that admission has been asked for a word which was clearly a foreign importation, and in no way indigenous in the district. Whilst excluding such foreigners, I have been careful not to reject words in cases where there was the least doubt on this head.
DIALECTAL WORK PREVIOUSLY DONE BY OTHERS, AND THE AUTHOR'S MODE OF COMPILATION.
The Rev. Joseph Hunter, F.S.A., well known as the author of a history of the parish and district of Sheffield generally known as Hunter's Hallamshire, and of a topographical history of the parishes comprised in the Deanery of Doncaster, published in 1829 The Hallamshire Glossary. Of this work he says in the preface (p. xxi):—'The present collection, gathered in the district called Hallamshire, on the southern boundary of that great county, was originally intended for insertion in a volume of topography.' By this he means his history of Hallamshire before referred to.[1] This distinguished antiquary was born in Sheffield in 1783. His Hallamshire was published in 1819, the preface being dated from Bath. He had left the Sheffield district long before the publication of his glossary.[2] He projected a second edition of his glossary, but this he never published. The manuscript, however, has been used for the purpose of compiling this work, and it will be referred to more particularly hereafter.
It appears that Hunter had intended to publish a glossary in 1821, for Add. MS. 24539 in the British Museum has the following title page written by him : 'An Alphabetical Catalogue of uncommon words and forms of expression found in the vernacular language of Hallamshire, most of which are relics of the old language of Britain, 1821.' In this manuscript he makes the following remarks:—
- ↑ *At p. xxv he tells us that 'Ray names only six words of which he says that they may be heard at Sheffield and in its neighbourhood. Not one of them now remains. The words are these: Carsick, the kennel; chaundler, a candlestick; free-lege, privilege, immunities; insense, to inform; napkin, pocket-handkerchief; neck-a-bout, any woman's neck-linen. Perhaps insense may sometimes be heard.'
- ↑ In the progress of the present work it became evident to me that Hunter's collection of words was largely written by him from memory whilst living at Bath, or at all events at a distance from Sheffield.
