| Spelling: Until the mid eighteenth century, spelling was not considered a matter of great importance. In manuscripts, words are often spelt in various ways, even in the same document. It was not until the appearance of the dictionary by Nathan Bailey in 1730 and Samuel Johnson in 1755 that there was any attempt at standardisation. There was also some regular conventions in use such as:- ♦“y” is often used instead of “i” as in Wynsor/Winsor - Bryne/Brine - Collyns/Collins - yssue/issue - dyed/died ♦“z” is often used instead of “s” as in Cozens/Cosens - Zeager/Seager - Tomazine/Tomasine ♦“e” is often added to the end of names and some letters repeated as in Bisshoppe for Bishop or Bartlette for Bartlet or Ffordington for Fordington ♦“h” may have been omitted as in Tomas/Thomas or cristened/christened and particularly “is” for “his” in later years · With such wide variation in spelling the context in which the word is used is always important in carrying out transcription.Phonetic dialect: Many words were written as they sounded and were therefore heavily influenced by local dialect and the individuals level of education and therefore varied widely. It needs to be remembered that most people could not read and many of these documents were in any case completed by clergy who moved regularly around the country and may not be familiar with the dialect. A sudden change in spelling of a family name for example is often associated with a change in Rector or churchwarden. The list below is exclusively compiled from Dorchester & Fordington Wills, Inventories and other documents associated with the Parish and were therefore in common use at the time. Transcription : is very difficult as you are often dealing with faded, out of focus or damaged documents written in Court or Secretary hand where the formation of letters was significantly different from that used today. Here is an example of Secretary hand but there are probably many others available on the web. An added complication is that probate is usually written in Latin. If you get through all that you often end up with a word that you have never heard of which then takes research. In the course of doing many old documents from Dorchester I have built up a glossary which I have placed on line mainly for my own benefit but I hope that it may also help those trying to decipher old documents originating in Dorset. Some words have also been added to the glossary because they simply did not mean the same thing in 17th century. Abbreviation: Was used extensively in Wills and Inventories often indicated by a line above the omitted letters which I can't reproduce for the web. So in text you will see pfect for 'perfect' or pformed for 'performed'. 'pish' was another well used abbreviation for 'parish'. Supertext is also used as in wth for 'with' but it can also mean 'which' depending on context. Some scibes also abbreviated Christian names extensively; Wm is still used today for 'William' and most are self explanitary like Eliz; Rich; Robt etc. Less common were 'Gorg' for George and 'Jams' for James. I have generally tried to spell them out in full in brackets not because I don't think the person will understand most abbreviations but to increase the hit rate when searching documents. There were many recognised abbreviations such as those given in these links:- Pages from an 18th century book showing commonly used Contractions of that period And an abbreviation listing for 17th century records available on rootsweb. Pictures: I have started adding links to pictures to better explain some items given in inventories on this site. Please bear in mind that most of these have survived because they came from the houses of landed gentry or well off merchants. Every day items in tenements and farm houses would be of a much more basic type, functional rather than elaborately carved. To have left a will with an inventory however meant some standing in the community. In Dorchester many of these were indeed wealthy merchants who ran businesses importing produce and furniture from Germany, Holland etc but mainly France where some Dorchester Merchants owned property in the 17th and 18th centuries. Michael Russell OPC for Dorchester and Fordington |
| 7ber, 7bris, VIIber | September [i.e. abbreviation for the 7th month because the year started in March): Latin=Septembris [Note:- An example of this can be found in the parish registers of Symondsbury - the marriage of Walter Newburgh to Mrs Katherine Strode when the date is given as 'the eight and twentieth of 7tember -- meaning 28th September 1624] |
| 8ber, 8bris, VIIber | October [i.e. abbreviation for the 8th month because the year started in March) |
| 9ber, 9bris, VIIber | November [i.e. abbreviation for the 9th month because the year started in March) |
| 10ber, 10bris, VIIber | December [i.e. abbreviation for the 10th month because the year started in March) |
| accompt | account (used a lot in Letters of Administration) |
| Adtrix or (Admintrix) | (abbreviation for latin Administratrix) female administrator of an estate |
| advowson | In ecclesiastical law the right to recommend a member of the Anglican clergy for a vacant benefice, or to make such an appointment. The 'advowson' was often purchased from the church by wealthy landowners to ensure that they had control over the appointment of clergy to the church in their Manor |
| aet. | aet. is an abbreviation for the latin word aetus,-atis meaning age. 'aet. 13' for example when used in Visitation records indicates that the person was still living at the date of the visitation aged 13 years. This enables you to roughly calculate year of birth. |
| Aff. or (Affid. Affidavit) | A written statement made on oath or by affirmation. On burial registers it confirmed that the individual had been buried in a woollen shroud in accordance with the law. Acts in 1666 and 1678 encouraged the wool trade by laying down that bodies were not to be buried wrapped in anything but wool, and a relative had to make an affidavit before a justice, or failing him, a clergyman, within eight days of the funeral stating that the law had been complied with. In some parishes at the conclusion of the burial service the clergyman asked 'Who makes the affidavit?. The making of a satisfactory reply was indicated in the register by the word Affidavit, or an abbreviation such as Affid.. |
| akers | acres of land |
| alias or alias dictus | alias is latin for: 'otherwise named or called'. When a person changed his/her surname, or was known by more than one name, he might sometimes be described as "Smith alias Jones". The term has no disruputable connotation. In a few cases both names joined by 'alias' were retained for several generations and so became the equivalent of our hyphen in a modern double barrelled name. Once hereditary surnames became established, a change of name might be caused by the inheritance of a property from a maternal relative, by a young person being adopted, by becoming known by a stepfather's surname, or by a number of other causes. In legal papers a married woman often had her maiden name added as an alias to show her connection with the matter in hand. It was much more common in the 16th and 17th centuries than it is now. |
| 'als' [or Ales and sometimes 'ats'] | alias (See above) - Usually in parish registers e.g. '18 Aug 1678 - John the son of John MORY Ales [alias] WILES' as in St Peters register |
| amry or (amery, ambry, ambree, ambary, ambreye, aumbrey) | early type of large cupboard with doors originally for food but in 17th century Fordington seems to be used for books, linen, clothes etc Picture Link |
| Andirons or (Andjorns, Andier, Andire, Andjorns; And Eyrons; Andeyorns) | 'Andier' is old French - an earlier form of 'Andiron' - a utensil placed one at each side of the hearth and therefore usually found in pairs; for supporting wood when burning in a fireplace, an ornamental form of fire dog Picture Link |
| Anno Domini | Latin - In the year of Our lord. Often abbreviated in parish records (A.D.) or (An.Dm.) or (Ano Dom). |
| Annution | Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary or 25th March |
| appurtenances | The rights and duties attached to the holding of manorial land. The most important were submission to the manor court, grazing rights and the payment of various fines to the lord of the manor. A pew, or part of a pew, in church was often an 'appurtenance' of a specific house in the parish. |
| apud | Latin word used in probate statements meaning 'at, by, near; to; towards' |
| a pynt or appoynt | appoint |
| armiger | An esquire, one entitled to bear heraldic arms |
| athwart | across |
| axeltree | an axle or the pivot on which a wheel revolved |
| backsyde, backside | a phrase in common use meaning the back outside of buildings, usually including a partially or wholly enclosed yard. |
| bands or bandes | (1) a loose, turnover collar which succeeded the ruff. (2) pair of strips of thin white material, worn by men round the neck, the ends hanging down in front. Still worn by the legal profession. (3) hinges with long flat bands of iron fixed across the door [Source A Glossary of Household farming and Trade Terms from Probate Inventories by Rosmary Milward Derbyshire Record Society Occasional Paper published 1977] |
| baptizatus(-a) erat | latin for: was baptised |
| baraels or barrells | barrels |
| baretry | The practice of exciting or encouraging disputes or law-suits |
