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 X i
 
 RESTORATIOJ^ 
 
 Of THE 
 
 ANCIENT MODES 
 
 OF 
 
 BESTOWING NAMES 
 
 ON THE 
 
 RIVERS, HILLS, VALUES, PLAINS, avo 
 SETTLEMENTS of BRITAIN ; 
 
 RECORDED IN NO AUTHOR. 
 
 Exemplified in the Derivations of Rornan-britifli, and later 
 Denominations of Diftrifts, Names of the principal Towns, 
 and Appellations of the Features of Nature. 
 
 From which nearly ALL the Explanations given to thefe Terms, 
 byVerftegan, Skinner, Vallancey, Bryant, Borlafe, Whit- 
 aker, Pryce, Macphcrfon, and other Etymologifts, are fliewn 
 to be unfounded. 
 
 To this Treatife arc prefixed, the Principles by zchick 
 Names were originallj/ Jormcd, from their primitive 
 Gaelic Roots. 
 
 By G. dyer. 
 
 EXETER, 
 
 TriJitedfor G. DYER, oppofite the Guildhall ; 
 
 And, in London, for J. Johnfon, Longman, Hurft, Rees, and 
 Orme, R. Fauldcr, Cadell and Davies, Cuthell and Martin, 
 .Lackington, Allen and Co. T. Reynolds, W. H. Lunn, 
 J. MavvraiD, and T. Oftell. 
 
 Woolmer, Printer, £juter. 
 
 1805,
 
 .*• . :.♦./.•.
 
 
 'N' 
 
 PREFACE, 
 
 
 THE prefent age has been diftinguiflied 
 by an uniform progrcfs in almoft every 
 fpecies of knowledge, and may with propriety 
 be denominated an eminent age of literature. 
 But whilft we contemplate with pleafure our 
 fuccefsful refcarches in feveral branches of 
 fcience, the imperfe6l acquaintance of the 
 world from age to age, with local etymo- 
 logy, muft imprefs every reflecting mind with 
 aftonifhment. 
 
 If we enquire into the caufe of this very 
 extraordinary phcenomenon, we fhall find it 
 :;, not owing to the want of men who have ap- 
 plied themfelves to this particular ftudy ; for 
 fome fcholars have fpent almoll their whole 
 lives in the employment — and our provincial 
 C hiftorians, from long-ellabliflied cu/tom, have 
 ^ introduced their works with the etymology 
 p of thofe rivers, towns. Sic. which formed the 
 fubje61s of their defcriptions. 
 
 But notwithltanding tlicfe labours of emi- 
 nent men, the derivation of the names of 
 places feem to be generally unfounded, and 
 often ridiculous ; and the true caufe of our 
 
 A 2 ignorance 

 
 C * 3 
 
 ignornnce of local etymology refts here — Au- 
 thors have fought for the roots of ancient names 
 of rivers, towns, hills, 8zc. where they cer- 
 tainly could not be found, viz. in the Roman, 
 Greek, and Saxon Languages. Or if by chance 
 they have difcovered the proper language, they 
 have not examined its con(lru61ion ; have 
 yielded rather to their fancy than judgment, 
 and have adduced every thing under heaven, 
 as conferring names on rivers, towns, and 
 hills, except thofe ver} circumftances which 
 had any, the leaft, probability of claiming 
 that honour. 
 
 To explore the etymologies of a few rivers 
 and towns in the vicinity of Exeter, the au- 
 thor of this treatife had recourfe to books of 
 cuftomary reference ; and after repeated dif- 
 appointments, he difcovered that to the Gae- 
 lic alone were we indebted for the names of 
 all our rivers, hills, and old fettlemcnts. 
 
 He remarked, during his refearches, that 
 the names of rivers, and nearly all thofe of 
 lowns on ftreams, meant, at leaft partly, water 
 or Jlream ; and that alt the common and 
 known denominations for thefe, were infuf- 
 
 ficient
 
 ficient to give peculiar and difcriminative ap- 
 pellations to the ftreams of Great Britain only. 
 
 But altho' the names for flreams and hills 
 were thus infinitely multiplied, or rather va- 
 ried, he perceived from repeated examina- 
 tion, that they were derived from the fame 
 oriij;inal tonofue. 
 
 Some general and very fingular method 
 mufl therefore necelTarily have been purfued 
 in diltinguifhing thefe features of nature, and 
 of the fcttlcments upon them; to difcover 
 which the writer collected and arranged the 
 names for ftreams, and hoped to have difco- 
 vered thereby the neceffary derivations. 
 
 But the initials of thefe denominations were 
 not univerfally commutable; and in the 
 opinion of friends too much was proved by 
 the arrangement. 
 
 A clofer examination now became necef- 
 fary; the initial confonants were difcardcd, 
 and the remaining parts of the words were 
 again arranged. 
 
 But tbe author had ftill a feemingly Her- 
 culean labour to encounter — no lefs than a 
 
 £ompnrifoii
 
 C 3 
 
 comparifon of the names of rivers and of 
 towns on iireams : and even thefe would 
 have been infiifficient, had he not confidered 
 fhat a few only of the primitive words for 
 water or ftream were nccefTarv for the ordi- 
 nary ufes of fociety ; and that the great num- 
 ber of thofe employed and difcoverable in 
 names of ftreams and towns, muft confe- 
 quently be fynonymes. 
 
 He therefore colle6led all the Gaelic names 
 of water, Itream, &:c. to difcover fuch as 
 might have been the common and original 
 ones; and in this enquiry he was perfe6ily 
 gratified by a full difcovery of thefe primi- 
 tive terms. 
 
 In chapter the firft are fele61ed words, va- 
 ried as the reader will there find them, which 
 compofe the roots of all the rivers in Britain 
 and Europe, if not in the greatefl part of the 
 world. 
 
 The firfl f) llables or roofs were now for the 
 mofi part accounted for ; but the others were 
 ftill a defideraturn unattainable without much 
 obfcrvation and enquiry. 
 
 On
 
 On confideration, the Gaelic word tr was 
 found to imply great ; I, little, Jliallow, &c. ; 
 0/7, Jluggijh or deep» The endings were there- 
 fore partly found to be adje61ives ; and it 
 •was concluded that all terminations were the 
 fame. But explanations of very few endings 
 were to be difcovered. In this dilemma the 
 author had recourfe to various authorities, to 
 fynonymes, and to analogy ; and he finally 
 perceived that nearly all endings were aug- 
 mentatives or diminutives. 
 
 But the initial confonants which he had 
 firft rejected were now to be proved prefixes ; 
 and not onlv a reafon affigned for a fmgle 
 confonant being lb called, but why a mute 
 and a liquid were to be thus denominated. 
 
 When an etymologifl difcovers that he has 
 only a fingle letter in his way, he leaps over 
 it : but here were often two letters to flop 
 the authors progrefs. 
 
 Difficulties, from the beginning of this un- 
 dertaking, had prefled conftantly on each 
 other. The prefixes were eafily difpatched ; 
 but the poftfixcs, changed from time, or 
 corrupted from ignorance, led the author 
 
 into
 
 C 3 ] 
 
 into great perplexities, ^vhila he was endea- 
 vouring to account for the fynonymes of 
 augments and diminutives. 
 
 But time, application, and the reafon of 
 things, produced the following fyftem of ety- 
 mology, the author hopes, equally fimple and 
 fatisfa61ory. It refers the reader to the lan- 
 guage of our aboriginal anceftors, for the 
 roots of appellations evidently given bv them ; 
 and the propofed roots have a vifible con- 
 nexion with the terms which they illuftrate. 
 Hence in the names of rivers, towns on 
 ftreams, &c. the author finds the original 
 words which beiflowed the denomination, 
 given in terms anciently, fignifying xvatcr, 
 Jlrea?n, hill, &c. joined oftentimes with fome 
 dilcriminating marks indicative of their com- 
 parative magnitude; and in many cafes de- 
 fcribing and a61ually painting their relative 
 Situations. 
 
 But notwithflanding what is here afferted, 
 fo much has fancy been indulged by writers 
 on the derivation of names, that the prefent 
 age has been juflly prejudiced againfl etymo- 
 logy as an uCelefs and vain fpeculation. An 
 attempt is thercfoje made in the following 
 
 pages
 
 i 
 
 C 9 3 
 
 pages to refcue from this imputation a fiibje6l 
 which, as conne61:ed with the origin of lan- 
 guage in general, is interefting to every fcho- 
 lar ; and which, in refpe6l to the topography 
 ot countries, may enable future hiftorians to 
 purfue derivations more fcientifically and 
 >accuratelv.
 
 IJVTROD UCTIOJV-, 
 
 ITT is evident that the names of rivers and 
 JL fettlements on ftrcams miifl be very an- 
 cient. In a country firlt difcovered there was 
 prefented to its primitive explorer, land, wa- 
 ter, or rivers : perhaps the waters, or the 
 Jlreams, conveyed the farne idea. He had 
 heard no particular names for thefe, nor had 
 he obferved the qualities belonging to them : 
 they were therefore called fimply w^aters, ri- 
 vers, ftreams, &:c. ; and the term by which 
 he denoted his own itream, became the per- 
 petuated name of his dwelling.* 
 
 For waters or ftreams of other fettlements, 
 diftinguifliing names or fynonymes muft have 
 been adopted ; but at every colony the terms 
 water, river, lakr, brooke, &c. were an- 
 ciently, as at this day, fuflTicient. 
 
 In time new adventurers arrive, the terri- 
 tory is enlarged, the former being infufficient, 
 additional fynonymes muft be received from 
 the common ftock of the known languages, 
 
 * It muft be obferved, that fome word for Border was ofteni 
 added to the term ulld for water or ftream, in giving denomi- 
 nations to places on rivers, kilh^ &C. ^ 
 
 B It
 
 It ^vas iiecefTary alfo when men had formed 
 a regular ftate, and when every part was to 
 be I'ubjeded to general regulations, that they 
 fhould take different names for their dwel- 
 lings. They had been accuftomed to a few 
 general terms for zfjater, /Iream, hill, &c. but 
 when thefe were required to be multiplied or 
 varied, every new village was diftinflly de- 
 nominated, and often by an addition to, or an 
 alteration of the initial, belonging to the ori- 
 ginal name. Thus different denominations, 
 though fynonymes, were given to each town- 
 fhip on the fame river ; and altho' one ftream 
 had fometimes two orm.ore names, from run- 
 ning through different territories, or by feve- 
 ral towns, in general the chief village, or re- 
 sidence, gave perhaps diftin^lion to the whole 
 river. 
 
 Society being originally formed of clans 
 or families, and each living within its own 
 bounds, or on its own flream, the fame names 
 iometimes occurred in each townfliip ; and 
 hence the reafon that fo many rivei-s and vil- 
 lages received nearly the fame appellations. 
 
 Mr.
 
 C 12 ] 
 
 Mr, Chappie has enumerated 100 Devon- 
 Jhire ftreams : more than 200 might have been 
 reckoned^ had fmaller ones been taken into 
 the account. 
 
 The ancient common terms which obtained 
 in the world for water, were never fufficient 
 to have named the rivers of many a fingle 
 flate, without too frequently employing the 
 fame denomination And the variety of pe- 
 culiar na?/7es dcnved from common ones, were 
 produced by prefixes and pojifixes, which in- 
 finitely varied the words for llream.* 
 
 Still however the fame appellations often 
 occurred ; but at one place the diale6l was 
 diftinguifhed from anotiier, and the vowels 
 and confonants often exchanged. To ac- 
 count for the change of vowels is not diffi- 
 cult, for even at this day arc they often em- 
 ployed indifcrirainately in pronunciation ; — 
 but to afTign a caufe for the mutability of con- 
 fonants, it mufl be confidered that the labials 
 B. F. J\I, P, and ^; and the palatals K, C, 
 
 * The numberlcfs hills of this country more eminently ex- 
 hibit this wonderful contrivance of lynonymes ; for to de- 
 fcribe their natural features, they muft in their roots all fignity 
 hills. Of their prefixes and poftfixes the fame may be faid as 
 of thofe in ftrearas. 
 
