  slap.      (To  trump,   "I'll  slam  that  card." 

M.A.C.) 

Slams,  Scrams.       Scraps  of  meat.       M.A.C. 
Slappin.       Stalwart,  big.     "  A  slappin  fellow." 

Slatter-CUm-drash.  Uproar,  confusion.  "Knocking 
every  thing  about." 

Sleepy.  A  peculiar  state  of  decay,  as  "  sleepy  wood  " 
with  a  kind  of  white  dry  rot.  Also  used  of  linen 
when  mildewed,  or  spotted  by  being  kept  too  long 
damp.     Also,  stupid.     "  A  sleepy-headed  fellow." 

Sleuchin.  Shambling,  slouching.  "  A  great  sleuchin 
fellow." 

Slew,  or  Slewed.       Twisted  or  canted  round,  or  aside. 

Slewed.       Intoxicated.     "  He's  slewed." 

Sliddery.       Slippery.     {Slider,  Chaucer.) 

Sligering,  or  Slaggering.  (g.  soft).     A  great  row. 

T.C. 

Slim.     Gi^-ing  food  too  hot,  "  slims  "  the  teeth.    Pohchele. 
Sling.       A  dram.    SlingerS.    Invited  guests.    Garland. 

Slingers.  Kettle  broth  made  of  boiling  water,  bread, 
salt,  and  pepper,  with  sometimes  a  little  butter. 

CalUngion. 

Slintrim.  An  incline.  M.A.C.  In  Celtic  Cornish 
shjnUja  means,  to  slide,  to  glide  along. 

Slip.  A  young  pig.  Also,  the  outside  cover  of  a  pillow 
or  a  bolster.     A  pillow-slip,  also,  bolster  case. 


268 

Slock.  To  entice,  to  tempt,  to  induce,  as  when  one 
boy  slocks  another  to  steal  apples,  or  as  with  an 
unwilling  dog,  "  slocke'n  along."  (To  pilfer,  to  give 
privately.     Polwhele.) 

Slocking  bone.     See  Locking  bone. 

Slocking  stone.  Pryce  calls  it  (Mineralogia  Cormi- 
Uensis)  "  a  tempting,  inducing,  or  rich  stone  of  ore." 
Some  miners  produce  good  stones  of  ore,  which 
induce  those  concerned  to  proceed,  until  they  expend 
much  money  perhaps,  and  at  last  find  the  mine  good 
for  nothing,  so,  likewise  there  have  been  some  in- 
stances of  miners,  who  have  deceived  their  employers 
by  bringing  them  "slocking  stones"  from  other  mines 
pretending  they  were  found  in  the  mine  they  worked 
in,  the  meaning  of  which  imposition  is  obvious." 

Slocum.  A  lagging,  stupid,  lazy  fellow.  "Come  along 
old  slocum." 

Slones.       The  fruit  of  the  black  thorn.     Sloes. 

Slosh.       To  flush  Avith,  or  splash  water  about. 

Sloshy.       Wet  and  muddy. 

Slotter.  A  wet,  dirty  mess.  To  slotter.  To  make 
a  mess. 

Slottery.  In  Celtic  Cornish  it  is  spelt  slotkrce  and 
means,  rainy  weather,  foul  and  dirty,  muddy;  as 
*'  slottery  weather,"  "  slottery  roads." 

Slow  cripple.       A  blind-worm.     A  slow-worm. 

Slow-six-legged  walkers.       Lice.  Carew. 


269 

Slummock.       A  dirty,  slatternly  woman. 

Slump.       A  careless  workwoman.       M.A.C. 

Slydom.       Cunning. 

Small  tin.  Smaals,  the  miners  call  it.  Finely  pow- 
dered tin-stuff.     See  Floran  (in  the  Addenda.) 

Smeech,  or  Smitch.  A  strong  suffocating  smell,  as 
of  burnt  bones,  feathers,  &c. 

Smicket.  A  smock,  a  chemise,  a  shift,  A  woman's 
under  garment. 

Smulk.       A  drunken  dirty  woman.       M.A.C. 

Snaggle.  A  snag,  or  large  and  ill-formed  tooth.  "Snag- 
gly  teeth,"  i,e.,  very  irregular  or  ill-shaped  teeth. 
Such  are  sometimes  named  "  great  snaggles." 

Snead.       The  handle  of  a  scythe.       c. 

Sneg.       A  small  snail.       c. 

Sneivy.       Low,   mean,    sneaking,   cunning.      "  He's   a 

sneivy  fellow." 
Sniffy.       Supercilious.     One  who   "cocks   her  (or  his) 

nose  "  at  anything. 

Snifting  clack.       a  valve  in  the  old  Cornish  steam- 
engine,    so   called   because   of  the   noise  it   made  in 
working.  Fryce. 

Snip,  or  Snippet.      A  little  bit. 
Snite.       A  snipe.     C.     Suit  is  the  Celtic  Cornish  word. 
Snob.       The  nasal  secretion. 
Snoogly  sot.      Well  fitted,  as  with  clothes.     Callington. 


270 

Snuff.  "To  be  snuff,"  affronted.  Pohchele.  See 
Sniffy. 

Soas.  This  curious  word  is  often  used,  and  in  various 
ways.  It  appears  to  be  a  wheedling  or  coaxing 
expression,  as  "  Woll'ee,  soas  1  "  i.e..  Now  will  you? 
"Do'ee,  soas,"  i.e.,  Come  now,  do;  and  so  on.  It 
may  be  compared  with  the  word  Ko  or  Co-  Q-V. 
(Neighbour,  friend,  companion.  u.J.T.)  (In  Celtic 
Cornish  mar  sose,  if  thou  art.  ( 1 )     Pryce.) 

Soaked.  Bread  not  baked  enough  is  said  to  be  not 
well  soaked. 

Sodger.       -A.  red-herring.     Soldier. 

Sog.  A  sleep.  A  nap,  drowsiness,  numbness.  "I've 
just  had  a  bit  of  a  sog."     It  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word. 

Sog.       To  doze,  to  have  a  short  sleep. 

Soggy.  Quaggy,  moist,  marshy.  In  Celtic  Cornish 
sog  means,  moist,  wet. 

SoUer,  or  Sailer.  (Pryce,  Corn,  vocab.  solarium  vel 
solium.  From  the  Latin.)  In  Celtic  Cornish  it  is 
soler,  meaning,  a  ground  room,  an  entry,  a  gallery,  a 
stage  of  boards  in  a  mine ;  or  sel,  a  foundation,  base, 
or  groundwork. 

"  A  sailer  in  a  mine  is  a  stage  or  gallery  of  boards 
for  men  to  stand  on  and  roll  away  broken  stuff  in 

wheel-barrows There  is  also  another  kind  of 

sailer  in  an   adit,  being  boards  laid   hollow  on  its 
bottom,  by  means  of  which  air  is  conveyed  under  feet 

to  the  workmen In  a  foot-way  shaft  the  sailer 

is  the  floor  for  a  ladder  to  rest  upon."  Pryce. 


271 

So-long !       Good  bye  !    Adieu  !     (Heard  in  Looe  and 

Wadebridge).       W.T.A.P. 
Some-clip.        Very   nice   and   particular.      CaUington. 

"He's  some  clip." 
Soodling.       Comforting,  fondling,  caressing,  flattering. 

"  Such  soodling  ways  !  "   In  Celtic  Cornish  sofh  means 

to  flatter,  but  this  is  from  the  old  English. 
Soons.       Amulets,  charms.       M.A.C.     In  Celtic  Cornish 

sona  means,  to  sanctify,  to  consecrate,  to  charm.    Also, 

sonS. 

Sory.     c.    See  Scry. 
Sound-sleeper.     See  Seven-sleeper. 

Sound.  To  swoon,  to  faint  away.  "  Did  your  brother 
tell  you  says  Rosalind  how  I  counterfeited  to  sound 
when  he  showed  me  your  handkerchief  1 " 

ShaksjMre  in  ^'  As  you  like  it." 

Soundy  away.     See  Zoundy  away. 
Sour-sauce,  Sour  sabs,  or  Sour  sops.     The 

common  sorrel.     Rumex   acetosa,    also   called   Green- 
sauce. 

Sour  as  a  rig.  Very  ill-tempered.  CaUington. 
"  Bless  her  when  she  is  riggish."  Antony  and  Cleopatra. 
Big  anciently  meant  strumpet. 

Sour-sab  pie.  A  pie  made  with  the  most  juicy 
leaves,  and  tender  stems  of  the  "  Common  Sorrel," 
Rumex  acetosa.  Eaten  with  sugar  and  cream.  The 
■writer    once   made    an    experimental  ]^asty    of    the 


2n 

Common  Sorrel,  and  it  was  quite  as  good  as  some 
kinds  of  Rhubarb.  Some  mention  is  made  of  this 
plant  in  the  Flora  Medica,  where  it  is  said,   "The 

leaves  are  refrigerent  and  diuretic, and  taken 

in  large  quantities  as  food  will  be  found  of  consid- 
erable efficacy.  In  some  parts  of  France  it  is  culti- 
vated as  an  edible  vegetable,  and  the  natives  of 
Wermeland,  on  the  confines  of  Sweden,  in  seasons  of 
great  scarcity,  form  it  into  bread,  and  that  it  is  not 
unsalutary." 

Souse.  To  fall,  sit,  or  bump  suddenly  down.  "Down 
he  came,  souse." 

Sow-pig,  or  Grammar-sow.     The  wood-louse. 

Sowdling.       Burly,  ungainly.       M.A.C. 
Soyl.       ^  seal.     The  sea  calf.  Carew. 

Spading.  Cutting  turf  in  large  thin  slices  with  a  great 
cross-handled  spade. 

Spal,  or  Spale.  A  fine  for  lost  time,  or  absence  from 
work.  Amercement.  Forfeiture.  It  is  spal  in  Celtic 
Cornish. 

Spaliard.       A  pickman ;  a  working  tinner.  Pryce. 

Spalier,  or  Spalyer.    Espalier. 

Spalled,  or  Spaaled.  Fined  for  absence  or  lost  time 
in  working. 

Spalliers,  or  SpadiardS.  Miners  so  called  from 
their  spades.     (Spalliers,  Folwhele.) 


Spalling.       Breaking   large   stones   of  ore,   &c.      See 

Cobbing. 

Spalls.       Small  chips  of  metal  or  stone.     Stonecutters 
often  sa}-,  "  I've  got  a  spall  in  my  eye." 

Spanjar,  or  Span.      A  tether.     m.a.c. 

Spanker.       A  large  thing. 

Spankin.       Big,  very  large. 

Spar.       Quartz.     "In  Cornwall  all   the  white,   opake, 

common  hard  stone  is  called  spar;  erroneusly  it  must 

be  owned  for  it  is  quartz." 

Borlase's  NoM.  Histy. 

Sparables.       Sprigs ;  very  small,  short,  headless  nails, 

used  for  the  soles  of  boots  and  shoes.     (Hob-nails. 

Dr.  Bannister,) 
Sparable  pie.       A  quaint  term  meaning  anything  un- 

palateable,   as  thus  to  a  boy,    "I'll  give  you  some 

sparable  pie." 
Spare.       Slow.     "A  very  spare  job." 
Sparrow.      A  wooden  rod  or  skewer,  used  by  thatchers 

to  secure  the  thatch. 
Spar  stone.      Quartz. 
Speed,       Luck.     "I  had  very  poor  speed." 
Speedy.       To  hurry,  to  quicken.     In  Celtic  Cornish  it 

is  spedye,  to  succeed,  to  hasten;  ia  spedye,  to  speed 

well.     (See  Borlase's  Cornish  Vocaby.) 

Speedy  ground.      See  Teary  ground. 
Spell.      See  Stem. 


m 

Spence.       A  store-room  for  wine,  or  victuals. 

"  And  hadden   him  into   the   spcnse."     Chaucer.     In 

Celtic  Cornish  s])ens  means  a  buttery. 
Spend.  V.       To  break  ground.  Hallmell. 

Spiffy.       Choice,  neat,  "natty,"  "spicy." 
Spikkety,  or  Spekkety.       Spotted,  as  a  "spikkety 

hen."     In   Celtic    Cornish   spekkiar  means,   spotted, 

speckled.     "A  man  in  a  sj^ikkety  jacket  was  theere." 
Spiller.       A  long  fishing  line  with  many  hooks,  also 

a  ground  line. 
Spinning-drone.      A  brown  cock-chafer,  or  oak-web. 
Spise.       To  ooze,  or  flow  gently  out. 
Splat,  or  Splot.       A  plot,  or  small  piece  of  ground. 

A  spot,  or  blot,  as  of  ink. 
Splatty.       Spotty,  pimply,  uneven  in  colour,   covered 

Avith  smears  or  blots.     "  All  splatty." 
Split  and  blout.       To  make  a  great  fuss.      Callington. 
Splitting  along.       Going  very  fast. 
Split-fig.       A   very   stingy  person.     Nickname  for  a 

grocer  who  would  cut  a  raisin  in  two,  rather  than 

give  ovei'weight.     "  Ould  splet-fig." 

Splot.       See  Splat. 

Spoom.       Scum,  froth.     Spoum  in  Celtic  Cornish. 

Spraggety.      Mottled. 

Spraggling.       A  sprawling,  ill-drawn  design  is  "sprag- 
gling"  or  "loud." 


275 

Sprawl.       A  disease  of  young  clucks.     They  lose  their 

strength  aud  seem  as  if  ^^  they  could  hardly  sprawl." 
See  Sproil. 

Sprayed.       Face,  or  hands  roughened  by  cold. 
Spraying.       An  east  wind  is  "  a  very  spraying  wind." 

Spriggan.      A  fairy.    See  Piskey. 

Sprigly.  Split,  or  split  up,  as  of  a  wart  when  growing 
much  cracked  or  split.     "A  sprigly  wart." 

Springle.  A  trap  for  snaring  birds.  A  little  Avicker 
work,  (made  of  a  slight  willow  rod),  about  eight  or 
ten  inches  long,  and  shaped  like  a  battledoor,  is  pinned 
to  the  ground  at  the  broad  end.  At  the  apex,  a  notch 
is  cut  for  a  button  or  catch.  Across  the  apex  an 
arched  short  rod,  called  the  bridge,  is  stuck  at  both 
ends  into  the  ground.  A  willow  rod  is  stuck  into 
the  ground  about  three  feet  ofi",  having  at  the  top  a 
line  ending  in  a  slip  noose.  The  noose  is  passed 
under  the  bridge,  and  laid  on  the  wicker,  the  rod 
being  bent  doAvn  and  secured  by  a  button  near  the 
noose,  to  the  bridge  and  the  wicker.  Bait  is  placed 
on  the  wicker,  a  bird  hopping  on  it  releases  the  button, 
the  rod  flies  back,  and  the  bird  is  caught  by  the 
running  noose. 

Sproil,  or  Sprawl.  Energy,  strength.  "I  haven't 
got  a  bit  of  sproil."  To  Sprawl,  as,  "I  can  hardly 
sprawl,"  i.e.,  scarcely  stand  or  move. 

Sproosen.       An  untidy,  ungartered  woman.       M.A.C. 

Spromicey.       Cheerful,  jolly,  slightly  intoxicated. 


276 
Spry.       "Wide  awake.     "  All  alive."     Spruce. 
Spud.       A  young  brat.     Also,  a  garden  tool  used  in 

cutting  up  weeds. 
Spudder.       A  fuss,  a  bother.     "  What  a  spudder ! " 
Spuds.       Small  potatoes.       W.T.A.P. 

Spuke.  An  instrument  spiked  on  to  a  pig's  snout.  The 
transverse  bar,  on  which  is  a  small  roller,  prevents  the 
animal  from  grubbing. 

Spur.  A  short  time  at  work.  A  "  nip  "  or  small  glass 
of  spirit.     "  Something  short." 

Spurticles.       Spectacles.     "  Where's  my  spurticles  ] " 

Squab,  or  Squadge.       A  shove,  a  squeeze. 

Squabbed.       Pressed,  or  crushed. 

Squab  pie.       A  pie  of  apples,  mutton,  and  an  onion  or 

two,  seasoned  with  sugar,  pepper,  and  salt. 
Squadged.       Squeezed,  crushed,  as  of  fruit,  &c,,  injured 

by  pressure. 
Squard.       A  rent  or  tear.     Squerd  in  Celtic  Cornish. 
Squarded.       Torn,  crushed  in  like  a  broken  bandbox. 

In  Celtic  Cornish  squarchje  means  to  tear,  to  rend,  to 

break  to  pieces. 
Squat.       Pressed,    flattened,   burst.    In  Celtic  Cornish 

squaihja  means  to  pluck,  to  tear  to  pieces,  to  hew. 

Squat.  A  miner's  term.  "The  squat  of  a  lode,"  a 
broad  heap.  Pryce.  In  Celtic  Cornish  sqvjtf,  suddenly, 
as  when  a  lode  has  suddenly  enlarged. 


Squeeze.       An  old  frump.     A  cross  old  maid.     "A 

regular  old  patch,"  "au  old  squeeze." 
Squiddle.       A  squirt.     Squiddling.       Squirting. 
SquiddleS.       Diarrhea. 
Squinge  grub.       A  small  shrivelled  pippin.     "She's  a 

regular  old  squinge  grub,"  Neiuquay. 

Squinny.      To  squint. 

"  Dost  thou  Sfjuinny  at  me  1"     Shahpere. 

Squinny-eyed.  A  person  whose  eyes  are  habitually- 
half  closed.     A  squinter. 

Squitch.  A  twitch,  a  jerk.  In  Celtic  Cornish  this 
word  is  spelt  squycli  and  means  the  same  thing. 

Squitchems.  The  jumps,  the  jerks,  "the  fidgets." 
From  the  Celtic  Cornish  sqiiycli.     See  Squitch. 

Stacey-jar.       A  quart  stone  bottle.       M.A.C. 

Stack.  The  term  used  of  one  chimney,  especially  of  a 
lofty  one,  as  the  engine  stack  of  a  mine  engine-house. 

Stag.       A  young  cock. 

Stagged,  or  Stogged.  Stuck  in  the  mud.  In  Celtic 
Cornish  stagen,  means  a  lake,  a  pool. 

St.  Agnes  totle.      A  stupid  old  fool. 

Stam-bang.       Plump  down.     "  Slap  down." 

Stamps,  Stompses.      Stamping  or  ore  crushing  mills. 