| bargaine | 'a contract' often referring to a lease of property. In Dorchester/Fordington Wills it is often used less formerly as a condition of inheritance, such as 'I give you these goods/land etc on condition that you do someting else such as look after your mother or allow a sister or son to reside in the house until they die or marry or receive the interest from an investment etc. |
| basing | basin - often listed in Dorchester inventories as a 'basing and yewr' ie a 'basin and ewer' usually owned by better off traders etc |
| batrye | a quarrel or dispute |
| bayley or ballivus | bailiff - A manorial lord's local manager appointed from outside the tenantry. He watched his lord's interests, superintended his demesne land and conducted relations with the tenants of the manor through their representative the reeve. |
| bays | baize cloth |
| beadstead | a frame with slats or boards or rope laid across under the mattress Picture Link |
| bely | a spelling said to be nearly obsolete in 1775 - To belie to falsify - represent in an unjust light |
| behoofe | behoof - benefit or advantage |
| besom or besome | a broom |
| bibell or (byble) | Bible: The bible played an important part in the lives of most families in Dorchester in the 17th century. For them to be itemised in an Inventory would have meant they were of both sybolic in as much as it was a demonstration of the Lords word being studied in the home, and also a valuable item in its own right. Some were highly decorated and generally secured in a bible box. Picture Link |
| billows (or bellowes, billowes) | bellows: mechanical contrivance for creating a jet of air, consisting usually of a hinged box with flexible sides, which expands to draw in air through an inward opening valve and contracts to expel the air through a nozzle. When included in a household inventory would have been used to speed combustion when cooking. Picture Link |
| blackmoor (or blackmoore) | a negro [Source The new and complete dictionary of the English language by John Ash published 1775] - examples known in Dorchester - 'John Laurence a blackmoor 16 years old or more' baptised at Holy Trinity on 16th April 1719: A black woman a prisoner was buried at All Saints Church on 1st Dec 1729. and 'Charles Leek ( a West Indian) aged 21 years of age' also baptised at Holy Trinity on 20th June 1746. The nephew of the Rev John White (1575-1648) Captain James White of Barbados (1621-1666) left a 'negro boy valued at £25' when he died at Boston in 1667 who was sold to pay off part of his funeral expenses. Also Dr John Gordon (1728-1774) helped to quell a rebellion of negroes in the parish of St Mary on the Island of Jamaica, on the 8th April 1760, as recorded on his tombstone in St Peter's Church where he was buried onv 4th October 1774. Link to Memorial Plaque. |
| B.M.V | B.V.M. Is usually used in the context of Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary also known as Ladys day or 25th March: B.M.V. refers to Blessed Mary the Virgin [Note:- There was a Fraternity of the Blesseds Mary the Virgin in Dorchester described under the History of All Saints, Holy Trinity and St Peters. Also in Charters 431; 508; 524; 526.557, etc as "on the south side of High West Street, Dorchester in St. Peter's church on the west" Charter 560 states Robert Moreye, was chaplain, and John Pasco, Steward of the Blessed Mary in church of St. Peter of Dorchester,] |
| bole | bowl |
| bond points | laces for tying garments or footwear |
| bolster | a cylinder of stuffed fabric, filled with feathers or flock or wool. Stretched the whole width of the bed and was covered by the lower sheet |
| bord (or bord cloth) | board - a term used to describe a table as it was a loose board which was supported by trestles. a board cloth was a tablecloth |
| borler | person who made cheap coarse clothing |
| box | 16th Century Box Picture Link |
| boucher | butcher |
| bra (or braas or brase or brasse) | brass |
| brightsmith | metal worker - seems to have been used for polished metalwork on ships or other vehicles rather than blacksmith which was more concerned with wrought iron or basic blacksmith skills such as horse shoes etc |
| bruing | brewing |
| bruing leade | leaden cooling vessel used in brewing |
| buh | abbreviation for bushel; measure of capacity 8 gallons for corn fruit malt etc |
| burgage | A house or other property in a town, rented by a free burgess under burgess tenure |
| Burgess | originates from Anglo Norman French 'burgeis' :- an inhabitant of a town or borough with full rights of citizenship. In Dorchester 6 Aldermen & 6 other Burgesses were appointed under the charter published by Charles I on 6 Oct 1629 who with the Mayor and two Bailiffs were to be termed 'Capital Burgesses'. |
| buryell | burial |
| bushell | bushel - a vessel used as a measure, containing 4 pecks or 8 gallons. often used to measure wheat, etc |
| butterchurn | butter making vat in which milk or cream is agitated Link to background to butter making. In Dorchester they seem to refer to the barrel type as a butterchurn and the plunger type as a butterpump. |
| butterpump | another word for butterchurn |
| buttery | storeroom for liquor and food and also for relevant equipment |
| B.V.M. | B.V.M. Is usually used in the context of Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary also known as Ladys day or 25th March: B.M.V. refers to Blessed Mary the Virgin [Note:- There was a Fraternity of the Blesseds Mary the Virgin in Dorchester described under the History of All Saints, Holy Trinity and St Peters. Also in Charters 431; 508; 524; 526.557, etc as "on the south side of High West Street, Dorchester in St. Peter's church on the west" Charter 560 states Robert Moreye, was chaplain, and John Pasco, Steward of the Blessed Mary in church of St. Peter of Dorchester,] |
| Calendar (start of the New Year) | CALENDAR - (Including the START OF THE NEW YEAR) The system fixing the civil years beginning, length and sub divisions. In the middle ages dates were usually indicated (for years) by the REGAL YEAR of the reigning monarch, and (for days) by the number of days before or after the nearest CHURCH FESTIVAL or fast. When 'Anno Domini' years are shown, there was no regularity as to the day on which the year was considered to have begun. To the writer of any document New Years day might have been 1st January, 25th March or 25th December. At the reformation it was laid down in the Book of Common Prayer that 'the Supputation [reckoning] of the year of our Lord in the Church of England beginneth the Five and twentieth day of March, the same day supposed to be the first day upon which the world was created and the day when Christ was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary'. In Fordington for example the vicar John JACOB usually started the year on 25th March in accordance with common convention but for the period 1722/4 he started the year on 1st March before reverting to the 25th in 1725. In Dorchester when the existing Rector Edward Doughtie left in 1584 the curate gave a nil return for burials for the year, meaning to the end of December, and started 1585 in January. In 1752 two changes were made in the English calendar. The first was from the Julian to the more accurate Gregorian system that had been introduced in Catholic countries by Pope Gregory XIII in March 1582. A difference of eleven days had accumulated between the systems, so the change necessitated England's losing that number of days. To bring that about the day following 2nd September 1752 was renumbered the 14th. The second change which was of far greater importance to genealogists, was that the commencement of that year was brought forward from 25th March to the preceding 1st January. This changed January, February and most of March from being the last months of the Old year to the first of the New. As the new system had already been put into use by some people in advance of its official introduction, care has to be taken when transcribing documents of the pre 1752 period dated between 1st Jan and 24th March. The correct transcription procedure is to use both Old and new reckonings; for example, by copying '11th Jan 1645' as '11th Jan 1645/6'. When viewing the National Burial Index (which does not follow this procedure but relies upon a purley computer general sort by calendar month) it is necessary therefore when recording the burial to fully appreciate that burials with dates 1st Jan to 24th March actually post date those for March to December. The months of September, October, November and December, which used to be the seventh to tenth months of the year, are sometimes found abbreviated to '7ber, 8ber, 9ber, 10ber' respectively and must not be mistaken for the present seventh to tenth months July to October. See separate entry below for Christian Festivals |
| capite | See 'title in capite' |
| chandler (chandlery) | In most cases that I have seen concerning Dorchester and the surrounding district this does not generally refer to someone dealing in supplies for ships and boats but a dealer in household items such as oil, soap, and particularly candles and groceries |
| chapman | an itinerant trader or pedlar (peddler) |
| charger | large platter or dish Picture Link to kitchen items Picture Link |
| chatole | chattels |
| chayre or (charres) | chair(s) The inventory of Joseph Purchase of Dorchester in 1682 for example refers to tymber, lether and rush chayres. A Rush chair for example was one with a rush or canework seat. |
| chest | Picture Link : Picture Link |
| chirurgion, or chirugeon | A surgeon |
