English Dialects From the Eighth Century to the Present Day

The following extract is from John Noakes and Mary Styles, by Charles Clark, of Great Totham; London, 1839. Reprinted for the E.D.S., 1895. As Great Totham is to the North of Maldon, I take this specimen to belong to Prof. Wright's "Division 2" rather than to the S.W. Essex of "Division 5." The use of w for initial v occurs frequently, as in werry, very, etc.

124

At Tottum's Cock-a-Bevis Hill,
A sput surpass'd by few,
Where toddlers ollis haut to eye
The proper pritty wiew,

Where people crake so ov the place,
Leas-ways, so I've hard say;
An' frum its top yow, sarteny,
Can see a monsus way.

But no sense ov a place, some think,
Is this here hill so high,--
'Cos there, full oft, 'tis nation coad,
But that don't argufy.

As sum'dy, 'haps, when nigh the sput,
May ha' a wish to see 't,--
From Mauldon toun to Keldon 'tis,
An' 'gin a four-releet.

At Cock-a Bevis Hill, too, the
Wiseacres show a tree
Which if you clamber up, besure,
A precious way yow see.

I dorn't think I cud clime it now,
Aldoe I uster cud;
I shudn't warsley loike to troy,
For gulch cum down I shud.

My head 'ood swim,--I 'oodn't do't
Nut even fur a guinea;
A naarbour ax'd me, t'other day;
"Naa, naa," says I, "nut quinny."

Notes.--Sput, spot; toddlers, walkers; ollis, always; haut, halt; wiew, view.

125

Crake, boast; leas(t)ways, at least; sarteny, certainly; monsus, monstrous, very long. No sense ov a, poor, bad; coad, cold; argufy, prove (anything). Sum'dy, somebody; from M., between Maldon and Kelvedon; 'gin, against, near; four-releet (originally four-e leet, lit. "ways of four," four-e being the genitive plural, hence) meeting of four roads. Dorn't, don't; aldoe, although; uster cud (for us'd to could), used to be able; warsley, vastly, much; loike, like; gulch, heavily, with a bang. 'Ood, would; nut, not; ax'd, asked; naa, no; nut quinny, not quite, not at all.

	CHAPTER XII A FEW SPECIMENS English Dialects From the Eighth Century to the Present Day

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EASTERN (Group 2): N. ESSEX.