Standard.  A  wrestling  term.  He  who  has  thrown 
two  men  becomes  a  standard  for  the  future  contests 
in  the  ring. 


stand  Sam.  ''To  stand  sarn,"  i.e.,  to  stand  treat,  to 
pay  for  all,  to  bear  the  charge.  This  phrase  is  not 
peculiar  to  Cornwall  only.  It  is  noticed  here  because 
in  Celtic  Cornish,  sam  means  a  burden,  a  charge. 

Stank.  A  mess,  a  muddle,  a  scrape.  "We'eni  in  a 
putty  stank  now."  Stajic  is  Celtic  Cornish  for  a  pool, 
a  pond. 

Stank.  To  walk  along,  to  step,  to  tread  upon.  "  He's 
stankin'  along  at  a  putty  rate."  "What  be'ee  stankin' 
'pon  my  toes  vur  you  g'eat  bufflehead  1  " 

Stannary  Laws,  Stannaries,  and  Stannary- 
Courts.  "  Are  laws,  prrecincts,  customs  and  courts 
peculiar  only  to  tinners  and  tin  mines."  Pryce. 

Stare.       A  starling. 

Stares.  Irregular  spots  or  blotches.  "It  is  full  of 
stares." 

Star-gazing,    Staare-gaaze,    Starry-gazy,    or 

Staring  pie.     A  pie  made  of  leeks  and  pilchards. 

Sometimes  without  leeks.     The  noses  or  heads  of  the 

fish  show  through  a  hole  in  the  crust.     Hence  the 

name. 
Starving,    or    Steeving.       Suffering  from   the   cold. 

In  Celtic  Cornish  stervys,  or  sfevys,  to  catch  cold,  to  be 

very  cold. 
Stash.       "There   now,  stash   it    there,    i.e.,   Don't   say 

another  word.  Mrs.  Parrs  Adam  lO  Eve. 

Stave.       To  move  quickly  and  noisil}^    To  knock  down. 

U.J.T. 


279 

Staver.       A  busyhorly.     "  A  regular  staver."     One  who 

is  ahvaj's  in  a  fuss. 
Steeve.       To  knock  down.     "I  sleeved  down  three  to 

waunce;"  "And  a  catched  up  a  shoul  for  to  steeve 

ma  outright." 
Steeved.       Stowed,  forced  dowu,  broken  in. 
Stem.       A  period  of  work,  or  of  time,  a  job.     A  day's 

work.     A  double  stem  is  to  work  six  hours  extra. 
Stemming.       Turn  by  turn,  taking  your  turn.     Spelt 

stemmyn  in   Borlase's  Vocabulary  of  Celtic   Cornish 

words.     "To  work  out  his  stemmyn,"  i.e.,  to  do  his 

share  of  the  work. 
Stempel.       A  slant  beam  used  in  a  mine  for  supporting 

certain  places.  Pryce. 

Stent,  or  stents.  Eubble  left  by  tin  streamers  in 
their  workings.  Such  places  are  called  stent  bottoms. 
In  Celtic  Cornish  stener,  a  tinner,  siean,  tin. 

'Stent.  The  limit  or  boundary  of  a  bargain  or  pitch  or 
sett  in  mining,  It  is  the  word  extent  shortened. 
"  That  is  the  'stent  of  it. 

Stew.  Fuss,  ill-temper,  row.  "What  a  stew  you're 
in  ! " 

Stewer.  A  raised  dust.  AYarmth  or  closeness  of  the 
air  of  a  room.  "  AVhat  a  stewer  you're  making ! " 
"Kicking  up  a  dust."   In  Celtic  Cornish  steuys,  warm. 

Steyne.  A  large  brown  salting  pan  or  pot.  Sten,  a 
milk-pail,  in  Celtic  Cornish. 


280 

StickingS.       The  last  of  a  cow's  milk.       M.A.C. 
Stickler.       One  who  is  ou  watcli  in  the  wrestling  ring 

to  see  fair  play. 
Stiddlej  or  StOOdle.       The  pole  to  which  an  ox  is  tied 

iu  the  stall.     See  Studdle. 
Stile.       A  flat  iron,     m.a.c. 
Sting-blubber.      The  sea  nettle.    See  Blubber. 
Stingdum.       The  fish  Coitus  scorinus.       c. 
Stint.       To  impregnate.       C. 
StiracOOSe.       A  hustling,  energetic  Avoman. 
Stirrage.       Commotion,  fuss,  movement. 

Stock.  A  large  block  or  log  of  wood.  The  "  Christ- 
mas stock"  of  Cornwall  is  the  "yule-block"  of  the 
North  of  England.     Stoc  in  Celtic  Cornish. 

Stodge.  Food  wdien  very  "thick  and  slab,"  is  so  called 
in  contempt.     "^Yhat  stodge!" 

Stogged.     See  Stagged. 

Stoiting.       The  leaping  of  a  shoal  of  fish.      c. 

Stool-crab.       The  male  edible  crab.     C. 

Stope.  A  step.  "  ^yheu  a  sumph  (sump)  or  pit  is 
sunk  down  in  a  lode,  they  break  and  work  it  away  as 
it  were  in  stairs  or  steps,  one  man  following  another, 

and  breaking  the   ground  which is  called 

stopeing;  and  that  height  or  step  which  each  man 
breaks,  is  called  a  stope.  Likewise,  hewing  away  the 
lode  overhead,  is  *  stoj)eiiig  in  the  back.' "  Prijce. 


Stopes.  Mining  term  for  a  stull,  winze,  or  rise.  In 
the  Clay-work  district  it  means  the  face  of  the  clay- 
pit.     "  A  good  stopes,"  i.e.,  a  good  deep  body  of  clay. 

Stope-a-back.   A  mining  operation.    E.N.    See  Stope. 

Stop  net,  or  stop  seine.  The  great,  or  principal 
seine  net  used  to  enclose  a  shoal  of  pilchards.  It  is 
often  1600  feet  long,  and  about  60  feet  broad.  One 
edge  is  supplied  with  corks  to  float  it,  the  other  with 
leaden  weights  to  sink  it.  When  "  shot,"  for  a  shoal 
of  pilchards,  it  surrounds  them  circularly  like  a  wall, 
and  the  "  tuck-net "  is  used  to  remove  the  fish  from  it. 

See  Tuck-net. 

Stound.       A  sudden  and  great  pain. 

Strake,  or  Streke.  A  small  tye  or  gounce  for  washing 
the  fine  ore  stvff,  as  in  streaming  tin.  Pryce.  The 
term  straJces  is  used  of  the  mica  pits,  (q.V.)  or  long 
shallow  places  in  a  clay-work.  The  clay  water  runs 
slowly  along  them  as  it  dsposits  mica  (q.v.)  In  Celtic 
Cornish,  sfreic,  a  stream. 

Strake,  or  Strakey.       To  steal  marbles.       M.A.c. 

Straking  along.  Walking  slowly,  sauntering.  In 
Celtic  Cornish  sirechye  means,  to  stop,  to  stay,  to 
tarry. 

Stram.       A  falsehood. 

Stram.       To  slam.,  or  shut  anything  violently. 

Stram-bang,  or  Slam-bang.  All  of  a  sudden,  in 
a  noisy  manner. 


282 

Strammer.       A  big  lie,  a  large   thing,   a  tall  stout 

woman.     "  What  a  strammer!" 
Stramming.       Telling  "  awful  lies,"  telling  "  thunder- 
ing" lies. 

Strange.       Half  mad,  delirious,  "  talking  quite  strange." 
Strap,   or  Strop.       A  bit  of  string.     A   small  cord. 
(Strop,  Armoric.     Borlase.) 

Strat.       To  abort.     "Stratveal."       C. 

Straw  mot.       A  single  straw. 

Stream  of  tin.  Loose  stones  containing  tin  "  when 
found  together  in  great  numbers  making  one  continued 
course  from  one  to  ten  feet  deep,  which  we  call  a 
stream."  Borlase' s  Nat.  Histy. 

Streams.       Strains,  as  ''streams  of  music." 

Streamer.  A  tinner  who  works  in  a  stream  work, 
searching  for,  or  washing  tin  ore. 

Streaming.  Washing  tin-ore  in  a  stream  work  ;  also, 
dipping  washed  linen  in  the  "blueing"  water,  or 
rinsing  it  in  clean  water. 

Stream-work.  A  place  for  the  raising  and  washing 
of  surface  or  alluvial  tin  ore. 

Stretcher.  An  exaggeration,  a  lie.  "  What  a  stret- 
cher ! " 

Strike,  v.  To  anoint,  to  apply  any  unguent  by 
smearing  it  on  a  diseased  surface. 

Strike.      Eight  gallons  measure,  or  Winchester  bushel. 


283 

Strike,  Streeck,  or  Strik.  "  To  let  a  man  down  in 
the  shaft  by  the  windlass,  and  if  he  calls  up  to  the 
men  above  ground  to  *  streech,'  they  let  him  go 
further  down."  Pryce.  From  the  Celtic  Cornish  word 
stric,  active,  nimble,  swift. 

String.       A  thin  vein  or  lode  of  ore  is  so  called. 

String  course.      See  String. 

Stringy.  Term  used  of  vegetables  when  too  old  and 
fibrous. 

Stroil.       Strength.     Pohvhele.     See  Sproil. 

Stroil.       -A.  weedy  growth  of  coarse  grass,  sedge,  &c. 

In  Celtic  Cornish,  strail  elester,  means,  a  mat  of  sedge 

or  rushes. 
Strome.       A  streak.     Stromy.       Streaky. 
Strother,  or  Stroth.       Hurry,  fuss.     "  What's  all  the 

stroth  about  1 " 

Strove.  To  force  or  compel  an  unwilling  belief.  "  He 
strove  me  down  to  a  lie." 

StrOW,  or  Strawl.  A  litter ;  confusion,  row,  distur- 
bance, or  turmoil.     (StrOVe.       U.J.T.) 

Strub.       To  steal.     As,  to  strub  an  orchard,  i.e.,  steal 

the  apples. 
Strunty.       Misty,  foggy.       M.A.C. 

Stub.       To  grub  or  dig  up  the  roots,  as  of  furze,  &c. 

"Stubbing  furze." 
Stubbard,  or  Stubbet.       A  kind  of  apple. 


284 

Studdle,  A  timber  support  of  the  "deads"  in  a 
mine.  "  As  if  a  studdle  had  broke  and  the  '  deads ' 
were  set  a  running."       Borlase's  Celtic  Cornish  Vocahy. 

Stuffle.       To  stifle,  to  suffocate,  as  with  smoke. 

Stugg.        A   Large    brown    earthenware    vesssel.       See 

Steyne. 

Stuggy,  or  Sturgy.       Short  and  fat. 

StuU.  A  place  to  receive  ore.  e.N.  This  is  a  Celtic 
Cornish  word  and  means  in  that  language,  a  rafter  or 
style.  In  a  mine,  timber  placed  in  the  backs  of  levels 
and  covered  with  boards,  or  small  poles  to  support 
rubbish,  is  called  a  stull.  Astull,  or  astel  in  Celtic 
Cornish  means  "a  stage  of  boards." 
Stumpy.  To  walk,  to  hobble.  "Stumping  along." 
Sturt.       A  run  of  good  luck.     A  beginning  of  work, 

Suant,  Zuant,  or  Suent.  Going  smoothly,  regularly, 
or  without  much  friction  or  obstruction.  There  is 
another  meaning,  thus,  if  a  tobacco  pipe  were  nearly 
chooked  it  would  be  said  "Et  doan't  draa  zuant." 
Also  thus,  a  thirsty  man  drinks  eagerly  and  on 
putting  down  the  glass  may  say,  "Ah  !  that's  suant." 
Also  of  sowing  seed  in  a  regular  manner,  thus, 
"Thaim  zawed  zuant." 

Subsist,  or  'Sist.  Money  paid  a  miner  in  advance, 
or  on  account. 

Sucked    stone.       "  A    honey-combed   porous    stone." 

Pryce.    See  Swimming  stone. 


285 

Sugary  candy.      When  the  boots  or  shoes  creak,  they 

say  there  is  sugary  candy  in  them. 
Sugary    quartz.       A   very   crumbly   or   pulverulent 

quartz,  closely  like  white  sugar. 
Sump.       Bottom  of  a  mine  shaft.     (Sumph.     Pryce.) 
Sumpmen.       Men  who  sink  mine  shafts. 
Sumps.       Pits  made  at  the  bottom  of  the  mine  for  the 

water,   or  for  trying  in   depth   beyond  the  general 

workings.  JBorlase. 

Sunbeams.       The  air-floating   webs   of  the  gossamer 

spider. 
Survey.       A  public  sale,  an  auction.    Letting  work  in  a 

mine. 
SusSj  or  Sess.       See  Zess.     Sus,  Latin,  a  sow. 
Swabstick.       A  mining  tool. 

Swaising,  or  Whazing.  Swinging,  as  of  the  arms 
in  walking.  M.A.c.  Sicegh,  a  Saxon  word,  means, 
a  violent  motion,  swaying. 

Swallet.       A  gulph  or  chasm.  Fryce. 

Swap.       A  gadfly.       M.A.c. 

Swarr.       Swathe,  "  a  good  swarr  of  hay." 

Swealed,  or  Swailed.  In  the  Cornish  dialect,  means, 
scorched  and  crumpled,  as  of  parchment  by  heat. 
Swell,  (Spenser)  burnt. 

Swellack.     The  redwing.    See  Whinnard. 

Suellak  in  Celtic  Cornish.     Polwhde. 


^86 
Swike.      A  twig  of  heath.     M.A.c.    See  Griglan. 

Swimming- stone.  A  stone  formerly  found  at  Nan- 
cothan  Copper  mine  near  Redruth.  It  consists  of 
laminae  as  thin  as  paper,  intersecting  each  other  in  all 
directions.  The  stone  is  thus  so  cellular  that  it  will 
float  on  water.  It  is  of  a  yellow  gossan  colour  and 
seems  like  a  light  kind  of  lapis  calavdnaris. 

Borlase's  Nail.  Histij. 

Swipes.       A  thin,  poor  alcoholic  drink.     Small  beer. 

A 

Sych.      See  Seech. 

Sye,  or  Zye.       A  scythe. 

Tab,  Tabbun,  or  Tubban.     A  piece  of  turf    In 

Celtic  Cornish  tahm  means,  a  jjiece,  a  morsel. 
Tabm.       Celtic  Cornish  for  a  piece  of  bread  and  butter. 

('•  Still  used  in  Cornwall."     Polwhele.) 
Tacking.       Clapping,  as  of  the  hands.     Also,  a  punish- 
ment for  a  child,  "  I'll  give'ee  a  good  tacking  !  " 
TaddagO   pie.        A   pie   made    of   prematurely   born 

veers. 
Tadly-OOdly.       Tipsy.     "  He's  all  tadly-oodly." 
Taer.       A  fuss,  a  row,  great  excitement.     "  Vaather's  in 

a  putty  taer."     In  Celtic  Cornish  taer  means,  potent, 

powerful,  rude. 
Taering  round.       Making  a  fuss,  being  in  a  passion. 

"  He  was  in  a  taering  passion." 
Taering.       Rushing,  or  running  about.    Making  a  great 

clatter,  or  rumpus. 


261 
Tag-       The  tail  end  of  a  rump  of  beef.       m.a.C. 

Tag-worm.     Earthworm.    See  Angleditch. 

Tailings.       The  hist  or  refuse  ore. 

Tailors  needles.       Scandix peden  veneris.       C. 

Tail-on-end.       Fi^n  of  expectation. 

Tail-pipe.       To  tie  a  kettle  to  a  dog's  tail. 

Take.       A  bargain  of  work  in  a  mine. 

Take  a  heave.       A  mineral  lode  is  said  to  "take  a 

heave "   when  a   "  fault "   has  shifted  or  broken  its 

course. 

Taken  horse  or  Hoss.     See  Hoss  in  the  lode. 

Taking.  Great  excitement,  trouble,  or  commotion. 
"  Great  pity  is,  he  be  in  such  taking." 

Spenser  in  the  Shepherd's  Calendar. 

Taking  Day.  "An  old  custom,  about  the  origin  of 
Avhich  history  tells  us  nothing,  is  still  duly  observed 
at  Crowan. 

Annually,  on  the  Sunday  evening  previous  to 
Praze-an-beeble  fair,  large  numbers  of  the  young  folk 
repair  to  the  parish  Church,  and,  at  the  conclusion  of 
the  service,  they  hasten  to  Clowance  Park,  where  still 
larger  crowds  assemble,  collected  chiefly  from  Leeds- 
town,  Carnhell-green,  Nancegollan,  Black  Eock,  and 
Praze.  Here  the  sterner  sex  select  their  partners  for 
the  forthcoming  fair;  and,  as  it  not  unfrequently 
happens  that  the  generous  proposals  are  not  accepted, 
a  tussle  ensues,  to  the  intense  merriment  of  passing 
spectators. 


288 

Many   a  happy   wedding  has   resulted  from   the 

opportunity  afforded  for  selection  on  "  Taking  Day  " 

in  Clowance  Park.  The  CornisJwian. 

Talch.       Bran.     It  is  a  Celtic  Cornish  word. 
Talafat.       "A  raised  alcove  for  a  bed."       m.A.c. 
Tallack.       A  garret.     Pohvhele.     (Tallic.       Prijce.) 
Tallet.       A  stable  loft.     In  Celtic  Cornish  tallic  means, 

that  which  is  placed  high,  a  garret. 
Tarn.        It   is   a 'Celtic   Cornish   word,   and   means,   a 

morsel,  a  piece,  a  jot,  a  bit.     Tame  furze,  i.e.,  short 

furze.     Careiv. 
Tamlyn.       A  miner's  tool.       U.j.t, 
Tamp.       To  beat  or  ram  down,  as  of  powder  into  a 

hole  in  blasting  rocks. 
Tamping.       Material  used  in  blasting. 
Tamping  iron.       A  tool  for  ramming  down  blasting 

materials  in  a  hole  for  blasting. 
Tammy.       A  straining  sieve. 
Tammy  cloth.      A  loosely  woven  tissue  for  a  straining 

cloth. 

Tang.     See  Twang. 

Tantra-bobus,  or  Tantrum-bobus.  Term  ap- 
plied to  a  noisy,  playful  child.  "  Oh  !  you  tantra- 
bobus  ! " 

Tap.  The  sole  of  a  boot  or  shoe.  Also  the  iron  (or 
other  metal)  "scute"  of  the  heel,  "heel  tap."  To 
tap,  i-e.,  to  sole  a  shoe  or  boot. 


