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Author Topic: Charpening or Sharpening  (Read 277 times)

Offline David Nicoll

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Charpening or Sharpening
« on: Saturday 09 April 22 14:31 BST (UK) »
Hi, I am going through some of my father’s notes and he had a picture of him sitting beside his grandfather charpening (sic) his scythe. I was wondering is this an Angus dialect word, an attempt to reflect his grandfather’s accent, or a simple typo?
Any thoughts much appreciated.
Nicoll, Small - Scotland Dennis - Lincolnshire, Baldwin - Notts. Gordon, Fletcher Deeside

Offline GR2

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Re: Charpening or Sharpening
« Reply #1 on: Saturday 09 April 22 17:32 BST (UK) »
You do find the charpening spelling sometimes in pre 1800 texts. I wouldn't say it was a peculiarly Angus thing. Sharpening (or variations on it) has always been more common.

Offline David Nicoll

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Re: Charpening or Sharpening
« Reply #2 on: Saturday 09 April 22 20:42 BST (UK) »
Thanks for the information, it is not a spelling I have come across before. And the web doesn’t seem to know much about it either, nor my trusty Chambers Scot’s. I wonder if it is something more used in blacksmithing, as that was his trade. He was born in 1856 so half way to the 18th century!
Nicoll, Small - Scotland Dennis - Lincolnshire, Baldwin - Notts. Gordon, Fletcher Deeside

Offline GR2

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Re: Charpening or Sharpening
« Reply #3 on: Saturday 09 April 22 21:12 BST (UK) »
It's not really a particularly blacksmith spelling. The link below shows part of a page from a set of blacksmith's accounts I have from Aberdeenshire in the 1870s. "Shpd" is used as an abbreviation for "sharpened".

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=678852.msg5234676#msg5234676
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