[Facts] English word "skane" and Swedish town Skåne
I'm doing some research into the global connections to Staithes, North Yorkshire. During some research into Staithe's mining history of alum, I found out that some coastal towns in Sweden shared this mining venture, such as Skåne.
A letter can be found in the Staithes museum outlining life as a woman at the time of mining. Annie Cole says: "The women of states have had to work very hard they had the bait to provide while the men were at sea ... When they came home they had to SKANE these for bait." Also in: "the women had to carry them in baskets and tubs and they also they had also to be SKANED and the lines to bait."
https://www.staithes-museum.org.uk/post/a-handwritten-history-of-staithes-by-annie-weatherill-cole
There is no English oxford dictionary definition of the word "skane". Does anyone know the origin of the English use of it? I think I had an imagination that the people in Staithes picked it up from merchants in Sweden. It might merely be a coincidence (as they are also pronounced differently).
I also did some research into the origins of the Swedish equivalent "Skåne". The closest reference I have is on a message board from 2004 of this site suggesting Skan'land is perhaps from Albanan origin. Although there seems to be some Swedish text correcting him that there is no Skan'land, just Skåne. There's a general consensus on this website that it is more likely from Old Norse, Skáney.
https://places.behindthename.com/name/ska17ne/submitted
https://www.behindthename.com/bb/fact/32723
Would you be able to shed any light on the english use of the word skane?
Thanks.
A letter can be found in the Staithes museum outlining life as a woman at the time of mining. Annie Cole says: "The women of states have had to work very hard they had the bait to provide while the men were at sea ... When they came home they had to SKANE these for bait." Also in: "the women had to carry them in baskets and tubs and they also they had also to be SKANED and the lines to bait."
https://www.staithes-museum.org.uk/post/a-handwritten-history-of-staithes-by-annie-weatherill-cole
There is no English oxford dictionary definition of the word "skane". Does anyone know the origin of the English use of it? I think I had an imagination that the people in Staithes picked it up from merchants in Sweden. It might merely be a coincidence (as they are also pronounced differently).
I also did some research into the origins of the Swedish equivalent "Skåne". The closest reference I have is on a message board from 2004 of this site suggesting Skan'land is perhaps from Albanan origin. Although there seems to be some Swedish text correcting him that there is no Skan'land, just Skåne. There's a general consensus on this website that it is more likely from Old Norse, Skáney.
https://places.behindthename.com/name/ska17ne/submitted
https://www.behindthename.com/bb/fact/32723
Would you be able to shed any light on the english use of the word skane?
Thanks.
Replies
The examples you provided seem to have some context missing, but I think it is most likely a dialectal term from Middle English 'skainen' meaning "to scrape, to graze", which indeed comes from Old Norse.
Alternatively, it might be a misspelling of "skein" which has to do with winding or weaving, possibly referring to nets or fishing lines in this case.
Sources:
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-english-dictionary/dictionary/MED40606/
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/skein
Alternatively, it might be a misspelling of "skein" which has to do with winding or weaving, possibly referring to nets or fishing lines in this case.
Sources:
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-english-dictionary/dictionary/MED40606/
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/skein
I could not find a definition of skane in English on Wiktionary either.