1890 Lancashire Colloquial Term??

[Torwoodlee]

I guess it's possible; my reasoning comes from certain terms used today which meant something completely different only fifty years ago.  As the term 'softy' was used in the 1890s, it could be possible that the meaning of the word changed fifty to sixty years later.  Unless someone states otherwise, I will have to go with the meaning of being weak minded or daft.

[cristeen]

I agree with the 'weak minded' notion, an example below from 1880. They are discussing the breach of a local bye-law.

[ShaunJ]

The term "soft lad" is still in common use in Liverpool as a slightly derogatory way of addressing a male friend or family member. 


"A soft lad in the "scouse" dialect of Liverpool, England is someone who is "soft in the head" or slow-witted."

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Softlad

[Barbara.H]

Another newspaper's shorter article on the same story (Portsmouth Evening News) says ".. several relations had been simple, and there were three deaf-mutes in the family.."

which does imply that in Lancashire they said 'soft' but elsewhere they said 'simple'

There is also coverage of the trial in the Manchester Times that says a little more about the relatives ".. a younger brother of the male prisoner named Thomas has always been very simple, and [his] father's oldest brother used to sit talking to himself the whole night.."
Manchester Times, Friday, August 8, 1890

There are detailed descriptions of John Pickavance in this article as well, very interesting. He would probably get a diagnosis of some sort if he lived in our time.

  Barbara

[Maiden Stone]

Another newspaper's shorter article on the same story (Portsmouth Evening News) says ".. several relations had been simple, and there were three deaf-mutes in the family.."

which does imply that in Lancashire they said 'soft' but elsewhere they said 'simple'

There is also coverage of the trial in the Manchester Times that says a little more about the relatives ".. a younger brother of the male prisoner named Thomas has always been very simple, and [his] father's oldest brother used to sit talking to himself the whole night.."
Manchester Times, Friday, August 8, 1890

There are detailed descriptions of John Pickavance in this article as well, very interesting. He would probably get a diagnosis of some sort if he lived in our time.

  Barbara

My Lancashire family used simple for someone who today may be described as having learning difficulties. A person's behaviour would be excused or explained with the phrase "s/he's a bit simple". The word "simple" was generally preceded by "a bit" in our house, perhaps signifying a mild learning difficulty or condition, or perhaps it was kindly meant. ( People with moderate to severe learning difficulties would have been in special schools or institutions at the time of my childhood, so we would have met very few of them.)

[LizzieW]

My Lancashire family used simple for someone who today may be described as having learning difficulties. A person's behaviour would be excused or explained with the phrase "s/he's a bit simple". The word "simple" was generally preceded by "a bit" in our house, perhaps signifying a mild learning difficulty or condition, or perhaps it was kindly meant. ( People with moderate to severe learning difficulties would have been in special schools or institutions at the time of my childhood, so we would have met very few of them.)

Mine too.  There was one lad who was "simple" and as a teenager he used to push a cart around collecting bits of rubbish - no idea what he did with this (not a rag and bone man).  One day we were all called to assembly in school and told we had to go home in pairs as one of the girls from the school had been raped during the lunch hour when she'd gone home for lunch.  It turned out to be this "simple" teenager.  I've no idea what happened to him, nothing was ever in the newspapers.

[Torwoodlee]

Thank you Barbara; I do in fact have that article and this is what my question is in connection with.  I'm also inclined to believe that 'softy' meant that perhaps the individual may have had learning/social difficulties.

[BashLad]

Amusingly it didn't make it into my lancashire dialect reference.

[stitchwitch]

When I was growing up in Lancashire in the 60s, someone coming out with a comment or question that was viewed as dozy or they'd got the wrong end of the stick would be told "don't be so soft". So, yes, it could mean mardy or it could mean simple-minded.