1736 room description - COMPLETED

[grantleydawn]

I have never heard of a “walch” room. Does anyone have any idea what he is talking about?

“Item I do further Give & bequeath unto my sd: wiffe her dewelling in part of the house wherein I now dwell viz in the
parlouer & walch or room thereto siding And allso ye hall chamber with free liberty upstairs to ye same ....”

Regards
Grantley

[Koromo]

Hows about a walck meaning a passage?

Not that Google is giving me anything to corroborate it.


Later: Nope, can't find any word that might describe a room off the parlour.

[california dreamin]

Hi -
I would come to the same conclusion as Koromo - it does look like "walck".  The last letter which I read as a "k" seems to be shaped just the two "k's" in the word "backkitchen" beneath it.  I would also interpret it as a passage, the same as Koromo. 

[Redroger]

History of Boston 1856 by Pishey Thompson has a chapter on archaisms. I believe the word in question is welck, which means according to Thompson as awkward, or idle. In this context could it be an "idle" room as in spare not used?

[mazi]

I would maybe see it as
in the parlour and walk, or room, alongside  ( thereto siding)

mazi oh

[grantleydawn]

Thankyou so much, everyone.

I hadn't considered walck as it does look like walch to me.

I have the Will & Inventary of his father, as well, and they are both very detailed. There are no contents mentioned in this room.

Considering it was used in the section detailing where his "beloved" wiffe was to have free access (only while she remained his widow & no longer), I think it is logically a walkway or passage.

Your help was (as always) appreciated.

Regards
Grantley

[Humpty707]

I had a quick look in the full OED, and couldn't find any mention of 'walck', 'welck' etc, just the word 'walk'

"In a church or other public building: a place where people can walk; an ambulatory, cloister, aisle, portico, or the like; esp. (in the Royal Exchange in London) each of the portions of the ambulatory formerly allotted to different classes of merchants and designated by special names, as East India, Virginia, Jamaica, Spanish walk, etc. (see diagram following the passage in quot. 1766)

e.g. 1766 J. ENTICK Surv. London in New Hist. London IV. 102 In this area merchants..meet every day..and, for the more regular and readier dispatch of business, they dispose of themselves in separate walks, according to the following plan."

[Redroger]

Could be walk of course, remember at this time there was no standardized speeling in use.