I found this
reference:
February 22nd 1911
On Tuesday night a considerable part of St Mary's Hall, Belchamp Walter, was destroyed by fire. It is in occupation of Mr Borrow. It appears that Mr Borrow jun. was awakened by flames at 1-10 am and found the house and stables adjoining the house alight.Mr Borrow sen.was at once awakened and they proceeded to release liberate the horses and turn out the cattle from the yard. A barley stack, cart shed, fowl house, a stump of hay and quarter of threshed corn were destroyed, also traps, machinery and harness. Some poultry were saved but a few hens, ducks and turkeys were burnt to death, a goat shared their untimely death. The fire brigade from Yeldham arrived at 5-30 but by that time there was not much danger of the fire spreading. This is the fifth outbreak of fire in the vicinity and circumstances point to incendiarism, causing much unease to owners and occupiers in the district.
Looking for an older dictionary I tried
Webster's 1828 Dictionary:
STUMP, n. [G.]
1. The stub of a tree; the part of a tree remaining int he earth after the tree is cut down, or the part of any plant left in the earth by the sythe or sickle.
2. The part of a limb or other body remaining after a part is amputated or destroyed; as the stump of a leg, of a finger or a tooth.
STUMP, v.t.
1. To strike any thing fixed and hard with the toe. [Vulgar.
2. To challenge. [Vulgar.]
. . . and
Webster's 1913:
Stump (Page: 1430)
Stump (?), n. [OE. stumpe, stompe; akin to D. stomp, G. stumpf, Icel. stumpr, Dan. & Sw. stump, and perhaps also to E. stamp.]
1. The part of a tree or plant remaining in the earth after the stem or trunk is cut off; the stub.
2. The part of a limb or other body remaining after a part is amputated or destroyed; a fixed or rooted remnant; a stub; as, the stump of a leg, a finger, a tooth, or a broom.
3. pl. The legs; as, to stir one's stumps. [Slang]
4. (Cricket) One of the three pointed rods stuck in the ground to form a wicket and support the bails.
5. A short, thick roll of leather or paper, cut to a point, or any similar implement, used to rub down the lines of a crayon or pencil drawing, in shading it, or for shading drawings by producing tints and gradations from crayon, etc., in powder.
6. A pin in a tumbler lock which forms an obstruction to throwing the bolt, except when the gates of the tumblers are properly arranged, as by the key; a fence; also, a pin or projection in a lock to form a guide for a movable piece. Leg stump (Cricket), the stump nearest to the batsman. -- Off stump (Cricket), the stump farthest from the batsman. -- Stump tracery (Arch.), a term used to describe late German Gothic tracery, in which the molded bar seems to pass through itself in its convolutions, and is then cut off short, so that a section of the molding is seen at the end of each similar stump. -- To go on the stump, ∨ To take the stump, to engage in making public addresses for electioneering purposes; -- a phrase derived from the practice of using a stump for a speaker's platform in newly-settled districts. Hence also the phrases stump orator, stump speaker, stump speech, stump oratory, etc. [Colloq. U.S.]<-- on the stump -- campaigning for public office -->
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Stump (Page: 1430)
Stump, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stumped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Stumping.]
1. To cut off a part of; to reduce to a stump; to lop.
Around the stumped top soft moss did grow. Dr. H. More.
2. To strike, as the toes, against a stone or something fixed; to stub. [Colloq.]
3. To challenge; also, to nonplus. [Colloq.]
4. To travel over, delivering speeches for electioneering purposes; as, to stump a State, or a district. See To go on the stump, under Stump, n. [Colloq. U.S.]
5. (Cricket) (a) To put (a batsman) out of play by knocking off the bail, or knocking down the stumps of the wicket he is defending while he is off his allotted ground; -- sometimes with out. T. Hughes. (b) To bowl down the stumps of, as, of a wicket.
A herd of boys with clamor bowled, And stumped the wicket. Tennyson.
To stump it. (a) To go afoot; hence, to run away; to escape. [Slang] Ld. Lytton. (b) To make electioneering speeches. [Colloq. U.S.]
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Stump (Page: 1430)
Stump, v. i. To walk clumsily, as if on stumps. To stump up, to pay cash. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.