Tarve.  v.       To  fuss  about  in  a  rage. 

Tarving.       Struggling,  storming,  agitating.     "Tarving 

about." 
Taunt.       Pert.     "  High  and  mighty."     Saucy. 
Tay-dish.       A  tea  cup.     "A  dish  of  tay." 
Teary.       Soft,  like  dough.       c. 
Teary,  or  Tary-ground.      Ground  which,  in  mining, 

is  easily  dug  out,  because  of  its  numerous  small  joints 

or  fissures. 
Teat.       A  draught  of  wind.       M.A.c. 
Teating.       Whisthng  of  the  wind.       M.A.C. 

Teel.  To  plant  or  sow.  To  set  or  "teel  a  trap."  To 
be  obstinately  bent  on  doing  something,  as  "he's 
teeled  for  it,"  i.e.,  "he's  ripe  for  it." 

Teeled.       Buried  in  the  grave.     Planted. 

Teem.       To  pour  out,  i.e.,  "  to  teem  out." 

Teem.  To  ladle  out  water  (in  mining)  by  means  of  a 
bowl  or  scoop.     To  bale  out. 

Teen,    Tend,    or  Tine.      To  light,  as   "teen  the 

candle."  "  Tine  the  fierce  lightning."  Milton. 
Teen.  To  close.  "  I  hav'nt  teened  my  eye.  c. 
Teening  time.  Twilight,  candle  lighting  time. 
Tend.       To  kindle,  or  set  a  light  to.       c. 

Tend.  v.       To  provide,  to  supply.     "One  boy 
the  stones  as  the  other  threw  them  at  the  apples." 


290 

Tender.  A  waiter,  as  at  an  inn,  or  at  a  gentleman's 
dinner  table.  "  Ev'ry  Tender  what's  tlieere,  my  dears, 
is  a  rail  gen'leman  to  look  upon,  mostly  passons  I 
reckon,  or  they've  got  their  cloos,  and  they're  like  'em 
too  'bout  their  throtts." 

The  "  Queen's  ivashing  day  "  by  Tregellas. 

Tender-box.  Tinder  box.  A  metal  box  with  a  cover 
containing  charred  rags  on  which  a  spark  from  flint 
and  steel  increased  so  as  to  light  a  sulphur  match. 
Superseded  by  lucifer  matches  in  1834. 

Tern.       A  bittern.     "  Crying  like  a  tern."       M.A.C. 

Tetties,  Taties,  Tates.       Potatoes. 

Tetty-hobbin.       Potato  cake.  Callington. 

Tetty-hoggan.       Potato  pasty.     Callington.     Hogen  in 

Celtic  Cornish  means  a  pork  pasty.     Pryce. 
Tetty-rattle.       Cornish  stew. 

Thew.       Threaten.  Careio. 

Thikky,    Thekka,    Thikky   there.      That,    as 

"thikky  man,"   i.e.,   that   man.     (In  Celtic  Cornish 

ihck  means  the.     Pryce.) 
Thickee    and   thuckee.       This   and   that.     "Some 

caan't    abide    thickee,    and    t'other    man    caan't    tich 

thuckee."  Mrs.  Parr's  Adam  and  Eve. 

Thirl,    or   Thurl.       Thin,   wan,   hollow-eyed.     "  He's 

looking  quite  thirl."     "I'm  feeling  very  thirl." 
Throstel.       A  thrush,     Throstel.     Chmicer. 
Throyting.       Cutting  little  chips  from  a  stick.     Carew. 


291 

Thrashel.     See  Drashel. 

Thraw  to  un.  To  persevere,  to  stick  at  it.  "  Tbraw 
to  un,  for  theer't  sure  to  have  a  bundle  of  a  lode  very 
soon." 

Thunder-axes.  "There  are  also  taken  up  in  such 
works,  (stream-works)  certaine  little  tooles  of  brasse 
(bronze)  which  some  term  thunder-axes!'  These  are 
the  celts  so  well  known  to  the  antiquary. 

Thunder  and  lightning.  Bread  spread  with  clot- 
ted cream,  and  treacle  over  it. 

Thunder-planet.       In  sultry  weather  they  used  to 

say,  "  there  is  a  thunder  planet  in  the  air." 
Thurt  eyed.       Said  of  one  who  squints. 
Thumb-beam,  or  Thumb-bine.      A  twisted  band 

of  straw  formed  coil  by  coil  off  the  thumb.  Used 
formerly  by  countrymen,  coiled  round  the  legs  to  keep 
them  dry. 

Ticketing  day.  A  term  used  of  the  days  on  which 
tin  and  copper  ore  are  sold,  "upon  which  days  at- 
tend the  Agents  for  the  ores  to  be  sold,  and  those  of 
various  Companies  who  having  previously  sampled  the 
ores  through  their  Assayers,  produce  a  sealed  ticket 
of  the  price  they  will  give  for  ore;  and  he  whose 
ticket  is  highest,  takes  the  ore  on  the"  part  of  the 
Company  for  whom  he  acts."  Dr.  Paris.  In  this 
way  the  sale  of  £20,000,  or  more,  in  value  of  ore,  is 
often  concluded  in  an  hour  or  two.  This  system  has 
been  inpractice  about  150  years. 


Tic-tac-Mollard.       A  game  of  "Ducks  and  Drakes." 

M.A.C. 

Tiching.  "Setting  up  turves  to  dry,  to  prepare  for 

fuel."  Grose. 

Tidden.  Tender,  painful  (mentally).     Hard  to  put  up 

with.  "It  came  somewhat  tidden  to  him."       Gulval. 

T.C. 

TiddieS.       Teats.     Tcthan  in  Celtic  Cornish  for  teat  or 

udder. 
Tiddy,   or  Titty.       A  teat,  human  milk.      Tidi  and 

tethan  are  Celtic  Cornish  for  breast,  pap,  or  teat. 
Tiddy  bit.       A  little  piece. 
Tiddliwink.      A  beerhouse.    See  Kiddliwink. 

Tiddly.  To  do  the  lighter  kind  of  household  work. 
"What  can  you  dol  said  a  mistress  to  the  maid. 
"  I  can  louster  and  fouster,  but  I  caan't  tiddly,  "  said 
she.       w.T.A.p. 

Tidy.  Good,  smart,  intelligent.  "  A  tidy  house,"  "  a 
tidy  dinner,"    "a  tidy  sort  of  a  chap." 

Tie,  or  Tye.  A  feather  bed.  Also  used  of  beds 
otherwise  stuffed,  as  with  "  douse."  Also  called  bed- 
tie. 

Tie.       A  large  wooden  trough  used  for  washing  ore. 

Tifles,  TiffleS,  or  Tifflens.  Small  thready  frag- 
ments.    "Your  dress  is  covered  with  tifles." 

Tifle  out,  or  TifiGle  out.  To  unravel  thready  mate- 
rial or  tissue. 


Tifling.       Fraying  out.     "  tifling  it  out." 

Tig,  or  Tiggy.  A  children's  game  played  by  several 
of  them,  there  being  one  iit  each  station.  They  inter- 
change places.  If  in  running  from  one  station  to  the 
other  a  player  be  touched  by  the  "Tig"  (who  is  so 
called)  the  one  touched  becomes  tig  instead,  and  so 
on.     This  game  is  elswhere  called  Tag. 

Tight.       A  tight  blow,  i.e.,  a  sharp  blow,  also  (as  els- 
where) drunk.     "  He's  tight." 
Timbal.       A  mining  tool.       M.A.C. 

Timberin,  or  Temberin.     Wooden. 

Timberin  hill.       The  staircase,  or  road  to  bed.    "  'Tis 

time  for  you  to  go  up  temberin  hill." 
Timdoodle.      A  silly  fellow. 
Timmersome.       Timid,  nervous. 
Tin-glass.       A  name  for  bismuth.  Borlase. 

Tine.       A   tooth   of   a   harrow,     c.     To  tine.     (The 

same  as  to  teen),  to  light,  as  of  a  candle. 
Ting.       To  tie  up  together. 

Tinged  up.  Tied  up.  "I  shaan't  be  tinged  up  to 
he."     "  Doant'ee  come  tinging  aafter  me." 

/.  B.  Netherton. 
Tink.       A  chaffinch. 

Tinker  after.  Courting,  making  up  to,  feeling  a 
fondness  for. 

Tinner.       The  water  wagtail.       Bottrell. 


294 

Tin   bounds.       IMarked  out  land  in  wliich  to  search 
for  and  stream  tin. 

Tinner.       A  workman  in  search  for,   or  employed  in 

the  washing  of  tin  in  a  Streamwork. 
Tinners.       "  All  Cornish  miners."     Pryce.     (1790.) 
Tin  mine.       A  mine  in  which  tin  ore  is  dug  from  the 

tin  lode. 
Tin-stuff.       Black  tin.     The  miners  use  the  term  tin- 

stuff  for  tin,   and  copper-o?-e  for  copper  when  in  a 

mineral  state. 
Tin- work.       A  stream  work.       Q.v. 
Tippy.       Smart,   handsome,    "  quite   the   thing."     "  A 

tippy  pair  of  boots." 

Titch  pipe,  or  Touch  pipe.       A  habit  with  miners 

of  having  a  short  smoke  during  worktime,    "titch 

pipe  a  croom." 
Toad-in-the-hole.     Meat  with  batter  around  it  baked 

in  a  dish. 
ToaS,  or  Toze.       To  shake  or  toss  the  wet  tin  to  and 

fro  in  a  kieve  or  vat,  with  water,  to  cleanse  and  dress 

it.  Pryce. 

Toasts.       "One   and    all."      "Fish,  tin,  and   copper." 

"  Hakes   and  Tates."     "  No  scads  nor  rays."     "  No 

staring  pies." 
Toat.       The  whole  lot.     "  The  whole  toat  of  them," 

Todge.     See  stodge. 

Toit  or  Toitish.       Pert,  saucy,  or  impudent. 


295 

Tokened  to.       Betrothed. 

ToUur.  A  man  who  inspects  and  superintends  tin- 
bounds  ;  so  called  because  "  bounds "  are  terminated 
by  holes  cut  in  the  earth  which  must  be  renewed,  and 
visited  once  a  year;  or  because  he  receives  the  tolls  or 
dues  of  the  lord  of  the  soil,  Borlase.  (In  Celtic 
Cornish  toll  or  doll  a  hole). 

Tom-holla.       A  noisy,  rude  fellow. 
Tom-horry.       A  sea  bird.     The  common  name  of  two 
or  three  species  of  skua.       C, 

Tommy-tailor.       The  crane  fly,  or  Daddy-long-legs. 

(Tqmla.) 

Tommy-toddy,   or   Tom-toddy.      The   tadpole. 

"Like  a  tommy-toddy 
All  head  and  no  body," 
Tom  toddy.       "A  game  in  which  each  person  in  suc- 
cession has  to  drink  a  glass  of  beer  or  spirits,  on  the 
top  of  which  a  piece  of  lighted  candle  has  been  put, 
whilst  the  others  sing 

"  Tom-toddy  es  coom  hoam,  coom  hoam ; 

Tomrtoddy  es  coom  hoam 
Weth  hes  eyes  burnt,  and  hes  nawse  burnt 

And  hes  eyelids  burnt  also. 
Tom-toddy  es,"  &c.  Uncle  Jan  Trenoodle. 

Tom-trot.       Sweet  stuff.     Toffy,  hard-bake. 

Tongue-tabbas,  or  Tongue-tab.     A  chattering 

old  scold. 


296 

Tongue-pad.       A  pratler,  a  chatterer,  a  very  talkative 

person. 
Tonnell,  or  tunnell.      A  great  tub  or  task.    PolvMe. 

Tonnel  is  Celtic  Cornish  for  cask. 

Tootledum  pattick.       A  great  simpleton. 

Toppy.  The  hush  of  hair  brushed  straight  up  from 
the  forehead.  Very  common  about  50  years  ago  with 
men  and  boys. 

Top-cliflf.       Half  a  gallon  of  black  tin.  Careiv. 

Tor.  A  pile  of  rocks,  or  a  huge  rock,  generally  crown- 
ing a  hill  of  granite.  The  word  is  Celtic  Cornish  and 
means,  a  prominence,  a  bulge,  the  swell  of  a  moun- 
tain, a  mountain,  a  tower  or  high  place. 

Tormentor.  An  agricultural  implement  for  breaking 
up  the  clods  of  a  ploughed  field. 

Tose.  To  pull  wool.  Tosing.  A  process  of  pull- 
ing or  preparing  wool.       M.A.c. 

Tot.       A  dram,  or  "nip"  of  spirit,  "a  tot  of  lic^uor." 

Totle.       A  stupid  silly  fellow. 

Totelin,  or  Totelish.  Both  senile  and  imbecile. 
"A  poor  toteling  old  man." 

Toucher.      A  close  hit  or  miss.    "  That  was  a  toucher." 

Touch-wood.  Wood  in  a  peculiar  state  of  decay. 
A  sort  of  dry  rot,  as  in  dead,  but  still  standing  trees. 

Tosh.       A  large  bunch,  as  of  flowers.       M.A.c. 

Touse.  Fuss,  row,  uproar,  hurry.  "Making  such  a 
touse."    (Tos,  he  swore,  in  Celtic  Cornish.) 


Touser.       A  large  coarse  apron   for  kitchen  use. 

{Touzier  in  Armoric,  a  table-cloth). 
Tousing.       Working  briskly,  bustling  about. 

Towan,    Towin,    Tewen,    Tuan,    or    Tuyn. 

These  are  Celtic  Cornish  words  for  a  dune  or  heap  of 
sand.  Many  places  are  called  by  this  name  whose 
situation  answers  to  this  etymology,  as  Towan  Forth, 
Pentuan,  &c.  Lhuycl  (Archeologia  p.  220)  says  it 
means  a  hillock,  and  Gwavas  applies  the  term  to  a 
plain,  a  green,  or  level  place.  "The  spots,  says  Polwhele, 
most  favourable  to  our  sheep  are  those  were  the  sands 
are  scarcely  covered  with  the  sod,  the  green  hillocks 
or  levels  of  our  downs  in  the  vicinity  of  the  sea. 
We  call  them  iowans." 

Town  of  trees.       A  grove  near  a  dwelling-house. 

Town-place.       The  farm  yard,  a  hamlet. 

Towze.       To  pull  about  in  a  rough  manner. 

Toytish,  or  Toit.       Pert,  snappish. 

Toze.  To  walk  fast.  Tozing  along.  Going  along 
in  a  hurry.       M.A.c. 

Traade.  Physic.  "Doctors' traade."  Anything  nau- 
seous, i.e.  "  poor  traade."  Synonymous  with  "  stuff," 
"  poor  stuff,"  i.e.,  "poor  traade." 

Traapse.  To  gad  about.  "Traapseing  about  in  the 
mud." 

Trammel.       A  fishing  net.     (Tramels,  nets.     Spenser.) 

Trawy.     A  trough,     t.c. 


298 

Treesing.     Idling.     m.a.c. 

Tregagle,   or   Tregeagle.       A  legendary  personage. 

The  name  is  used   thus    "Howling   like   Tregagle." 

See  the  Legend  in  Corn.  Histy. 

Treloobing.  Washing  the  Jools,  Q.V.,  or  slime  tin,  &c., 
so  as  to  save  the  fine  ore,  which  sinks  to  the  bottom. 
Looh,  Celtic  Cornish,  slime,  sludge. 

Trenrniin.  Good,  very  nice,  pleasant.  "  Good  for 
sore  eyes,"  i.e.,  good  to  see.  "Now  I  call  that, 
tremmin."  In  Celtic  Cornish  treniyn  means,  sight, 
look,  aspect. 

Trester.  A  beam.  "  Put  in  a  good  big  trester."  In 
Celtic  Cornish,  troster,  a  beam,  a  rafter,  and  tresters, 
beams,  rafters. 

Trestrem.       Bait  cut  up  for  the  hooks. 

F.  IV.  P.,  Mousehole. 

Tribet.  A  trivet.  A  stand  or  support  having  three 
legs,  or  feet.  An  andiron.  It  is  a  Celtic  Cornish 
word. 

Tribute.  The  share  or  share  price  by  contract,  of  ore 
raised,  claimed  by  the  miner. 

Tributers.  Miners  who  work  for  "tribute,"  (Q.V.), 
i.e.,  undertake  to  raise  ore  from  the  lode  at  a  percent- 
age in  the  pound  sterling,  on  the  value  of  the  ore 
brought  to  "grass." 

Triddling.      Trifling,  talking  nonsense.  Garland. 


Trig.  To  put  on  the  drag  to  a  wheel.  To  set  up  or 
support  with  a  prop,  "  to  trig  it  up."  To  trip  up.  If 
falling,  a  lad  would  say  he  had  "  trigged  his  foot." 

Trig.  Shellfish  are  so  called  at  Helford,  and  many- 
other  places  in  Cornwall.  Pohvhele.  (Treage,  The 
muscle  (fish).     Borlase.)     Celtic  Cornish. 

Trikle.       Treacle.     (Triacle.     Chaucer.) 

Troach.       To  step  along,  to  tread  upon,  to  trample  on. 

Troachers.  Itinerant  dealers  or  pedlers.  So  called 
because  they  troach  (trot)  about  the  country. 

Troaching.  Trudging,  plodding  along,  walking  about. 
(Hawking  vegetables,  m.a.c.)  Treading  upon.  "Tro- 
aching about  all  day  long." 

Troddler.  Just  "going  ofi","  one  just  learning  to 
walk,  "  a  little  troddler." 

Troll.       A  feast.     (A  short  row  on  the  sea.     M.A.C.) 

Troll.      A  tinner's  feast.     (Also  called  a  duggle.     Pryce.) 

Troll  foot.      See  Trowled. 

Troll  footed.       One  who  has  club  feet. 

Trone.       A  small  furrow,  or  narrow  trench. 

Trool.  To  turn  round  or  run,  as  does  a  small  wheel, 
or  roll  like  a  ball.     See  Truckle. 

Trot.       The  bed  of  a  river.  PoJichele. 

Trot.  "An  old  trot."  A  moping,  cross,  and 
wretched  old  woman,  a  covetous  person,  an  old  miser. 
From  troth,  Celtic  Cornish,  poor,  wretched. 


