1695 W. Congreve ii. i. 18 Fore. Nurse, Where's your young Mistress? Nurse. Wee'st heart, I know not, they're none of 'em come home yet.
1703 R. Thoresby Let. 27 Apr. in J. Ray (1848) 430 Wae'st heart, a condolence to the same purport with wae's me, woe is the heart, &c.
a1774 R. Fergusson (1785) 141 'Mang men, wae's-heart! we aften find The brawest drest want peace o' mind.
1787 F. Grose Wa-ist heart, woe is me. N.
1827 C. I. Johnstone III. ii. 25 Waes heart! waes heart!
1829 J. Hunter Wast-heart-a-day, an expression of grief or of commiseration.
1835 E. Strutt II. xvii. 308 Wae's-heart—it's a vexatious world we have to go through.
1854 1st Ser. 9 349/2 Waestart, a common expression of sorrow or condolence among the lower classes..around Leeds.
1862 C. C. Robinson 445 ‘Wāasteheart barns! ye knawn't what's let on yuh, God help yuh!’ ‘How are yuh to-dāay then like?’ ‘Noa better, thenk yuh.’ ‘Ah, wāasteheart! wāasteheart!’
1876 F. K. Robinson Weeas is t'heart!, I am heartily sorry for it.
a1912 W. W. Skeat & A. L. Mayhew (1914) 445 ‘Wae's t'heart’, ‘Wae's heart of me’, are Yorks. exclamations.