"Twitten is an old Sussex dialect word, used in both East and West Sussex, for small passageways leading between two buildings to courtyards, streets, or open areas behind. Its origins are not clear, it is suggested it may be a corruption of ‘betwixt’ and ‘between’. It is early 19th century and is perhaps related to the low German ‘twiete’, meaning an alley or a lane."
My Brighton & Hove
Collins Dictionary dates it somewhat earlier:-
Twitten (Sussex), narrow space between two walls/bldgs- Ginnel (North Eng) corruption of channel)), snicket (W.Yorksh), vennel (Wales)
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