Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past History Information Request Wirral's Accents/Dialect

Right owden yo goin thwom ?.

My father used to use some of the strange Neston Phrases when i was a kid but by the time he passed away he had stopped using them when he spoke to people !.

I can also recall him saying that when he went to school in the 1930's even he had trouble understanding the accent of some of the kid's who grew up in the marshland's road area where the mine's had been !

Don't forget, as well as the thousands who flocked to Wirral during and after the industrial revolution, all the slang words coming ashore from the sailors and dockers. My grandad used to say "up the dancers" = up the stairs which is 1920's - 30's American gangster slang.

hahaha awesome :)))

My Grandad was a proper "FirBob" (Higher Bebongton) and, in greeting, would often say "Ow a go?" (whatever that meant!).

My mother and father used to say that as well. Think the Neston thing is partially a result of incoming mine workers. Does have a darkest Lancashire type ring to some of it.

Wierd eh? Mind you sometimes I wonder if that now ancient term 'Ta-rarr' may have been intoduced to the Wirral by our Welsh friends,has that sing-song tone to it. Maybe that's what the Islanders were picking up on?

Gives you a real sense of how diverse the accents/dialects may have been across Wirral...am I right too in recalling in Neston area they used the term 'Babee'?

Never heard that one before 'Firebob' nor the greeting. How long back is that then?

Yes that was another one, there where hundreds of strange ways of saying things.

Cold was "cowed" with emphsis on the "W".

In most cases you can see where the words come from, but there where some that where very corrupted from the original word, some of the worst ones where place names although i can only think of one at the moment which is for Heswall which was "Yawla" !

I suppose none of these where written, so there is no correct spelling for them !.

Folk from Cornwall moved up this neck of the woods to work in the Neston mines and some settled down` up here,Anyone heard of "Mother redcap" ship wreckers or "Wreckers" as they were known,
"God bless feyther and God bless mather and God send us a wreck afore morning"
Old Wallasey Prayer, Its a good read ...... http://www.wirralhistory.net/wreckers.html

Ghosts, I think, were often refered to as buggons or beggens.
If I recall there is a Buggen Lane in Neston

...I've certainly heard 'cowed' used before. And if you felt cold more than most you were 'Nesh'!

My old man used to come out with some weird & wonderful expressions like saying someone had a 'face like Annie the Gogger'!!!

...haven't got the foggiest what that one was about!

Don't mix up Mother Redcap with Wallasey wreckers. She allegedly looked after cash for sailors, helped smugglers and kept ordinary sailors out of the hands of the press gangs. She owned an inn on the shore between New Brighton and Egremont. Wreckers were those who allegedly lit false beacons to lure ships onto the shore, plunder the cargo and in some cases murder the crews. Wallasey village was supposed to be the centre of wrecking and goods "recovered" were allegedly transported across Bidston Moss to Bidston village and then onwards.

The wreckers prayer you quote is supposed to have been said by the vicar or various vicars in St Hilary's church.

Cowed for cold is very Yorkshire(ish). I married into it and they still say it like that in certain places.

Great to read your post and the amazing glimpses into Wirral's lost accents/dialects..the manner of saying 'cold' brought to mind say a Black County accent. We certainly are unearthing a treasure trove of Wirral's gems here

ahh cowed as in Yorkshire, good shout, my first reaction was to think of the Black Country.