 B 2 G,
 
 C 1^ ] 
 
 G, Cht T, D, Th, S, Z, Sec. were readily 
 exchanged for each other. Even L, JV, and 
 Ji, called the immutahlc, have been changed 
 in numberlcfs inltances. 
 
 The proper names of places on rivers and 
 hillsj thus originally given, were eafily learnt, 
 and without difficulty remembered. At this 
 sera they arc unknown except in found ; but 
 to thofe who gave thefe denominations, they 
 muft have been familiar as to fenfe. 
 
 To give names eafily diflinguifli^ble, it was 
 neceffary to adopt the (implell mode ; and no 
 difcrimination could have been lefs compli- 
 cated than the change or addition of initial 
 letters, without dcftroying the roots of the 
 original words. What were ftill wanting in 
 augments and diminutives, heretofore totally 
 overlooked and imhioicn, though few, fhort 
 and expreffive, were anciently eafily under- 
 flood and readily ajjplied. 
 
 Thefe plain, fimple, and difcriminative 
 terms, firft conferred on places for conve- 
 nience, or from necefllty, removed for ever 
 the uncertainty of their fituations; and the 
 primitive roots only were afteiv/ards wanted 
 
 for
 
 i: '* 3 
 
 for the common appellations of water, ftream, 
 hill, &c. The fynonymes were therefore re- 
 tained in the names of hills, rivers, villages, 
 or towns only ; and their meanings muft 
 have become obfcure to fucceeding genera- 
 tions even of the fame people ; but to fubfe- 
 quent coloniils of different languages they 
 were totally loft. 
 
 In the following work we have given deri- 
 vations publirtied by other writers, to guide 
 the reader's judgment. On whatever ground 
 thefe are taken, he will find in them not lefs 
 to blame, than in thofe drawn from the fim- 
 pie principles above delineated. 
 
 Writers confultino; the idiom of their own 
 language, and though acquainted with the 
 ^vords, yet not diftinguifliing its phrafeology, 
 have imagined the firft parts of names of 
 rivers, and towns on ftreams, to have been 
 arijeftives, and the next fubftantivcs. On 
 this fatal road to etvmology, not difcerning 
 that they have taken a path dire6ily oppoiite 
 to the true one, and loll their wny in tracing 
 the defcent of the original words, are we pre. 
 icnted, by all our authors, with perverted dc-. 
 rivalions avA unnatural deductions. 
 
 Hence
 
 C 1^ 3 
 
 Hence our rivers are fuppofed to have 
 been denominated from the woods growino- 
 on their banks, though no fuch wood ever 
 grew there; from the lands or dwellings 
 around; from the quality or colour of the 
 water ; the fituation, the inhabitants, the ani- 
 mals, and even the birds frequenting them ! 
 But thefc we miijl admit with great caution — 
 perhaps not allow in the names of Jlreams* 
 
 Had the names of rivers and of old towns 
 been received from the firll: fettlcrs, we might 
 
 * In Lhuyd's appendix to Baxter's glolTary, inftances of ri- 
 vers are given fuppofed to have taken their names from the 
 colour of lualer, [and., &c. — from animals — from the motion of 
 ri-vers — from the various channeh or trafts of waters — from 
 injlruments of 'various ufes — from places tubicb rivers pafs by or 
 flow from — from />/a«/j and various other particulars. — Thus 
 the gavr is faid to mean a goat, from the leaping of its waters 
 over ftones in floods. — The lurch or turgh is rendered hog, 
 from its floods *♦ tumbling up" gravel. — The ban is faid to 
 imply pig, for the fame reafon.— The jurch is called roebuck, 
 from its fwift current. — The elain or (land a fawn. — The 
 Jiefpin or hffpyn a /heep that yields no milk, from the river being 
 fomctimes dry. — Many other examples of equally ftrange im- 
 port might be ttanfcribed. 
 
 [This great man, to whom I am infinitely obliged, conceived 
 that all the confonants hnd been originally ufed as prefixes ; 
 but he difcovered not to what ufe this might be applied in the 
 iderivatiou of rivers, towns on ftreams, hills, Sec] 
 
 eafily
 
 C 16 ] 
 
 eafily have found their derivations ; but the 
 aborigines have been driven outj and fucceed- 
 ing hordes have in fome inftances added to or 
 altered; and in others miflaken their old ap- 
 pellations 
 
 Independently of fuch reafons^ we find the 
 language of the fame nation always varying, 
 and new epithets frequently obtaining gene- 
 ral reception. In the revolution of ages, the 
 changes in names keep pace with thofe in 
 languages ; but greater alterations have taken 
 place fince the conqueft, in the names of 
 places, than from the firfl: fettlement of this 
 ifland to that asra. For that time we have 
 the names in doomfday book ; and, however 
 altered or miftaken in their orthography, we 
 generally difcover from them the true de- 
 rivation. 
 
 The race of the original difcoverers of this 
 land has been long fince expelled : we con- 
 ceive that it named the great features of our 
 country, our ftreams, and our old towns. — 
 Other fettlers have fucreeded, and our befl 
 authors have imagined, that from the lan- 
 guage of thefe, the names of rivers, hills, and 
 
 old
 
 old habitations are derived. In the following 
 iheets we Ihall fully confute this opinion.* 
 
 • We find indeed that in America the original names of 
 the greater rivers and mountains have triumphed over the 
 names of the latter colonifts. The blue ridge is loft in the 
 old appellation of the allcgany mountains ; and at tbis mo- 
 ment St. Domingo rcfumcs its antient name of Hayti.
 
 A NEW 
 
 BTTMOLOGl 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Names of Rivers & Towns on Streams.* 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 OJ the PfyjyciPLES of Dehivation in the Names of 
 RiVERSy and in Towns on Streams, 
 
 THE following words in the Gaelic lan- 
 guage (kewote wat'^r or /iream, (to wit.) 
 An, Ad, Amu, or x\v, Easc, or Esc, &c. 
 OicHE, written Oc and Ock ; and thefe, with 
 their fynonymes as in the following tables, I 
 confider as the roots of words, lignlfying 
 zcater or fir earn. 
 
 They are varied as underneath : 
 
 I. 
 
 An Water, 
 is On in the Oney, 
 is Tin in the Unes, 
 is In in the Inny, 
 is £/z in the Eniau 
 
 * This treatife was originally intended for no other names, 
 bat ic hath been extended to hills, and to other parts of na- 
 ture, on the (acne principles.
 
 C 19 3 
 
 Ady Au oi* As, Water, 
 is 'Edy Et, or ^5, in the Eden in Eton 
 is Id, It, or Is, in the Idel, Ituna, &c. 
 is Od, Ot, Os, in the Odel, the Otter, Sec, 
 is Ud, Ut, Us, in the Ufway, Sec, 
 
 3. 
 
 Amh, or Av, fynonymes Ah, Af, Ap 
 
 is Kv, at Ev-erton 
 
 is Iv, in the-Iv-el 
 
 is Ov, in the Ov-er, &c. &c. 
 
 4. 
 
 All Water, fynonymes Ar, Al, A If, Af, Sec, 
 is Eu in the Eu«el, or Ewel 
 is Or in the Ore 
 is 1/ in the Hen 
 is Ar in the Arrow 
 
 S. 
 Eafc, or Efc or Ex, Water 
 is Afc, (>r Ax, at Axmouth 
 is Ofc, or Ox, at Oxon 
 is TJjc, on the Ufk 
 was Ifc, in Ifca Damnonioriini 
 now Efc, or Ex 
 
 6.
 
 C so 3 
 
 6. 
 
 Oiche, otherwife Oc, Och, or Oo-, Water 
 is Ock, in Ock-ington 
 is Ec, in the Ecclefbourne, &c.. 
 
 Ean, -which is the fame as An, Water, may 
 be varied as follows ; and it will be found in 
 names of places that many of thefe variations 
 have been adopted : 
 
 Ean 
 
 Ian 
 
 Oan 
 
 Uan 
 
 Aan 
 
 Een 
 
 Ten 
 
 Oen 
 
 Uen 
 
 Aen 
 
 Ein 
 
 Tin 
 
 Oin 
 
 Uin 
 
 Ain 
 
 Eon 
 
 Ion 
 
 Oon 
 
 Uon 
 
 Aon 
 
 Eun lun Oun Uun Aun 
 
 Ead feems alfo to have been written for 
 Ad, and may be varied as the lall — Aid, Ait, 
 or Ais, as d, t, and s were commutable letters, 
 would be alfo fynonymes, from whence 
 Bais, Cais, &c. IVater or Stream are derived, 
 as will be ihewn in the following pages. 
 
 The augmentative poflfixes are mor, er, (or 
 rather ar, or, ur) oii, oil, on, un, an, alii od, 
 Ot, OS, &c. 
 
 « 
 
 The diminutive poftfixes are 1, in, min, Jin 
 or Jioji^ en, el, is, it, et, eoc or cog, ig, or ic, &c. 
 
 C 5 CHAP.
 
 CHAP. II. 
 Of prefixes. 
 
 THE fowe/s have geneially a confonant 
 Cr cOTifonants prefixed in the proper names of 
 mvers. 
 
 In Lhujd's Archcelogia there are a variety 
 ofinftances of mutes, liquids, &c. thus pre- 
 fixed ; and in poge 40 he fays; 
 
 '' I have ah'cady (page 19, col. 3) recom- 
 mended to the obfervation of the curious, 
 whether it has not been heretofore the prac- 
 tice of other languages, to vary their initial 
 confonants, after the manner Itill retained in 
 the Eritifii and Irifli. — I mufl now further de- 
 dare it my conjeEIurc, that ancienUy confonant s 
 have been occaJionalJij premifed to mojl zcords 
 (if not to all) beginning with vowels and 
 fequels,* as has been obferved of the letter 
 G, page 9, col. 3. And as it is yet pra61ifed 
 in refpecl of T and N in the Irifli. The con- 
 fonants fuppofed to have been fo introduced 
 are \vhat is here meant by prepofitives. But 
 
 ♦ After I had written nearly my book, I found the above 
 paffage in his appendix to the comparative etymology, — This 
 was a part to which I had not ofien referred j and mere 
 chance dircdcd mc to it ; but I quote it \\\\.\\ pleafure. 
 
 ho-m
 
 C 2S 1 
 
 how ri^ht or erroneous mmj he is left to the 
 reader, to infer from the follo^ving and fuch 
 like examples." 
 
 The examples given by Mr. Lhiiyd are 
 from words of the f:mie meanings taken from 
 different languages ; but I will endeavour 
 to trace them in ihc fame language. 
 
 All the confonants, except C, are acknow- 
 ledged by Bochart, and others, to be prc- 
 fixesf ; and this alfo is fo in a variety of in- 
 fiances which I Ihall produce in the names 
 of rivers, and towns on water. 
 
 If I am rightly informed^ the Hebrew roots 
 of words exceed not three letters ; and thefe, 
 with prefixes, poflfixes, and letters inferted, 
 compofe the language. In the fame manner 
 I find words formed in the names of our rivei-s, 
 and not only a fingle confonant, in various 
 
 f In the eaftcrn and Gaelic languages.— Before \vc pro- 
 ceed, fays Gen. Valiancy, in hi? piofpe6tus, "It is neceffary to 
 inform the reader that the Irifli takes, or require; the faiUte 
 fervile letters as the Chaldaean and Hebrew languages do, 
 which are alfo common in the Anibic. This is a principal 
 point in the formation of all oriental ianguj^e':, that ^as not 
 been noticed by Irifh lexicpnifts, and has caused a wonderful 
 confufion." 
 
 cafas.
 
 cafes, but a mute and a liquid will become a 
 prefix. 
 
