Glossary

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The terms listed in our glossary were found in various old documents and the parish records; all were encountered by the Group during our research.

Each term is shown in capital letters, followed by its definition and the source of that definition, which is quoted in its original wording.

Sources were consulted from the present day, in reverse chronological order. Where no definition was to be found in current dictionaries, the previous available source was checked until a reference was established. Capitals within a definition indicate a separate entry for that word.

The sources consulted were:-

The 1998, 1964 and 1924 editions of the concise Oxford Dictionary, (referred to as: OED 1998/1964/1924)

The Register and Records of Holm Cultram, 1929 (R&R 1929)

The 1864 edition of Webster’s Complete Dictionary of the English Language (Web 1864)

The 1773 edition of Dr Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary (Jon 1773)

Some of the words are still in relatively common usage. Some words are still current but with a change of meaning, or had limited or specialized use, or are now used only by the legal profession; and a large number of words have fallen out of everyday use altogether – those which appeared in dictionaries in the 18th and 19th centuries, but which had been omitted by the time the OED was first published in the early 20th century.

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