Item 9 - Letter from C. H. Griffith to A. F. Kirkpatrick

4 Belmont, Dyke Road, Brighton.—Has found the word ‘kine’ or ‘kyme’ in use at South Malling.

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4 Belmont, Dyke Road, Brighton
25 Octr 1904

Dear Dr Kirkpatrick

You asked me a long while ago about the word Kine or Kyme & I have at last found it & curiously at South Malling. The clerk there knew no other name for weasels!

By chance I asked & he knew it at once. He said “One of the Choir boys last week at practice came in & said ‘Muster Colwell there is a stut (stoat) on the path’ {1}. I went out & said you little stupid it’s only a kine”.

He went on “there are ferts (ferrets) {2} & stuts & kine”.

He is the only one however I have met in many parts of Sussex. I think it must be rather local.

With our united kind remembrances to you all

Yours sincerely
C. H. Griffith

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{1} Closing inverted comma supplied.

{2} ‘(ferrets)’ interlined above ‘ferts’; no caret.