dial. Also 6–7 whorte, 7 whurt, 9 wort. [South-western dial. form of HURT sb.2 (cf. whoam for home, whole for earlier hole, and WHORTLEBERRY).] = WHORTLEBERRY. Also attrib. Hence Whorting vbl. sb., gathering whortleberries.
1578. Lyte, Dodoens, VI. xi. 670. There be two sortes of Whortes, and Whortel berries, wherof the common sort are blacke, and the other are red.
1597. Gerarde, Herbal, III. lxix. 1231.
1657. W. Coles, Adam in Eden, cxvi. Black Whorts, or Bill-Berries.
1661. J. Childrey, Brit. Baconica, 12. For Fruits, they [in Cornwall] have a sort called Whurts.
1746. Exmoor Scolding (E.D.S.), 91. And why dest thee, than, tell me ’Isterday o’ losing my Rewden Hat in the Rex-bush, out a whorting?
1773. Encycl. Brit., s.v. Vaccinium, The myrtillus [mispr. -is], or black whortleberries or bilberries;… the cantabricum, or Irish whorts; the vitis idea, or red whorts.
1802. Coleridge, The Picture, 4. I … now climb, and now descend O’er rocks, or bare or mossy, with wild foot Crushing the purple whorts.
1856. G. Roberts, Soc. Hist. South. Eng., 561. During the Whort-season children used to assemble to partake of Whort-pies made by the landlord of the Black Dog public house, Uplyme. Whort-pies made with a brown crust, and eaten with clouted cream, are a west country delicacy.
1917. Contemp. Rev., Nov., 582. I do mind the autumn when Mrs. Ann Pugsley did witch John Craw. ’Twur at the whort gathering.