300 

Trowled,  or  Trolled.  Turned  or  twisted  down,  as 
of  the  heel  of  a  shoe.  Also  a  deformity  of  the  foot 
(talii^es),  "  a  trowled  foot."  Also  sprained,  as,  "  I've 
trowled  my  foot." 

Troy-town.       "Like  Troy-town,"  i.e.,  confusion,  litter; 

intricacy  of  roads  or  streets. 
Truck.     Trash.    "  What  truck  ! "    Troc  in  Celtic  Cornish 

means,  evil,  harm. 
Truckle.       A  very  small  wheel  or  roller. 
Truckle.       To  roll  along,  or  around  as  a  small  wheel, 

or  as  a  ball. 
Truflf.       Trout.       H.E.c.       Tmd  in  Celtic  Cornish,  but 

borrowed  from  the  Latin  tndta,  a  trout. 
Trug.       To  trudge. 

Trundle.       A  salting  pan.  CaUington. 

Trunk.       A  mining  tool.       e.n. 

Trunking.       One  of  the  processes  in  tin  dressing.     E.N. 
Tub.       The  fish.     Trigia  hirundo.     c.     Red  Gurnard. 
TubbanS.       Clods  of  earth.       TabS.       Q.V. 
Tubbal.       A  miner's  tool. 
Tubbut.       Short  and  thick.     See  Dobbet. 
Tuck.       Chuck,  as  "a  tuck  under  the  chin."     Also  an 

operation  in  seining  pilchards. 
Tucker.       One  who  works  in  a  fulling-mill. 
Tuck  in.       A  good  large  meal,  a  blow-out,     "  I've  had 

a  regular  good  tuck  in." 


301 

Tucking.  Working  in  a  fulling-mill.  Also  an  opera- 
tion with  a  tuck-net  in  the  taking  of  pilchards  by- 
removing  the  fish  enclosed  in  the  large  stop-net. 

Tucking-mill.       A  fulling-mill. 

Tuck-net.  A  fishing  net  used  in  the  taking  of  pilch 
ards  which  have  been  enclosed  by  the  seine,  or  stop- 
net. 

Tummals.  Lots,  heaps,  quantities  of  any  thing. 
"  Tummals  of  meat."  Tomals  in  Celtic  Cornish, 
for  the  same. 

Tulky,  or  Tulgy.       A  slovenly  woman.       M.A.C. 

Tun-tree,  or  Tuntry.       The  pole  of  an  ox-wagon. 

Turned  ugly  (oogly).  Loss  of  temper,  very  cross,  or 
sulky.     "  He's  turned  oogly." 

Tut.       A  footstool.     A  stupid  person.       M.A.C. 

Tutmen.  Men  who  work  in  a  mine  by  the  piece,  such 
as  sinking  shafts,  driving  adits,  &c.,  at  so  much  per 
fathom. 

Tutwork.  Work  in  a  mine  done  at  a  certain  price,  as 
by  the  fathom,  &c. 

Twang,  or  Tang.       A  peculiar  taste  or  flavour, 

Twingle.  To  twist  and  wriggle  like  a  worm  on  a 
hook.     Also  to  tingle  as  from  cold. 

Twister.       A  difficult  job,  "  that's  a  twister." 

Tye.  An  adit  or  drain.  A  Celtic  Cornish  word  form- 
erly in  use  about  St.  Austell.     Tonkin.     Also  a  bed. 

See  Bed-tye. 


302 

Tye.  "  The  same  as  strek,  (or  strake)  but  worked  with 
a  smaller  stream  of  water."  "  Pryce. 

Tyor.  A  thatcher,  or  hellier  (slater).  Fohvhele.  It  is 
a  Celtic  Cornish  word. 

Udjiack.  "  A  small  moveable  block  of  wood  used  by- 
builders  in  fitting  the  planks  of  a  boat."       B.V. 

Ugly^  or  Oogly.       JMorose,  ill-tempered. 
"  Esna  lukkin  oogly  ovver  et !  " 

Uncle.  This  word,  like  au7it  (q.v.),  is  very  often  used 
instead  of  Mr.,  in  speaking  to,  or  of  an  aged  Cornish- 
man,  although  not  related  to  the  speaker. 

Underground  captain.  The  person  who  overlooks 
miners  at  work  down  in  the  mine. 

Uneave,  To  thaw.  PolwheU.  Heaving,  eaving,  and 
giving,  are  synonymous  words.  Chaucer  used  yeve 
for  (jive,  and  the  true  word  seems  to  be  yeaving.  It  is 
now  used  without  the  prefix  un.    See  Heaving,  and 

Giving. 

Unkid       Gloomy,  lonely,  dull,  uncanny. 

Unlusty.       Unwieldy,  very  fat. 

Unream.       To  skim  off  the  clotted  or  clouted  cream 

from  the  surface  of  the  scalded  milk  with  a  reamer. 

(Q.V.) 
Un-tifled.       Frayed  out,  unravelled  or  frayed  by  wear; 

used  of  tissues. 
Uppa,  uppa,  holye !       (Pronounced  oojxi,  oopa,  holly). 

When  the  writer  was  a  boy  the  following  were  the 

words  used  in  the  boy's  game  of  fox-hunting.     When 


303 

the  hounds  (the  boys)  were  "at  fault"  the  leader 
cried  out  to  the  missing  "fox"  in  these  words, 
"  Uppa,  uppa,  holye, 
If  you  don't  speak, 
My  dogs  shan't  folly     (follow)." 
The  first  line  is  Celtic  Cornish,  uppa  meaning,  in 
this  place,  here,  and  hohje,  to  follow,  to  come  after,  to 
watch.     This  is  a  "cry"  in  two  languages,  and  the 
only  one  (except  perhaps  Ena  Mena,  Q-V.)  of  the 
kind  known  to  the  writer.     It  is  probably  very  old, 
and  when,  long  ago,  Cornish  boys  hunted  together, 
some  of  them  perhaps  could  only  speak  their  native 
Celtic  tongue,  while  others  among  them  knew  both 
English  and  Cornish.     See  Hubba  and  Hevah. 

Uprose,  or  UprOSed.  Churched,  as  with  women 
after  childbed. 

Urge.  To  retch,  or  strain  in  vomiting. 

Vady.  Musty.     Damp.     (Faded,  gone.     Spenser.) 

Vag-ends.       Fag  ends,  scraps,  remnants. 

Vally.  Value,  worth,  price. 

Valsen.       Fresh  water  eels.       Carew. 

Vamp.       A  sock,  or  short  stocking. 

Vamp.       To  put  a  new  foot  to  a  stocking. 

Vamping.  A  tippler's  trick.  Tipplers  who  desire  to 
make  the  most  of  one  glass  of  grog,  first  drink  a  little, 
then  add  some  spirit,  then  sip  again,  next  add  some 


304 

more  water,  then  drink  again,  and  so  are  repeating  the 
trick  known  as  vamping.  In  a  way  it  is  putting  a 
new  foot  to  a  stocking. 

Vang.       A  notion,  or  conceit,  "one  of  his  new  vangs." 

Vang.       To  get,  to  earn. 

"Vang  thee  that."       The  London  Prodigal 

VangingS.       Earnings,  winnings.     See  FangingS. 

Vang-tooth.       The  eye-tooth.     {JVang,  Saxon). 

Vanning.  Trying  a  sample  of  tin  ore  by  washing  it 
on  a  shovel. 

VargOOd.  "A  spar  about  23  feet  long  used  as  a  bow- 
line to  the  foresail  of  our  fishnig  boats."       w.F.P. 

Veak.     A  whitlow,      c.     Veach.     m.a.c. 

Vean.  Little.  "  Cheeld  vean,"  little  child.  It  is  Celtic 
Cornish.     Also  vijan. 

Veer.  A  young,  or  sucking  pig.  (In  Celtic  Cornish 
verrcs  means  a  boar  pig.     Pryce.) 

Vellon.     See  Fellon. 

Vellum-broken.      Paiptured,  (hernia).  SuflFering  from 

hydrocele. 
Venom.       A  gathered,  or  inflamed  finger.     A  whitlow. 

Veor,  Great.  A  Celtic  Cornish  word,  also  written 
vor,  veur  and  meur. 

Veskin.     See  Biscan. 
Vester.     See  Fescue. 


305 
Vestry.       The  smiling  of  infants  in  their  sleep.       M.A.C. 
Victor-nuts.       Hazelnuts.       M.A.C. 

Vistes,  or  Veestes.     The  fists. 

"  But  I'll  tame  the  ould  deval  afore  et  es  long, 
Ef  I  caan't  wai  ma  veestes,  I  will  wai  ma  tongue." 
Vinny,  or   Vinnied.       Turned   sour.     "The   beer  is 
gone  vinny.''     Mouldy,  as  of  cheese. 

Vinney,  or  Vinnewed  ore.      "  Copper  ore  that  has 

a  blue  or  green  spume,  or  efflorescence  upon  it  like 
verdigris."  Pryce. 

Virgin  ore.  Malleable  or  native  copper.  So  called 
because  of  its  purity. 

Visnan,    or   Vidnan.        A    sand    lance,   a   sand   eeL 

ILA.C. 

Visgay^  or  Visgie.       A  digging  tool,  a  kind  of  mat- 
tock. Callington. 
Vitty.      See  Fitty. 
Vlaad.     See  Blawed. 

Vlicker.       "  Flicker,"  or  blush. 
Vlickets.       Hot  flushes,  blushes. 

Vlicker  up.  To  blush,  or  flush  violently.  "She 
vhckered  up  all  over,  "i.e.,"  Her  face  was  all  on  fire." 

Voace-put.  Something  done  for  the  occasion,  or, 
under  great  necessity,  or  compulsion.  "  Twas  a  voace- 
put  aafter  oal." 

Voider.       A  baby's  clothes-basket. 


306 
Vogget.       To  hop  on  one  leg.       C. 
Volyer,    or    Vollier.        The    second    seine    boat    in 
pilchard  fishing.     It  carries  the  tuck-net.    Also  called 

Folyer,  or  Follower. 

VoOCh,  and  VoOChy.  See  Fooch,  and  Foochy. 
Vore.  A  furrow.  Vor  or  for  in  Celtic  Cornish,  a  way. 
Vore-heap.       A  wrestling  grip  or  hitch. 

Vore-right,  or  Fore-right.  A  straight-forward, 
blunt,  or  brusque  manner  of  speaking.  The  coarse 
ground,  "  entire  grain,"  (corn)  made  into  bread  is 
called  "vore-right,"  or  "forth-right"  bread. 

Vorethy,  or  Voathy.      See  Foathy,  or  Forethy. 

Vorver.  A  horse  way.  In  Celtic  Cornish  vor,  vordh, 
or  for,  a  way,  and  verh,  (a  mutation  of  merh)  a  horse. 

Voryer.  The  fowls'  or  hens'  path,  or  way.  F'rom  the 
Celtic  Cornish  vor,  a  way ;  yer,  hens,  {ijar,  a  hen). 

Vrape.     See  Frape. 

Vugg,  or  Voog.  A  natural  cavity  in  a  mine  often 
found  beautifully  crusted  with  minerals.  There  are 
various  names  in  Celtic  Cornish  for  a  cave  or  cavern, 
viz.,  vooga,  voii,  vugga,  vug,  vugli,  hugo,  fogo,  fogou,  fou, 
googoo,  ogov,  and  ogo. 

Vurry- cloth,  or  Furry-cloth.      An  oval  piece  of 

red  cloth  about  3  inches  by  2  inches,  placed  over  the 
fontanel  of  a  new-born  babe  before  putting  on  a  cap. 
This  custom  of  the  vurry-cloth  was  in  use  about  40  or 
50  years  ago.     Poor  women  begged  the  red  cloth  of 


307 

tailors  to  use  for  this  purpose.  The  custom  is 
obsolete  or  very  rare  now.  Perhaps  from  the  Celtic 
Cornish  fur,  sage,  prudent.  Sage-woman's  cloth.  Bod- 
min. 
Wack.  Allowance,  quantum.  "  He  looks  like  a  fellow 
who  can  take  his  wack" 

Wad.  A  small  bunch,  or  bundle  of  hay,  straw,  &c. 
The  "rubber"  used  by  french-polishers  is  called  a 
"  wad."  Also,  bread,  butter,  and  sugar  in  a  tied  rag, 
for  infants  to  suck.      This  is  called  a  "  sugary  wad." 

Waiter.       A  tea  tray. 

Wagel.       A  grey  gull.       M.A.C. 

Wambling.       Rumbling  in  the  stomach.     Feeling  sick 

and  faint.    See  Wimbly-wambly. 

Wang.       To  hang  about  in  a  tiresome  manner.      M.A.C. 
Want.      A  mole.    Want-hill.      Mole-hill. 

Warming  stone.       A  name  formerly  given  to  a  kind 

of  stone,  which  when  once  heated  retains  the  heat  a 

great  while.    Called  by  Charlton,  Lapis  schistos  duriss: 

et  solidissimus.     (Borlase's  Natl.  Histy.) 
Warn.       To  warrant,  as  "  I'll  warn'ee,"  i.e.,  I'll  warrant 

you. 
Watercase.       A  plant  resembling  watercress,  but  the 

leaves  are  not  so  round,  and  it  has  a  more  stinging 

taste.     ( Helosciadum  nodiflorum.       c.) 
Wattery.       Faint  and  hungry,  "  I'm  feeling  very  wat- 

tery." 


308 

Watty,  or  Wat.  A  name  for  a  hare.  So  called  from 
his  long  ears  or  wattles.     Brewer: 

"  By  this  poor  JFai,  far  off  upon  a  hill 
Stands  on  his  hinder  legs,  with  listening  ear." 

Shakspere  in  "  Venus  and  Adonis.^' 
Way.       The  "reason  why."     "That  is  the  way  I  did 

it,"  i.e.,  That  is  luhij  I  did  it. 
Way.        "In   ^   way."      Disturbed   in   mind.       Angry. 
"  Mawther's  in  a  putty  way."     See  Taer,  Taking. 
Touse,  and  Por. 

Ware  East.  Ware  West.  Cries  in  hurling  for 
the  goal.  Carew.  (JVare  or  ir/iare,  Celtic  Cornish 
for  quickly,  soon,  at  once.) 

Wear,  or  wor.      Fashion.     See  Oal  tha  wor. 

"It  is  not  the  wear.'"     Shukspeie. 

Wedgin  day.  A  day  set  apart  by  miners  for  repairing 
tools,  &c.       E.N. 

WeelyeS.  (weelys)       Crab  or  lobster  pots.  Tonkin. 

Wee's  nest.       A  mare's  nest. 
"  Why  dost  thou  laugh  1 
What  mare's  nest  hast  thou  found  ?  " 

Beaumont  and  Fletcher,  "Bonduca,"  v.  2. 
In  Cornwall  they  say,  "  you  have  found  a  wee's  nest 
and  are  laughing  over  the  eggs. "     Brewer. 

Wee"WOW.  A  rocking  unsteady  motion.  Wobbling 
about. 

Weet.       To  pull.     ("  I'll  wcet  thy  loggers."       M.A.C.) 


309 

Weet.       To  pull  the  hair.       W.f.p. 

Weet-Snob.  It  was  a  sight  to  see  the  cobbler's  face  as 
he  pulled  his  hog's  bristle  and  waxed  thread,  when 
we  boys  used  to  flatten  our  noses  against  his  window. 
How  he  "  glazed,"  when  we  called  out  "  Weet  snob  ! 
If  I  hear  anybody  say  weet  snob  !  I'll  weet  snob 
him  !"     Those  boys  !     (Weet  was  pronounced  ivheet.J 

St.  Colurab. 

Weeting.  (A  thrashing.  M.A.C.)  Pulling  anyone 
about. 

Weeth.     Afield.    Weethans.   Small  fields.    m.a.c. 

Well-a-fine.        "That's   all   well-a-fine."     "That's    all 

very  well."     "Very  well  considering."     Middling. 
Wettle.       An  infant's  inside  flannel. 

Whap.  Whop,  a  blow.  Whaf  is  Celtic  Cornish  for  a 
blow. 

Wheal.  A  mine,  a  work.  See  Huel.  It  is  a  Celtic 
Cornish  word.     Also  spelt  wliel,  icheijl,  and  whyl. 

Whelk,  or  Whilk.     See  Quillaway. 

Whelve,    or   Whilve.        "  To   turn   a   hollow    vessel 

upside  down."       C. 
Whiffing.       A   fishing   term.     Traihng  a   fishing   line 

with  baited  hook  after  a  boat. 

Whim,  or  Whem.  A  large  hollow  drum  with  a 
perpendicular  axis,  and  a  powerful  transverse  beam, 
worked  by  one  or  two  horses  walking  round  and 
round  in  a  circle.     The  rotation  of  the  drum  with  the 


310 

rope  coiled  round  it  causes  the  kibble  to  ascend  or 
decend  in  a  shaft.  It  used  to  be  said  that  the 
inventor  of  the  "  whim "  was  asked  what  he  was 
doing.  He  replied  that  lie  had  a  "whim"  in  his  head. 
This  is  an  improbable  tale  as  in  Celtic  Cornish 
uimbleii  means,  whirling,  and  such  is  the  action  of  the 
machine. 

Whinnard.    The  redwing.  Also  called  Swellack.  Q.V. 

Whinnard.  ^^sed  of  one  who  is  looking  very  cold. 
"  Looking  like  a  whinnard." 

Whipsidery.       A  machine  for  raising  ore.       M.A.C. 

Whip-and-gO.       A  near  miss,  a  near  chance,  all  but, 

"  'Twas  whip-and-go  to  get  there  in  time." 
Whip-and-while.      Every  now  and  then,  occasionally. 
Whip-the-Cat.       A  tailor  who  works  in  private  houses, 

and  who  is  paid  by  the  day. 
Whisky.       An  old  name  for  a  gig. 
WhisterCUfF.       A  box  on  the  ear. 
Whip-tree.       The  whipple-tree  of  a  carriage. 
Whirl.       The  hip  joint.     "  I've  got  such  a  pain  in  my 

whirl." 
Whirl-bone.       The  round  head  of  the  hip-bone.     The 

hip-bone. 
White-livered.        Cowardly.        "Lily-livered."      "A 

lily-livered  action  taking  knave."      Shakspere.      This 

term,  white-livered,  was  formerly  used  of  a  man  who 

had  married  three  or  four  times. 


311 

Whit-neck.       A  white-throated  weasel.       E.N. 