| Church Festivals | The CHURCH FESTIVALS and fasts often used to date events are too numerous to list but those that are fixed, or ones most often used, plus some of the dates observed as 'solemn days' are available via the link provided. In most parishes the day of the saint to whom the local church is dedicated may also be found used for dating purposes. For example St Georges day was the 23rd April although I have not found this being used to date documents at Fordington. A table for the moveable feast of Easter Day and other feasts linked to when Easter Day occured can be accessed via this link. |
| cobord or (cobbord, cubbard, cuppboard) | cupboard Picture Link to 17th century example, most would not be as grand as this |
| cockloft | A small upper loft under the ridge of a roof |
| coelebs | Latin for:- bachelor |
| coffer or coffre, cofer, copher | Wooden box or chest with a rounded top, often a strong box for valuables. Picture Link : Picture Link : Picture Link : Picture Link |
| comp or (comp et ex) | A phrase used in Quarter Sessions order books. 'Comp' was variously used and may mean that he'complied with' or is ordered to comply with, the court order'; or 'he appeared' (comparuit); or that two or more people have now settled their differences (compromissum). 'et ex' means and is discharged. |
| coney or coneyes | rabbit or rabbits |
| copulati sunt | latin for:- were married |
| coram | Latin - before 'in ones presence; in person' |
| cordwainer | A shoemaker |
| corn pike | a pitchfork |
| cosen | to cosen is to cheat or deceive |
| cosier | a cobbler - The New and Complete Dictionery of the English languarge by John Nash published in 1795 states 'COSIER nearley obsolete, from the french couser to sew. a cobler, a botcher, a sowter' |
| cosin or (cozen) | cousin |
| counterfeit pass | false document alleged to be from a justice of the peace or other official authorising the bearer to travel |
| coverled or (covelled, coverlett, coverlid) | A modern term for a coverled is a bed cover or bedspread See definition of 'Coverlet' in "Dictionary of Traded Goods and Commodities, 1550-1820" at British History On Line |
| crocke or crock crocke or Crock | commonly a small earthenware pan although in south-west England the word also applied to metal pots. |
| croft | Land adjoining a house, often enclosed. as in 'croft of pasture' not to be confused with 'toft' |
| crok or (croke, crooke) | crook. Usually seen as part of a kitchen or fireplace inventory. It later simply became 'hook'. It was used to suspend a cooking pot or kettle at the desired height above the fire. |
| crowd-strings | fiddle strings |
| curier | a currier a person who curries leather. Currying was the name given to the process of stretching and finishing tanned leather, thus, rendering it supple and strong for the use of a saddler or cobbler. |
| curtlidge | A plot of land near a house, usually a vegetable garden |
| dafer or dafter | daughter |
| dairyman | dairyman worker on, or owner of a dairy farm, or seller of dairy products such as butter and cheese |
| de ead | Latin - 'of the same' or 'from the same place' often encountered in Letters of Administration |
| demesne or deamense | Those parts of the land and rights of a manor that the lord retained for himself, as distinct from those used by his tenants. What might now be called the 'home farm'. Ancient Demeasne was a Manor that had been in the king's hands at the death of Edward the Confessor. |
| derbys | cloth |
| deses or deces | deceased |
| deu | due |
| die | Latin for: 'day' or 'day of ' -- often entcountered as 'die solis' [meaning Sunday] |
| doe | do |
| drawer | a tapster or waiter |
| dower | The portion to which a widow was entitled of the estate of her late husband for her subsistence and the education of their children. By Common Law it was fixed at one-third, but this could be over-ruled by the customary law of the manor (or other area) to one-quarter or one half, or his whole estate. In connection with copyhold property, the last mentioned right was called 'Freebench'. Dower is also used of a daughter's portion of inheritance. Dower (Latin dotarium) is not to be confused with Dowry. |
| dowry | was the property in land or money that a wife brought to her husband at their marriage. This may have been given her by her father, or it may have been property already in her possession by inheritance. Dowry (Latin maritagium) is not to be confused with Dower |
| dredge corn | mixture of wheat and barley or another corn such as oats |
| drinking vessels 17th Century | 17th Century Drinking Vessels. Water being generally undrinkable the stable 17th century drink for all classes was ale. Ale made from the 1st mash, which had a stronger alcoholic content, was generally reserved for men, woman drank from the 2nd mash which was slightly weaker and children from the third the weakest of all. This system was followed for many generations as the brewing process killed germs. Water particularly in towns carried infection as human waste was more often than not disposed of in cess pits under the houses and the sewage leaked into the water supply. This was still a problem in the mid 19th century - See the biography of Rev Henry Moule and page down to his invention of the dry earth closest for more background. The better off would have wine or even spirits. Dorchester Inventories seldom refer to any kind of drinking vessel and I can only assume that this is because they were in common use and generally considered of little intrinsic value. As such they are probably included in the reference often made to "other lumber". In general use were Goblets, Mugs, Jugs or Tankards. Tankards, differ from mugs in being lidded, and were made in vast numbers from 1660 - 1780. As taste turned from ale to wine and spirits, tankards began to lose their popularity. Early tankards are straight-sided and late 17th-century examples are sometimes chased or decorated. |
| driping pan or drippynge pann | dripping pan - pan placed below meat on a revolving spit to catch the drips |
| dust bed | Evident in a number of Dorchester & Fordington Inventories (usually not the main bed) Dust beds are frequently shown in smaller rooms/ store rooms and mainly on farms: I have used the definition given by Phillimore; "bed-tick mattress filled with chaff". I have also seen 'dust pillow'. [Thanks to Peter Fullalove for this definition] |
| Easter Day | The most important movable Feast is Easter Day and a separate listing can be accessed via the link provided which also lists the dates of other movable feasts which as determined from Easter Daye |
| eftsoons | a second time |
| ejusdem (abbrev. eju) | ejusdem is latin for - the same and is sometimes abbreviated to 'eju' |
| eod ann | abbreviated latin for eodem annus - in the same year |
| Eodem die | latin for:- on the same day |
| et | Latin = and |
| extraparochial | situate so as not to be included in any parish. (Source The new and complete dictionary of the English language: by John Ash published 1775) Example at Dorchester is the marriage of 'Matthew GARLAND of Watercomb an Extraparochial Place & Elizabeth PRESTLY of the parish of Holy Trinity in Dorchester 07-Jan 1759' [Note:-In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Watercombe as " an extra-parochial tract in Weymouth district, Dorset; 5½ miles SE of Dorchester. Pop., 37. Houses, 7"] |
| eyron or (eyern,) | iron, as in andeyrons for andirons or eyron candlestickes |
| fagot (or ffaggott) | A bundle of sticks bound together for the fire |
| fardle(s) | old french for a bundle(s) As in fardles of derbys (bundles of cloth quoted in William Whiteways diary entry for 30 Dec 1633) |
| farrier | A person who shoes horses also 'one who professes to cure the diseases of horses (1775 dictionary)' |
| featherbed or (father bed) | a “quilt” fabric bag (tick) filled with feathers. Often accompanied by a matching bolster |
| fate or fatehorse; ffatehorsses | vat or vat stand |
| fellmonger | One whose business it is to part the wool from pelts, one who deals in sheepskins |
| feodary | a feudal tenant. see also 'feudalism'. |
| feoffee | a trustee invested with a freehold estate to hold in possession for a purpose typically a charitable one. In Dorchester there were for example "Feoffees" elected to administer endowments and funds for the Free School |
| feudalism | the dominant social system in medieval Europe, in which the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants (villeins or serfs) were obliged to live on their Lord's land and give him homage, labour, and a share of the produce, notionally in exchange for military protection. |
| Fforthington: or (Fording; Fordinge) | Parish of Fordington in Dorset |
| filius [abbrev: fili] (or fila) | latin for:-son (or daughter) |
| fine | not a penalty as in modern English but refers to the sum of money paid or due; for example to the Lord of the Manor |
| Firedog or ffyerdogge | Firedog is like an andier, but generally smaller less ornamental. They were used to support wood buring in a hearth Picture Link |
| ffirepan | iron tray beneath a grate to catch the ashes |
| ffirepike (ffyrepicke, fyer picke, fyre pich) | An implement used for stiring or making up a fire, sometimes abbreviated as in 'a pich shovel & tonges' |
| ffireshole or fyreskomar | fire shovel |
| fflask | flask in which to carry gunpowder |
| flitch or (flicke; flyck; flytch, ffliche) | the side of an animal, usually bacon, cured and commonly hung from the roof or ceiling |
| flock bed | flock-bed was a mattress filled with bits and pieces of wool (flock) or possibly carded wool |
