On reading inventories which often accompany Wills, it can be very difficult to decipher many of the words, especially as some would be in local dialect and with odd spellings. Here are some of the words you may come across.
| Acare (ackare, acker, accor, anakr) | – acre |
| Addle | – to earn |
| Ale | – all |
| Andirons (end irons) | – horizontal bars on 3 short feet with upright pillar in front. They were placed on each side of the hearth to support burning wood |
| Apern (aporn apranne) | – apron |
| Apparayle (apparel, aprel, reparele) | – clothing |
| Aule | – hall |
| Ax | – to ask |
| Backsyde | – the buildings and yard behind the house |
| Bacyn (basene) | – basin |
| Auld | – old |
| Bage | – bag |
| Balandes (balances) | – scales |
| Balde (bareyne) | – barren |
| Ballies (balles, ballaysses, balwys, bellis) | – bellows |
| Bearing cloth | – christening robe or shawl |
| Bease (bese) | – beasts |
| Beddys (beede) | – bed |
| Bed hilling (berydynd) | – bedding |
| Besse | – bees |
| Bink (benk, binche, benche) | – bench |
| Boetts | – boots |
| Boke | – book |
| Boket (bowkitt) | – bucket |
| Bolokke | – bullock |
| Bord close (bord hillings) | – table cloths |
| Boute | – without |
| Branches | – chandeliers |
| Bruse | – brush |
| Bucking cooler (bucking tub) | – washing tub |
| Cafes | – calves |
| Caples (caplyes, capuls, capolles) | – horses |
| Caye | – cows |
| Caytie (cetle, keytell) | – kettle (an open cooking pot) |
| Charys (chers) | – chairs |
| Chaunlor | – candlestick |
| Chiste ( cheess, Kyste, chiest) | – chest |
| Chechin | – kitchen |
| Clock | – cloak |
| Close | – clothes |
| Deigest (dext) | – desk |
| Ewre / Ewer (youre, owre, ure, yer) | – pitcher for carrying water |
| Filids | – fields |
| Foole (fawlie, foulle, foyle) | – foal |
| Gakett | – jacket |
| Galland | – gallon |
| Geys, goys, gousse | – geese/goose |
| Gonne | – gun |
| Hallfer, heckfer | – heifer |
| Hey, hye | – hay |
| Hinde | – farm worker |
| Hobby | – pony or small horse |
| Hode | – old |
| Husband | – a husbandman, one who works the land |
| Husbandry gear | – farm equipment |
| Husslements | – minor household goods of little value |
| Jack | – device for turning the spit when roasting meat |
| Koo, Kyne | – cow(s) |
| Lathe, laithe | – barn |
| Maunger | – manger/feeding trough |
| Mazer | – deep plate or bow |
| Meden | – maid servant |
| Mester | – master of the house |
| Mullock | – rubbish |
| Nappery | – household linen especially tableware |
| Nellys | – nails |
| Pattens | – overshoes or clogs which raised the wearer an inch or two above the mud |
| Peges | – pigs |
| Pelowes | – pillows |
| Pond | – pound |
| Pullen | – poultry |
| Rement, rayment | – clothing |
| Saue | – saw |
| Seeing glass | – mirror |
| Selvar | – silver |
| Sevand | – servant |
| Sherne | – churn |
| Sheytes | – sheets |
| Soe | – a large tub |
| Soope | – soap |
| Sot sellares | – salt cellars |
| Stewe | – vessel for cooking |
| Stithie, stethe, stiddy | – anvil |
| Tack | – tenancy of land, a lease |
| Taverne | – a cellar |
| Touled | – towel |
| Tumbler | – drinking cup with rounded bottom so that it could not be put down until empty |
| Tup | – ram |
| Twilt | – quilt |
| Unguents | – ointments |
| Urchin | – hedgehog |
| Waght | – weight |
| Wenche | – a girl, maidservant or baby girl |
| Wessing | – washing |
| Woddinge | – wooden |
| Woll | – wool |
| Writings | – legal documents |
| Wyesel | – vessel |
| Yate | – gate |
| Yoyne | – young |