White-pot,  or  Whitpot.  A  dish  made  of  milk, 
flour,  and  treacle,  with  a  slice  of  bread  on  the  surface, 
baked;  also  milk  and  flour  with  sugar  or  treacle, 
boiled.  Fot  is  Celtic  Cormsh  ioT  pudding.  ("To  keep 
well  filled  with  thrifty  fare,  as  white-pot,  buttermilk, 
and  curds."     Hudihras.) 

Whitsul.  Milk,  sour  milk,  cheese,  curds,  butter,  and 
such  like  as  come  from  the  cow.  Carew. 

White  tin.  The  metal  tin,  in  contra-distinction  to  the 
ore,  or  black  tin. 

White-witch.  A  quack,  cheat,  and  dealer  in  charms, 
etc.  One  who  trades  on  the  superstitions  of  the 
ignorant. 

Whiz.       A  fussy  person,  "a  dreadful  old  whiz.' 

Whizzy.       Giddy.     "  Head  gwain  roun'." 

Whizzing  about.       Fussing  about,  whirling. 

Whizzy-gig.       A  whirligig. 

WhurtS,  or  Hurts.       Whortleberries  or  Hurtleberries. 

Widdles.       Whims,  silly  couceits. 

Widdershins.       From  north  to  south,  through  east. 
iLA.c. 

Widdy-widdy-way.  The  following  is  said  in  start- 
ing children  for  a  race. 

"  Widdy,  widdy,  way. 
Is  a  very  pretty  play, 
Once,  twice,  three  times, 
And  all  run  away."     Off". 


312 

Wiff.  -A-  small  tippet  or  cape.  "  Go  and  put  on  your 
wiff." 

Wildfire^  or  Weeldfire.       Erysipelas. 

Wild  lead.     See  Mock  lead. 

Willen.  A  beetle.  This  is  spelt  hwillaen  in  Celtic 
Cornish  by  Pnjce;  Huilan  by  Borlase. 

Wilkin,  or  Wilkey.  A  frog.  See  Quilkey,  and 
Quilkin. 

Wilver.  The  pot,  or  "1)aker"  under  which  country 
bread  is  baked  in  burning  wood  ashes;  called  a 
"  baking  kettle  "  in  Devonshire. 

Wimbly-wambly.  Feeling  sick  and  giddy.  "I'm 
all  wimbly-wambly." 

Windle.       A  spindle. 

Wind-mow.       A  rick  made  in  the  open  field. 

Winds.       A  windlass.  Pryce. 

Windspur  broach.  "  A  crooked  stick  thrust  into 
each  end  of  a  thatch  to  secure  the  windspur  rope." 
H.R.C. 

Windspur  rope.  A  rope  to  keep  the  top  of  a  hay- 
stack safe  from  the  wind. 

Wingarly.       Faint,  sick.  Borlase. 

Wingery.       "  Oozing,  shiny,  as  tainted  meat."      M.A.c. 
Winky.       Very   quickly,  "like    winky,"  i.e.,  in    a  mo- 
ment, in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye. 


313 

Winnick.  To  over-reach,  to  deceive,  to  cheat.  "I'll 
■\viiinick  him." 

Wint,  or  Windt.  A  whirling,  wheel-like  machine  for 
twisting  straw  rope.     (Wink.       C.) 

Winze.  In  mining,  a  small  shaft  sunk  from  one  level 
to  another  for  the  purpose  of  ventilation.  Ogilvie. 
A  small  shaft  with  a  windlass.  M.A.c.  A  communi- 
cation between  two  mine  galleries  by  a  partial  shaft 
in   the   intervals   between   the   two    great   shafts. 

Dr.  Paris. 

Wisht,  or  Whisht.  JNIelancholy,  dismal,  sad,  "  'Tes 
whisht,  i.e.,  'tis  sad.  "  I  am  feeling  quite  whisht," 
i.e.,  I  am  very  low  in  spirits.  '"Tes  whisht  weather," 
i.e.,  Very  rough  weather.  "  He's  a  whisht  poor  work- 
man," i.e..  He's  a  stupid  workman.  "  'Tes  whisht 
poor  traade,"  i.e.,  It  is  very  nauseous.  ( JFeesi  in 
Pembroke.) 

Wol,  or  Wull.       Will. 

"  I  icol  not  tellen  God's  privitie."     Chaucer. 

Wonders.     See  Gwenders.     c. 

Wood  tin.       Tin  ore  having  a  structural  resemblance 

to  wood. 
Woodwall.       The  green  wood-pecker.       c. 
Wormals.       Lumps  in  the  skin  of  an  animal  from  the 

presence  of  larvae  therein.     (JFornal.       c.) 
Worms.       "Poor  old  worms,"  i.e.,  poor  old  souls,  (old 

people).     Poor  worms  !  Poor  dear  worms  !  i.e.,  poor 

little  souls,  (children.) 


314 

Wownd.       A  wound.    Used  thus  in  rhyme  by  Spenser. 
"  The  myrrhc  sweete  bleeding  to  the  bitter  wound, 
The  fruitfull  olive,  and  the  platane  round." 

Faeni  Queene. 
Wriggle,  or  Wiggle.      See  Riggle. 

Wrinkle.  A  dodge,  a  trick,  a  cunning  suggestion.  In 
Celtic  Cornish  wrynch,  a  trick.  (Also  used  elsewhere). 
"  I've  put  him  up  to  a  wrinkle  or  two." 

Wrinkles.       Periwinkles. 

Wroth.       A  fish  known  as  Conner,  or  sea  Carp.   Tonkin. 

Wroxler.      See  Ruxler. 

Wurraw !      See  Hooraa ! 

Yaffer,  or  Yeffer.      Heifer. 

Yafful.       A  handful. 

Yaller,  or  Yalla.     Yellow. 

Yap.       A  short  snapping  bark  of  a  dog. 

Yaw.      Ewe. 

Yellow  janders.       The  jaundice. 

Yes.  A  Cornishman  has  a  way  of  answering  "  yes  " 
which  cannot  be  written,  or  spelt.  It  is  thus  done.  The 
teeth  a  little  apart,  and  the  mouth  rounded,  a  sudden 
and  sibilant  inspiration  is  made.  The  sound  so  pro- 
duced is  meant  for  "yes,"  and  is  equivalent  to  a  nod. 
In  Buckinghamshire  they  did  not  understand  it ! 

Yet.  A  gate.  "  Wull'ee  opp'n  the  yet  ? "  It  is  a 
Celtic  Cornish  word. 


315 
Yewl.       A  dung-fork.     See  Eval.  CaUington. 

Yock,  Yerk,  or  Yolk.  The  greasy  impurity  of  a 
sheep's  fleece.       C. 

Yockj  or  Yuck.  To  hiccough.  Trying  to  swallow- 
when  the  mouth  is  empty,  is  called  "  giving  a  yock." 

Yeox.     Saxon.     Yoxe.     Chaucer. 

Zacky.     See  Cousin- Jacky. 

Zam.       See  Sam. 

Zam-zodden,  or  Zam-zoddered.  See  Sam- 
sawdered. 

Zang.       See  Sang. 

Zape,  or  Zapy.       A  blockhead,  a  fool. 

Zawkemin,  or  Zawkin.       Stupid,  thickheaded. 

Zawker.       A  dull  stupid  fellow. 

Zawn.  A  hole  in  the  cliff  through  which  the  sea 
passes.  (A  cave  where  the  tide  flows  in.  Br. 
Bannister.)  Spelt  Sawan  by  Polwhele  and  Prijce. 
Borlase  says  Zawn  is  Celtic  Cornish  for  a  creek. 

Zeer.  Worn  out,  aged,  withered,  sere.  {Sere,  dry, 
Chaucer.) 

ZeSS,  orSeSS,  A  great  fat  woman.  From  the  Latin 
sus,  a  sow,  a  pig,  a  hog. 

ZeW.  "  To  work  alongside  a  lode  before  breaking  it 
down."  Garland.  From  the  Celtic  Cornish  seive  or 
sewye,  to  follow,  to  pursue. 


316 

Zighyr.       "  When   a  very  small  slow  stream  of  water 
issues  through  a  cranny  under-ground,  it  is  said  to  be 

Zighyr  or  Sigger."     In   Celtic   Cornish   sigijr  means, 
sluggish,  lazy. 
Zog.       See  Sog. 

Zoggy.      See  Soggy. 

Zoundy  away,  or  Soundy  away.      To  faint,  to 

sink  down,  convulsed  with  laughter.     "  I  towld'n  a 

story    'bout    a    swemmin    grendinstoan    an    a    ded 

zoundy,  zOUndy,  Z-0-U-n-d-y  away,  wai  lawfin." 

Zukky.       To  smart.     "  I'd  make  un  zukky."    Camborne. 

Zwealed.      See  Swealed. 


ADDENDA. 


Alive.  When  a  mineral  lode  is  rich  in  tin,  copper,  &c., 
it  is  said  to  be  alive,  in  centra-distinction  to  deads.  Q.V. 

Angelmaine.  The  Monk  fish,  sqiiatina  angelus.  c. 
(Mevagissey.) 

AstuU.  "  An  arch  or  ceiling  of  boards  over  the  men's 
heads  in  a  mine,  to  save  them  from  the  falling  stones, 
rocks,  or  scales  of  the  lode  or  its  walls."  Fryce.  It 
is  aste!  in  Celtic  Cornish,  meaning,  a  board,  a  plank. 
See  StuU. 

Back  of  the  lode.  That  part  of  it  which  is  upper- 
most or  nearest  to  the  surface  of  the  earth. 

Bottoms  in  fork.  When  the  deepest  parts  of  a 
mine  are  freed  by  a  pumping  engine  from  the  accumu- 
lated water,  miners  say,  "  The  bottoms  are  in  fork, 
or,  "She  (the  mine)  is  in  fork."  Pumping  up  the 
water  is  "forking"  it.  The  engine  is  ''in  fork 
(see  Pryce)  when  it  has  done  its  pumping. 

Bunny.  A  sudden  enlargement  or  bunch  of  ore  in  a 
lode.  Pryce.  Perhaps  this  word  is  from  hen,  Celtic 
Cornish  for,  butt  end. 


318 
Burden,  Over-burden,  or  Top-burden.     The 

rubble  or  dead  ground  which  overlies  a  stratura  of 
tin-ore,  &c.  In  china  clay  works  it  is  the  top  ground, 
from  the  surface  to  the  bed  of  clay  which  lies  below. 

Cakka-man-ah,  or  Akka-mannaa.     Human  forces. 

Perhaps  from  the  Celtic  Cornish  cac,  ordure.  (Wil- 
liams, Corn.  Dicfy.,  gives  for  it  in  "Welsh,  each. 
Armoric,  each.  Irish,  cac.  Gaelic,  cac.  Manx,  cuch. 
Sanscrit,  cakan.  Greek,  kakk^.  Dutch,  kak.  Spanish 
and  Portuguese,  caca!')     Latin,  caco.  V. 

Cappenin,    or    Capp'nin.       Overbearing   or   domi- 
neering.    "  Don't  come  capp'nin  over  me." 

Casier.       A.  sieve.     In  Celtic  Cornish,  kazer. 

Gaunter  lode-      See  Lodes. 

Commercin.       Conversing,  chattering.     "Whatever  is 
all  the  commercin  about  ?  " 

•'Looks  coinmercing  with  the  skies."     Milton. 

Comreesing.     Fleeting,  sliding  away.   Pohuhele.    From 
the  Celtic  Cornish  rees,  to  fleet,  or  slide  away. 

Costean  or  Costeaning  pits.     "Shallow  pits  to 

trace  or  find  tin."  Fryce.  In  Celtic  Cornish  cothas, 
to  find,  ( Biirlase)  stean,  tin. 

Crawn.       A   dried   sheep's   skin.     Davy,    Zennor.      In 
Celtic  Cornish  cruin,  a  skin. 


319 

Cross-course.  (Pro.  cross-coose.)  Cross  bar,  cross- 
gossan,  cross-lode.  "Is  either  a  vein  of  a  metallic 
nature,  a  cross-gossan,  or  else  a  soft  earth,  clay,  or 
flookan  like  a  vein,  which  unheads  and  intersects  the 
true  lode."     Pryce.     See  LodeS. 

Dilluer,  or  Dillueing  sieve.  A  horse-hair  sieve 
used  in  washing  the  fine  ore  stuflp,  as  in  streaming 
tin.  Pryce.  From  the  Celtic  Cornish  dilkugh '  or 
dyhjer,  to  let  go,  to  let  flj^,  to  send  awa3^ 

Down-park.       An  enclosed  down,  or  Common.     See 

Park. 

Dowst.  Dust.  (See  DoUSe.)  From  dowsioll,  Celtic 
Cornish,  all  to  pieces. 

Drift.  In  mining  "is  the  level  that  the  men  drive 
underground  from  one  shaft  to  another,  or  north  and 
south  out  of  the  lode,  in  which,  only  one  man  at  a 
time  can  work,  it  being  but  a  working  big,  and  about 
five  or  six  feet  high."  Pryce. 

Driggoe,  or  Drigger.  The  lowest  of  the  tier  of 
pumps  of  a  water-engine.  Pryce.  The  word  is  a  form 
of  trig  or  trigger,  that  which  props  up,  or  supports. 

Duggle.       A  tinner's  feast.     Also  called  a  Troil. 

Pryce. 

Elvan.  "A  very  hard  close  grained  stone."  Pryce. 
Elven  in  Celtic  Cornish  means,  a  spaik  of  fire;  as  if 
the  name  were  applied  to  stone  hard  enough  to  strike 
fire. 


320 

Fang.     (See  Fangings,  or  Vangings.    Takings, 

earnings,  winnings.  Also  New-fang.)  Craik  {Eng- 
lish Literature,  and  Language,  p.  87)  quotes  the 
following  Semi-Saxon  line. 

"  On  fang  bring  hegilich  with  the  in  Godes  riche.'' 
i.e.  Take,  bring  him  quickly  with  thee  into  God's 
kingdom.  This  written  use  of  the  word  dates  about, 
or  before  A.D.  1264,  and  no  doubt  it  was  in  oral  use 
much  earlier. 

Fast.  The  solid,  unmoved  ground,  or  rock,  in  mining 
is  called  "  the  fast  "  or  "fast  ground." 

Floran.       Very  fine  tin-stuff.     (Flour  tin.)     Pryce. 

Fork,  Forking,  In  fork.     See  Bottoms  in  fork. 

Gatchers.        The    after-leavings    of    tin    ore.      Pryce. 

See  Loobs. 
Gibb'n    Camborne.        "Give   him    Camborne."     A 
threat  of  punishment  used  by  Cornish  rowdies.     See 

Meara-geeks. 

GoUop.  To  gollop  'up.  To  gobble  up,  to  eat 
ravenously.  "  He  golloped  up  the  whole  of  it  in  no 
time." 

Gollop.      A  lump,  as  of  food.     Same  as  Dollop.     Q-V. 

Gounce.     See  Strake. 

Grass  Capp'n.  Grass  Captain  is  the  one  who  super- 
intends tlie  men,  &c.,  working  "at  grass"  i.e.,  on 
the  surface  of  a  mine. 

Gulph  of  ore.  When  a  part  of  a  lode  proves  very 
rich,  miners  say  they  have  a  "  gulph  of  ore." 


321 

Gunnies.  "  Means  breadtli  or  width.  A  single  gun- 
nies is  three  feet  wide ;  a  gunnies  and  a  half  is  four  feet 
and  a  half;  and  a  double  gunnies  is  six  feet  wide. 
The  former  vaults  or  cavities  that  were  dug  in  a 
mine,  are  termed  'the  old  gunnies;'  and  if  they  are 
full  of  water,  they  are  sometimes  called  '  gunnies  of 
water,'  yet  more  commonly,  '  a  house  of  water." 

Pryce. 

Hooler.       A  bundle  of  blunt  borers.     A  mining  term. 
"  The  Cornishman.^' 

House.      See  Gunnies,  and  Turn-house. 

House  of  water.      See  Gunnies. 

Hulk.       An  old  mine  excavation.  •  Pnjce. 

Jew.  A  name  given  to  a  black  field-beetle.  Because 
it  exudes  a  bloody  or  pinkish  froth,  they  call  to  it 
while  holding  it  in  the  hand,  "Jew,  Jew,  spit  blood." 

Kerchy.  (Pi'o.  hr-tchee.J  A  curtsy.  A  mode  of  salu- 
tation by  females.  Once  very  common,  now  nearly 
obsolete  except  in  some  remote  country  places  where 
the  women  and  children  actually  display  good  man- 
ners !  In  towns,  the  people  don't  often  use  such  a 
form  of  salute  in  these  school-board  days. 

Kerchy.  A  pocket  handkerchief.  "  Where's  my 
kerchy  ] " 

Kivully.       Loose,  hollow,  shelfy  ground.  Pnjce. 

LearyS.  A  mining  term  for  "old  men's  workings." 
Q.V. 

w 


322 

Mabyers.       Chicken,    young    fowls.     Celtic    Cornish 

mah  a  son,  yer,  hens. 

Mock  lead.  Blende  or  black-jack.  Sulphuret  of 
Zinc.  Pryce. 

Mole.       The  fish,  rock  goby.     GoUus  niger.       c. 

Molly-caudle.  A  she-man  who  fidgets,  and  interferes 
with  what  is  "  women's  work." 

Nater.  Provincial,  and  Celtic  Cornish  for,  nature. 
"  Erbyn  nater  guns  un  cry."     Against  nature  with  a  cry. 

Near  the  day.       Miner's  term  for,  near  the  surface. 

Penny-liggy.      Hard  up  for  cash. 

Pilly  ground.  A  fishing  term  for  alternate  stretches 
of  sand,  and  rocks  covered  with  sea-weed,  under 
water.      (Looe.)       w.t.a.p.      In   Celtic   Cornish  pil 

means  a  hillock,  as  if  to  say,  a  hillocky  bottom. 

Poop,  or  Poopy.      To  go  to  stool.    (Said  by  children.) 

Quick  sticks.  "  He  made  quick  sticks  of  it."  i.e.,  He 
soon  did  it,  or  soon  settled  the  business  in  hand. 

Rampant  spar  lode.       A  quartz  lode.    Pr^jce. 

Rowler.  A  ruler,  a  governor.  It  is  a  Celtic  Cornish 
word. 

Rusk  or  Risk.  The  rind  or  bark.  It  is  rise  in  Celtic 
Cornish. 

Rux.  Grains  of  gold  were  so  called  by  tinners.  Pryce. 
See  HoppS. 