 Mr. Whitaker, in hishillory of Manchefler, 
 feys, that all names of rivers *' meant ori- 
 ginally WATER OR STJiEAM '," but he confi- 
 dered thcfe names '' general and wicharaBer- 
 ifiic, and only diftinguiflied by a different ap- 
 pellation." In the former part of this para- 
 graph, this learned author's opinion was well 
 founded ; in the latter part he was greatly 
 niiftaken. I have endeavoured to afcertain 
 "Various meanings in the terms water, flrcam, 
 bill, ^c. A few nice and perhaps many ne- 
 cefiary diftin6tions in the force or natural 
 iJieanin;]: of con Tenants — together with the 
 precife fenfc of augmcnfatives, diminutives, 
 and of roots, in the original language of ri- 
 vers, hills, vallies, and plains, anciently well 
 known, are for ever loft. But perfons ikillcd 
 in the Iriih, Erie, and other languages, ftill 
 remain ; and by tbefe fome other varieties of 
 particular chara6lers may yet be refcued. 
 
 I fhall nov; attempt to il'uflnile and confirm 
 Mr. Lhiiyds conjcciuvc : fliould any one be 
 inclined to depreciate his difcovery, I ear- 
 ncftly requcli that a more rationni fclicme 
 
 mav
 
 I S4> J 
 
 may be pointed out. To avoid, however, all 
 occafion of cenfu re, and to evade all charge 
 of unnecefiary innovation in explaining the 
 names of rivers and towns, I fliall employ 
 words with initial confonants, and their fyno- 
 nymes, except in a very few inflances : ami 
 even in thcfe few I (hall bring irrefragable 
 proofs of the propriety of my adopting the 
 roofs, and ufing prefixes. 
 
 But before I undertake generally to illuf* 
 trate Mr. Lhuyd's conjc61nrcs, I fhall analyfe 
 the Gaelic iDords for water and ftream, begin- 
 ning with confonants. 
 
 B orP, 
 
 In the Gaelic is faid by authors to be a pre- 
 pofition and a prefix, and it is the fame m 
 eaftern languages. Av, An, and Ar are Gae- 
 lic for water, and Bar is flream. Ir from Ar 
 is alfo water, and Bir is water or ftream. An 
 is likewife water, and Ban is llream. Many 
 other examples may be adduced to prove B 
 a prefix. 
 
 C or K 
 Is a prefix : in the Gaelic An is water, and 
 Can is lake or ftream. Ead has been mUten 
 
 tor
 
 for Ad water; and in the changes o[ Ead, 
 in the lame manner as ILaii in tlie laft chapter. 
 Aid, Ait, and Ais would, with the prefix C, 
 become Cais, and with the prefix C/, Clais ; 
 either of which will be Gaelic for ftream. 
 Hence C and C/are prefixes in thefe examples, 
 as well as in others which will be given. 
 
 D. 
 This letter and Tare known prefixes. An, 
 Ar, Or, or Ur, is water, with D prefixed Dar, 
 Dor, or Dur will be water or lb*eam. — Av, Ov 
 and 0/j mean water ; with D prefixed we have 
 jyol> Gaelic for ilream. Other examples may 
 be brought to prove this letter a prefix. 
 
 F 
 
 *' Is a prefixed particle of inference, an 
 
 expletive." — Oiclie, Oche, Ache, Iche, or Ighe, 
 u water by the laft chapter ; with FI prefixed, 
 we fliall have Fliche, oxFlighe, which is Gaelic 
 for ftream ; An or Al is water, and UhI by the 
 addition of another vowel is the fame. We 
 liave with this prefix Fal a fiream, and Fual 
 Gaelic for water or ilicam : F is therefore a 
 prefix in thei'e inftances. 
 
 G. 
 
 G and C are convertible, andyiw aiid^/, 
 
 ^iid(?//and 01 are water; and Gol and Col 
 
 are
 
 C 26 2 
 
 are Celtic words for water or ftream. Cais is 
 Gaelic for ftream, from o^is water, with C pre- 
 fixed ; Gais is alfo the fame. — Can is Gaeh'c 
 for lake or ftream ; Gan is the fame. Al 
 being water, i:7and // will be fynonymes for 
 the fame as in the Hen or in I/ford. Gil is 
 alfo Gaelic lor water or ftream, and G is con- 
 fequently a prefix. 
 
 H 
 
 Is demonftrated to be a prefix in the fol- 
 lowing treatife. 
 
 I, 
 
 An, On, En, and In is water, Lhyn or 
 LInne is lake or pool. On is water, and Lo or 
 Lou is ftream. Lua, Lia, Sec. are alfo Gaelic 
 for ftream : L is therefore a prefix in thefe 
 names as it is in the Hebrew and Irifh. Great 
 bodies of water are named with jL as a prefu. 
 
 M and N 
 Are not initials in the Gaelic names for wa- 
 ter or ftream, but are ferviles in the Irifh lan- 
 guage, as Athair, JValhar, Father ; Ail, Nail, 
 a fting, &:c. 
 
 R 
 
 Is not an initial in the Gaelic names of 
 ftrearas or water, but in Rian, or, as General 
 
 D Valiancy
 
 Valiancy writes it, Rnin, from Ain w?.tcr, is a 
 word generally applied for the fea. 
 
 S 
 Is a well known fervile> as in the river Sid, 
 and is convertible with T — Ad, At, Ut, or 
 UtJj, (lid) water, with Sr as a prefix will be- 
 come Sriith^ and is Gaelic for ftream. — Eamh, 
 as ?}2h IS in Gaelic V, becomes freamh, or 
 freav, and is Gaelic for flream. — Al or El are 
 fynonymes of Au Avater ; with S prefixed we 
 have Scl a ftream, or Selinn, a little ftream or 
 rill. Hence S and Sr are prefixes, 
 
 T, 
 
 Ain or En is a fynonyme of An water by 
 thelaft chapter. With 2" prefixed it is Tnin^ 
 which is water or flrcam ; and hence Talfo is 
 a prefix. This letter is a prefix in the Irifli — 
 thus Ucht or Tucht is time : Uife or Tuife 
 rhyme ; and fometimes a pofifix, which is ge- 
 nerally commuted with D or Dh^ with an hi- 
 atus not founded. 
 
 Whether thefe prefixes were originally cm 
 ployed for forming proper names for flrcam^, 
 according to my opinion, or for fome other 
 purpofe, I leave to the reader's determination 
 
 after
 
 after perufing what is here laid, and the fol- 
 lowing pages; in which I fliall fliew that pre- 
 fixes alio were employed in naming hills and 
 other features of nature, v 
 
 To prove Mr. LhuyiVs conjeclure. that the 
 ancients prefixed all the confonants to words 
 Jor water, jlream, &\C* zvhich degan with voW" 
 els, we may proceed as follows : 
 
 To An, water or llream, they prefixed B 
 in the rher Ban, Gin the river Can, Dm the 
 Dan, L in the Lane or Lan, N m the river 
 Nan-ny*, T in the Tan^at, &c. 
 
 To Ad, water, &c. is prefixed L in the ri- 
 ver Lad-en, M in Madiis, the old name of the 
 Medzcay. 
 
 To Amh OY Am, water, &c. is C prefixed 
 in the rivers Ca?n and Cam-el^ T in the 
 Tam-es and Tam-er, Sec. 
 
 To Av, water, J" is prefixed in the Tav-y, 
 J) in the town oi^ Dav-erton on the Exe, R in 
 the Ravins, S in the Sav-eren, Tin the Tau, 
 F in the Faw-y, &c. 
 
 * The fecond fyllables are poftfixes cnly, and will be treated 
 of in the next ciiapter. 
 
 D S To
 
 To Oh, water, &c. D is prefixed in "Dohy 
 Gaelic for ilreanij T in the TobiiiSy S iii 
 the Soh. 
 
 To Ar, water, &c. C is prefixed in the Car, 
 
 the Car-eij, the Car-ah, and the Car-ron, Pin 
 the Par-rot. 
 
 To ir, a fynonyme of y^r, water, at Irford 
 and at Ir-on-ABon on the Stoure and Laden, 
 there is no prefix i but i? is prefixed in ^/r, 
 the Gaelic for water or flream. 
 
 To /r/, a fynonyme of Ad^ water, is S pre- 
 fixed in the Sid, L in the Z/V/, N in the JV/V/, 
 P in the Pid-del, Sec. 
 
 To Jv, Iv, Ov, Af, Ah 1h Im, Am, and 
 many other monofyllablcs for water or fireara, 
 in the names of places, on rivers, and of the 
 rivers thcmfelves, they prefixed confonants, 
 as in Tail, Tiv, Dav, Bir, GH, Tale, Bov-y, 
 Tame, &c. 
 
 To At, Od, Ed, Id, It, water, they pre- 
 fixed D as in the Gaelic Dot or Dod, a fi:ream, 
 B in the Baud-er, M in Madiis, B in the 
 Gaelic Baiter and Bait, which lafl^, as ai was 
 fometimes pronounced by the Cornifh as e^ 
 
 becomes Bed or Bet, &Ci 
 
 From
 
 C so 3 
 
 From An or 'Ean, n?n^ on^ un, in, en, water 
 &:c. we find derived Tain, Cam, Don, Dan, 
 Tun in Tunhridge, Bean, Ban, Can, Lan, Lon, 
 JVnn, San, and many other names and parts 
 of names in our rivers. 
 
 To Ad, Av, or An, water, the following 
 liquids have been prefixed in the rivers Ra~ 
 vius. Read, Rian, Rotlier, 8zc. The Lad-en, 
 Liv-er, Lod-er, Lud, Lav-ant, Sec. The JVadd^ 
 er, Nedd-er,JVod'ius, Nah-oeus, J^id, Nen,SLC\ 
 
 From thefe examples will follow this 
 
 GENERAL RULE : 
 
 If J5 or any other confonant be a prefix io 
 All, water, it will alfo be a prefix to any fy- 
 nonymes of water, en, ad, am, wv, Efc, Ochj 
 Ean, Szc, 
 
 To prove from Gaelic terms for "joaler, and 
 words for river, flream, S^c. iliat a mute and 
 a liquid in the beginning of names of /Ir earns 
 form a prefix, zee may thus proceed : 
 
 For BL, BR ; PL, PR, &c. 
 
 Ban, from An, water, &c. with the fervile 
 
 B, is known to imply a Jlream ; with Z in- 
 
 ferted Blnn or Blane ; with R interpofed 
 
 Bran or Brane. Again, Bad^ from Ad, water, 
 
 and
 
 C 31 D 
 
 and B prefixed is ftream ; with R av L in- 
 feited it produces Brad or Bind, as mentioned 
 before. Hence then Bl and Br, in the rivers 
 Bl-ane, M-ith, Bl-aid-noo, BLeri'go, Br-ad-jield, 
 Br-ad-Jord, Br-ane, Br-ant, Br-aij, Br-ay-an, 
 Br-nit, Br-et-on, Br-it-on, Br-^id-y, Br-ide, &c. 
 will be prefixes. For as ad, an, an, Szc. are 
 fynonymes of aid, en, ad, ane, ant, ent, ay, 
 ith, id, et, ide, Sec. in the above rivers ; and 
 thele names, independent of B/ and Br, mean 
 water or Jlream : Bl and Br are prefixes in 
 the names of thefe rivers. 
 
