Our ancestors would most likely have spoken very differently from us today, particularly when many of us have moved far from our roots. When looking at old records, such as parish registers or wills, it is always important to bear in mind spelling variants and words which may have been due to local dialect or accent.
Searcher Liz Yule has Norfolk ancestors, and she has found the surname Reynolds written down in the parish register as "Rannells", being a clear case of the clergyman writing down what he heard.
With Norfolk dialect in particular, it is interesting to note the Dutch influence. As a county very close to Holland, many incomers brought with them their own language, some words of which have stuck. One example is "dwile" , referring to a cloth, and another being "push" meaning a boil or spot.
So if an old document does not appear to make sense, investigate the local dialect further, and see if this helps with unusual words!