323 

St.  Tibb's  Eve.  Neither  before  nor  after  Christmas, 
i.e.,  at  no  time.  "I'll  do  et  next  St.  Tibb's  Eve." 
M.A.c.     Like  the  "  Greek  calends." 

ScaW-COO.       The  night  shade.     M.A.C.     Celtic  Cornish. 

Scaw-dower.  The  water  elder.  M.A.c.  It  is  Celtic 
Cornish  from,  scaiven,  elder,  (scaiv  elders,)  and  dour 
water. 

Scullions.  (Onions.  T.w.s.)  Elsewhere  called  seal- 
lions  or  leeks.  "  The  leek  was  worshipped  at  Ascalon, 
(whence  the  modern  name  of  scallions,)  as  it  was  in 
Egypt.  Leeks  and  onions  were  also  deposited  in  the 
sacred  chests  of  the  mysteries  both  of  Isis  and  Ceres, 

the  Ceudven  of  the  Druids It  may  also  induce 

one  to  think  that  the  wearing  of  leehs  on  St.  David's 
day,  did  not  originate  at  the  battle  between  the 
Welch  and  the  Saxons  in  the  sixth  century,  but  that 
its  origin  lies  in  the  remotest  antiquity." 

Hogg's  Fabulous  Histy.  of  Ancient  Cornivall.  p.  448. 

Shortahs.  "Masses  of  loose  rubbish  in  slate  quarries 
which  have  fallen  in,  and  filled  up  cracks  and  rents." 


Tarving.  Struggling,  storming,  agitating.  "Tarving 
about  in  a  rage."  In  Celtic  Cornish,  tervijns,  a  tem- 
pest. 

Teary,  or  Tary  ground.  Loose,  fissured,  or  bro- 
ken ground,  or  rock.  In  Celtic  Cornish  tyrry,  to  break, 
and  terry,  a  breaking. 


324 
Turn-house,    or   Turning-house.      "When  (in 

mining)  a  drift  is  driven  across  the  country  N.  and  S. 
to  cut  a  lode,  they  make  a  right  angle  from  their 
drift,  and  work  on  the  lode  itself,  which,  as  it  is  in  a 
contrary  direction  to  their  past  drift  they  call  Turning 
house,  in  order  to  work  on  the  course  of  the  lode." 

Pr^jce. 


CURIOUS   SPELLING   OF  THE  NAMES 
OF   DRUGS,  &c. 

(From  actual  Cornish  manuscript  of  40  years  ago). 


Alavadick  pills. 

Aleboar. 

Allows. 

Anne  quintum. 

Apadildoldock. 

Brusoil. 

Burgmott. 

Calamile. 

Campure. 

Campyer. 

Carbinet  olemonia. 

Cerbenated  mansia. 

Couchenell. 

Coughanell. 

Dalby's  communative. 

Davy's  Lixture. 

Esens. 

Femician  red. 

Gum  go  acum. 

Hantaybilush  piles. 

Hellyconpane. 

Hole  peper. 


Aromatic  pills. 

Hellebore. 

Aloes. 

Unguentum. 

Opodeldoc. 

Bruise  oil. 

Bergamot. 

Calomel. 

Camphor. 

Camphor. 

Carbonate  of  Ammonia. 

Carbonate  of  Magnesia. 

Cochineal. 

Cochineal. 

Dalby's  Carminative. 

Daffy's  Elixir. 


Venetian  red. 
Gum  Guaiacum. 
Antibilious  pills. 


Whole  pepper. 


326 


Hoocologney. 
Magnesha. 
Marcery. 
Nighter. 
Nightor. 
Oil  a  bay. 
Oil  breik. 
Oil  deldock. 
Oil  sowols. 
Oil  of  spiks. 
Oil  of  swalos. 
Palm  of  city. 
Pilacotia. 
Pil  rusus. 

Puder  chilk. 
Puder  ginger. 
Purl  wight. 
Red  arcepty. 
Rowbarb. 
Shugir. 
Sprit  win. 
Sprit  of  Nighter. 
Sperts  terpine. 
Sperm  citta. 
Turpine. 
Weait  an  quintum. 

Whit  precipit. 
White  sipety  powder. 


Eau  de  Cologne. 

Magnesia. 

Mercury. 

Nitre. 

Kitre. 

Oil  of  bay. 

Oil  of  brick. 

Opodeldoc. 

Oil  of  swallows. 

Oil  of  sjiike. 

Oil  of  swallows. 

Spermaceti. 

Compound  Colocynth  pill. 

Pil.  Eufi,  or  pill  of  aloes 

and  myrrh. 
Powdered  chalk. 
Powdered  ginger. 
Pearl  white. 
Eed  precipitate. 
Ehubarb. 
Sugar. 

Spirits  of  wine. 
Spirit  of  Nitre. 
Spirits  of  Turpentine. 
Spermaceti. 
Turpentine. 
White  unguentum,  or  the 

white  lead  ointment. 
"White  precipitate. 
White  precipitate  powder. 


EXPLANATION  OF  THE  EEFERENCES,  IN 
THE  GLOSSARY. 


H.  Mr.  Robt.  Hunt,  author  of  "  The  Romances  of  the 
West  of  England,"  &c. 

E.N.  The  late  Mr.  Edwin  Netherton,  of  Truro.  He 
compiled  the  glossary  in  "  Cornish  Tales,  in  prose 
and  verse,"  by  J.  T.  Tregellas.  Also,  the  glossary 
at  the  end  of  "  The  Exhibition  and  other  Cornish 
Tales,"  by  Forfar,  and  others. 

U.J.T.  William  Sandys,  F.S.A.  The  author  of  "Speci- 
mens of  Cornish  provincial  dialect,"  by  "Uncle 
Jan  Treenoodle,"  (sic)  the  glossary  by  "An  anti- 
quarian friend."  The  portrait  of  Dolly  Pentreath 
in  this  book,  is  taken  from  Mr.  Sandys'  work. 

W.T.A.P.  Dr.  Pattison,  junr.,  formerly  of  Duporth,  near 
St.  Austell.  This  gentleman  has  rendered  valuable 
assistance  to  the  writer  in  the  compilation  of  this 
glossary,  and  in  investigations  about  Dolly  Pen- 
treath. 

T.W.S.  Mr.  Thomas  Walter  Sandrey,  contributor  to  the 
"Cornishman"  in  1880,  of  lists  of  "Old  Cornish 
words. " 

M.A.C.  Miss  Margaret  A.  Courtney,  of  Alverton  House, 
Penzance.  This  lady  was  so  kind  as  to  thank  the 
writer  for  words  which  are  included  in  the  Glossary 
for  West  Cornwall,  published  by  the  London  Dia- 


328 

lect  Society.  Great  thanks  are  in  return  due  to 
her  for  the  help  which  her  compilation  has  afforded. 

C.  This  letter  refers  to  Mr.  Thos.  Quiller  Couch,  of  Bod- 

min. It  has  been  explained  that  the  excellent 
glossary  in  the  "  History  of  Polperro,"  was  in 
reality  done  by  him  and  not  by  his  father,  as  was 
generally  supposed.  The  writer  found  much  assis- 
tance from  his  glossary.     See  Appendix. 

H.R.C.   Mr.  H.  R.  Cornish.      \ 

T.c.  JNIr.  Thomas  Cornish.  )  Both  of  these  gentlemen 
have  done  good  work  for  the  glossary  by  Miss  M. 
A.  Courtney. 

W.N.     ]\Ir.  Wm.  Noye.     See  the  Appendix. 

F.C.  The  Eev.  Flavell  Cook.  He  has  collected  many 
provincial  words,  which  are  included  in  the  glos- 
sary by  !Miss  Courtney. 

B.V.  Mr.  Bernard  Victor,  Mousehole.  Many  old  Cornish 
words,  and  even  phrases,  are  known  to  him,  and 
were  published  in  the  "  Cornishman."  See  Appen- 
dix for  his  letters  about  old  Dolly  Pentreath,  whose 
coffin  was  made  by  his  grandfather. 

w.r.P.  Mr.  Wm.  Fred.  Pentreath,  of  Mousehole.  also 
contributed  a  long  list  of  old  Cornish  words  to  the 
"  Cornishman." 

ie.        id  est,  that  is. 

Q.V.       Quid  vide,  which  see. 

The  writings  of  Carew,  Lhuyd,  Tonkin  (as  in  Lord 

De  Dunstanvilles  Ed.  of  Carew),  Pryce,  Borlase,  Polwhele, 

and  others,  have  afforded  the  compiler  a  large  number  of 

words. 


329 

The  comparisons  with  the  Celtic  Cornish  language,  so 
far  as  the  writer  has  ventured  to  give  them,  are  prin- 
cipally according  to  the  "  Lexicon  Cornu-Britannicuni "  of 
AVilliams. 

Great  thanks  are  due  to  ]\Ir.  J.  E.  Netherton,  of 
Truro,  who,  as  an  experienced  publisher,  has  afforded 
much  practical  help  in  correcting  and  revising  the  list  of 
writers  on  Cornish  dialect. 

The  lists  of  words  contributed  by  the  writer  to  the 
"  Cornishman,"  (a  newspaper  published  in  Penzance),  in 
1879,  1880,  are,  with  numerous  additions  of  his  own 
since,  added  to  the  glossary. 

In  order  to  distinguish  more  clearly  between  pro- 
vincial words,  and  those  of  the  ancient  language,  the  term 
Celtic  Cornish  instead  of  old  Cornish  is  used. 


APPENDIX. 


DOLLY    PENTREATH. 


In  Lake's  Parochial  History  of  Cornwall  it  is  stated 
that  the  parish  register  of  Paul,  near  Mousehole,  contains 
the  following  entry.  (The  words  in  italics  are  put  so  by 
the  writer  of  this.)  "Dorothy  Jeffery  was  buried  Deer. 
27.  (1777)." 

On  the  south  face  of  her  monument,  erected,  not  on 
her  grave  but  in  the  churchyard  wall,  in  1860,  there  is  this 
inscription.  "  Here  lieth  interred  Dorothy  Pentreath,  who 
died  in  1778  *  said  to  have  been  the  last  person  who  con- 
versed in  the  ancient  Cornish,  the  peculiar  language  of 
this  county  from  the  earliest  records  till  it  expired  in  the 
eighteenth  century,  in  this  parish  of  St.  Paul.  This  stone 
is  erected  by  the  Prince  Louis  Lucien  Bonaparte,  in  union 
with  the  Rev.  John  Garrett,  vicar  of  St.  Paul,  June  1860. 
"Hononr  thy  father  and  thy  mother,  that  thy  days  may 
be  long  in  the  land  which  the  Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee. 
Exnd.,  XX,  12. 

•If  Dolly,  as  the  Prince  has  stated  died  in  1778  and,  as  the  parish 
register  states,  she  was  bnrkd  in  1777,  (see  above)  it  is  clear  accord- 
ing to  this  that  she  was  buried  alive  1 !  which  is  absurd. 


331 

"  Gwra  perthi  dp  taz  ha  de  mam  :  mal  de  Dythiow 
bethewz  hyr  war  an  tyr  neb  an  arleth  de  dew  ryes  dees. 
Exod.  XX,  12." 

•'  Old  Dolly  Pentreath  "  (see  ParocJi.  Hist,  of  Cornwall, 
Lake,  vol.  iv,  j^.  26)  "  retained  her  maiden  name  until  her 
death,  which  occurred  in  her  102nd  year;  her  husband's 
name  was  Jeffery." 

In  the  BihUotheca  Cornubiensis  there  is  this  notice  of 
her — "  Jeffery,  Dorothy  (generally  known  by  her  maiden 
name  of  Dolly  Pentreath,  dau.  of  Nicholas  Pentreath), 
bapt.  Paul,  17  May,  1714  ;  d.  Mousehole,  Dec.  1777  ;  bur. 
Paul,  27th  Dec." — "  All  the  accounts  state  that  Dolly 
Pentreath  was  102,  but  her  real  age  at  the  time  of  death 
seems  to  have  been  only  63."* 

The  reader  has  seen  what  Drew  says  about  Dolly 
Pentreath,  and  the  positive  statements  contained  in  the 
letter  by  Daines  Barrington.  Drew  was  a  careful  and 
experienced  writer,  and  the  Cornish  History  done  by  him, 
and  printed  and  published  at  Helston  in  1824,  was  com- 
piled by   Hitchins,  who  lived   at  St.  Ives,  and   died  at 

•  There  seems  to  be  an  extraordinary  mistake  in  this.  The 
question  naturally  arises,  Why  should  she  have  been  known  by  her 
maiden  name  all  her  life?  If  the  reader  will  refer  to  Polwhele's 
History  of  Coi-nicall,  under  the  heading  "The  Language,  Litera- 
ture, and  Literary  Characters  of  Cornwall  "  (page  19,  in  a  note), 
he  will  find  that  Polwhele,  writing  about  Dolly  Pentreath,  states 
positively  and  distinctly  thus,  "Her  viaiden  name  was  Jeffery." 
From  this  then  it  must  have  been  that  she  married  a  man  called 
Pentreath,  and  was  naturally  so  called  afterwards  throughout  the 
rest  of  her  very  long  life.  The  age  63  is  certainly  an  error,  and 
impossible,  according  to  the  testimony  of  Daines  Barrington  as 
given  in  his  letter.  (See  back  pp.  6,  11.)  At  p.  20,  in  a  note, 
Polwhele  says,  "  Old  Dolly  had  no  family."     (Ed.  of  1806.) 


332 

Marazion  on  April  1,  1814.  Hitchins  was,  therefore,  a  near 
neighbour  to  Dolly  Pentreath's  place,  viz.,  Mousehole. 
The  collection  of  the  materials  for  a  Cornish  History  must 
have  taken  a  long  time,  so  that  Kitchens,  being  so  near 
Mousehole,  and  writing  not  so  very  many  years  after  the 
time  of  Dolly's  death,  could  hardly  be  other  than  well  in- 
formed of  the  facts.  It  being  hard  to  reconcile  the  above 
differences  of  dates,  and  the  subject  requiring  further 
investigation,  the  writer  went  to  Mousehole  in  the  summer 
of  1881,  and  made  inquiries.  He  convinced  himself  that, 
(notwithstanding  the  statement  of  so  correct  a  writer  as 
Drew,  that  Dolly  died  in  "  1788,"  or  the  inscription  on 
her  present  monument  erected  by  Prince  L.  L.  Bonaparte 
that  she  "died  in  1778,")  the  actual  day  of  her  death 
was  Deer.  26th,  A.D.  1777.  She  was  probably  buried,  in 
the  very  beginning  of  the  year  1778,  a  few  days  after  her 
death. 

This  appears  to  be  positively  determined  by  the  follow- 
ing valuable  and  interesting  letters  from  Mr.  Bernard 
Victor,  of  Wellington  Place,  Mousehole.  He  not  only 
fixes  the  date  of  Dolly  Pentreath's  death,  but  also  gives 
details  of  the  true  position  of  her  grave,  over  which  the 
monument,  erected  by  Prince  L.  L.  Bonaparte  in  1860, 
should  hare  been  placed,  instead  of  where  it  is  at  present, 
(1882.) 

The  writer  of  this  was  informed  by  Mr.  Trewavas, 
of  Mousehole,  who  in  1881  was  in  his  88th  year,  and 
pleasantly  bright,  clear,  and  intelligent,  that  "  he  does  not 
remember  anything  on  her  (Dolly  Pentreath's)  tombstone 
or  what  was  on  it,  himself,  but  he  has  heard  that  the  first 


333 

or  old  inscription  on  the  supposed  tombstone  was — "Here 
lieth  Old  Dolly  Pentreath,  who  lived  one  hundred  years 
and  two,  was  born  and  buried  in  Paul  parish  too.  Not  in 
the  Church  amongst  people  great  and  high,  but  in  the 
Churchyard  doth  old  Dolly  lie."- — (The  tombstone  here 
referred  to,  is  the  supposed  one  spoken  of  by  Drew  in  his 
History  of  Cornwall,  and  not  that  erected  by  Prince  L.  L. 
BonajDarte  in  1860.) 


DOLLY  PENTREATH   AND   THE  OLD    CORNLSH 
LANGUAGE,  &c. 


SlE, 

By  the  request  of  Mr.  Trewavas,  your  correspondent,  I  avail  my- 
self of  this  favourable  opportunity  to  furnish  you  with  an  incident, 
or  two,  relative  to  the  above  celebrated  dame. 

Though  there  were  several  of  Dolly's  neighbours  who  had  an 
acquaintance  with  the  old  Cornish,  she  became  more  generally 
known  as  a  living  repository  of  the  almost  defunct  language  from 
her  occupation  as  a  fish-seller,  or  back-jouster,  her  j^articular  voca- 
tion calling  her  to  nearly  all  parts  of  the  surrounding  country, 
where  the  good,  but  perhaps  parsimonious  housewives,  declining 
her  terms,  and  refusing  the  fish,  often  drew  from  the  ancient  dame, 
in  choicest  Celtic,  the  outpourings  of  her  wrath ;  for  Dolly  was  a 
woman  of  spirit,  and  had  a  sharp  tongue.  It  has  even  been  said 
that  Dolly  used  to  swear  in  Cornish. 

The  house  in  which  the  ancient  dame  lived,  at  the  time  she 
followed  the  occupation  of  a  fish-seller,  is  still  to  be  seen  at  Mouse- 
hole,*  and  at  present  is  occupied  by  two  fishermen  as  a  net  loft,  &c. 

*  See  the  frontis-piece— for  house  and  portrait.  The  house  is  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  street,  but  a  little  lower  down,  than  were  stands  the  "  Keig- 
wLn  Arms,"  and  sketched  from  near  the  porch  of  the  old  Inn. 


334 

It  is  believed  the  fire-place  remains  to  this  day. 
Where  she  plied  bellows, 
Boiled  her  salted  fish, 
There  she  washed  her  trencher. 
There  she  cleaned  her  dish. 
She  died  Deer.  26,  1777,  at  the  age  of   102.     At  her  funeral  the 
undertaker  was  George  Badcock.     He  being  my  grandfather,  that  is 
the  reason  I  am  so  well  informed ;  and  there  were  eight  chosen 
fishermen  bearers  to  take  her  to  her  last  resting  place. 

There  was  not  anything  erected  on  the  old  lady's  grave  as 
a  tablet  to  her  memory.  I  know  quite  well  the  grave  where  her 
remains  are  deposited. 