| fluke or (fflucke, ffluck) | mainly used in the context of bedding such as 'fluke bed' (which I cant trace as a type of bed) or 'ffluck bolster' which is clearly a bolster filled with fluck so I have assumed this is a local pronunciation for 'flock' see 'flock bed' above. |
| ffoure or (foure; fowre) | four (so fowtte for example is forty) |
| 'ffurnace pann' or ('fornace pann' ; 'ffurnispan'; 'ffurnes pan'; furnes pan) | furnace pan - Some references to it being used to cook beef (when it was placed in the kitchen with other items and made of brass) but may generally be reference to a vessel for heating water for washing or more likely boiling the wort in brewing as several times listed next to brewing equipment. |
| Forthington | an old form of 'Fordington' as in 'the pish of Forthington' In the Parish of Fordington |
| fourme(s) or forme(s) or fforme or furme(s) | form - a long seat without a back often used with a tableboard on a trestle |
| frank-almoigne | A tenure by which a religious corporation holds lands given to them and their successors forever, usually on condition of praying for the soul of the donor and his heirs; - called also tenure by free alms |
| frith | underwood or brushwood |
| Frome [Froome] | River Frome - often spelt Froome in older records. The river rises in the Dorset Downs at Evershot, passes through Maiden Newton, Dorchester, West Stafford and Woodsford. At Wareham it and the River Piddle, also known as the River Trent, flow into Poole Harbour via the Wareham Channel. It gave its name to several places in the Froome Valley and along its course such as Frome St Quentin and Frome Vauchurch and Chilfrome. References in Dorchester & Fordington records to people being from "Froome" however generally refers to the area North of the River Frome, but still within the parish of Holy Trinity known as Cokers Frome or Frome Whitfield or Frome wood. |
| fuit | Latin - suggests a past tense = has been erat = was est = is |
| fuller | A cloth worker who cleansed and thickened the cloth, called a tucker in the west country |
| furze or furse or ferhes | gorse or whin used in heating bread ovens |
| fustian weaver | one who produced a thick course cloth |
| fyer | fire |
| ganny | a turkey |
| geney | a heron |
| gould or goulde | gold |
| goune | gown |
| grist | corn to be ground or that has just been ground |
| gristy | gritty |
| Guinea (Ginney) | Guinea - the sum of £1.05 (21 shillings in pre-decimal currency). First minted in 1663 from gold imported from West Africa with a value that was later fixed at 21 shillings it was issued up to 1813. It was replaced by the sovereign from 1817 but the guinea as a monetary unit continued until decimalisation in 1971. [Source Oxford English Dictionary] Often found in Dorchester Wills. Link to Pictures |
| G.W.R. | Abbreviation for Great Western Railway |
| half head | bedstead with a wooden back of medium height, short corner posts without a canopy |
| hall | In the 17th century the 'Hall' was generally the main living room so its often the first chamber to be itemised and for the better off contain things like tableboards and stools an amry a trencher cage with trenchers and chargers for eating. The other main room was the kitchen and bedrooms might be described as 'the chamber within the hall' or 'the chamber above the hall' |
| haps | the bar or shaft of a lock |
| a hay | A net used for catching hares or rabbits |
| Hayward | As in Hayward of the Manor: An official of the Manor primarily responsible for the maintenance of its hedges. Dictionary for 1775 also refers to looking after cattle and preserving the hedges of the common fields. Saxon in origin. |
| heifer or (heffer, hefer, heypher bease, heyffer, hypher) | heifer beasts would be young cows that have not had a calf |
| hellier or hellyer | a thatcher or tiler |
| herbage | the right of pasture on another persons land |
| hey reek | hayrick - another term for haystack |
| hide | a measure of land that varied between 60 and 120 acres |
| hind | a farm servant or bailiff |
| hobelers | used as in "consisted of twelve men at arms and six hobelers" which latter were a kind of light horse, who rode about from place to place in the night, to gain intelligence of the landing of boats, men, &c. and were probably so called from the hobbies, or small horses, on which they rode. Explanation from: 'The island of Graine', The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 4 (1798), pp. 250-258. |
| hock'day or hokkeday | A holiday commemorating the expulsion of the Danes, formerly observed on the second Tuesday after Easter; -- called also hocktide . [ Eng.] [ Written also hokeday .] Found on http://www.encyclo.co.uk/webster/H/51 |
| hog or hogg | In the context of probate wills & inventories a hog was a domesticated male pig raised for slaughter (often castrated) |
| hogshead or Hogsed; Hoggesheade | A Hogshead was a large cask holding 54 gallons of beer or 52 and a half gallons of wine but sometimes varied in capacity |
| holle | whole |
| home | whom |
| hooper | a maker of hoops or bonds for barrels |
| hosyer | maker of hosiery e.g. stockings |
| huckster | huckster (derived from the german hock 'a pedlar') One who sells small articles retail, a pedlar, a low tricking dealer. Source:- The new and complete dictionary of the English language published 1775 |
| huiod | latin word abbreviation often used in probates for hujusmodi or huiusmodi as 'i' & 'j' are interchangeable meaning 'of this kind; this' |
| hurdler | worker who made hurdles for a living - i.e. a portable rectangular frame strengthened with withies or wooden bars, used as a temporary fence |
| husbandmen | a tenant farmer or small-holder who might also have to work on the land of larger landowners to maintain himself, below the rank of Yeoman |
| hypher | heifer - a cow that has not born a calf |
| iak | jack of iron - device for turning the spit when roasting meat before the fire [note:- 'i' and 'j' were interchangeable in 17the Century] |
| ibidem (abbreviated ibm) | Latin for 'in the same place; or at the same time' |
| iiij (as an example) | The value of items appraised in inventories were written in roman numbers but whereas we would write 'iv' meaning '4' they wrote 'iiij'. Figures were succeeded by 'l' for pounds, 's' for shillings, and 'd' for pence and written above the line. Valuations of items often ended in 4 pence. A 'mark' (See below) for example was thirteen shillings and four pence in value and written as 'xiijs iiijd |
| Imprimis: [Abbreviated form Imp:] | Latin for “In the first place” usually at the start of a list of bequests in a Will |
| inter alia | among other things |
| Item: [abbreviated form Itm: or even It:] | Usually following on from “Impremis” Itemising each bequest in a Will |
| jewter | Jouster, a retailer of fish |
| jointure (or joynture) | an estate settled on a wife for the period during which she survives her husband |
| joyne (or joynt, joyne, joyned, joined, ioyne, ioyned) | usually used with “joyne stoole(s)” meaning a stool(s) made by a carpenter usually with four turned legs and of a joined construction - fixed with wooden pegs Picture Link |
| jump coate or (iump coate) | short coat (The Glossary of Household, Farming and Trade Terms from probate inventories published by Rosemary Milward of the Derbyshire Record society from 1977-1991 states ' short coat worn by men in the seventeenth century'. I have only come across this in one Inventory in Dorset - that for Lucy Eames who died in 1665 - where the inventory was specifically only for her apparel as a separate inventory was drawn up for everything else as her son inherited his fathers estate - so it looks like it applied to a short coat worn by both sexes). |
| juncti sunt | latin for:-matrimony |
| juramento (abbreviated form 'Jur') | latin - by the oath of |
| kart or carte | strong springless vehicle of two wheels used mainly in agriculture |
| kettel or kettell, kettele, keddle, keydyll, keytell, cetle, kittle | kettle: An open cooking pot or pan with semi-circular handles , one on each side, to suspend it over the fire. The modern type did not come into use until the 18th. century. A kettle pan is a four handled pan. [One source used : A Glossary of Household farming and Trade terms from Probate inventories by Rosmary Milward Derbyshire Record society] |
| kine (or kyne) | cows |
| knitche of straw | a bundle or sheave |
| kyne (or kine) | cows |
| latten or (latyn, laytyn, laten) | alloy of copper, zinc, lead, and tibn, similar to fine brass: as in 'latten skimmer' |
| lay by the heels | to put in the stocks or imprison |
| lea; leas; leaze; lease, leasse | meaning depends upon the context of the sentence 1) 'lea' is still used today to describe an open area of grassy or arable land but was often used in Dorchester wills as (2) 'leas' to describe meadow. Meadow was an area where grass was grown for a hay crop. After the festival of the wheat harvest, the hay having been cut, the beasts of the mannor were driven into the meadow, which was then used as pasture during the ensuing autumn, winter and spring. Meadows were often on low-lying ground near a river or stream , where beasts were more protected and had ready access to water. Not to be confused with (3) 'leaze' which can mean 'to glean'; or (4) 'a lease' used then as now meaning a legal contract to convey land or property to another party for a period of specified time. An added complication is the interchangability of 's' or 'ss' with 'z' depending upon the scribe |
| legum | Latin - law. In probate 'legum dotore' = Doctor at Law |
| lettell | little |
| lic. (or per licenciam) | by licence |
