There is a piece of family lore about my great-great-great-grandfather who immigrated to the US in 1850. He was from the border of England and Wales. Now I know Middle English wasn't spoken in 1850, but here is an example of what his accent sounded like to others:

One summer when Great-great-great-grandpa was getting on in years, he asked his grandson's new wife if she would hand him the flashwater. She didn't understand, so fetched him a nice glass of water instead. He became frustrated and said, "No, the flashwater, the flashwater!" The poor dear still didn't understand, so the old man hobbled out into the kitchen and came back, furiously swinging the Flyswatter!

Eiseley