Middle English Dictionary Entry
noisaunce n.
Entry Info
| Forms | noisaunce n. Also noissaunce, noisans, noiesance, noiceaunce, nosaunce, nosaunse, nuisaunce, nusaunce, nusauns. |
| Etymology | OF nuisance, nusance, noisance. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
Law (a) An offense against private property; a source of dispute over possession or use of property; plea of ~, a lawsuit brought against someone guilty of a noisaunce; pleinte of ~, a formal statement charging the defendant with being guilty of a noisaunce; (b) a cause of general annoyance or inconvenience; an obstruction of a street or river; a public nuisance; general annoyance or inconvenience.
Associated quotations
a
- [ a1350 Ipswich Domesday(1) (Add 25012)20 : Les pleyntes de fresche abatement e de nussaunce..sunt pledables par gage e plegge. ]
- [ a1350 Ipswich Domesday(1) (Add 25012)46 : Play de nusaunce de fraunke tenement seyt plede devaunt les baillifs de la dite vile. ]
- c1432 Bishop Notes in PMLA 49 (Cmb Dd.14.2)455 : Þis Sire Iohn..set oon Iohn Aueray mason to þis seyd new pece wal wiþ þis seyd newe dore þere to be þus set in Nusans of þe vre hold of þis seyd Nicholas.
- c1436 Ipswich Domesday(2) (Add 25011)21 : Pleyntes..of nusance..ben pleted be wed and borugh after vsage of that toun.
- c1436 Ipswich Domesday(2) (Add 25011)47 : Plee of nusance of free tenement be pletyd a fore the ballyvys..with inne the ferst xl dayes after the nusaunce doone..But ȝif he to whom that nusance ys doone be out of the iiij sees of Ingelond..and he fresshly with inne the ferst xl dayes after that he be comyne in to Inglond..begynneth to sue his pleynte..a ȝens hym that hath doon that nusance, be he receyved to pletene.
- c1436 Ipswich Domesday(2) (Add 25011)49 : Be arayned an othe of xij men goode and trewe..and..have they of the othe sight of that nusance..ȝif it be founden that he hath don nusance, be the iugement executyd.
- (1475) Plea & Mem.R.Lond.Gildh.90 : The iiij maisters of Carpenters and Masons..were chargied..to oversee a noysaunce..betwene the tenement belongyng to the Wardeyns and Cominaltee of the Crafte of Barbours of London on that oon partie playntiffes and the tenement of the Priour and Covent of thospitall of oure lady Seint Mary..on that other partie defendauntes, whiche noysaunce the saide iiij maisters have seen and examened..And theruppon they sey that..the saide defendauntes..owe to suffer the same playntiffes to edifie and sette a walle.
- (1481) Plea & Mem.R.Lond.Gildh.145 : The iiij maisters..were chargied..forto oversee a noisaunce in the parissh of seynt Peter..which noisaunce the said iiij maisters have seen and..they fynde there a daubed wall ruynous and broken..the which wall oweth to be repaired..by the same defendauntes.
b
- (1413) RParl.4.8a marg. : An Act concerning raising of Milnes, Stankes, &c., to the noisance of the Kinges people.
- (1422) Plea & Mem.in Bk.Lond.E.122/34 : The tauerners..set her empty tunnys and pipis in the hie strete, to nusauns of all folk ther passyng.
- (1422) Plea & Mem.in Bk.Lond.E.123/57 : We compleyne gretely vpon the dong about the horspole, wich is a right greuous nuysance.
- (1422) Plea & Mem.in Bk.Lond.E.129/246 : Atte ende of Tryggeslane is a Steyre greuously broken..þe whiche is a grete nosaunce to þe Communes.
- (1422) Plea & Mem.in Bk.Lond.E.129/257 : These ben þe defautes & noisaunces founden with-in þe warde of þe toure.
- (1423) Plea & Mem.in Bk.Lond.E.135/144 : The comune prive of ludgate is..a desclaunder to all this Citee, that so foul a nusans shuld be so nygh so comune an hy wey, and oft hit hath be presentyd and no remedye yit is ordeined.
- (1423) Plea & Mem.in Bk.Lond.E.135/149 : The mud wall..fallith parcelmele in-to the strete, to grete nusans of all folk there passyng and dwellyng.
- (1425-6) Red Paper Bk.Colchester49 : White Tawyers..leyen many diverse hides..in payryng and corrupcion of the said water of the rever..to gret harmyng and noissaunce of the said poeple.
- (1447-8) Shillingford100 : All freeholders..have used to make stalles in all stretes..so it be no noysaunce to the Kinges liege people.