| lininge, lynning or lynnen | linen, articles such as sheets or clothes made of linen |
| linsey woolsey | coarse, inferior woolen cloth |
| lit or littened | to light or lighted |
| livery in seisen | One of the earliest methods of transferring land was known as, “livery of seisin”. The buyer was known to be, "seized of the land". |
| looms (loomes, lomes, lowmes, lommes, lowmys, lumes, loms) | Two meanings:- (1) An open vessel of any kind; tub, bucket or vat (2) a weaving loom, usually identifiable by the presence of gears or tools of the trade such as sleas (slays). Link to article in Dorset Ancestors about weaving and the Act of 1666 for everyone to be buried in woollen. |
| lumber | literally means disused articles of furniture etc but generally used in inventories to describe an assortment of items of little value |
| maijtrate | A Magistrate |
| mantua (mantua maker) | A Mantua was a womans loose gown worn over a petticoat and open down the front usually made of a sumptuous material such as damask or brocade and worn for dressy occasions.- fashionable during the 17th & 18th Centuary. See Link to mantua maker on Ancestry |
| mark or marke | As long as currency was based on the value of silver, the basic monetary unit was the penny. Because that was a rather small unit the Mark (160 pence) and later the pound (240 pence) were used for accounting purposes, although no Mark coin was issued it was worth thirteen shillings and four pence. It was also common to leave six shillings and eight pence or half a mark in wills or see it as fees etc. |
| mazer or maze | from the old french word 'masere' - a hardwood drinking bowl |
| meire or mere | mare female horse |
| mendicant | a begger ( from the latin Mendico - to beg) The new and complete dictionary of the English language published in 1775 also refers to 'one of some begging fraturnity in the Roman church'. Used in 1838 in Holy Trinity Dorchester burial register to descibe a 31 year old man (John Whiticombe) who died at the Queens Arms Public House whilst in transit |
| mensis | Latin for:- 'of the month' |
| Menster | Minister as in Vicar or Rector |
| mercer | a dealer in cloth and other textiles |
| meshing vate [or fate] | mashing vat - used in brewing beer |
| messuage | a dwelling house with outbuildings and land assigned to its use |
| millesimo | Latin - one thousand |
| mistlen | mistlen or mistlin is interpreted as meaning a medley or mixture. Explanation from: British History on Line 'Introduction', Calendar of wills proved and enrolled in the Court of Husting, London: Part 2: 1358-1688 (1890), pp. I-LIV. |
| mittimus | a warrant from a Justice of the Peace committing a person to prison |
| mixon | a dunghill |
| moiety | a term often used in 17th Century Wills - legally meaning: 'A portion of something, typically half' |
| mort | a slang term for a woman, a female vagabond |
| Mr | Mr. an abbreviation for Master and originally so pronounced. A title used to denote social class - in the Seventeenth Century it was a courtesy title for any man of respectable means |
| Mrs | Mrs (Mistress) The courtesy title for women of the status corresponding to that of men addressed as Mr., but throughout the seventeenth century applied to both married and unmarried women, and even through the eighteenth century to spinsters of mature age , as a mark of respect. An example in Dorchester is Mrs Elizabeth Templeman who was buried at Holy Trinity on 20th July 1756 and we know from her Will that she was a spinster. |
| Nat: | meaning nativity - usually found in parish registers following a baptism entry meaning 'born' e.g. "Holy Trinity Baptisms 1696 - Jann. 4 Josiah ye son of Mr Joseph Cooper Nat: 10.bris 30.o (i.e. born December 30th 1697)" |
| natus fuit | Latin - found in parish registers = 'born has been' = 'has been born' |
| nepkens | napkins |
| New Year (start of) | See comments under 'Calendar' |
| noble | a gold coin worth six shillings and eight pence |
| nonagenaria (or nonagecius) | Latin - nonaginta = 90 ; nonagesimus= 90th; I would welcome advice from someone who has studied Latin regarding the difference in pharses. nonagenaria seems to be a locally used latin phrase for nonagenarius i.e. a nonagenarian or a person aged between 90 and 99 years old. Examples for Dorchester from burials at Holy Trinity church include "John PALMER Nonagenarium November 9 1630" or "Gertrude Comfrey nonagenaria 16 March 1628/9" or that for "John Bailey nonagecius on 10 Feb 1636/7" which I think means aged 90. |
| nou | now |
| nucupative | Law (of a Will or Testament) declared orally as opposed to in writing. Until 1838 these were testamentary intentions expressed by the decease's word of mouth before credible witnesses', who later made sworn statements before the probate court. By the Statute of Frauds, 1678, there had to be at least three witnesses who had heard the deceased's wishes spoken in his own house and during his last illness. They needed to have them written down within six days, and not proved until 14 days after the death. An example is the will of Robert Anthony of Dorchester dated 8th June 1724 and the subsequent letter of Administration issued 1st Oct 1724 images in Ancestry.com Since 1838, nuncupative wills can be made only by soldiers on active military service, and by seamen at sea. Freehold land could not be devised by a nuncupative will, nor could a written will be revoked by one. Example of a nucupative Will is that for Nicholas Purchase of Dorchester who died in 1620. |
| nupti fuerunt (abbrev: nupt.) | Latin for:-were married |
| ob. or (ob. s.p.) | If used in a visitation record ob. stands for died. It is usually shown under a persons name as 'ob. s.p'. indicating that he was heir but died without children before inheriting so the estate passed to next eldest son. |
| octagenaria | Latin - octagenaria = octagenarian, or a person aged between 80 and 89 years of age. An example in Dorchester is the burial at Holy Trinity Church Dorchester of "Agnes Brine Octagenaria October 5 1630" |
| orerrable | arable as in 'arable pasture' |
| pane or pann | pan as in cooking pan |
| pannitor | panniter - a clothier or draper |
| parochie | Latin for:-of the parish (of) |
| payre or (apayer) | a pair, two of |
| peck or (peake, pecke, peke, peyck) | a vessel for measuring two gallons of dry goods |
| pen | a female swan - whose feathers were used to create quills hence 'quill pen' and a 'pen knife' was the knife used to cut the feathers into quill pens |
| pes or pese | piece as in each |
| pettie coate or (petycot, peticote) | petticoat The modern term for petticoat is an underskirt which is not seen which then would have been called a shift. 17th Century petticoats were termed an under skirt because it went under an apron or a top skirt which would be pinned up to expose the underskirt. For the widow of a Yeoman at this date her petticoats would have been to the ground, and for the more wealthy may have had a short train at the back. Even working class ladies usually had some sort of trim on the petticoat. Red petticoats seem to have been popular, even among puritans |
| pfect or perfet | perfect |
| phillip (female) | Today we would call a male child PHILLIP and a female child PHILLIPA. In the 16th and 17th centuries in Dorchester and Fordington however PHILLIP could be a male or female child and I have given some examples where it was used for females below:-
(2) Phillippe Longe married John Narton at Holy Trinity church on 3rd April 1611 (3) Philipp Shepherd a widow was buryed the 28th of August 1615 at Holy Trinity church (4) Philipp the daughter of John Watercombe was baptized the fifth day of Maye 1616 at Holy Trinity church (5) Philipp (6) Philip Paule married John Birche at Holy Trinity Dorchester on 12th February 1635 (7) In the Will for Christian Lawrence Widow of Fordington in 1663 there is a bequest to 'my dafter [i.e. daughter] Phillip Shepard. |
| piche pot or pich pan | pot in which pitch was heated for marking animals with initials, or other identification marks |
| Piddle or Puddle (The River which gives its name to many parishes) | The River Piddle (or Trent or North River) is a small rural Dorset river which rises next to Alton Pancras church (Alton Pancras was originally named Awultune, a Saxon name meaning the village at the source of a river) and flows south and then south-easterly more or less parallel with its bigger neighbour, the River Frome, to Wareham, where they both enter Poole Harbour via Wareham Channel. Many of the villages it passes through are named after it: Piddletrenthide, Piddlehinton, Puddletown, Tolpuddle, Affpuddle, Briantspuddle, Turnerspuddle. All but two of those names now contain "puddle" rather than "piddle"; a local tradition tells that the villages were renamed to avoid embarrassment before a visit by Queen Victoria but this is certainly not the case. The names appearing in parish registers clearly show use of both versions. The marriage registers of St Peters is a good example where there are lots of references to both from at leat 1700 and probably before that. |
| piece | a gun or musket |
| pillowtie or (pillowtye, pillow bere) | A 'pillowtie' is the outer cover of a pillow - now called pillowcases and as such is nearly always listed with other bedding such as a 'coverled' or 'rugg'. The word pillow was spelt in many different ways other examples e.g. from Rosmary Milward's Glossary of Household farming and trade terms that she took from probate inventories and as ever are affected by local accent. She quotes:- Pellowbere, pelo berys, pealobeare, pillow beer - or- pelowes, peylowes, pyllas, pillues, pelys |
