north. dial. Forms: 4–8 cavil, cavel, 5 kevelle, Sc. pl. caflis, 6 Sc. cauill, -yll, -eill, 7 cavell, Sc. kavil, ? 8 Sc. kevel, kevil, 8 Sc. kavel, 9 north. dial. kyeval, -el, etc. [Identical with Du. kavel lot, parcel (kavelen to cast lots, parcel out by lot), MDu. cāvele lot, MLG. and MG. kavele ‘little stick (inscribed with runes) for casting lots’ Franck. Usually identified with ON. kafli piece cut off, piece, bit, kefli cylinder, stick, piece of wood; but the connection is not fully traced.]
1. A lot (that is cast). Now applied in the Northumberland collieries to the lots that are cast from time to time to determine in which ‘bord’ each miner shall hew till the next cavelling.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 18907. Þan kest þai cauel [Gött. caueles; Fairf. lottis; Trin. lottes] þam emell. Ibid., 21157. Als þe cauel on him fell.
a. 1400. Sir Perc., 142. Sone kevelles did thay caste.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, I. viii. 27. Be cut or cavil that pleid sone partid was.
1533. Gau, Richt Vay (1887), 41. And thay suld cast cauels apone his kot [= coat].
a. 1783. Gil Brenton, xlviii. in Child, Ballads, I. 69/1. The cavil it did on me fa.
1852. Mining Gloss., 123, Kavels, lots cast by the men at stated periods for the different working places.
b. The response of an oracle [transl. Lat. sors].
1513. Douglas, Æneis, IV. vii. 31. The kavillis of Licia.
c. fig. One’s lot in life or in marriage. dial.
1768. Ross, Helenore, 128 (Jam.). I should be right content For the kind cavel that to me was lent.
1826. T. Wilson, Pitman’s Pay, I. xlviii. To please ma dowly cavel. Ibid., III. lxvi. When Sall was for ma kyeval drawn.
† 2. Lot or share, in any joint privilege, liability, or the like. Obs. or ? Sc.
c. 1400. trans. Leges Quatuor Burgorum, xiii. He sall not have lot nor cavill equallie with burgessis dwelland within the burgh.
1609. Skene, Reg. Maj., Table 82. Lot, cut, and cavill, hes place in ane half dacker of hides.
3. A division or share of property made by lot; an allotment of land.
1652. in Stonehouse, Axholme (1839), 93. Part of the cavells of 91 acres under Epworth.
a. 1670. Spalding, Troub. Chas. I. (1792), I. 231 (Jam.). 40 chalders of victual and silver rent out of the bishop’s kavil.
1700. De la Pryme, Diary (1869), 316. A larg map … having every field, ingg, close, mested, croft, cavel, intack, &c., in the whole parish in it.
1799. J. Robertson, Agric. Perth, 62. The first deviation from run-rig was by dividing the farms into kavels or kenches, by which every field of the same quality was split down into as many lots, as there were tenants in the farm.
1805. State, Leslie of Powis, etc., 17 (Jam.). The Town and Bishop feued out this fishing in shares, six of them called the King’s cavil, and the other six the Bishop’s cavil.
1856. Best’s Farm. Bks., 128, note.