 For CL and CR; or GL and GR, &c. 
 Clais is a word found in Welch di6}iona- 
 ries, and is faid to imply a rivulet ; but this 
 feems not well explained. J?5 or Ais is ^ 
 fynonyme of ad or as, ead, eat, eas, water or 
 flream ; atid with CI muft certainly mean 
 Jlream in general, as well as rivulet in parti- 
 cular. In the Gaelic a fynonyme of this word 
 is explained more corre611y. Cais is there 
 llream ; with L infertcd this would be Clais, 
 and mean exactly as here ftated. But Clais, 
 C/es, or Clis being Itream, and R and L ufed 
 lor each other; and the endings of the fol- 
 lowing flreams in d t c being coinmutable 
 with s in Clis or Clais, theic llrcams, without 
 
 their
 
 C s= ] 
 
 their poflfi^es will mean the fame as Clis — to 
 \sit:—C(-ed-agh, Cliiyd, CUeth-y, CUet-on, 
 Cl-etl-er, Cr-eechy or Cr-id-y, Cr-och, Cl-aU 
 ford, Gl-nf-on, &c. 
 
 Can, from Jin zcater, with C prefixed, is a 
 LaJx-e, nnd often means a Stream ; with L or 
 72 inferted we have the Cl-un, Cl-an, Ct-an- 
 may, Cr-ane, Cr'aiid-on, &c. Again, Au is 
 water, with the prefix J" it becomes Tan, 
 which is known to mean Jlreaiii ; with C 
 prefixed Caii^ and with L or R inferted in 
 this laft C/aii or Claw Craiif or Craw, (and 
 as a letter fomewhat like l^was formerly iifed 
 by the Romans for U), Cray, Clay, &c. 
 to which we may add (as C/and iJ were com- 
 mutable) Car or Carey, Clare, &c. 
 
 The names of all thefe, independent of Gl 
 and Cr, mean zoater or Jlream ; and hence 
 CI and Cr are prefixes only in the names of 
 thefe rivei-s. But as Bl, Br ; Fl, Pr ; II, 
 Fr ; CI, Cr ; Gl, Gr, are iiniverfally prefix- 
 es ; and as C/, Cr, Gl Gr, are fynon} mes of^ 
 or commu table with, SI, Sr,, TI, Tr, DI, Dr ; 
 thefe laft mutes and liquids in the beginning 
 of words are prefixes alfo, which is what I 
 propofed to dcmonfirate. 
 
 But
 
 C " 3 
 
 But I add a few c.\ampks of thcfe laft : 
 
 FL and FR 
 Might be referred to BI and Br ; but Fl 
 is a prefix^ in the Gaelic name for fiream 
 Fl-iche. 
 
 SR or SL. 
 
 Sr is a prefix in the Gaelic names 5r-ea/7z7/, 
 
 and Sr-ulh, and 5/ will confequently be the 
 
 fame. With Tin ferted we derive our word 
 
 Jlr-eam. Sir is therefore a prefix as it is in 
 
 the river Str-oudj 8zc. 
 
 TR and DR. 
 
 Tr in the Tr-ov-ins is now become R in the 
 
 R-av-ius (which is the fame ftream with the 
 
 former) ; and R is a prefix to Av, water or 
 
 Jlream : and as Tr and Dr are the fame, Dr 
 
 in the Drnve is a prefix alfo. 
 
 . As Tr was a prefix to Av, water, fo it 
 would be to en a fynonyme o^An, water, and 
 therefore Trcn would mean Jlream. — Trcn 
 was according io MSS cited by Liuiyd the 
 old name of the Trent ; — D and T were add- 
 ed, he fa)s, from corruption ; but I con 
 reive they were at all times naturally fub- 
 joined to ftrengthen the found of the fylla- 
 ble. — The derivation of the Trent was un- 
 
 knowft.
 
 C 5* 3 
 
 Icnown. — From what has been fliewn may be 
 deduced this 
 
 GENERAL RULE." 
 
 If Tr or any other mute and liquid be a 
 prefix to ^v, water, it will alfo be a prefix to 
 any other fynonymes of water, en, ad, am, au, 
 ar, Efc, Och, Ean, &c. 
 
 I have now fiiewn for Mr. Lhuyd that con- 
 fonants are prefixed to words which Jeem of 
 themfehes to fignify water or flrcam ; but I 
 aflert not that fame of thefe names, begin- 
 ning with initial vowels, are not the endings 
 of words, originally beginning with confo- 
 nants. 
 
 Tn fome climates, vowels as initials may be 
 more fuitable to the organs of fpeech than in 
 others. If however we had anciently words 
 for every name of our rivers, we muft have 
 had many thoufands- of names ; and of thefe 
 I might fay, nearly all are omitted in our 
 di6lionaries and lexicons, and the endings 
 only remain as our guides. But we have the 
 endings and, with the prefixes in rivers, their 
 beginnings alfo : and it is no diflfcrence whe- 
 ther the words were formed from monofylla- 
 Jalcs with initials vowels and confonant pre- 
 
 E fixes ;
 
 C 3J 2 
 
 fixes; or whether wiih thefe prefixes they 
 were originals or fynonymes : in either cafe 
 \ve have grouncb to proceed upon ; in one 
 cafe particular; in the other general ones. 
 But I conceive that when the roots of words 
 fliall be well eflablifhed, and the conlonant 
 prefixes perfeclly underftood, the derivations 
 from thence will be as certain, and in moft 
 cafes more jufl, than from words given at 
 length, without perfeQly underftanding their 
 component parts. In the termC/nis we have 
 proved this. In EnfcoJig, which is always 
 rendered toater only, the poftfix Ong means 
 clear, clean, &c. and the whole word char or 
 clean water. Brofiiach ar.d Jijnhain alfo, 
 which are rendered river or Jlrenm only, will 
 be found not corrc611y explained. 
 
 When I confider that prefixes in the names 
 of Itreams have been for fo many centuries 
 unknown, the thought excites in my mind 
 aftonifiiment. Some of thelc are certainly 
 very evident ; but I fliall felc6l two or tluec 
 
 only. 
 IVi^L and WIVELCOMBE, or WIVELS- 
 COMBE. 
 
 The firft is a name im]>lying little zcatcr, 
 from Ivy a fynonyme of *?«; and el, a diminu- 
 tive
 
 C 36 3 
 
 tive ending : and this is the name of a flream 
 that runs by Ilchefier or Ivelcheiler^ in So- 
 merfet. 
 
 In the lame county, near the head of \\\(^ 
 river Tone, and on the border of this river is 
 the parifh of JV-ivel-comhe, or as commonly 
 written Wi-celfcomhe. Wivelfccmbe, fays 
 Skinner in his Etymologian, " In Com. Som. 
 Ab-Angl : Weevel Ciircullis et Comb Val- 
 lis collibus utrique obllta !" 
 
 Mr. Collinfon, in his hifiory of Somerfef, 
 fays, *' That various etymologies have been 
 given for JVivelfcomhc. Some, fays he, have 
 imagined that it derived its name from the 
 number either o{ IVeevils (or Grubs, //V/? 
 being the Saxon term for that infect), or of 
 Weafehy with which the coombe or valley 
 might formerly have abounded : others lai;.gli- 
 ably enough have conjeclured that the name 
 TVivelfcombe, or as they call it IVifc-lcfs- 
 comhe, originally arofe from the circum (lance 
 of the place being formerly inhabited chiefly 
 by prieits, who during the celibacy of the cler- 
 gy lived here in common, and officiated in the 
 neighbouring pa.ifhes. Another conjeclure, 
 he continues, may yet be hazarded, that the 
 
 E 2 name
 
 C " 3 
 
 name is compounded of the Saxon ^vord• 
 JVeJels, which implies a clofe covering and 
 Combe, the ufual name in that language for 
 a valley ; which indeed is really the cafe, the 
 fpot being on every fide, except a fmall open- 
 ing towards Taunton, fhut in by lofty hills, 
 covered with rich and beautiful woods." 
 
 But ll^-ivel or U-ivel the fame as Ivel im- 
 plies the little water or Jlreain. 5 was a 
 Saxon addition or their genitive fingular end- 
 ing. Combe, rightly defined, is a corner, 
 valley, bottom, or middle, furroiinded on 
 every fide except one by a continued ridge of 
 hills ; and Wivelfcomle means the comic 
 of the little fir earn* 
 
 In 
 
 « Combe or Com has been faid to be Saxon and V\'c!fli, and 
 
 not belonging to the Irilh or Erfe languages ; but '* Cumnria- 
 
 raicJc a valley ; a people living in a country full of rallies and 
 
 hills," is meniioncd by Mr. Shaw. Cubkar, Gaelic, was a 
 
 corner t and as bb was 1/ or m, Cumar, the confluence, would 
 
 alfo mean corner ; and Ciimmaraice, as nice is tribe, would be 
 
 rightly explained the iribe^ corner , or 'valUy. The w ord is 
 
 not wholly loft in Devon, aW;ough Combe, the abbreviation, 
 
 is all that is now generally ufed. Thus we have a narrow 
 
 corner or combe cnclofed by hills pear Exeter, called the Cutti' 
 
 mary. We have alfo Stoke Comer in a valley, on the foulh- 
 
 wcft fide of Quantoch, Somcrfet } and fcvcral (owns with the 
 
 prsuomcn Comer and Corner^ But Comle may be derived 
 
 froD-
 
 [38]- 
 
 111 the county of Devon we have the town 
 of OcKiNGTON, or rathcv Ockinton, \vhich 
 means alfo the little water or Jlream tozvn, 
 from Oc, water or ftreani;, In a diminutive 
 ending, and Ton a town : or as there are two 
 ftreams meet at this town, the word mai/ im- 
 ply the ftreams town. But In means perhaps 
 territory, or border land ; and accordingly the 
 Saxons tranflated it by Ham, border. 
 
 In the fame county is the parifli of C-ock* 
 INGTON, or more rightly C-ockintox.— 
 **■ Cockington, fays Skinner, in his Etymolo- 
 gicon) in Com. Dev. Pagus fortea celebri 
 
 from the Gaelic thus x—Uim is land, Scc.—Jr or A/re is a 
 band, chain, &c. — Umaire is a chain of hill or ridge—— And 
 C-umaire or Cumar impHes a point, or place where ftreami, 
 roads, ridges, or any thing elfe meet, as well as confluence, iQ«- 
 terfcution, &c. The Gaelic word Cubbar, which is the famt 
 as Cumar, is alfo rendered a corner. Hence then might the 
 Gaelic word Cojn or Cum, without the ar or the band, become 
 the name for the Valley or Middle between the two 
 ridges, in the lame manner as it denotes the middle in otliof 
 inftances. Alter m in Colum, and in many other names of 
 ftreams, &c. z b h frequently added from corruption ; and we 
 know that the b in Co?nb is added in the lame manner.——! 
 have now analyled the word Combe, and fliewn that it may 
 be derived from the Gaelic. As I proceed I fliall' prove all 
 ■ether adjunfts in the names of places to be derived from the 
 iamc language. 
 
 Gallorum
 
 C " 3 
 
 Gallorum pugnantium Ludo, qui olim ibi cc- 
 bbratus efl : V : Cock and Town !" 
 
 I need not inform the reader that Ockmton 
 and Cockinton, now Ockingion and Cockington, 
 imply the fame ; both are derived from the 
 water running through thefe parifhes. The 
 letter g after n, in writing the names of places, 
 is a modern addition wherever in is a dimi- 
 nutive ending ; although rig or gn was an old 
 projiunciation of n when n was ufed as a heavy 
 confonant. 
 