| Pish (or psh) | commonly used abbreviated version in Wills for "Parish" |
| pitcher of withie | a bundle of willows |
| plater or platur, plater | platter a flat dish or plate of pewter, wood or earthenwear |
| pleno jure | with full right - origin Latin |
| Polly | Nickname for Mary. In the Biography of William Cuming MD of Dorchester his friendship with Miss Mary (known as Polly) Oldfield is referred to. |
| pooles or (peeles, pelowes, peylowes, pelowys,) | pillows as in 'ffeather pooles'. |
| pooke | a cock of hay |
| porringer | See pottinger below |
| pose | propose |
| posie rings | Posie rings (sometimes spelled "posy ", "posey" or "poesy rings") are finger rings with short inscriptions on their outer surfaces. More rarely the inscription is on the inner surface. Link to pictures of posie rings |
| pottes | Pots |
| potthookes or (pothokes) | pot hooks were long iron rod with a hook either end usually about 2 feet long but various lengths used to suspend pots from the iron bar across the top inside of the fireplace above the fire for cooking |
| pottinger (porringer) | A pottinger is an earlier form of porringer or small basin from which broth, soup or porridge (pottage) was eaten; often with one or two flat handles. Most 17th century Dorchester inventories do not specify what they were made of, but I have seen several which specify pewter. They could be made of other metals see Picture Link ; The poorer classes would have had pottingers made of wood. |
| pouter or pauter | pewter as in pewter dish or charger Picture Link |
| praepositus | The Reeve or chief representative of the tenants |
| praised | appraised at £-- used extensively in inventories of 'household stuff' attached to wills or letters of administration to mean valued at £ |
| prebendary | honorary canon of the anglican church who receives a prebend or stipend drawn from the endowment or revenues of an Anglican cathedral or church |
| premise; premised | used in a lot of 17th century wills does not refer to a house or dwelling but to 'a previous statement or proposition in the will from which another is inferred or follows as a conclusion. origin from old french 'premisse' |
| presents (or prets or prsentes) | legal term used in 17th century wills a lot e.g. "make and declare these presents to be my last will and testament". meaning the present writings, or this document, used in a deed of conveyance, a lease, and especially Letters of Administration to denote the document itself: e.g. Know all men by these presents |
| pro hac vice | Latin - (pronounced "pro hack wee-chay"), meaning "for this occasion" or "for this event", (literally, "for this turn") Often used in the legal profession but in Dorchester in the 18th century used by the clergy meaning an 'Officiating Minister' as the normal vicar/rector or curate was absent and had arranged for another to take his place - usually from one of the surrounding parishes. Examples include (1) marriage of James Hawkins and Katharine Davidge who were married at Holy Trinity Church Dorchester on 21-Nov 1774 by Harry Place the curate of Marnhull whose father & grandfather lived in Dorchester, (2) marriage of Robert Tite to Elizabeth Standage by William Floyer the curate of Bradford Abbas 21st Feb 1776 at Holy Trinity. |
| probat (latin abbreviation for probatum) | probate or proving of a will |
| proctor | proctor - historically meant 'a qualified practitioner of law in ecclesiastical and certain other courts' source Oxford Dictionary of English. The New and Complete Dictionary of the English Language by John Ash published 1775 states " A manager of another mans affairs, an attorny in the spiritual court ---etc". |
| psor | Abbreviation for 'Pastor' or Minister |
| Puddle | See Piddle |
| puter dish or (putter dish) | dish made of pewter |
| quingentesimo | Latin - five hundred |
| reade | reed (not to read) |
| quart | quart - When listed in a kitchen inventory likely to be a tankard as they were often referred to as 'quarts' See Picture Link |
| Rafe | Rafe was a male Christian name, a variation on Ralph it was fairly common in 16th/17th century Dorchester. Examples:- Rafe PERIN had his daughter Rose baptised at Holy Trinity Dorchester 28th Jan 1615/6: Rafe ROBAT was Churchwarden at Fordington in 1619: Rafe CORBIN was buried at Holy Trinity 8th Jan 1626/7. Rafe MULLETT married Elizabeth LIE at Glanville Wootton in 1589. It was also a surname eg Edith RAFE married in Fordington in 1590. |
| Recorder | a barrister appointed to serve as a part time judge |
| reek | a ruck; a heap; a stack; or a pile of: As used in 'a reek of corn' or 'a reek of wheat' or 'a reek of hay' |
| relieving officer | "The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834" ended parochial responsibility for the poor. Parishes were amalgamated for such purpose into Poor Law Unions and Governed by Poor Law Guardians. The Reieving Officer was employed by the Union to receive applications for relief and make payments when these had been approved by the Board of Guardians. They also issued orders to admit people to the workhouse. |
| reparens | reparations |
| rescue | to take men or animals from the custody of the constable or other official |
| reversion | particularly used in 17th century Wills - reversion is a right after the death of the present posesser, a succession or right to succession. Source The new and complete dictionary of the English language by John Ash published 1775 |
| R.H.A. | R.H.A. Abbreviation for 'Royal Horse Artillery' who were often stationed at Fordington Barracks |
| rood | a measure of land area equal to a quarter of an acre |
| rugge or (rugg) | Rug: A term generally found in Dorchester & Fordington Inventories in the chamber off the hall (usually the bed chamber) and included in a general description of bedding. For example the inventory for Tamzine Windsor 1649 states " In the Lodging Chamber one father [feather] bed one Bolster one Rugg two Pillowtyes [pillowcovers or pillowcases] one Lynning tester cloth and Bedsteed [bedstead] one pare [pair] of sheete praised at £3. 8s. 0d ". used in this way it refers to a large piece of thick woollen fabric used as a covering on the bed rather than on the floor. The 'Dictionary of Traded Goods (1550-1820)' indictaes that some of these were very big. Blankets which generally came in pairs were rarely coloured whilst ruggs are listed singly and often green or red. |
| sacers | saucers. Although cups and saucers existed I have never seen any listed in Dorchester inventories. See "drinking vessells 17th century" explanation given above. When sacers or saucers are listed on their own in a kitchen inventory, but alongside ' chargers' or 'pottingers' for example, they are more likely to be a type of dish See Picture Link |
| salt | Picture Link |
| say | a delicate serge or woollen cloth |
| searce or (serce) | a fine sieve or strainer |
| seisen or seisin | possession of land by freehold - See also 'livery of seisen' |
| selled | sealed |
| seneschal | steward of a medieval great house |
| sepultus (-a) erat (abbrev: sept) | latin for:-was buried |
| Serjeant-at-Mace | Serjeants-at-Mace were officials appointed by the Mayor with the approbation of the Corporation. Their main function seems to have been ceremonial and to keep order at official meetings. See Link to Dorchester's Serjeants at Mace |
| sethed | scythed (if used in the right context) |
| settell bord or settel | A settle was a long wooden bench usually with arms and a high back with a locker or box under the seat Picture Link Picture Link |
| sexton | a person who looks after a church and churchyard, typically acting as a bell ringer and gravedigger |
| shearman | a cloth worker or finisher |
| Shaston | Shaston is an earlier form of Shaftesbury for confirmation see 'A Topographical Dictionary of England by Samuel Lewis published in London in 1831' The problem is that like Dorchester there are three distinct parishes Shaftesbury Holy Trinity, Shaftesbury St James and Shaftesbury St Peter. |
| (sic) | used in brackets after a copied or quoted word that appears odd or erroneous to show that the word is quoted exactly as it stands in the original |
| skillet or (skellet, skillett) | a small metal pot with a long handle and usually 3 short legs for cooking in the fire - Note Americans use the term for a frying pan but not in Fordington or Dorchester. Picture Link |
| skimmer | generally a cooking ladle, lots of different types Picture Link |
| skyrn | screen |
| simony | the buying or selling of ecclesiastical privileges, for example pardons or benefices |
| sithe | Sithe is Old English for Scythe |
| sizar | usually admitted 'Sizar' ie as an undergraduate at university receiving financial help from the college and formally having certain menial duties to carry out |
| sleas (sles) | part of a loom that is pulled by hand among the threads. Seen used as 'sles harnis' (Inventory of Alice Ford of Dorchester 1668) which is a girdle or belt encircling the hips, from which sleas were suspended from hangers, presumably holding sleas with different colured wool etc. Link to article in Dorset Ancestors about weaving and the Act of 1666 for everyone to be buried in woollen. |
| sojourner | often used in parish registers to mean someone of temporary residence. i.e. his/her place of settlement would be elsewhere, often they had work locally and lived in rented accommodation. |
| solis | Latin meaning 'sun' -- note most often in Dorchester registers as 'die solis' for Sunday |
| sonne | son |