- (1450) RParl.5.187a : Forges..never sith myght be suffred to be sett up agayn for the nuysance, enstreityng, and deformite of the seid strete.
- (1464) RParl.5.569b : If eny such nusaunce [weirs, mills, and dams] were made..it shuld be beten down.
- (1464) RParl.5.569b : He that releeved any such nusaunce and were thereof attaynted shuld renne in the payne of a c Marc.
- (1472-5) RParl.6.159b : Weeres, Fysshgarthes, Milles, Milledammes, and other nusauncez and ympedymentes.
- (1473-4) Acc.St.Edm.Sarum15 : To John Holbeme for the clansynge of a noysance abowte the church, xvj d.
- (1474) Plea & Mem.R.Lond.Gildh.86 : It shuld be no noisaunce neiþer to the Citee of London nor to the Chirche and parisshens aforesaid thowe the said Humfrey Starkey shuld belde the said Closet.
- (1477) Plea & Mem.R.Lond.Gildh.116 : The Bieldyng and settyng up of the same newe Chapell..shuld not be to the noysaunce ne hurt of the said prisone of Ludgate nor of the prisoners.
- a1525(?1439) Cov.Leet Bk.190 : Will. Darsate..pipes off lede..hath broken, takon awey, and the watur stopped, to grett nosaunse off the Cominalte.
2.
Harm, damage; crime; trouble, affliction, annoyance; don ~, to do harm.
Associated quotations
- c1400 Femina (Trin-C B.14.40)78 : Brekeþ þe corde of nusaunce [Gloss.Bibbesw.(AS) 1055: noye].
- (1421) Indent.Catterick in Archaeol.J.758 : Nicholas & his felaws schalle..kepe ye watir were..to ye tyme..yair werke of masoncraft be passed ye dangere And ye noiesance of ye same said watir.
- (a1422) Hoccl.Hen.V.& KG (Hnt HM 111)47 : Our Cristen kyng..And yee, my lordes..shul qwenche al this nusance [heresy] And this land sette in hy prosperitee.
- (c1422) Hoccl.JWife (Dur-U Cosin V.3.9)308 : Of the chyld shee tooke the gouernance, Which torned hire aftir to greet nusance.
- a1456(a1426) Lydg.Mum.Hertford (Trin-C R.3.20)208 : Custume is vs for nature and vsaunce To set oure housbandes lyf in gret noysaunce.
- (?a1430) Hoccl.MG (Hnt HM 111)21 : Keepe vs from his [the devil's] nusance!
- (1437) Proc.Privy C.5.74 : He..dispsoseth [read: disposeth] him to come to Caleys..to do þe noyssance þerto þat he can.
- (1449) Wars France in RS 22.1489 : Robbeurs and pirates..dayly do alle the noysance thay canne.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Merlin (Corp-C 80)2256 : To hym maden they here Surawnce him there to bryngen with-owten Nosawnce.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Grail (Corp-C 80)12.217 : Bothe this torment & this Noysance He [God] the now sendeth.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Grail (Corp-C 80)15.577 : Alle thing þat scholde don me Noysaunce, Hem scholde I flen.
- a1450(1412) Hoccl.RP (Hrl 4866)58 : What sykirnesse ys þat To lyue ay seur of greef and of nuisaunce?
- a1450(1412) Hoccl.RP (Hrl 4866)174 : Þou dost not heer but greuest me & tenest..In þe liþe not redresse my nuysance [vr. noiaunce].
- a1450(1412) Hoccl.RP (Hrl 4866)810 : To me thus longe walke, it doth nusance Vnto my crookid feeble lymes olde.
- c1450 Alph.Tales (Add 25719)367/25 : A grete multitude of fleis in ane abbay..did mekull noysans vnto all men þat dwellyd þerin.
- (1461) Collect.Anglo-Premonst.in RHS ser.3.1046 : Jhesu preserve you frome all noiceaunce & adversite.
- a1475 Asneth (Hnt EL 26.A.13)292 : Madame what ailes you, and ys your nuysance?
- a1500(?c1450) Merlin (Cmb Ff.3.11)456 : Yef ye take eny of owres, thei shull helpe yow to oure noysaunce.
- a1500 Add.Hymnal (Add 34193)474/10 : Prey we þe lord..That he vs kepe frome synne and all noysaunce [L nocentibus].
- a1500 Add.Hymnal (Add 34193)477/17 : Lord..Wyth draw the fyre and hete of all noysaunce [L noxium].
- a1500 Discip.Cler.(Wor F.172)17 : Another innocent is deputed vnto turment, and I forsoth that hath don the nuysaunce goeth free.