 UxBRiDGE, on the Co/zz, in Middlefex, is 
 faid to have been anciently named Oxbricgb 
 and W-AXBRiJDGEj in which denominations the 
 mutability of the initial vowels is apparent ; 
 and in the laft name it is evident that the pre- 
 fix w made no alteration in the meaning of 
 the word. The fame may be proved from 
 the names ot other places. 
 
 To conclude this chapter, zi'cfind cofijbnnnts 
 zcere often prefixed even in the names of men 
 and worncn, as -xcll as rivers, to form a Jl ranger 
 found; and noticithflanding the addition of a 
 letter, they univerfa/ly fliorten and render le/s 
 open the pronunciation Thus Ann was called 
 
 Nan ;
 
 C 40 n 
 
 Nan ; Edward, Ned ; Oliver, Noli. ; Elra- 
 NOR, Nell ; William, Bill. A river in Ire- 
 land, from An, Water or Stream, and I or Y, 
 shallow or LITTLE was naincd Nanny, i.c lit- 
 tle An or Water ; and for ihcfc reafons ptr- 
 hapSf as well as for vari/ing names were pre-- 
 fixes originally adopted, 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 Of POSTFIXES. 
 
 From the lad chapter it appears evident 
 that prefixes to words denoting water or ilrcam 
 were adopted in naming rivers, lakes, and 
 flreams; and it is the obje6t of this to fhow 
 that pojlfixes were added to the names of ri- 
 vers and hills alfo. All knowledge of prefixes 
 in the names of rivers, &c. niiiil be allowed 
 to have been lofl, and confequently the mean- 
 ings of words, and their poftfixes, mufl in 
 nearly all names, except the common ones for 
 water, river, hill, &c. have been forgotten. 
 
 The diminutive endings which will not be 
 controverted, are in, an, en. But thefe are 
 alfo plural endings in the V/clili, Cornilh, and 
 other lan^runocs. 
 
 The
 
 C +1 D 
 
 The augmentative endings in fingle hills 
 are on, an, au, on, or ow, ar, or, &c, and 
 thcfe are witliout difpute augments ; although 
 they may be alfo plural endings. 
 
 All the above endings are Gaelic adje6lives 
 or commutable with adje6tives: but terms in 
 the Cornifh, Welfh, and other languages^ 
 tieareft the orthography of the names of 
 ilreams, (though generally furthefl from the 
 fenfe) including plural endings, which hap- 
 pened to be fimilar to the old words for wa- 
 ter, &c. with augments and diminutives, have 
 been confidcrcd as etymons, generally how- 
 ever without any reafon, and without any 
 analogy to the original roots. Evei*y little 
 flrcam or rivulet with a pofifix was fuppofcd 
 to imply waters or Jlienms ; but without a 
 pofifix both little and great were often ren- 
 dered water or Jiream only. II<?nce tbe 
 Trent, would be rendered Stream. The 
 Corin* Streams. Moreover, / or Y in the 
 endings of names was an old plural ending ; 
 and in the Gaelic this letter means JJiallowov 
 little; but this has been accounted neither a 
 plural nor a diminutive ending, and has rrdi- 
 
 culouflj 
 
 * Whiiaker'* Manchtfter.
 
 [ 4« ] 
 
 culoufly been rendered contrary to all ana- 
 logy, in names of ftreams, water. 
 
 Further, the endings on, an, on, or, and 
 many other (hort fyllables in the names of 
 llreams have been accounted plural endings ,* 
 but thefe endings in the names of fingle hills 
 have been reckoned to imply nothing ! Thus 
 confiftently are plural endings employed to 
 fupply the places of poftfixes ! 
 
 Of other endings in names^ Harn, which 
 meant originally harder or he?n, is now ren- 
 dered village. — Lea or Ley, originally a 
 ftream, and Leigh, which may imply an hill^ 
 are now underftood to imply fallow land. — ■ 
 The endings in Berry or Bury, which mean 
 little tops or borders, are rendered by fome of 
 our bell antiquarians tops and bottoms, thus 
 making the fame word reprefent a thing and 
 the contrary. Staple, or Stable in Barnjlaplc, 
 Barjlable^ and other places, which mean the 
 fettlement of a tribe, is rendered Tuart or ?nar' 
 ket. Worthy in the ends of names is gene- 
 rally underUood to imply a place between the 
 fork of two ftreams ; but this too means lit- 
 tle border. Stoke, which in the names of 
 places moft times means loater or hill^ and ge- 
 
 F nerally
 
 C « 3 
 
 nerally the laft, is rendered pojlt pillar, root ; 
 and Dr. Pryce renders CalJlocJc, hardjiock and 
 hard oak ! Many other endings of names 
 rendered equally inaccurate ^vill be noted as 
 we proceed. To conclude^ hills, ftreams, 
 plainsj vallieSj towns, &c. are very frequently 
 imagined by authors to have been anciently 
 named by adjedives, which certainly could 
 not be names for any parts of the univerfe. 
 
 Having fpoken generally to this head, I 
 will now attend to its particular parts ; and 
 lirft prove that diminutive poflfixes were 
 added to the names of flreams, &c. — Sruth is 
 Gaelic for ftream ; Sruthan is little ft ream ; 
 ^It is flream ; Altan is little flream ; Sel is 
 ftream ; Sfflian is rill ; Lo is water or flream ; 
 Loin is rivulet. In the Cornifli Bhyn is hill, 
 Ulujnen is hillock : and that in, an, en, are 
 diminutive endings in a great variety of 
 Gaelic words may be feen in books of the 
 Gaelic language ; and will be cafily difco- 
 vercd in the names of fmall flreams. 
 
 " Ick, fays Dr. Pryce 4n his Cornifh voca- 
 bulary^ being a termination of many places 
 formerly ek, I take it to lignify either a creek, 
 rivulet, or brook." Ick has perplexed our 
 
 writers
 
 [ 44 D 
 
 writers for want of due confideration only. 
 This word may be either difiibjlantive, or a di- 
 minutive ending : it means water or Jlream, 
 when derived from Oiche or Qc water, as Ihewn 
 in chapter the ifl; and as ufed in Ickford, 
 Ickingham, Sec. But it is otherwife a dimi- 
 nutive ending in flreams, &c. and implies the 
 fame as in or /, as will be proved in the river 
 Torrige. This ending is the fame as the Ar- 
 moric Ic, which is alfo a diminutive. Of this 
 word we refer for further information to the 
 word Huiccii. 
 
 In early times it was neceffary for inhabi- 
 tants pairing rivers to be informed whether 
 they were little, Jhallow, and pajjahle ; or 
 great, deep, and impajjable ; and the names of 
 dreams we conceive included augments and 
 diminutives expreffive of fuch particulars. — 
 Thele augmentatives & diminutives however 
 have been fuppofed to be plural endings.* 
 But we find many flreams named in the fin<ru- 
 lar number only ; and that too, by way of 
 eminence, without any poftfixcs : thus the 
 Don, the Rhine, the E/6e, the Trent, and 
 
 * In the hiftory of Manchefter Cori'/i, which means iiiiie 
 Jlrcanif from cor a jlrcam, and /;; diminutive, is rendered 
 tvuters. 
 
 F 2 many
 
 C *s ] 
 
 many other large rivers ; and thefe compofed 
 of ns many tributary ftreams, as thofe to which 
 he plural numbers have been attributed. 
 
 We find alfo in ^cj/c-ong, rendered water, 
 that the poftfix ong means c/^a/z, dear, &c and 
 the compound. word clean water. " Ach like- 
 wife being fubditutedinftead of the ending of 
 the dative plural, forms an augmentative noun, 
 as in does a diminutive one, by abflra^ling 
 the laft fyllable of the genitive cafe." Hence 
 BrofiiKQYL, which is rendered river only, may 
 imply great flream. But that augmentative 
 pojlfixes were added io fireams, though not at- 
 tached to names for water or flream in di61io- 
 naries is evident : for as they had in the old 
 language manifellly terms for little flreams, 
 we cannot but fuppofe that they had words 
 for great ones. Hence ar^ on^ o, oii, oll^ an, 
 am, &c. arc found pofifixed in the names of 
 their ftrcam.s hills, ivc. 
 
 Further, to confirm the above ftatement, 
 we refer to the Italian : In this language they 
 have alfo augmentative and diminutive poft- 
 fixes, and thefe fo nearly like thofe in the 
 names of rivers, hills, &c. that we are obliged 
 fo account them the fame; and to acknow-
 
 c *6 :) 
 
 ledge them to be derived from the fame 
 foiirce. I therefore tranfcribe Mr. Baretti's 
 ciccount of a few : 
 
 "The oeneral rule to diftinauifh the various 
 fignifications of Augmentatives, fays this au- 
 thor^ is, that terminations in one and ona in- 
 dicate hignefs 2iXi6. /loiitnefi ; in otto and occio 
 they indicate a compa6l and not difpkajing 
 hignefs, Thofe in accio and azzo, bignefs, 
 as well as xmclcednefs and contempt. In ame 
 they incrcafe indefinitely the number. Di- 
 minutives in ino, etto, ello, denote ejidearment 
 as well as fmallnefs ; in iccio, iccJiio they in- 
 dicate defpicable pcttinejs. 
 
 The Spanish language haslikewife the fame 
 AuGMENTATiVES on, otc, azo. The Diminu- 
 tives itOj ico, ete, *iielo, ejo^ ilia, ita, eta, 
 uela, eja. And all thefe poltfixes inay be- 
 long to fome old language from which the 
 Italian, Spanifh, and even perhaps the Gaelic 
 languages, as well as the language of rivers, 
 have borrowed their original endinos. 
 
 It will appear evident from the names of 
 the Torrige, that Tori and To{in were tliC 
 
 fame 
 
 ♦ £7 was often in the original langupgc pronounced as /,
 
 fame ; and / in this and other inilancesfeems 
 only to be a contraOion of in. The Aideo- 
 alfo in the county of Cork, which means 
 Utile water, from au ^vater, and l/eg lililc, is 
 likewife named MuUa, from mid a flream, 
 and the diminutive an evidently contra61ed 
 to a. Moreover the Loman ( or rather Lomen 
 as anciently written) is alfo named Sunin, 
 from lorn or fun a fiream, and an or en, and in 
 little. Hence an or eji, and in or a, e, and i 
 in the names of ft reams may mean the fame. 
 If this fhould be gran tad, then the augmen- 
 tatives may alfo have been abridged, but to 
 this I fhall attend as I proceed. 
 
 It fliould excite no furprife to find amoncr 
 the various endings of words poftfixes fimilar 
 to the plural endings of the Wel/h, Corni/h, 
 and even Gaelic languages, Thefe were moft 
 probably derived from ancjent augments and 
 diminutives : thus originally adopting terms 
 for orient to reprefent jnany ; and words for 
 little to denote /t'o;. For example, mur "^rcat, 
 implies alfo imuuj. Bc(r and o-.?//, which mean 
 link, imply alfoyery. Hence the endings of 
 many other words denoting ^^/-^.v^ might alf» 
 imply many; and Ibnie t'lthofc denoting /////<^, 
 
 might
 
 [ 48 ] 
 
 might mean jew ; and from each of thefe 
 clafTes, or from their roots, were adopted per- 
 haps plural endings : but thefe aiigmentatives 
 and diminutives we mufl generally diftinguifh 
 as adjef^ivcs only ; and not render compound 
 names of flreams as if they were plural num- 
 bers, as many authors, unconfcious of any im- 
 propriety, have done. On the whole, the 
 reader fhould examine whether plural end- 
 ings agree with reafon ; and if not, he fhould 
 fearch for the original words. The tafk I 
 have found in fonie cafes eafy and certain ; 
 in others troublefome and doubtful. In ge- 
 neral, however, the names of high, hills, as 
 well as thofe of great flreams, will prove that 
 thefe endings zre^for the mo/I part, augments. 
 Tlius, Kcnfun, a fmgle hill in the middle of 
 the county of Devon, mc^ns^ high hi//, from 
 JVc55- an hill, and On deep or high; Cni/f-on, 
 tinothev Jingle round hill, and the highefl in 
 Devon, implies alfo greai hi/l or mountnin, 
 from Cans an hill, and On an augment ; Ven- 
 vinnnumr means the great or high round hill; 
 S/ciddaw or S/ciddaii implies alfo the great 
 hill. But thefe will be further explained in 
 the fequel. 
 