| s.p. | means died without children. Usually used in a visitation pedigree and shown as (ob. s.p.) i.e died without children |
| Stamp Duties (tax on baptisms, marriages, & burials) | The Stamp Duties Act of 1783 (23 Geo.III c.67) was passed by the House of Commons of Great Britain in order to raise money to pay for the American War of Independence. Under the provisions of this act, all baptism, marriage and burial entries in each parish register were subject to a tax of 3d (old pence). Church ministers were empowered to collect the duty, and were allowed to keep 10% of this fee as compensation for their trouble. Refusal to pay carried a fine of five pounds]. This was a deeply unpopular tax, and many clergymen were sympathetic to the plight of their parishioners, and as paupers were exempt from this tax, it is not uncommon for family history researchers and genealogists to find that the number of supposed poor people within a parish has increased many times above normal during these years until the act was finally repealed in 1794. Such entries in a parish register are annotated with either the letter "P." or "Pauper". If a family could not claim exemption then it was not unusual for them simply not to bother, and this would result in a number of adult "late" baptisms during the following decades. The Act was repealed by section 1 of the Act 34 Geo.3 c.11. |
| standing bed | bed, actually the bed frame. It had a board or rope mesh foundation on which was placed a mattress. If the bedstead was 'furnished' it was appraised together with its hangings which would be worth more than the bedstead. (e.g. see 'tester' below) It would usually be the most impotrtant piece of furniture in the house and a prized status symbol. A 'standing bedstead' would be high enough to have a 'truckle bed' sliding beneath it on which generally a maid would sleep. Picture Link |
| stockes (or stokes) | Colonies of bees |
| stoles | See also 'joyne' above. Usually referred to as 'joyne stoles' meaning a stool(s) made by a carpenter usually with four turned legs and of a joined construction - fixed with wooden pegs Picture Link |
| Stuffe | woollen fabric. Also used to mean goods as in Household stuff as a title on inventories. |
| sum or sume; summe; svmme | did not seem to differentiate between sum and some except by the context of the sentence |
| suprascripto | Latin - in the above written |
| surmaster | deputy to the head master of the school |
| sweyne or swine | sweyne/swain are female pigs used to breed piglets |
| S.W.R. | Abbreviation for South Western Railway |
| 't' (or) 'ti' as in 100ti | often seen in 17th century wills as superscript as in t or ti and after a sum of money such as 100ti: Its meant to be a capital L with a cross bar and stands for the latin word 'libra' or the english 'pound'. Today we simply prefix the amount with £ as in £100 |
| tablebord (or 'tableborde' or 'tabell board') | tableboard - The flat top of a table, often appraised separately from the frame (or tressylle or tressle ) on which it stood, being fixed with removable wooden pegs Picture Link |
| tampons | Long Pellets used to kill game |
| tankards | Tankards - see 'drinking vessels 17th century' explanation above" |
| Testa de Nevill | The Book of fees compiled by the Kings Remembrancer commonly called the Testa de Nevill (1198-1242). |
| testamento | Latin - Testament |
| tester | [Note: A linen tester cloth was the covering for the upper rectangular part of a four poster bed. Usually, the function of the tester was to hold bed curtains that could surround the bed to keep out draughts.] |
| testtum (latin abbreviation for testamentum) | Latin often used in probate statements for 'by testament or bequest' i.e. will |
| tex toris | weaver i.e. by trade |
| theifelord | Lord of the Manor |
| thong-cutter | harness maker |
| tinman or tinnman | a person who makes or trades in tin which was often mined in Devon and particularly in Cornwall. It was often used in making Pewter which has a 85% to 99% tin content. |
| tinning or tinnen | 17th century used to mean tin |
| tippler, tippling house, tippler supprest | a retailer of ale or the place where ale was sold. excessive drinking is not necessarily implied by either term as everybody including children drank ale as water carried infection. The strongest ale from the first mash was generally reserved for men, the second mash for women and the weakest third mash for children. A tippler supprest was one whose licence was revoked |
| tithingman | A Tithing was a group of men and boys, originally ten in number, who were held responsible to the manor court for its members good conduct. Every male of the age of 12 and over was obliged to be in a tithing. The tithing list of the manor was checked at each View of Frankpledge, and all boys who had reached the eligible age were enrolled. the elected representative of the tithing was the tithingman. He was responsible for presenting to the manor court all misdemeanours committed by members of families within the tithing. |
| title in capite | by the laws of England, one who holds immediately of the king. According to the feudal system, all lands in England are considered as held immediately or mediately of the king, who is styled lord paramount. Such tenants, however, are considered as having the fee of the lands and permanent possession |
| tonges (or tongues) | Although often part of inventories of kitchen items 'tonges' usually meant iron tonges for placing coal on the fire, hence they also appear in inventories in the 'Hall' (or main room of the house) |
| to or too | two |
| toft | A plot of land on which a building stood, or, as the word is more often used, had formerly stood. In a manor, it had manorial rights of common attached to it. Not to be confused with 'croft'. |
| toubs | tubs |
| trammel | an iron hook in a fireplace for a kettle. The ones that I have seen have a hook at one end ( like one end of a pot hook) to go on the iron bar which stretches cross the inside of the top of the fireplace. The other end of the hook goes through one end of a flat iron strip of metal about a foot long by an inch wide which is bent into an "S" shape. This then provides a secure resting place for the handle of a kettle to hang over the fire from which it can easily be removed. Also see below |
| trammel net | sometimes just referred to as a 'trammel' as well - a net for fishing - a modern description from the oxford english dictionary is "a three layed dragnet designed that a fish entering through one of the large meshed outer sections will push part of the finer meshed central section through the large meshes on the further side, forming a pocket in which the fish is trapped". |
| tramper | a person who travels from place to place on foot in search of work or as a vagrant or begger. not to be confused with a tranter see below |
| tranter | a person who carries fish from the sea coasts to sell them inland (From Dictionary dated 1775). The husband of Elizabeth Martha BROWN (executed at Dorchester gaol in 1856 for his murder) was described as 'a tranter or waggoner possessing a horse and waggon'. I have a feeling that it was a phrase used in Dorset more to describe anybody who owned their own cart or waggon and traded goods from the larger towns into the countryside villages. John Anthony Brown, Elizabeth's husband, for example bought goods in Beaminster and they owned a small chandlers shop in Broadwinsor where presumably they sold much of the merchandise. |
| travayle | travail - ie a painful or laborious effort or labour pains as in 'a woman's in travail' |
| trencher | a trencher was a plate or platter usually of wood, but occasionally of pewter . It could be square or circular, flat (the most useful shape for carving meat) or turned up to provide a rim. Some were even shaped like a plate. The trencher constituted the cheapest, and commonest form of utensil from which to eat solid food. Trenchers were usually made of a hardwood that was non-porous, did not transmit its taste or odour to the food and turned well, such as beech or sycamore. There is also reference to trencher boxes in which typically a dozen or more trenchers where kept and in one will a 'trencher cage' which I assume is more like a rack into which trenchers could be stored when not in use. Picture Link |
| trendelles or (trendle, trendol, trondell, trondele) | 'trondell' appears to refer to Trendle or Trendell a round or oval tub - also described as a dough trough |
| trilbed, trenbed, | probably refers to a trindlebed see trucklebed |
| truckle bed [trunole, trockle, trunle, trundle, trundel, truggle] | a low bed running on truckles or small wheels which could be pushed under a high or standing bed when not in use. Picture Link Definition from
Dictionary of Traded Goods and Commodities, 1550-1820 (2007). URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=58901.Trundle bed An alternative and common name for a TRUCKLE BED, designed to slide under a high bed or STANDING BED during the day; hence 'one standinge bed and a trundle bed' [Inventories (1596)]. Trundle beds were by their nature smaller and so needed their own-sized furnishings, hence 'Trundle ffeather Bed & Bedstid' [Inventories (1694)]. [Common variations :- tundle bedstead; trunle bed; trundlested; trundlebedstead; trundlebedd; trundle-bed; trundle bedstid; trundle bedsteed; trundle bedstedle; trundle bede; trundle bedd; trundle bed sted; trundle bed stead; trundell steed; trundell bedsteede; trundell bedsted; trundell bedstead; trundell bedd; trundele bedsted; trundelbed; trunale bed; trondle bedde; trendle] |
