Not entirely certain. The OED, the Webster’s unabridged and several others seem to have no record of it in English. Nothing on any of the online dictionaries including Wictionary.
It occurs regularly in the diary of Samuel Pepys, in addition to Till We Have Faces, by C. S. Lewis, where I encountered it. It seems to refer to being, as near as I can tell, disheveled or ruffled. It is a frequent euphemism for various forms of debauchery. It seems to share the Middle English root tousen with the more common Modern English word tousled.
#1 by Angela - October 12th, 2009 at 22:32
Thanks! I am reading “Till We Have Faces” now and was having the same trouble.
#2 by G.T. - October 13th, 2009 at 18:15
No problem Angela! I’m glad it helped. This syndicates to my Facebook, and a friend on there was kind enough to point out that towse is in the online Oxford English Dictionary. Enjoy “Till we Have Faces.” It’s one of my favorites.