 When we confider v;ater in (he abrtra6^ we 
 
 apply
 
 apply to it fomc general term ; when we fpe^k 
 of it as 2l Jlagnafit pool we ule loch, loch-an, 
 8i.c. ; xchen as runnitig zvater in one body we 
 confider it in the fiuguhir as zjlream, and ap- 
 ply the word dob, freamh, Sec. ; if running 
 in more than one body, the plural number is 
 adopted : thus for a town at the confluence 
 of rivei-s we may employ a plural termination. 
 But, after jlreaius have pined they are one 
 river, and cannot with any propriety be called 
 waters ox Jireams. 
 
 In rendering the old names for tualer or 
 jlrcam into Englifli, authors have imagined 
 that the ancients added to them terms for wa- 
 ter or river. At prefent we fay the river 
 J£.xe, or the Exe water, Exe ftrcam, or Exe 
 river. But the earliefl: inhabitants of this 
 ifland knew the word Exe implied v^ater, and 
 that it was a running Jtreani ; and added not 
 "Water, Jiveam^ or river to the name. 
 
 We have menlioncd that one river had for- 
 merly as many names as fcttlements on its 
 banks ; "and that the principal llation gave 
 denomination to the whole flream. In a few 
 inftances, however, the ftream has retained 
 two names, as. in the Lomcn or Sunin ; ,and 
 
 in
 
 C ^0 3 
 
 in fome cafes thefe are repeated perhaps 
 without any conne6iing v/ord, to fhew that 
 they are two denominations of the fame 
 flream. 
 
 To conclude this part it will be neceflary 
 to obferve^ that at a late period^ or in the 
 times of inhabitants who knew not the ori- 
 ginal language, we may have had a few in- 
 llances of modern poftfixes added to rivers* 
 names through ignorance ; and thefe may 
 not fometimes be eafily diftinguifhed from 
 the old terms for water ^ Jlreaniy &c. Add to 
 this that the roots of terms, and their additions 
 are fometimes nearly the fame. Hence diffi- 
 culties arife, and miftakes may be the confe- 
 quence. In great or fmall ftreams we have 
 generally augments and diminutives ; and 
 unlefs fome thing very particular is attached 
 to them, we ought to account thefe, however 
 corrupted or difgui/ed, original parts of the 
 names ; their becrinnings are always the 
 words for water or Itream. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 Of the Change of Letters in S\jlUtblcs. 
 " L;, grammarians fay, is called a liquid be- 
 ♦;aufe of ks foft and melting found ; and being 
 
 placed
 
 placed between a mute and a vowel, it ron- 
 del's the fyllable more gentle. From the foft- 
 refsofi?, it was often dropt as in writing. 
 Thus rurjus, prorfus, See. were written by the 
 Romans n//us, projlis, &c." " In effecl, fays 
 my author, there was that agreement between 
 the found of the S c?nd R, that as the Romans 
 avoided the doubling their confonants, it was 
 no wonder that they dropped the R — the S 
 fupplying the place of both." 
 
 " From the fame foftnefs of found (con- 
 tinues this writer) of the R, it came to be uCed 
 indilTcrently with L, m many words; as in 
 Lntialis and Latiaris^ tho' the R was oftener 
 changed into L, as Ltmures for Remures ; 
 and the fame is done between f^and R." 
 
 To the above we fliall add, that A is Gaelic 
 
 for an hill, pronounced fometimes an, as in 
 
 J/ia/i, call. Sic. Before vowels H was ufed in 
 
 fpeaking, tho' not written, as an initial in the 
 
 Gaelic lanfjuage — Hence Hau or Ha:o i 
 
 '5 ""6 
 
 IS 
 
 therefore hi/l, and is the name of one between 
 Plymouth and the fea : Hal is the fame in 
 Haldon, a hill near Exeter : JIar in Harrow^ 
 the hioheft hill in Middlcfex.— Thus alio 
 Biav, BioL, •r Buhl, is water, and Bion is the 
 
 fame
 
 fame. And it mufl be obferved that endings 
 in U, where an augment or diminutive iol- 
 lowed, were neceffarily to avoid the clafliing 
 of vowels, changed io LovR. Thefe and the 
 following directions of the ufe and the con* 
 vertibility of U, L, and R, and which the rea- 
 der will find no where elfe fully treated of, 
 ought to be well confidered in rendering o^d 
 names. 
 
 But to return to my author — " S, he faySj 
 hath met with different receptions. Some 
 have rejected it, others affccled its ufe. It 
 hath been changed into T. JMerfare has been 
 written Mertare ; Pulfare, PuUare. On the 
 contrary, Dufmofas has been written Dnmofx ; 
 CafinoeucB, Canwenss." And we muft add 
 luater has been written in Gaelic Baiter and 
 Bai/ler. For other changes, I refer the reader 
 to Lhuyd's Archa^ologia, and to the following 
 trcatiic, under the article London. 
 
 CPIAP. V. 
 Qf Letters injericd in Syllables. 
 
 All names oj rivers originally meant zcater 
 or Jlream, as has already been obferved : and 
 we may add a great number of the names oj 
 toions on Jlreams. Our province is therefore 
 
 G g to
 
 C ^s 3 
 
 to invenigate from what roots only fuch de- 
 nominations are derived, and how the names 
 of thefe rivers and towns are formed. From 
 the following or like principles arife the rea- 
 ons of many infertions. 
 
 It mull be confidered that vowels have 
 often been multiplied in words : thus Ac has 
 been written Ai/c, at Auc-cote, an abbey near 
 Polefworth, Warwickfhire, and this is alfo 
 named Aulcote. Auconibe, in Somerfetfliire, 
 has alfo been named Alcomhe. Jiacombe 
 means ///// Combe, as will be (hewn in the 
 following tracl. Ilocombe alfo, and Ilolcombe 
 imply and are written for the fame. Arcole, 
 in Salop, is likewife named Akhul. Hence 
 All and Al, and On and 01, from the laft chap- 
 ter, the above examples, and from the con- 
 clufion of the head London, are fynonymesof 
 ^4r or Or ; and confcqucntly Aitc, Arc, or 
 Arl\ and Afc ; and One, Ore, or Ork, and 
 Olc are alfo fynonymes in the names of our 
 rivers and towns on llreams. Hence alfo Ac 
 or All, water, with R inferted, becomes Ark,* 
 a river in Yorkfliire. But not only Ark h a 
 
 • Trif, ii) flic Hiftory « f JManclKfter, is tranflated zt;rJeri ; 
 hut hi is a fynonynic ol Jia; and means wato only. 
 
 fynonyme
 
 C 5* D 
 
 fynonyme o^ Auc or Auh, but yf/z/t alfo : for 
 Aiilcote is fituated on the river Anker, and 
 that iVand [/"are convertible in a variety oX 
 hiftances may be feen in Lhuyd's Archsclogia. 
 
 The CALN, ISTER, ELBE, &c, 
 From Can or Cnun, a laJce or Jlreani, comes 
 Cain. With S inferted in It-cr, the great or 
 harder, water or Jiteain, is produced i/7^r. — 
 With L interpofed in Eb (or from Ejib) wa- 
 ter or flream is derived the j?//5e, in Germa- 
 ny : and Klberton (in Gloucefterfhirc, on the 
 river Severn), which means the town on the 
 ^reat water or jiream. 
 
 Innovation and novelty, affe61ation and the 
 defire of rendering names more harmonious, 
 have, I conceive, produced many changes. 
 Had we not been left with numerous inftances 
 every where around us, the before-mentioned 
 infertions might ftill appear ab folitary ex- 
 amples only. But we have prooJs of altera- 
 tions in words, and additions of letters in 
 fpelling them in names without number — ■ 
 thus, AJfinglon, in Devon, written now Al- 
 phinglon, was always pronounced Ajinton, 
 Daverton, the old name of a town in the fame 
 countv, is now afre61edlv written Thorverton. 
 
 Calverleight
 
 Caherlc'irtli was always pronounced Caver-; 
 lel^h ; (-hulmlei^h, ChimJeigh ; Ahiii^ion, 
 AvinUm ; Ilalherton, Haherton and Hai' 
 lerton ; Holcombe, Jiocomhc ; Holne, Hole ; 
 Liijilcigh, Li/Ieigh ; Sampford, Sanford; Sand- 
 for', Sanford. The Yalm, or Tealm, a river 
 in Devon, ^\as always pronounced Ya7?t ; 
 TFalkhampton, Wahnlon ; Oakhampton, 
 Ockinton; Marlborough, Malborough, &c. 
 In thefe words the liquids are plainly inferted 
 letters, as the old names are the fame as in 
 the pronunciation, not in the orthography; 
 and in other places where they have obtained 
 pronunciation they are not lefs fo. 
 
 From Ochnion, Ji^aldntori, Szc. it may 
 be noted that the in has become ha??!. And 
 from all thcfc names it appears evident that 
 places Ti's prunounccd are^ as many authors have 
 obfcrvcd, nearer the original words, than 
 thofe wiih the infcrtion of liquids. A great 
 variety of other alterations take place from 
 the chan""cs and infcrlions of letters in names 
 
 o 
 
 of plac cs, all of wliich have greatly perplexed 
 writers of local defcriptions; and to account 
 for thciV, many idle and laughable derivations 
 are fcattcicdovcr thcii works. 
 
 Ill -ifo at ions
 
 C ^6 1 
 
 ILLirSTM.^TIOJVS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 PRECEDING PRINCIPLES, 
 
 BY 
 
 Examples of Derivation, 
 
 GENERALLY SUPPOSED DIFFICULT J 
 
 And of verbal Errors which occur in Works of locti 
 
 Dcfcri/tion. 
 
 The
 
 [ 57 3 
 
 The River DART, Devon. 
 
 The zcords Moor and Mere. 
 
 THE Dart riles in Darlm oor, and has beea 
 derived from the Armoric word Dart, de- 
 noting as the En^-lifli of the fame name : but 
 time has corrupted this appellation ; for in 
 the itinerary of Richard of Cirenceiler^ it is 
 named Dun'us ; and Duriiis or Dii?', water, 
 has from lime become the Dart, juft as the 
 Tren has become the Trent. 
 
 Mathair or Muthair, pronounced Maer or 
 iV/oer, has become Mere and Moor, and means 
 the mother, as well as tlie referi)oir or fource 
 of water or rivers ; and lands around thefe 
 took their names from this Gaelic word. — 
 Moer, in Dutch, from whence Moor is gene- 
 rally underRood to be derived, is, as well as 
 in Englifli (in fome parts of our kingdom)^ 
 a clownifli expreflion for mother : it means 
 too, in both languages, a marjh or fen ; and 
 the Dutch JMoreas, JMoreaJJi, or MarJh, is de- 
 lived from it. Common lands, to which no 
 fuch derivation of moor will apply, may be 
 fo called from fome other caufe ; but the 
 Axe^ the Exe, Culm, Tainar, Torrige, Tail, 
 iTavy, Tr/gri, and in general the rivers of De- 
 
 ffn rife in n'accs termed moors. 
 
