Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US) a large quantity.

1600		Dekker Shoemakers’ Holiday IV v: I know now a messe of shoemakers meate at the woolsack in Ivie lane, to cozen my gentleman of lame Rafes wife.
1809		T. Batchelor Orthoëpical Anal. Eng. Lang. 138: What a mes [sic] there is [OED].
1823		J.F. Cooper Pioneers (1827) II 252: I’ll give you a mess of fish that is fit to place before the Governor.
1833		C.A. Davis Letters of Major J. Downing (1835) 77: I never sich a mess of fellers as they have here.
1848		J.R. Lowell Biglow Papers (1880) 93: Git up all sound, be put to bed a mes o’ hacks an’ smashes.
c.1850		F.M. Whitcher Widow Bedott Papers (1883) 8: A mess o’ men in a double team [...] hysted us out.
1862		‘Artemus Ward’ Artemus Ward, His Book 32: If I should sow ’em on the rock of Gibralter probly I should raise a good mess of garding sass.
1888		M.D. Woodward Checkered Years (1937) 19 Aug. 240: We had just one mess of cucumbers and no corn or beans.
c.1895		‘O. Henry’ ‘Aristocracy Versus Hash’ in Rolling Stones (1913) 201: Who can get up a mess of hot cornbread and Irish stew at regular market quotations.
1900		Boy’s Own Paper 1 Dec. 133: The whole mess of rice and bread and goat’s flesh was piled together on a tray.
1905		G.W. Peck Peck’s Bad Boy Abroad 23: He had always taken a mess of pills.
1917		Van Loan ‘Playing Even with Obadiah’ in Old Man Curry 66: Looks like a weight pad to me [...] with quite a mess of lead in it.
1929		J. Sale Tree Named John 34: In mos’ no time he wuz back at de kang’s house wid a big mess uv peas.
1935		Peters & Sklar Stevedore I iii: You git funny wid Walcott, and you find yourself head down in a mess of trouble.
1942		W. Pegler George Spelvin Chats 95: Skin up your skirt to show a mess of leg.
1953		Randolph & Wilson Down in the Holler 253: I just been a-honin’ for a good mess of fried catfish.
1964		H. Selby Jr Last Exit to Brooklyn 247: He had a whole mess a bills tu pay.
1977		Rolling Stone 22 Sept. 28: Just head out Route 190 and look for a mess of cars on the left-hand side.
1986		F. Taylor Auf Wiedersehen Pet Two 19: She handed Linda a mess of change.
1999		J. Ridley Everybody Smokes in Hell 154: That woman’s spilled a mess of blood. A whole mess of blood.
2008		‘Grandmaster Flash’ Adventures 144: I’m in a whole new mess of high times.