Cess

CESS, sb.1 and v.1 Sc. Irel. Nhb. Dur. Cum. Yks. Lin. War. Sus. Som. [ses.]

1. sb. A rate, tax; gen. a local tax; also fig. Sc. All payment of cess or tributes to the existing government was unlawful, Scott Midlothian (1818) xviii. Rnf. He calls for their cess, on the rich who can pay, McGilvray Poems (ed. 1862) 59. Ayr. Thomas Wilson's wife and all his weans, an awful cess thrown upon the parish, Galt Ann. Parish (1821) xvii. Gall. The evils of paying the ‘cess’ or King's tax, Crockett Moss-Hags (1895) xx. Ir. Grose (1790) MS. add. (C.); County cess, borough cess (G.M.H.). Nhb.1 Dur. It is common to hear people speak of paying their rates and cesses (J.E.D.). Cum. The tenant covenants to pay the rent, cesses, taxes, and to keep all in repair, Marshall Review (1808) I. 177; Theer cesses an' taxes iv aw maks, Richardson Talk (1871) 149, ed. 1876. n.Yks.1 The different kinds of rate are distinguished as Church-cess, County-cess, Highway-cess, and Poor-cess. ne.Yks.1 We awlus pays wer cess. e.Yks.1 w.Yks. In Craven, the Imperial taxes are generally known as ‘T'cess’ (J.T.); w.Yks.5 Ah pāay six parnd an' awal 'at comes agean it; watter-cess an' ivvrything. n.Lin.1 Th' draainige cess is higher then iver t'year. War. This throws a heavy cess on the landed property, Marshall Review Agric. (1814) IV. 309; War.3 e.Sus. Holloway. w.Som.1 Dhur-z dhu poo·ur saes, un dhu kaewn·tee saes, un dhu saes taak·suz [there is the poor-rate, and the county rate, and the assessed taxes].
2. Comp. (1) Cess-collector, (2) Cess-gatherer, a tax-collector; (3) Cess-money, money paid in rates or taxes; (4) Cess-payer, a ratepayer. (1) w.Som.1 Saes· kulak·tur. (2) n.Yks.1 n.Yks.2, ne.Yks.1, e.Yks.1 n.Lin.1 John Lockwood, th' cess-getherer's been for th' coort o' sewers raate. (3) Sc. Contrived to keep this blackmail a secret from him, and passed it in his account for cess-money, Scott Waverley (1814) xv. (4) Ir. There'd have bin a heavy claim agin the cess-payers of the barony, too, McNulty Misther O'Ryan (1894) xxi.
3. An allowance made to the poor, parish relief. Dur.1, e.Yks.1 w.Yks. 'Cos t'wife and childer, dus ta see, Hes liv'd fur months o' t'cess, Preston Poems, &c. (1864) 16.
4. Energy, stress; also in schoolboy parlance, a flogging. n.Yks.2 ne.Yks.1 ‘Lie cess on,’ shouted to blockers at cricket [hit harder]. e.Yks.1 Ah'll gĭ thă sum cess if thă dizn't behave thi-sen. Ah'll give it sum cess [work at it energetically]. m.Yks.1 Thou'll get some cess yet.
5. A disturbance, fidget, irritation, trouble in domestic life. m.Yks.1, n.Lin.1
6. v. To rate, assess. Nhb.1 The hoose is cessed at ten pund a 'eer. n.Yks.1, m.Yks.1 w.Yks.5 Cess'd at so much. w.Som.1 Aay zúm wee bee u-saes wús·-n uv·ur [I consider we are taxed worse than ever].
7. Fig. To chastise. m.Yks.1 I'll cess thee! [Cesse is none other but that which your selfe called imposition.... One (cesse) is the cessing of souldiours upon the countrey. Another kind of cesse is the imposing of provision for the Governours house-keeping, Spenser State Ireland (1596), Globe ed. 643. For sess, aphetic form of assess.]

CESS, sb.2 Irel. Chs. Dev. [ses.]

1. Luck, success, gen. used in comb. Bad cess, bad luck. Ir. Bad cess to them, man and beast, Barrington Sketches (1830) III. 205; Och bad cess to the could an' the snow an' the win', Barlow Bogland (1892) 19; (G.M.H.) N.I.1 Ant. Bad cess tae you, why didn't you come in when you were going by the ither night Ballymena Obs. (1892). Chs. Bad cess to this kink aw've getten, Clough B. Bresskittle (1879) 5; Chs.1 Dev. Güde cess tü his sawl, poor blid! He hadden much ov theāse world's güdes yer, Hewett Peas. Sp. (1892).
2. In phr. Bad cess to, used as a strong negative; see below. Ir. Bad cess to the dhrop [not a drop at all], Lover Leg. (1848) I. 95.

CESS, sb.3 Chs. Der. e.An. Som. Dev. [ses.]

1. A layer or stratum of any material. e.An.1 Suf. Morton Cyclo. Agric. (1863); (F.H.) Hence Cessed, pp. piled up in layers. Chs. Bricks, slates, boards, or other articles piled up neatly are said to be cessed (R.H.).
2. A pile of unthreshed corn in a barn. w.Som.1 Bae·ud oal jaub·! dhur-z vaaw·ur ae·ukurz u wai·t een dhik beet uv u zas· [bad old job! there is four acres of wheat in that bit of a cess]. n.Dev. How dedst thee stertlee upon tha zess last harest, Exm. Scold. (1746) l. 32; Marshall Rur. Econ. (1796); Jan, clare tha 'cess in t'other houze, Rock Jim an' Nell (1867) 4. nw.Dev.1 Zess.
3. A portion of hay cut from top to bottom in a mow or rick. Der.2, nw.Der.1

Une pile de blé non battu dans une grange

Il y a quatre acres de blé dans ces piles de blé non battu