 In
 
 C ^8 D 
 
 In Ipeaking of Crau-meer, the water fource 
 in Dartmoor, Rifdon fays " It is the mother 
 of many rivers." Donn, in his map, calls it 
 Crau-mere, vulgarly Cran-mere. In Mr. 
 Goiigh's Camden it is rendered Grand-mer. 
 But Cran and Crau ufed indifcriminately are 
 derived from An or Au, water or hill, with 
 Ci' prefixed. It muft be obferved that fome 
 rivers have dropped initial confonants, and 
 others taken a prefix of one or more letters. 
 Thus the Trobis or Trovius became the Ra- 
 vi us. We have the Liun and the Chin, the 
 Lan and the Clan-may. It and L were ufed 
 without diflin^lion, as has been already fhewn 
 — the Clan may therefore be the Cran ; and 
 as jVand U were changed for each other, and 
 as An and An are both water, Cra/i or Crau 
 may be deemed the fame word in ftreams or 
 fources. Hence Cranford, Crauford, or (as 
 Z7was often pronounced like Y) Cray ford. 
 Hence alfo the river Crane^ and confequently 
 Cran or Crau-mere will imply the water or 
 river fource ; but if Au or An fhould mean 
 hill, then the hill, fpring, ox Jour ce, 
 
 CRAN MERE, Somerfet, 
 " Watered, fays the hiftorian of the coun- 
 ty, by feveral rivulets from fprings rifing 
 
 H in
 
 [ «9 3 
 
 in the pari/h. The name, he fays, fignifieg 
 vinrjlnj grounds infejled by cranes, from cran 
 the Saxon for a crane ! 
 
 This derivz^tion is borrowed from Skinner, 
 who renders Cranbourn as follow : " Cran- 
 Ijourn in Com. Dorfet. (i.e.) Pons feu amnis 
 gnwni." To confirm this Mr. C. ftates, "that 
 the eaftcrn extremity of the valley through 
 which the rivulets run, is at this day diftin- 
 guifhcd by the name of Mere Head, and the 
 adjoining meadow Mere Mead ; and although 
 cranes, he fays, are not fo abundant as an- 
 ciently, when multitudes were among the 
 dainties provided at public entertainments 
 mentioned on record, yet of late years thefe 
 birds have been obfervcd in greater numbers 
 than in other places." Thus far have corref- 
 ponding founds iifiifled good autho.rs ! 
 
 iMr. Vv'hitaker, hi his hiftory of St. Ger- 
 mans, traces the hiltory of Saints, whom he 
 fuppofes to have given n^^mcs to pariflies. — 
 The fdllcwing is his derivation of 
 
 JilOREWlNSTOW: 
 
 '' Yet Morwcnna, fays this gentleman, went 
 tiway with hcrtiler into the contracled an^lc 
 
 of
 
 C GO 3 
 
 of Cornwall, on the north-eaft. There, fome 
 •miles to the north of Marham church, and at 
 the apex of the angle, we have what is deno- 
 minated by the firfl; valor, without any exprefs 
 fpecification of the faint, yet with a fecret 
 reference to her " Ecclefiade Morewinflow," 
 in the encroachments of the Saxon upon the 
 Cornifh of this peninfula, the pari in having 
 adopted the name of its faint, with a Saxon 
 name like Padllow for its own name ; and 
 being denominated Morewyn/^ora or place. 
 We thus fee it equally denominated " Mor- 
 winftow" in the laft, and we knoxa it to be 
 dedicated to St. Morvenna." 
 
 In the names of feveral Cornifh parifhes 
 there fecm to arife proofs that faints neareU 
 t\\^ ancient denominations were adopted at 
 dedications ; but whether Morewinflow was 
 thus dedicated is not my prefent enquiry. — ' 
 In deriving appellations we muft never loie 
 fight of the great features of nature. In Dart- 
 moor I have fliewn that moor or more means 
 the fource or fountain of water ; uin or win, 
 from <7/2, can, &c. implies water or ftream, as 
 will be proved in various places ; and /Iolx\d 
 Jlom were not originally Saxon as above repre- 
 
 H 5 fen ted.
 
 C Gl ] 
 
 fented, but Gaelic, and mean, accordin"^ to 
 Shaw, Txfent, village, or fffttleinent!^ The ri- 
 vers Tamar and Torrige, rife in a moor 
 in Moor-xcm-Jlow. Hence the reader will 
 readily perceive tr.at this name means the 
 water fource feitlement. And Mr. W hi taker 
 will find that Mhi^icenna and other faints, as 
 well as 'b>loKxveTma, gave not names to places. 
 As we proceed this will be further elucidated. 
 
 MORETONHAMSTEAD, or MORETON, 
 
 De^'on. 
 " q. d. fays Mr. And, Brice, Moor- Tcjun- 
 Home-Stead, if I miftake not Hajnjledc, in the 
 Saxon meaning Homejlede or JIo?ne Place ; it 
 is fo named from its fituatioii near Dart- 
 moor."t 
 
 Borlafe, fays an author, difcovers the traces 
 of Saturn, Mars, and Mercury, in the names 
 of feveral places where his rock idols are fitu- 
 ated ; and this writer himfclf gives feveral 
 other inftances in Devon. Among thefe he 
 fays " Hamjlorr is the rock of Ham or Am- 
 mon ; and the numerous Hams in Devon- 
 
 * Compare the fynonymes of the words Aiai & Seal, v. i Sc 3 
 ot bhaw's Gaelic Didtionarv. 
 
 t Brice's Topog. Dift. 
 
 ihirej
 
 C C2 D 
 
 fhire| he further Rates all carry us to the fame 
 original." In a note on this fubje^l; he ex- 
 plains thefe by '* places confecratcd to the 
 god Ham, or colonifcd by Ham the fon of 
 Noah/'t 
 
 On the contrary Mr, Salmon^ in his EfTex, 
 afTerts that " Ham is no more than a Manor 
 House ; and that the reft of the houfes of 
 villaneSj bordars, &c. make a Hamlet !" — 
 Tlam will be explained in this article. Leat 
 faid by fome authors to imply a fmall dream, 
 and by Mr. Marfliall, in his rural Economy of 
 Devonfhire, to be a corruption of lead or 
 Q.ondud.or, comes from leath changed to leat : 
 it means haJf^ a -part, or a divi/ion — Hence 
 hamlet, Jlreamlet, Sec. Leat will alfo denote 
 flreanij from ead or eat, water, with L pre- 
 fixed. 
 
 Mr. Brice has given the commonly received 
 meaning of Moretonha??iJlead : but the town' 
 is now four miles from Dartmoor. The river' 
 IVrey rifes within this parifh, and runs by thc^ 
 border of Moreton, to which its fource rnay"' 
 
 % We have many humlreds of fields on the border of towns^ 
 rivers, and hills, named bams. 
 
 t,- t..Ki(tpriqalView»; p. 5^ and 56. 
 
 pofijbly
 
 C 63 ] 
 
 poffibly have given denomination. The name 
 of this place is truly remarkable for contain- 
 ing three words. Ton, Ham, and Stead, each 
 of which is commonly fuppofed to mean to'jcn 
 or villan-e : and as leveral towns in this kintr- 
 dom have partly the fame terms contained in 
 their names, I fliall endeavour to explain 
 them. 
 
 Ham has perplexed wrkers, and its deriva- 
 tion is generally uiiknown. It has, like all 
 other adjuntTls, been derived from the Saxon, 
 and faid to imply a home, dwel/ing-p/ace, do- 
 rough, town, village, or /aim. The Gaelic 
 has no //, and the word a/ji, which is varied 
 to hem, is preferved in the Welfh, and means 
 round, about. Sec. -, but in the primitive lan- 
 <2:L3a2:e it mud have meant the fame as ham. 
 "When // is an initial in other languages, the 
 Irifii often begins with an P' or an 5. The 
 woid in Gothic is Ilaim, but I find it neither 
 explained in Gothic or Saxon di61ionarics 
 which I confult. In the Gaelic the word is 
 Fainie, and implies border or hejyi. Hence 
 then our Soutli Hams are the fouth borders of 
 the county of Devon. Broad Hemburij and 
 Pey Hembunj derived originally perhaps i'roni 
 
 Broghda
 
 c; 64 3 
 
 Bro2:Ma great, and^pg-, peg, ox peij little, will 
 imply the great and little border towns. — 
 Broad and LiUle Hemflon (parifhes on the 
 Dart) will alfo mean the fame. Laftly, fields 
 around towns, or on rivers named Hams, will 
 imply the border lands. But towns and vil- 
 lages being built on Hams, and the original 
 word becoming obfcure, the tei*m has been 
 miftaken for village, home, dwelling-place, Sec. 
 
 Stead is alfo attributed to the Saxon lan- 
 o-uage, and " in the name of a place that is 
 diftant from any river, it has been ftated by 
 authors to be derived from fled a place ; but 
 if it be upon a river or harbour, it has been 
 derived from Jleade, a fliore or ftation for 
 Ihips." But this word comes from the Gaelic 
 jlaid, a jlation, or Jeltlement. In Dooml'day 
 this town is written Moreton only ; Ham/lead 
 feems an addition not eafily accounted for. 
 
 KELHAM cS' AVERIIAM, KoUinghamJhire. 
 
 Throughout this work the prefent ftate of 
 etvmology muft neccflhrily be fhewn, and the 
 ufual modes of rendering terms muft be com« 
 pared with the principles inveftigated in this 
 treatife. A late county hiftorian inferts a 
 communication which he confiders of the 
 
 *•' higheft
 
 [ 65 ] 
 
 " higheft importance to etymological en- 
 quiries." Kelliam and Avcrham in this are 
 rendered '' a p'uce in a bottom or hollow, and 
 a place of men daws.''' Wertli or v^ortli alio 
 in the names of places, is Hated to imply *' a 
 riper ijland." The lignification of thcle names 
 "vvas drawn from the German language ; but 
 we need not confult the German. The an- 
 cient language in which the features of 
 nature were a61ually defcribcd fhould only 
 be reforted to. A celebrated German author 
 of the laft century fought lor the derivation 
 o[ the JE/de in his own language; and from 
 the word Ei'va or E/ve he rendered it eleven 
 heads or fourcc;;, or eleven llreams. Dr. 
 Adam Littleton alfo in his Lr.tin Dictionary 
 derived this ftrcain from the German word 
 Hal5, half, becaufe he laid the fiream divides 
 the country iuLo i~joo /i.-i/vcs ! 
 
 In the above tranilations of KcJham and 
 Averhaw^ ham has been totally miftaken. — 
 Av, in A'oerharii, fliould without doubt be 
 confidercd water. The various meanings of 
 cr we have in fcveral jilaccs mentioned ; and 
 its particular im])ovt in tlis parifli will be 
 eafily underflood by thole who are acquainted 
 with the fituation of the place. Kcl, \n Kcl- 
 
 ham;,
 
 [ 66 D 
 
 ham, will imply perhaps the fame as Kel in 
 the river Kel-yn — stream. Of the derivation 
 of jrerth or fVorlh I fhall treat in the fol- 
 lowing pages. 
 
 The River TEIGN 
 Hath been derived from ^' Tain ; or, fays 
 an author, from Teg, fair, clear, pretty. Sec. 
 and Afon^ a river, contra6led into Aim ; fo 
 Teg-ann (fince fliortened into Tegan or 
 Teign) denotes a fair or clear river. Either 
 of thefe feems preferable to Baxter's Ifc-tene 
 or Teni/ca i. e. leniiis aqun,* for the Teign 
 is far from being a fmall (lender flream." 
 
