<<OOuuhH... nasty, nasty. Did anyone actually bother to look up this word?>>

yeah
I looked up both in every dictionary to which I have access, and also on the
web -- various resources on Lycos, etc......

the only wythe to be found is a family or place name
and merkin is non-existant

I remember seeing wythe used in some old English stuff I read long ago...
it is a variant of withe, which is a flexible slender branch, used for weaving
a wall around sapling uprights.....
the resulting woven basketlike structure is then wattled, or coated with mud
and
straw, to form a solid wall.....

but I have NO idea if this is what you all are after.... having missed the
beginning
of this conversation....   ;)

Deb Bledsoe,  Girl Toilet Partition Installer
Stalls R Us
Hamilton, OH