| trunke | a trunk used as now for travel but also for storage within the house Picture Link |
| turnkey | a jailer. Most worked at the County Gaol in Dorchester and some are known from marriage records at Holy Trinity church Dorchester such as George BOWRING who married Mary WARREN on 19 Feb 1844 and lived in Shire Hall Lane; or Henry HELLIER married Mary HILL on 29 Apr 1844; or Jesse PHELPS who married Margaret BAKER on 12th Oct 1847. Jerimiah JOINER who married Frances Matilda SAMWAYS on 03 May 1848; Robert SEAL who married Elizabeth GREGORY 15th Dec 1857. |
| usher | under master at a Dorchester Free school |
| uxor [also seen oxor] (abbrev: ux.) | Latin for:-wife of. uxor ejus =' wife his' = 'his wife' |
| vassal | a holder of land by feudal tenure on condition of homage and allegiance. see also 'feudalism'. |
| vailes | I have not located an official definition but the context within which it is used was where an under master at Dorchester Free school appears to have had a right to voluntary contributions made towards the running of the school |
| vertue | virtue (Used a lot in Letters of Administration as in "abide in full force & vertue") |
| Vid. (abbreviation for vidua) | Latin for widow |
| villein or villain | a feudal tenant entirely subject to a lord or manor to whom he paid dues and services in return for land. see also 'feudalism'. |
| vidua (abbrev: vid:) | latin for:-widow |
| viduus | latin for:-widower |
| virgate | Usually thirty acres of arable land scattered among the common fields of a manor, but it varied from as little as ten acres to as many as eighty in some parts of the country. It was a quarter of a hide and was also known as a yardland. |
| waking | An all night vigil (usually by a close friend) next to the body laid out in the church prior to burial, sometimes accompanied by ritual observances |
| warming pan | A flat metal pan with a lid and a long handle which was filled with hot coals and used to warm a bed before retiring at night. Picture Link |
| wascote | waistcoat MEN: The waistcoat has been one of the standard pieces of formal dress in the West since the late sixteenth century, and it has gone through several changes over time. From the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries, men's waistcoats were long-sleeved garments worn as middle layers of clothing, over a shirt but underneath a topcoat or justaucorps. Some men's waistcoats extended only to the waist, hence their name, while others continued several inches lower. Generally, they grew shorter as time passed. Waistcoats were buttoned down the front, and featured collars and pockets. By the eighteenth century, a man's formal suit consisted of a coat, waistcoat, and breeches, or pants WOMEN: Women also sometimes wore waistcoats between their outer-wear and underwear. Some were sleeved but most were sleeveless. Unlike menswear, however, women's waistcoats were considered intimate apparel, and were not meant to be seen by anyone but the wearer. Still, they cannot be classified as underwear. By the eighteenth century, women wore vest-like waistcoats as riding attire and white, snugly sleeved waistcoats as blouses with long skirts. Read more: Waistcoat - Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages http://www.fashionencyclopedia.com/fashion_costume_culture/European-Culture-17th-Century/Waistcoat.html#ixzz1EaV44IUU |
| waste | the land of a manor, not devoted to arable,meadow or wood. It usually lay on the manorial boundaries and was used for pasture, and was gradually assarted (brought under cultivation) over the centuries. Applications to build on the waste had to have permission from the Lord of the manor and be approved at the Quarter Sessions. |
| wayne | wagon or cart |
| waywarden | Overseers accounts sometimes refer to "Way Wardens". The Highways Act of 1555 transferred the responsibility for maintaining the roads from Manors to the Parish Vestry. Each parishioner owning ploughland or keeping a plough horse was required to provide a cart for 4 days a year for use in road repairs. Similarly each able bodied parishioner was required to give 4 days labour a year (increased to 6 days in 1563) or pay a fine in lieu. The act also established the office of Surveyor of the Highways (also called Waywardens) & made the churchwardens, constable and some parishioners responsible for selecting such an officer. From 1662 the selection was made by a majority of parishioners and finally in 1691 the Vestry was expected to produce a short list from which the Justices of the Peace sected a Surveyor for the ensuing year - he was not paid. His job was to organise whatever work needed doing and ensure this was carried out properly. Repairs usually consisted of filling potholes with stones, which would be quarried nearby. Less frequently the work might consist of repairing a bridge or clearing of ditches or watercourses. At the end of each year the Waywardens (often two per Parish) would draw up an account of income and expenditure and submit it to the Justices of the Peace for approval. Wheeled vehicles were rare until the mid sixteenth century and they caused much more damage to roads than horses. As coaches and carriages became more common the cost to parishioners rose & was not always sufficient to effect repairs. The Highways Act of 1691 authorised the levying of a Highways Rate. For the next 140 years the cost of repairs was covered by a combination of statute labour and a highway rate. |
| weilles, welles,wheales, wheles, wheilles | wheels |
| whitesmith | A person who makes articles out of metal especially tin, often refers to a person who polishes metal goods |
| whittle | a fringed mantle worn by women out of doors |
| widdoe or (widdow; widdowe or abbreviated to wid:) | widow |
| wif , wyf or wyfe | wife |
| wth | An abbreviation commonly used in 17th century wills which can mean 'with' or 'which' according to the context of the sentence |
| woodman | A person working in woodland, especially a forester or woodcutter [not a carpenter]. The new and complete dictionary of the English language published in 1775 refers to him as "someone who takes care of woods; a hunter, a sportsman". As far as I can see around Dorchester they were often employed by the larger landowners to manage their woodland, cutting timber. This was then trimmed into uniform lengths by 'woodcutters' and stacked to season before being taken to the sawmill by a 'carrier'. |
| woolstapler | A person who buys wool from a producer, grades it (by the quality of the staple or fiber), and sells it to a manufacturer |
| wynowing shet or (wydowynge cloth; winsheat) | large sheet or cloth on which corn was winnowed or a sheet or sack over an unglazed window to keep out the cold |
| xpõfor (or xtopher) | xpõfor = Christopher - Some parish priests looked upon the 'x' as the cross of Christ and used it to abbreviate 'Christopher' to 'xpõfor' or 'xtopher' in parish registers. I have seen ''xtian' for 'Christian' as well (see below) but not so often. Examples in Dorchester are William son of Xtopher [Christopher] & Sarah PARKER baptised at Holy Trinity Church on 13 Nov 1763; and Elizabeth daughter of Xtopher & Sarah PARKER bap HT 15 Mar 1769 here it is written in full on the original register but abbreviated to Xtopher in the copy. |
| xtian | xtian = Christian (See comments above for 'Xtopher') Examples 'Xtian the daughter of Thomas WINSOR was christened the viij [8th ] day of March' 1607 at St Georges Church Fordington : 'Xtian CHAPLINE married Thomas (Thomasine) BIRDE' at Sherborne Abbey 13th September 1579 : 'Henry son of Joseph & Xtian CHURCHILL' bap at Holy Trinity 23rd Oct 1751 and Thomas son of Joseph & Xtian Churchill bap Holy Trinity 15th Dec 1769. |
| ye | the |
| yelle or ielle | aisle - (Late middle English ele, ile from old French ele) The spelling was changed in the late 17thc because of confusion with isle |
| yeoman | Yeoman in the plantagenet period, meant a knight's retainer. There were also Yeomen of the King's Chamber, who were minor court officials under the Chamberlain. At that period, there was a class of freemen called Franklins, and under the Tudors the name of yeoman gradually became attached to them. Broadley speaking they constituted a stratum of cultivators of the soil, either freeholders or tenants, who differd from the minor gentry more by way of life than by any economic category. The yeoman would put his own hand to work that the gentleman would employ servants to do, and his wife likewise; but many a young man of gentle and even armigerous family was styled yeoman, as long as he lived like one (i.e. until he inherited his father's estate). Below the yeoman class came the equally ill defined stratum of husbandman, whose landholding was normally smaller. The standing of the yeomanry is reflected in the later use of the word for the local volunteer force, mounted on their own horses, as distinct from the (infantry) militia. |
| yeoting or yeoteing fate | yeoting is the process of soaking barley before making malt; a yeoting fate is the vat used for the purpose |
| yewre or (ewre, owre, youre) | ewer; a pitcher with a wide spout, used to bring water to the table for washing hands in a basin [often spelt 'basing'], before and after meals. Some could be very elaborate such as those at the British Museum or sold a Christies and were often made of brass or silver but there is no indication in the inventories that I have seen from Dorchester as to what they were made of. |
| yous | 'ewes' when used in the right context. |