The  churchyard  in  which  her  remains  are  deposited  is  empha- 
tically declared  to  be  worthy  of  particular  regard,  and  the  monu- 
mental granite  erected  there  by  Prince  Louis  Lucieu  Bonaparte 
keeps  her  memory  green. 

Her  old  language,  like  the  virtuous  departed,  being  dead,  yet 
speaketh. 

"  Ha'n  Dew  eiihella,  vedn  ry 
Peth  yw  gwella  ol  rag  why."* 
"  And  God  supreme  will  do  for  you, 
What  He  thinks  best  is  good  for  you." 

I  should  feel  obliged  if  you  would  have  the  goodness  to  write 
me,  and  let  me  know  if  this  iuformatiim  will  be  of  any  service  to 
you. 

My  address  (is)  Bernard  Victor,  Wellington  Place,  Mousehole, 
Cornwall. 

I  remain,  yours  faithfully, 

Beknakd  Victoi!, 

Mousehole,  West  Cornwall. 
Deer.,  1881. 
To  Dr.  Jago,  Plymouth. 


Thoxi  strong  man,  who  on  earth  dost  dwell, 
To-day,  with  prudence,  act  thou  weU  ; 
And  God  supreme  for  thee  will  do, 
What  ho  thinks  best  is  good  for  you."-** 


'*  Literally—'  Will  give 


335 

In  May  1882,  my  friend  Dr.  W.  T.  A.  Pattison,  and 
also  Mr.  Bernard  Victor  of  Mousehole,  visited  Dolly 
Pentreath's  grave  in  order  that  the  exact  position  of  it 
might  be  recorded,  and  soon  after  the  following  letter  was 
written. 

Wellington  Place,  Mousehole, 

May  16th,  1882. 
Dear  Sir, 

I  beg  to  inform  you  that  I  have  visited  the  grave-yard  of  Doll 
Peutreath  this  day  at  noon,  and  I  will  give  you  the  correct  distance 
and  corapass  bearing  of  the  grave  to  the  monument  that  was  erected 
by  Prince  L.  L.  Bonaparte  ;  also  the  distance  from  the  grave  to  the 
Chancel  door  of  the  Church,  and  the  compass  bearing.  I  took  a 
mariner's  compass  with  me  and  a  rule  to  measure  with,  so  that  it 
should  be  correct. 

1st.— The  head  of  the  grave  from  the  monument  erected  by 
Prince  L.  L.  Bonaparte  is  south-east,  a  point  easterly ;  distance, 
forty-seven  feet. 

'2nd. — The  bead  of  the  grave  from  the  chancel  door  is  south,  a 
point  westerly  ;  distance,  fifty-two  feet. 

I  have  sent  you  the  plan  of  the  Church  ;  also  of  the  giave  and 
the  present  monument :  so  there  can  be  no  mistake. 

The  grave  is  quite  close  to  the  front  wall  of  the  church-yard, 
as  you  will  see  1  have  placed  it  in  the  plan  of  the  grave-yard.  I 
have  also  placed  the  trees  as  they  are  situated,  close  to  the  wall  of 
the  front  of  the  grave-yard.  The  front  of  the  Church  (the  south 
side  is  meant — F.  W.  P.  J.)  is  as  correct  as  possible,  with  the  two 
doors  and  six  windows  ;  and  the  window  at  the  west  end. 

The  south  front  of  the  Church,  and  the  church-yard  wall  that  I 
have  sent  you  a  sketch  of,  face  the  Church  road  from  Mousehole  to 
Paul  Church  town. 

I  shall  feel  glad  if  my  information  is  satisfactory  to  you. 
Please  send  me  a  few  lines  and  let  me  know  how  you  like  my  plan. 
I  saw  Dr.  Pattison  yesterday  ;  he  gave  me  the  note  you  sent  to 
have  plan. 

I  remain  yours  faithfully, 

Beexap.d  Yictok. 
To  Dr.  Jago,  Plymouth. 


336 

The  description  as  given  above  is  quit?  clear  for  any 
one  visiting  Paul  Church-yard,  and  the  plan  is  not  really- 
required,  although  Mr.  Victor  so  kindly  took  the  trouble 
to  make  it. 

On  May  23,  1882,  Mr.  B.  Victor  was  again  written 
to.  The  following  is  an  extract,  the  rest  of  the  letter  not 
being  important  :  — 

SlE, 

"  But  how  was  it  that  Prince  L.  L.  Bonaparte,  in  1860,  fixed 
Dolly's  monument  where  it  now  stands?  The  inscription  on  it 
says  ^  Here  lieth  interred  Dolly  Pentreath,'  &c.,  when,  by  your 
account,  Dolly's  actual  resting  place  is  '  47  feet  south-east,  a  point 
easterly  '  from  Prince  L.  L.  Bonaparte's  monument  to  her.  Who 
told  the  Prince  that  Dolly  lies  where  the  present  monument  is  ? 
The  public  require  proof  ;  and  how  was  such  a  mistake  made  about 
the  exact  place  of  Dolly's  grave  ?  " 

I  am  yours  truly. 

Feed.  W.  P.  Jago. 
Mr.  Bernard  Victor,  Mousehole. 

The  following  interesting  letter  is  the  reply  : — 
Wellington  Place,  Alousehole, 

May  22ud,  1882. 
Deae  Sie, 

I  will  give  you  my  opinion  oi  where  Prince  L.  L.  Bonaparte 
got  the  information  from  to  erect  the  monument  where  it  is  at 
present. 

First,  1  will  say  as  to  myself  I  never  saw  Prince  L.  L.  Bona- 
parte ;  if  so,  the  monument,  no  doubt,  would  have  been  erected 
in  its  right  place. 

There  was  a  William  Bodener,  a  fisherman  of  this  place,  who 
wrote  a  letter  in  the  Cornish  language  on  the  3rd  of  July,  1776,  so 
when  Prince  L.  L.  Bonaparte  came  to  Mousehole,  he  came  to  the 
descendants  of  the  before  mentioned  W^illiam  Bodener  ;  but  I  i 
not  prepared  to  inform  you  whether  they  gave  him  any  information 
as  to  the  present  erection  of  the  monnmeut,  but  the  information 
that  I  have  given  you  is  from  my  grandfather,  who  was  the  under- 
taker at  her  funeral,  which  I  gave  you  to  understand  before,  and 
that  she  was  carried  to  her  grave  by  eight  fishermen. 


337 

But  I  believe  yon  have  a  doubt  of  my  information  being  cor- 
rect. If  you  were  in  ilousebole  at  this  present  time,  you  could  see 
an  old  fisherman  by  the  name  of  Stephen  Blewett,  who  could  give 
you  the  same  information  about  the  grave  which  I  have  given  you  ; 
but,  of  course,  he  knew  nothing  of  Dolly  Pentreath.  "What  he  and 
others  know  about  Dolly  is  handed  down  from  sire  to  son. 

I  remember  my  grandfather  quite  well ;  he  died  with  us,  and 
I  was  fifteen  years  of  age  when  he  died. 

Dear  Sir,  this  I  will  inform  you — that  the  descendant  of  Wil- 
liam Bodener,  who  is  alive  at  Mousehole  at  present,  can  give  no 
information  whatever  on  the  ancient  Cornish  language,  or  about 
Dolly  Pentreath,  or  her  grave,  or  anything  connected  with  her 
funeral  procession. 

I  gave  you  the  plan  of  the  churchyard  wall,  and  you  see  there 
are  two  gates  in  the  long  south  churchyard  wall,  and  the  monument 
is  placed  in  the  position  below  the  upper  gate,  but  it  should  have 
been  placed  below  the  lower  gate,*  so  there  was  the  mistake  by  the 
person  who  gave  the  information  (to  the  Prince). 

This  I  can  further  say,  that  there  was  no  person  who  could 
satisfy  any  visitors  who  came  there  to  make  inquiry  about  the  grave 
before  they  came  to  me.  There  was  always  a  doubt  by  the  folks 
that  the  monument  (of  1860)  was  not  in  its  right  place. 

Now  I  have  given  you  all  the  information  in  my  power,  and 
who  is  the  person  that  can  say  that  I  am  not  correct  ?  Who  knew 
better  about  Dolly  Pentreath' s  grave  than  my  grandfather  who 
made  her  coffin  and  superintended  the  funeral  ? 

It  is  not  to  be  said  that  the  monument  is  in  its  right  place 
because  it  was  put  there  by  the  order  of  Prince  L.  L.  Bonaparte, 
or  by  the  Eev.  John  Garrett — the  one  a  Frenchman  and  the  other 

an  Irishman  ! 

I  remain,  yours  faithfully, 

Bernard  Victor. 
To  Dr.  Jago.  21,  Lockyer  Street,  Plymouth. 


338 

To  the  preceding  letter  was  the  following  reply  : — 

21,  Lockyer  Street,  Plymouth, 

May  26,  1882. 
Deab  Sir, 

Many  thanks  for  the  valuable  information  contained  in  your 
letter  of  the  22ud  inst.  respecting  the  actual  position  of  Dolly  Pen- 
treath's  grave  in  Paul  churchyard. 

I  had  no  doubt  of  your  statements,  and  only  wrote  you  again 
to  obtain  the  fullest  imformation  possible.  Your  letter  explains 
very  clearly  that  Prince  L.  L.  Bonaparte,  and  the  Eev.  John  Gar- 
rett the  clergyman  at  Paul  (the  latter  had  only  been  instituted  in 
Paul  in  1857,  that  is,  only  three  years  before  the  present  monument 
was  erected),  mistook  the  position,  and  instead  of  erecting  the 
monument  to  Dolly  below  the  tipper  gate,  it  should  have  been 
placed  below  the  lowei-  gate  as  you  have  described. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  one  day  the  present  monument  of  1860 
will  be  placed  in  the  true  position  so  carefully  described  by  you,  and 
that  the  date  1778,  now  on  it,  will  be  altered  to  December  26,  1777. 
Such  information,  coming  from  one  so  well  acquainted  with 
many  words  and  even  phrases  of  the  ancient  Cornish  language,  and 
this  apart  from  books,  renders  it  peculiarly  interesting,  and  I  am 
much  indebted  to  you  for  your  letters. 

From  my  personal  knowledge  of  you  I  am  satisfied  that  you 
have  written  truthfully,  and  conscientiously, 
I  am,  Dear  Sir, 

Tours  very  truly, 

Feed.  W,  P.  Jago, 
Mr.  Bernard  Victor, • 

Wellington  Place, 

Mousehole. 

The  following  question  required  an  answer,  viz.  : — 
How  can  it  be  explained  that  Mr.  Bernard  Victor's  grand- 
father was  old  enough  in  1777  to  act  as  undertaker  for 
Dolly  Pentreath,  105  years  ago? 

*Mr.  B.  Victor  has  a  son  now  Oil&y  1882).  residing  at  12,  Clowauce  street, 
Devonport.  His  fatlier  says  that  this  son  is  also  fully  actjiiaiuted  with  the  par- 
ticulars concerning  Dolly  Pentreath.  f.  w.  p.  j. 


339 

The  follo\ying  is  Mr.  Bernard  Victor's  reply  : — 
■Wellington  Place, 

Mousehole, 

July  24,  1882. 
Dear  Sie, 

"  In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  21st  inst.,  I  beg  to  inform  you 
that  it  is  no  trouble  whatever  to  me  to  furnish  you  with  the  follow- 
ing particulars  of  the  age  of  my  grandfather  (George  Badcock),  at 
his  death,  also  his  age  at  the  time  he  buried  Dolly  Pentreath,  and 
likewise  my  age. 

My  grandfather  died  in  July  1832,  at  the  age  of  84  years,  so 
that  will  make  it  50  years  since  my  grandfather's  death, 

Now  from  the  time  of  his  birth  up  to  the  present  will  make 
134  years,  and  Dolly  Pentreath  who  died  iu  1777  will  make  105 
years. 

This  will  give  my  grandfather's  age  at  the  time  he  buried  Dolly 
Pentreath  to  have  been  29  years. 

My  grandfather  was  married  at  that  time,  and  his  luife  had  one 
child,  a  girl,  who  was  born  in  1777,  the  year  that  Dolly  died. 

My  age. — I  was  born  in  this  village,  Mousehole,  in  the  year 
1817  on  the  21st  of  August,  so  I  shall  be  65  on  August  21st,  which 
will  be  next  mouth." 

I  am,  yours  &c. 

Beknaed  Victor, 
Dk.  F.  W.  p.  Jago, 

21,  Lockyer  Street, 

Plymouth. 


CONCLUDING  REMARKS  ABOUT  DOLLY 
PENTREATH. 


The  foregoing  letters  contain  full  particulars,  but  to 
the  casual  visitor  to  Paul  churchyard  the  following 
directions  may  be  of  use. 


340 

In  going  hy  the  "  Church  road "  from  Monsehole  to 
Paul,  the  south  east  angle  of  Paul  churchyard  is  first 
reached  on  the  right  hand. 

Close  inside  the  churchyard  wall  there,  next  the 
"  Church  road,"  and  lengthways  between  two  trees,  lies 
the  grave  with  nothing  to  mark  its  place  (1882). 

Close  to  the  west  end  of  the  grave  is  the  gate  opening 
into  the  path  which  leads  dircetly  from  the  "  Church 
road"  to  the  square  headed  chancel  door  in  the  south 
side  of  the  Church. 

Thirteen  or  fourteen  paces  more  to  the  west  of  this 
(chancel)  gate  stands  the  misplaced  memorial  to  Dolly  by 
the  Prince  L.  L.  Bonaparte.  The  long  inscription  (already 
given)  faces  the  road,  and  on  the  north  side  of  the  stone  is 
a  shorter  inscription  facing  the  churchyard,  in  these  words 
— "  Dorothy  Pentreath  who  conversed  in  ancient  Cornish, 
died  1778.  This  stone  is  erected  by  Prince  Louis  Lucien 
Bonaparte  and  the  Rev.  John  Garrett,  1860." 

There  is  good  evidence  notwithstanding  the  confusion 
of  dates,  that  Dolly  Pentreath  was  aged  102  when  she 
died  in  1777,  (not  1778  as  on  the  present  monument). 

There  seems  no  reason  to  doubt  that  an  epitaph  in 
ancient  Cornish,  and  a  translation  of  the  same  into  English 
was  written,  and  which  is  referred  to  by  Drew,  Polwhele, 
and  others,  but  there  is  no  evidence  to  prove  that  such 
an  epitaph  was  ever  inscribed  on  stone,  and  placed  upon 
Dolly's  grave  at  or  about  the  time  of  her  burial. 

If  we  are  to  believe  writers  who  lived  near  the  time 
of  the  events  which  they  recorded,  then  Dolly  Pentreath 
was  the  last  who  spoke  Cornish  as  her  native  tongue,  for 


341 

in  Drew's  History  of  Cornwall,  (vol.  1.  p.  227),  quoting 
Daiues  Barrington,  it  is  said,  "  she  does  indeed  talk 
Cornish  as  readily  as  others  do  English,  being  bred  up  from 
a  child  to  know  no  other  language  ;  nor  could  she  (if  we  may 
believe  her)  talk  a  word  of  JEnglish  before  she  was  past  twenty 
years  of  age." 

Others  who  succeeded  Dolly,  although  they  could  con- 
verse in  Cornish  more  or  less  perfectly,  yet  they  were 
born  and  brought  uj)  as  children  to  speak  English. 

Thus,  after  all,  Dolly  Pentreath  was  the  last  known 
person  whose  mother  tongue  was  Cornish,  and  who  knew  no 
other  language  till  she  was  a  grown  woman* 

*  Dolly  Pentreath's  portrait  on  the  frontis-piece,  is  a  true  copy  of  the  one  in 
"TJncle  Jau  Trenoodle,"  1846,  (by  Wm.  Sandys,  F.  S.  A.,)  and  which  is  the  same 
portrait  as  that  in  "  Recreations  iu  Rhyme,'"  by  John  TreuhaUe  published  in 
1854.  See  Biblioih.  Cornnb.  Polwhele  says  that  "  in  the  Universal  Magazine,  (if 
I  am  rightly  informed)  there  is  no  bad  likeness  of  old  Dolly  as  engraved  by  B,. 
Scaddon." 


NA.MES  OF  WRITERS  OX  CORNISH  DIALECT, 


The  following  notes  have  been  made  so  that  the  reader 
may  refer  to  such  of  the  books  and  articles  as  h  ive  been 
written  by  those  whose  names  are  recorded  below.  The 
list  may  not  be  complete,  but  it  may  be  useful. 

It  refers  to  those  who  have  written  on  the  Cornish 
language  and  dialect,  and  also  to  such  as  are  authors  of 
Cornish  tales.  The  writer  is  indebted  to  the  "Bibliotheca 
Cornubiensis  "  of  Messrs.  Boase  and  Courtney,  but  much 
fuller  information  can  be  had  from  their  very  valuable 
work.  Several  additions  and  alterations  have  been  made 
by  Mr.  J.  R.  Netherton,  of  Truro,  who  has  kindly  revised 
the  list. 
B;  H.  F.  B. — Under  these  letters  are   "Words  used  in 

Cornwall,"  in  N.  &  Q.,  1  S. ;  vi,  601  (1852). 
BANNISTER,  Rev.  John.— The  author  of  the  Glossary 
of  Cornish  names  of  persons  and  places.  "He  be- 
gan an  English-Cornish  Dictionary  in  an  interleaved 
copy  of  Dr.  Johnson's  Dictionary — Also  the  Gerlever 
Cernouak,  a  vocabulary  of  the  ancient  Cornish  lan- 
guage ;  and  a  Cornish  vocabulary  with  copious  addi- 
tions to  his  printed  work."     There  were  also  "  Mate- 


343 

rials  for  a  glossary  of  Cornish  names,  and  newspaper 
cuttings  on  Cornish  names." 

The  above  valuable  MSS.  were  bought  for  the  Br.  Museum. 
£15  was  the  sum  paid  for  them  !  ! 

BELLOWS,  John. — "On  the  Cornish  Language,"  in  the 
Report  of  the  Royal  Cornwall  Polytechnic  Society  for 
1861,  p.  28. 

BLIGHT,  Robert. — Among  many  others  of  his  writings 
is  an  article  in  the  West  Briton,  1867,  on  "Old  cus- 
toms and  provincial  words  in  Cornwall." 

