worsted
.
Searchable Lemmata: worstede (ME), worsted (AF), worsteda (L), worset (OScots), worsted (MdE).
Alternate Forms: versett, virset, vorset, vursat, vyrset, warset, warstett, wasted, wersatt, werst, werstede, wirset, wirsset, wirsset, wirsted, wirstede, wirthested, wirthstede, wisserit, wisset, wolstede, wonostede, woorsett, worcested, worcested, worchestede, wordesteda, wordestede, wordhestede, wordstede, worsat, worestede, worse, worsel, worsested, worset, worsetis, worsett, worssett, worst, worstead, worstead, worsted, worstedes, worsteid, worstet, worstid, worstide, worstrete, wortested, Worthested, worthested, worthested, worthstedde, worthstede, worthstede, worthstedes, worzet, wosted, wostet, wourset, wrstede, wrtested, wrtestede, wulsted, wulstyde, wurdesteda, wurdesteða, wurhested, wursted, wurstede, wurstet, wurthestede, wurthstedde, wurthstede, wyrset.
Definitions and Defining Citations:
1(n.)
Textile;
worsted; a light cloth made of wool, characterised by its smooth, glossy yarn produced from fibres of long-stapled wool that had been laid parallel by combing. Distinguished commercially from 'woollens'. The name derived from Worstead, Norfolk. Munro, J and Owen-Crocker G. R. (2012). See also compound terms: worsted-bed, -motley, -maker, etc.(circa 1286 still in current use)
4. Item vij towell' ... pris viijs.
Item iiij roll' worstede ... pris xxs.
Item iiij pec. worstede ... pris iiij markes
Item iiij pec. Card ... pris xs.
Item j pec. et di. de bordelisaundre ... pris vjs.
Item ij keverlites ove ij testurys
enbrawded de le minime stature ... xiijs. iiijd.
Item j keverlite et testur' de blew worstede ... vjs. viijd.
Item j pec. de ffustyan ... xiijs. iiijd.
Item iiij dossen kercheves de Berchefoll ... xiijs. iiijd.
Item vj peyntyd clothus ... iiijs.
[LexP Bristol Customs Searchers (p. 51, no. 38.A) circa 1399/1413]
7. [p. 233]
(PROME item 770) Item, .i. autre pane de blanket, les bordures de rouge baudekyn, furrez de menever pur, pris .iiij.li.
(771) Item, .i. autre pane de taune, furrez de gros menever, pris de tout .xxvi. s. .viij. d.
(772) Item, .i. carpet bien veille contenant .ix. verges .iij. quarters, pris .xiij. s. .iiij. d.
Summa .xiiij. pagine: .viij c vij.li. .ij. s. .i. d.
(773) Item, .i. lite d'arras des cheries, le testour contenant .iiij. verges demi en longure et .iij. verges en large, en tout .xiij. verges demi quarrez. Item, le celour contenant .iiij. verges en longure et .iiij. verges en large, en tout .xvi. verges quarrez. Item, le counterpoynt contenant .vi. verges en longure et .v. verges demi de large, contenant .xxxiij. verges quarrez. Item, .i. tapite d'arras ovec shepeherdes contenant .vij. verges demi en longure et .v. verges de large, contenant .xxxvij. vergez demi quarrez. Item, .i. autre tapite de mesme le suyte contenant .vij. verges demi de longure et .v. verges de large, en tout .xxxvij. verges demi. Item, .i. autre tapite de mesme la suyte contenant .vij. verges demi de longure et .v. verges de large, en tout .xxxvij. vergez demi. Summa des verges .clxxv. verges, pris le verge .iij. s. .iiij. d., .xxix.li. .iij. s. .iiij. d.
[p. 234]
(item 802) Item, .xxij. fethirbeddes ovec taunt de bolsters de plume, pris le pece ensemble .x. s., .xi.li.
...
(820) Item, divers remenaunts de marterons et ventres des ermyns, contenant .liiij., pris ensemble .vi.li. .xiij. s. .iiij. d.
...
(826) Item, .i. lite des plumes ovec .i. bolster, pris .xx s.
...
(828) Item, .iij. tapites de worsted rouge et .i. petite carpet en le chapelle, pris .viij. s.
Legal.
[AND RotParl1 (iv 233-234) 1423]
9. Þat every pece of wursted be suyng þurghoute þe clothe of true makyng ... and þat þei holde þe length and brede as þassise hath been of old tyme truly acustumed. ... Þat þere be put in noon of thoo worsted eny lamb woll nor pell woll, and þat þe wardeins of þe seyd craft ... haue ... auctorite to sease all suche clothes and stuff so found defectif.
[MED Rec.Norwich 2 (151) 1442]
10. I pray yow ye woll send me ... ij elne of worsted for doblettes, to happe me this cold wynter and that ye inquere where William Paston bought his tepet of fyne worsted whech is almost like silk ... for I wold make my doblet all worsted for worship of Norffolk.
Other.
[MED Paston (1.140) 1465]
Sex: N/A Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
2(n.)
Place Name;
also as a personal name (deriving from the village). Also in various place-names for locations where worsteds were sold, especially the street known as Worsted Row in Norwich (adjacent to St Peter's Street, in what is still the market place), and at a slightly later date in the same city, the Worsted Seld (which stood from c. 1397 to 1550 a short distance away on the Pottergate; the site is commemorated by a plaque).(circa 1250)
2. Johannes Cusin ... de licencia domini Edwardi ... recognouit se ... duas schopas ... quarum schopparum, una jacet in foro, viz. in le Worthstederowe.
[MED Rec.Norwich 2 (23) 1330]
4. [All cloths of Worsted ... shall not be sold nor bought in any place ... except only in a certain hospice ... called the] Worsted Selde.
Legal.
[MED Rec.Norwich 2 (90) 1440]
Sex: N/A Ceremonial: No
Body Parts:
Etymological Evidence:
Definite, from the name of the village currently spelt Worstead in Norfolk, a little way north of Norwich. The village itself is recorded in Anglo-Saxon times as Wrðestede, Wrdesteda, the town name Worstead (or Worthested) in Norfolk, the name meaning 'enclosure-site'. The word is much used in Anglo-Latin and Anglo-French contexts, and was borrowed into Older Scots.
In the compound place-names in Norwich, the first is worsted + row 'row of stalls or shops, a street'; the second is + seld(e) 'a building for selling merchandise'. This word is normally held to be < Old English seld 'seat', which is a different word to OE sæl 'hall' later English sell, sale, also used of medieval buildings (cf. the various places called tolsell 'toll-house'), but it is likely the two words were confused by the ME period.
WF:
Etym Cog: wsted (W).
References:
