heck

1) The north country equivalent of 'hatch'. It had a variety of related meanings.

It could be an inner door or the lower half of a door: 1446-58 pro factura de j heke, Birthwaite

1540 for ij bandes and ij crokes to her heke, York. It could also be a contrivance which consisted of wooden bars, designed to catch fish in dams and rivers: 1301 ‘in the dam of the said mill, heckes for catching fish’, Thorp Arch

1462 le Samonde hekkes, Wakefield

1476 ‘have fished … with nets and hekebases’, Yeadon

1540-7 et mediet. ejusdem piscarić voc. le Fish Hekkes, Whitby. In a farming context it usually referred to a rack holding animal fodder: 1504 a hors-bay, kryb, heyk, York

1545 mannegers, hekkes in the stables, Thirsk

1595 all the stable hecks, mangers and hayes, Wiganthorpe

1734 all the hecks, racks and mangers, West Ardsley. More specific examples include: 1582 a sheephecke, South Cave

1634 one horseheck and a manger, Elmswell

1659 two beaste heckes, Selby. In domestic situations it was a rack for cheese, dishes, etc: 1575 a cowbbourde, a aumerrye, a disheyke Downholme

1579 a cheise heck, South Cave

1637 a chese hecke, Hambleton. In a few early instances the meaning is uncertain: 1409 pro factura unius hek, Beverley

1499 a litell ambre standing within the middell heke, Wighill.

dates 1301 1409 1446-1458 1462 1499 1504 1540 1540-1547 1545 1575 1579 1582 1595 1634 1637 1659 1734

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