BOASE,  George  Clement. — A  bibliographical  list  of  the 
works  published  or  in  MS.,  illustrative  of  the  various 
dialects  of  English — Edited  by  the  Rev.  Walter  W. 
Skeat,  M.A.,  Loud.  English  Dialect  Society  1873,  8vo, 
pp.  viii  and  48. 

The  Bibliotheca  Cornubiensis  has  this  note — "  The  above 
work  was  in  reality  brought  out  in  February  1875.  It 
contains  on  j)p.  19-28  a  list  of  works  relating  to  the 
English  Dialect  of  Cornwall,  originally  made  out  by 
the  Rev.  W.  W.  Skeat,  but  re-written  with  additions 
and  biographical  notices  by  G.  C.  Boase  and  W.  P. 
Courtney." 

BONAPARTE,  Prince  Louis  Lucien.— The  Song  of 
Solomon  in  the  living  Cornish  Dialect,  from  the  autho- 
rised English  version,  privately  piinted  by  Geo.  Bar- 
clay, 28,  Castle  Street,  Leicester  Square,  London,  1859, 
16mo.  The  Prince  had  this  "Song"  translated  into 
other  dialects,  Lancashire,  &c.  The  translation  into 
the  Cornish  dialect  was  very  cleverly  done  by  the  late 
i^Ir.   Edwin    Nethertou,   of  Truro,  at  tiie  request  of 


344 

Prince  Lucien  Bonaparte.  Only  250  copies  were 
printed.  The  Prince  was  much  pleased  with  the  trans- 
lation, and  expressed  himself  so  to  Mr.  E.  Netherton. 

"  On  the  expiration  of  the  Cornish  Language,"  a  letter  by 
the  Hon.  Daines  Barrington,  read  at  the  Society  of 
Antiquaries  May  6,  1773.  This  letter  was  reprinted 
by  the  Prince  in  1860.  There  were  only  twelve 
copies  printed. 

"The  Literature  and  Dialect  of  Cornwall,"  Camb.  Jour., 
30  Nov.,  1861. 

BOTTRELL,  William.— Author  of  "  Traditions  and 
Hearthside  stories  of  West  Cornwall."  This  book 
contains  a  Glossary.  He  has  written  many  things  re- 
lating to  Cornwall. 

COUCH,  Thomas  Quiller,  M.R.C.S.,  F.S.A.— Among  his 
writings  are  "  Obsolete  words  still  in  use  in  East  Corn- 
wall." Journ.  Boy.  List,  of  Cornwall,  1864,  March,  pp. 
6-26  ;  also  April  1870,  pp.  173-79,  is  an  Appendix  to  a 
list  of  Obsolescent  words  and  Local  Phrases  in  use 
among  the  folk  of  East  Cornwall."  Also  an  article 
on  "The  Cornish  language,"  1864,  pp.  76-77.  In  the 
Biblioth.  Cornubieusis  there  is  a  further  notice,  thus 
(p.  1139). 

"List  of  obsolete  words  still  in  use  among  the  folk  of 
East  Cornwall."  Truro,  Netherton,  printer,  n.d.  (1864), 
8vo.,  pp.  22. 

"Cornish  words  and  Phi'ases,"  ib.,  2  S.  iii,  240,  1857,  cf 
also  iii,  473. 

"East  Cornwall  words,"  by  Thomas  Q.  Couch.  Pub.  by 
the  English  Dialect  Society,  1880. 


345 

DANIEL,  Henry  John. — "  The  Cornish  Thalia ;  being 
original  Cornish  Poems  illustrative  of  the  Cornish 
Dialect"— "A  Companion  to  the  Cornish  Thalia,"  &c., 
&c.  He  has  written  a  great  deal.  See  the  Biblioth. 
Cornub. 
DIALECT. — A  western  eclogue  between  Pengrouze  and 
Bet  Polglaze — signed  "Cornwall" — Gent.  Mag.  xxxii., 
287— (1762). 

An  old  Cornish  dialogue,  Huthnance,  letterpress  and 
copperplate   printer,    Queen    Square,    Penzance,   n.d. 
(circa.  1840)  fol.  s.  sh.— 124  lines, 
Commfinces  thus — 
"  Twas  kendle  teening  when  jung  Mai  Treloare 
Trudg'd  horn  from  bal  a  bucking  copper  ore." 

List  of  local  expressions,  signed  S.,  Gent.  Mag.  Ixiii, 

1083-84  (1793)— (Biblioth.  Cornub.,  vol.  3). 
EDWAEDS,   Joseph,   of    Wrington.— In   "Poems"  by 

Cutis  are  included  Rhymes  by  "  Agrikler,"  i.e.  Joseph 

Edwards,  some  of  them  in  the  Cornish  dialect. — New 

ed.  London,  Houlston  &  Sons,  n.d.  (1870)  8vo. 
ENGLISH  DIALECT  SOCIETY.— Published  in  1880  a 

Glossary  of  Words  for  West  Cornwall  by  Miss  M.  A. 

Courtney,  and  one  for   East   Cornwall   by   Thos.    Q. 

Couch. 
ENGLISH,  Henry.—"  Glossary  of  Mining  Terms  used  in 

South  America,  Cornwall,  and  Derbyshire,"  1830,  8vo. 

— Mr.  W.  J.  Henwood,  F.R.S.,  compiled  the  glossary 

of  Cornish  mining  terras. 


346 

F. — The  Cornish  farmer  and  the  squire  (by  F.),  Nether- 
ton's  Cornish  Almanack  1869;  reprinted  in  "Four 
Tales  (Truro,  Netherton),  1873,"  pp.  8-18. 
Capt.  Tom  Teague's  humorous  and  satirical  remarks 
on  Zebedee  Jacka's  real  adventures  at  the  exhibition 
in  July,  1862  (by  F.),  Netherton's  Cornish  Almanack 
1869.  Keprinted  in  "Four  Tales,"  pp.  23-42.  (Bib- 
lioth.  Cornub.) 

FORFAR,  Wm.  Bentinck.— Has  written  many  good  tales 
in  the  Cornish  dialect;  see  Biblioth.  Cornub.,  pp.  158 
and  1183.  The  dialect  has  been  well  done  by  this 
author. 

FOX,  Charles.^"  A  Cornish  Dialogue  between  Gracy 
Penrose  and  Mally  Trevisky"  (1790  ?).  Printed  in  Pol- 
whele's  "  Cornwall,"  v,  25. 

GARLAND,  Thomas. — "  List  of  words  in  common  use  in 
West  Cornwall,"  in  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Institu- 
tion of  Cornwall,  April  1865,  pp.  45-54. 

HIGHAM,  T.  R.— A  Dialogue  between  Tom  Thomas  and 
Bill  Bilkey,  two  Cornish  miners — The  Snake — by 
T.  R.  H(igham).  Truro,  J.  R.  Netherton;  n.d.  (1866). 
pp.  14. 

The  Cornish  Farmer  and  the  Squire,  a  Poem  by  T,  R. 
Higham.  Netherton's  Cornish  Almanack,  1868,  pp.  11. 
'Lisbeth  Jane's  Courtship,  being  another  Dialogue 
between  Tom  Thomas  and  Bill  Bilkey  (by  T,  R. 
Higham).  Netherton's  Cornish  Almanack  (1869),  pp. 
2. 

]<!Qt,e„ — The  above  two  are  reprinted  in  •'  Four  Coniish  Tales" 
(Truro,  J.  B,  Netherton,  1870,  8vo.)  pp.  11  and  5  respectively. 


347 

Edwin  Lukey's  Trip  to  Town,  Anon.  Printed  in 
Cornish  Tales  (Truro,  J.  E.  Netlierton,  1867,  8vo), 
pp.  66-70. 

Betty  White— Jimmy's  Story,  Anon.,  ib.  pp.  71-79. 
A  Dialogue  between  Betty  Penstraze  and  Sally  Trem- 
bath,  Anon.,  ib,  pp.  132-47.     (Biblioth.  Cornub.) 

JENNINGS,  James.— Compiled  a  Glossary  of  West  of 
England  words  with  a  slight  reference  only  to  Corn- 
wall; 1825,  8vo. 

JIMMY  TREBILCOCK,  or  the  humorous  adventures  of 
a  Cornish  miner  at  the  Great  Exhibition.  Camborne, 
printed  by  T.  T.  Whear,  1862;  12mo.,  pp.  16.  Fifth 
thousand,  1863. 

KINAHAN,  George  Henry. — "  Notes  on  the  similarity 
of  some  of  the  Cornish  rock-names  and  miners'  terms 
to  Irish  words.      Journal  of  Royal  Institution  of  Corn- 
wall, April  1873,  pp.  133-39.     (Biblioth.  Cornub.) 

LACH-SZYRMA,  Rev.  W.  S.— Author  of  many  valuable 
contributions  to  Cornish  lore.  Among  them  "  A  short 
history  of  Penzance,  St.  jNIichael's  Mount,  St.  Ives, 
and  the  Land's  End  district."  "  The  numerals  in  old 
Cornish,"  The  Academy,  20  Mh.  1875,  pp.  297-98. 
"  The  old  Cornish  language  in  questions  and  answers." 
"  St.  Just,  the  Plan-an-gware,  and  a  Cornish  drama ; " 
Journ.  Brit.  Archceol.  Assoc,  xxxv.,  413-22  (1879). 
"Last  relics  of  the  Cornish  tongue;"  The  Antiquary  1, 
15-18,  63-66  (1880). 

THE  MONTHLY  MAG.,  xxvi,  421,  544  (1808),  xxix, 
451  (1810),  contains  a  vocabulary  of  Cornish  Provin- 
cial words. 


348 

NETHERTOX,  Edwin.— He  Avas  yerj  well  acquainted 
with  the  peculiarities  of  the  Cornish  Dialect.  The 
glossary  at  the  end  of  "Tregellas's  Tales"  was  done  by 
him.  Also  the  glossary  at  the  end  of  "  The  Exhibi- 
tion and  other  Tales."  Both  published  by  Netherton 
and  Worth,  Truro. 

NETHERTON'S,  J.  R.,  CORNISH  ALMANACK  for 
1854. — Printed  and  sold  by  J.  R.  Netherton,  Truro, 
and  since  continued  annually.  The  folio  \ving  is  a  note 
in  the  Bibliotheca  Cornubiensis  : — 

"  This  series  contains  the  following  pieces — 

18(51 — Specimens  of  the  ancient  Cornish  Language  ;  Extracts 
from  Cornish  Tales,  published  by  J.  E.  Netherton. 

1863— Found  drowned,  and  the  Oysters,  by  W.  B.  Forfar. 

1865— Rozzy  Irenoodle  and  his  leatheren  bag,  by  W.  13.  Forfar. 

1869 — 'Lisbeth  Jane's  courtship,  by  T.  E.  Higham ;  Luke 
Martin's  cowld,  by  E.  Netherton. 

1870— The  crock  and  the  billies,  or  fuddled  Jabez  Hornblower ; 
The  flying  angel,  alias  Beelzebub,  from  "  Haunts  and  Homes." 

1872— The  biUies  and  the  magistrate ;  Tom  Mitchell  and  the 
Eedruth  barber,  from  '•  Haunts  and  Homes." 

1873 — Nicholas  Kneebone,  alias  Slippery  Nick ;  Mousey  Cock, 
from  "  Haunts  and  Homes." 

1874— The  perfect  cure,  by  Charles  Bennett ;  Wend,  snaw.  het, 
an'  tha  porpose  plaaster.  wether  taabel,  an'  setra,  by  Herclus  Polsu. 

1875 — Nick  Dyer's  pay  day  adventure ;  A  sorrow  bringing 
sovereign,  by  C.  Bennett. 

1876 — Snaw,  het,  and  wend,  (continued),  by  Herclus  Polsu ; 
Amos  Polsu' s  letter. 

1877 — The  billy-goat  and  the  pepper  mine  ;  A  quack's  recipe. 

1878 — The  mistaken  prescription,  by  A.  Sumpman  ;  A  knight's 
adventure  (Biblioth.  Cornub.) 

Note. — Most  of  the  above,  and  those  published  since,  have  been 
reprinted  with  other  Tales. 


349 

NO  YE,  William.— Contributed  to  the  Academy,  1875, 
p.  402,  on  "Old  Cornish,"  and  to  the  "Cornishman"  in 
1879.    Also  on  Cornish  words  in  Symond's  diary,  1878. 

O'DONOGHUE,  Eev.  Francis  Talbot,  B.A.— St. 
Knighton's  Kieve.  A  Cornish  Tale,  with  a  Postscript 
and  Glossary  1864,  8vo. ;  Smith  and  Elder,  pp.  iv. 
and  304. 

PAEIS,  John  Ayrton,  M.D.,  F.E.S.— In  his  book  ("  A 
gvide  to  Movnts  Bay  and  Land's  End,"  1824,  2nd  ed., 
by  a  Physician,  Anon.)  is  a  very  good  specimen  of 
Western  dialect.  It  is  a  "  Cornish  Dialogue  between 
Grace  Penvear  and  Mary  Treviskey." 

PASCOE,  Charlotte  Chajmpion. — This  lady  is  the 
writer  of  "Wan  An'  aell,  a  Cornish  Drawel  as  Zung, 
Zold,  and  Spauken  by  Barzillai  Baragweneth  (pseud., 
i.e.  C.  C.  Pascoe);  pub.  Penzance,  F.  T.  Yibert,  1864, 
8vo.,  pp.  24. 

PENGELLY,  William.  —  Among  his  xavj  numerous 
writings  is  an  article  in  X.  &  Q.  "  on  Local  Words " 
6  S.  i,  345  (1880). 

SANDYS,  William,  F.S.A.— Author  of  "Specimens  of 
Cornish  provincial  dialect,  collected  and  arranged  by 
Uncle  Jan  Trenoodle  "  {i.e.  William  Sandys).  It  con- 
tains a  Glossary  "by  an  antiquarian  friend."  Lond. 
J.  E.  Smith  1846,  8vo.,  pp.  108,  4s. 

SMITH,  John  Eussell.— Publisher,  Soho  Square,  London. 
Printed  a  "List  of  works  which  have  been  published 
towards  illustrating  the  provincial  dialects  of  Eng- 
land," 1839,  pp.  24.  It  contains  a  list  of  works  on 
the  Cornish  dialect. 


350 

STACKHOUSE,  Rev.  Jonathan  Lett.— He  contributed 
to  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Institution  of  Cornwall, 
May  1864,  pp.  75,  76,  an  article  on  "Obsolete  words 
still  in  use  among  the  people  of  East  Cornwall." 

TALES. — Cornish  tales  in  prose  and  verse.  By  various 
authors,  including  W.  B.  Forfar,  T.  R.  Higham,  with  a 
glossary.  Truro,  James  R.  Netherton,  1867,  8vo,  pp. 
151. 

Five  tales  in  prose  and  verse  in  the  Cornish  dialect. 
Truro,  J.  R.  Netherton,  n.d.  (1882),  12mo.,  pp.  61. 
Cornish  Comicalities,  9  tales  in  prose  and  verse,  12°. 
pp.  60,  1880. 

A  Cornish  Love  Story  and  8  other  tales,  12''.  pp.  62, 
2nd  ed.  1882. 

The  Billy  Goat  and  the  Pepper  Mine,  and  6  other 
tales,  12°.  pp.  64,  1882. 

TREGELLAS,  John  Tabois.— He  was  born  at  St.  Agnes 
on  Novr.  1,  1792.  Spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life 
in  Cornwall,  and  died  at  Chester  on  April  17,  1867. 
Unequalled  as  a  writer  and  lecturer  on  the  Cornish 
Provincial  Dialect.  The  whole  of  his  works  are  now 
published  in  2  vols.,  viz  : — "  Tales  in  prose  and  verse," 
and  "  Haunts  and  Homes  of  the  Rural  Population  of 
Cornwall,"  (illustrated),  published  by  Netherton  and 
Worth,  Truro. 

WHITE,  John. — AVriter  of  "The  humorous  adventures 
of  Tom  Trevail,"  1872,  8vo.,  pp.  20. 

WORTH,  Richard  Nicholls. — The  well  known  author 
of  the  History  of  Plymouth,  &c.  In  the  Journal  of 
the  Royal  Institution  of  Cornwall  is  "  Some  inquiry 


351 

into  the  association  of   the   Dialects   of  Devon  and 
Cornwall,  April  1870,  pp.  180-83,"  written  by  him. 
The  pages  of  the  "  Cornishman,"  a  newspaper  published  in 
Penzance,  frequently  contain  characteristic  specimens 
of  the  provincial  dialect  of  Cornwalh 


NETHEETON    AND   WORTH,    PRINTERS,    TRTJRO. 


ERRATA. 


,,  152, 
,  158, 


Page    5,  line  20, )    .            .  ,             ,        .  , 

,  _  „  ',  for  nauiaua,  read  navuuia. 

„    lo,  ,,  9,  ( 

,,    12,  ,,  6,  tor  plea,  read  pleu. 

„    19,  ,,  2nd  from  bottom,  for  Pnulus,  read  Pamdm. 

,,    39,  ,,  2nd  from  bottom,  for  iJwa,  read  £ye. 

,,    55,  „  16.     Omit  one  "in." 

„    73.  ,.  2,  for  writing,  read  writings. 

,,  103,  ,,  20,  for  scources,  read  sources. 

,,  108,  ,,  for  Agyfy,  read  Argyfy. 

,,  128,  ,.  1,  for  Flour  spar,  read  Fluor  spar. 

„  141,  ,,  21,  iov fortuituo-usly,  rea.d. fortuitously. 

I  for  BoUrall,  read  Bottrell. 

,.  166.  „  for  Fem-webb,  read  Fem-web- 

,,167,  „  13,  for  Fichet,  read  Fitchet. 

„  192,  ,,  23,  for  scrub,  read  scab. 

II  203,  ,,  Lace.     Omit,    "  This    is    a    Celtic    Cornish    word 

meaning.'' 

„  205,  ,,  21,  for  vegatable,  read  vegetable. 

„  230,  „  16,  for  bill-hoook,  read  bill-hook. 

„  240,  ,,  19,  for  tos,  to  swear,  read  toy,  to  swear,  tos,  he  swore. 

„  252,  ,,  13,  for  toothache,  read  toothache. 

„  255,  „  12,  for  Scabby-gulyun,  read  Scably-gulyun. 

„  259,  „  13,  for  Sruff,  read  Scruff. 

„  296,  .,  3,  for  task,  read  cash. 

„  316,  ,,  2,  for  crauny,  read  cranny. 


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