 This word comes from the Gaelic word 
 Tain, water or fiream. When n is ufed as a 
 light confonant, as in Drewflainton^ it ispro- 
 nounced Tain ; but when employed as a heavy 
 confonant it has a g poftfixedf ; and then 
 Tain is written Taing, Teing, or Teign j and 
 pronounced Ting or Teng, as at Teingmouth 
 or Teicrnmouth, 
 
 The River ARME 
 Has been derived from lar and Yr, prefixed 
 to Am ; from Ara and Armor ; but General 
 
 * Baxter's Gioflary, page zio, f Vallaocey's Grammar. 
 
 I Vallancev
 
 C e7 J 
 
 V'allancey and Mr. Pohvhele derive Armin- 
 ton, Devon, from Armenia or the Armenians, 
 " It Avas with thefe Armenians (fays the Gene- 
 ral^ on the authority of Sir George Yonge) that 
 the Phoenicians traded for tin : and we have at 
 this day many places of Phoenician origin in 
 their names in Devon and Cornwall. And in 
 the fouth-weft of Devonfhire there is ftiU a 
 river Armine ; and the town and hundred are 
 called Arminton to this day."* 
 
 The above remarkable inflance fhews our 
 flight acquaintance with the derivation of 
 rivers ; and points out the neceflity of attend- 
 ing to this head in hiftorical difquifition.— 
 Fable will always mix itfelf with truth; but 
 it fhould be the employment of etymology 
 to withdraw the veil of fi6lion. 
 
 This river is derived from A?}i or Autti^ wa- 
 ter, changed to Arm, as fhewn in chap. iv. — 
 Li may be a diminutive, or it may imply bor- 
 der or country. Armin may therefore mean 
 the little Jlream or i\iejlream border, and Ar- 
 ininton the little flream, or the fiream bor- 
 der, town. Hence the fuppofition of an Ar- 
 menian colony, giving denomination to this 
 
 * Hiftorical Vietvs of Dcvoa. 
 
 river.
 
 C 68 ] 
 
 river, parifli, and hundred, is evidently with- 
 out foundation. 
 
 The Rivei^ SID and TALE. 
 The Sid is derived in a MS of Devonfhire 
 ftreams and parifhes, from " faeth an arrow/' 
 " from the Saxon word Jide, which implies 
 long and wide," though this river is a fhort 
 and narrow ftream ; and '^ from rifing at 
 Sjdbury, and shedding itfelf into the fea at 
 Sidmouth." But Jid comes from id, a fyno- 
 nyme of ar/water, with s prefixed. Thus ac- 
 cording to Holwell, in his Mythological Dic- 
 tionary, the 'river Indus was named Sindus ; 
 Ur, of Chaldea, was named Sur; the Elli 
 Prieftsofthe Sun were named Stdli : hence 
 5 is a prefix only, in the Sid, which means 
 Jiream. A place on this river is named 
 Idford. 
 
 The Tale is accounted in the Hiflory of 
 Devon " an original luord, and faid properly 
 tp figniiy water ijjmng from the end of a 
 lake." But 2'au means Itream ; u was com- 
 monly changed to /; hence Jal or J'ale ini- 
 piies flream. 
 
 I z The
 
 L <^9 2 
 
 The CULM, 
 Derived by authors from Cy/m, rapid, is 
 rather ix flow flream. It has been alfo derived 
 from Kidm, a pigeon, and this was generally 
 cftccmcd the etymon ; but the pigeon and 
 this ftrcam having no refemblance in nature, 
 firft prompted me to confider this fubjeft more 
 clofely.* Nothing during my refearches have 
 I kept fecrct, and from my opennefs have long 
 expc61ed that fome induftrious author might 
 have filled my place. In the hiitory of Devon 
 the Cubii is deiivcd from Ciilmeii^ becaufe it 
 originates from the hill juft above Culmjlock ; 
 nevcrthelefs the author rather fufpe6\s that 
 Columhton is the right name of Cohimpton^ 
 fignifying the Sancia Columha or lona. In 
 Coliimb John both words he thinks are 
 imited ; for though pronounced John, he 
 fuppofes it fliould be Columh-Jon, the fa- 
 cred word for a dove. — Thus, Doliirij, he 
 renders 'Doxv.bury HilL 
 
 But an, or on, water, with c prefixed is Can 
 or Co^/, the Gaelic for a lake or ibeam ; with 
 / inferted, as by chap. v. it is Cain, a ftrcam 
 in Wiltfliire, or Coin, a ftrcam at Colchefter : 
 
 • For thio IJint I was indebted to a Friend,
 
 [ ^0 3 
 
 juft fo Am, Om, or Urn, water, with c pre- 
 fixed, is Cam, Com, or Ci'im ; with / infeited. 
 Cum will become Cubn, and mean ilream : 
 but in the pronunciation this word is always 
 divided into two fyllables ; and towns on this 
 Ilream in Doomfday were named Co/un and 
 Cohan : the ending m took place of n in 
 early as well as in later times, and hence no 
 difficulty ariles. The b and p in Columbton 
 and Columj)toii were alfo modern additions 
 in this as well as in a variety ot other town's 
 names. Colim in Doomfday feems to be 
 >yritten by mi (lake for Cokn or Colin. The 
 pronunciation is Hill Culem, the// only changed 
 for m.. En, iuy i\ and fometimes e are diminu- 
 tives. In Culmftcck there is a hamlet named 
 Culllford ; in Uffcidm <m eilate called Co//(?- 
 ford. An owner of the land of Culum-John, 
 in 1233, was named John de Culin ; but as 
 Culun only was the name in Doomfdav, Co- 
 lum took the adjun6l John from the pofleflbr 
 of the parilh, and not from Jon as Mr. Pol- 
 whele imagined. Moreover in an alphabet 
 of ancient arms, in Sir William Pole's collec- 
 tions for Devon we have thofe of Co/in of 
 Co/iNjioke. From hence it appears that this 
 river might originally be named Coien or 
 Cohn ; and that it has from time become 
 
 Co] tin.
 
 C 71 D 
 
 Collin, CoIiiTn^ and laftly Culm. T)olury, 
 more rightly Tio^-bury, which Mr. Polewhele 
 renders DoY^biiry, is derived from the Gaelic 
 Dob, a flream,* and bury, a hill or camp. — 
 This fine hill, whic^h was an old flation, and 
 on which Romon coins have been found, is 
 fituattd near the border of the Culm ; and 
 the name means flrea/ii-hi/l. 
 
 The River COLLY 
 Is faid to imply " the Jiazel hrooik, from 
 coll the ha^el or nut tree, and y water. f To 
 every thing upon earth have llreams been re- 
 ferred for names. ;|; In the Culm we were 
 conveyed to heaven ! But^ in Colly implies 
 not water, but is Gaelic for /liaUow, low, little ; 
 and Col has been fhewn to mean ftream : 
 hence the Colly is the (hallow or little flream. 
 
 Y OY i are alfo diminutives in our own lan- 
 guage, though not obfcrved by grammarians : 
 for we may fay Johrmy for little John ; Toin- 
 /?7y for little Tom, &c. And it fhould be ob- 
 ferved that the firuil confonant is doubled to 
 form the diminutive ending ; and to fliorten 
 ^he found of the vowel. 
 
 * The River Do-jf is derived from this Gaelic Tern^i' 
 f Baxter "i GlofTary.— J Hillory of Devon. 
 
 ' The
 
 E 7. 3 
 
 The AVON 
 
 Js generally tranflated river. Mr. Whit- 
 aker fays that " Avon is contracted into 
 jinn, An, or Un : and as D-avon and T-avon 
 are both the fame with it, fo they are con- 
 tracted in the fame manner as the Dane, the 
 name of the Daven at Middlevvichy into Z)a- 
 niis, Don, or Dun. And the latter into 
 Tayne, Taune, Tone, Teyne."* At page 185 
 of his Manchefter he alfo fays that Avon is the 
 plural o^ Av. But notwithflanding this opi-- 
 uion On was an augmentative in the Gaelic 
 and other languages, as One and Ona are now 
 in the Italian, and On in the Spanifli. That 
 D-avon and T-avon are contracted to Dane, 
 Danus, Don, Dun, or Tayne, Taune, Tone, 
 Teyne, &c. except through corruption, I can- 
 not allow. Confufion in the ftatement will 
 be found, from not attending to the pojlfixes 
 of the one, (whatever thefe may mean) and 
 the WANT o^ poflfixes in the other. — The fame 
 may be faid of Ann, An, and Jjn, being con- 
 tractions of Avon. 
 
 The Rivers KEN and CONWY. 
 The Ken has been derived from Cain, 
 white, fair, and from Ceann head.— Conwy is 
 
 * Hiftory of Manchefter, 
 
 faid
 
 L -• J 
 
 iaid in the vindication of the Celts to be 
 "formed of Con, what bolts ftiait forward or 
 runs into a point, and Gzvj/, in compofition 
 // y. The firft of thefc this author fays is 
 not in the Irifh ; but Czv!/, a ftream, is com- 
 mon to both languages. To male Iiifh of 
 Con, he ftates, Lhuyd turns it to Crjn, becaufe 
 Ceann. Irifh, implies a head." 
 
 The etymon of thefe name^ feemstobe 
 overlooked by everyone — Can, a lake or 
 ftream, comes from Jn, water, with c prefix- 
 ed : An, On, and En are fynonymcs in the 
 compofition of the names of flreams ; and 
 Cen, Ken, Con, or Can will mean the 
 fame. In Dunchideoch, where the Ken 
 croffes the road from Fen-lull, there is a 
 village named Buns-j.xvi'E. The adjuncl/i^y 
 will be proved to mean little ; and hence 
 Conwy may imply the little lake. In Devon, 
 uhere there are very few lakes, fmall Jlreams 
 are fo called. In the north of England, 
 Wales, and Ireland, where lakes are very- 
 large and numerous, great fireams, collecting 
 here and there into pools, are denominated 
 lakes. The word l^cn in the names of hills 
 is not well defined : various indeed are the 
 terms in common ulV w iich are entirely un- 
 known in their etymologies, 
 
 PE.NDINNIS,
 
 C '^ ] 
 
 PENDINNIS, or PENDTNANT, Cornwalh 
 Is formed fro.n Pen Dinn, and Ts. Pen 
 15 head, Dan hill, a^J Is may be a di ninu- 
 tive, or may im;)ly w.itprj and mc^an the fame 
 as an corrupl:d to ant. Mr. Whitaker, in 
 the hiflory of St Germaii^^, renders this '• Hill 
 Head ;" to which we mini add a bot'pm — 
 Fen {hen, as a word defenbing a h^uid, is 
 generally round land like a head, and means 
 ttie round hill, and not the ///7, head, or top. 
 Pendinnis will imply the little roun.i hill, ox 
 the round zvater hill. 
 
 The River PLYM, LIMSTON, PLYMTREE, 
 Mr. Baxter derives the Plym from Pilimi 
 which he fays ilill fignifies Volvere, to roll ; &• 
 fuppofes that Pilais, of Ravennas, fhould be 
 written Pilmis Ifc, i. e. convalvens ac/iix, de- 
 noting the impetuofity of its current. Lut 
 query ? fays Mr, Chappie. 
 
 Plum or Pl-im, of which we have no jufl 
 etymon, is derived from the daelic word 
 Blein or Plein (or Leijn, with P prefixed), 
 which implies an Harbour. B &z P are con- 
 vertible. A'alfo, in the names of places, be-* 
 comes from corruption J\J : thus fVin,ple, 
 
 Plintone, and Plintree, in doomfday book, are 
 
 K nov/
 
 i: 75 3 
 
 now^vritten IVhimple, Plijmpion, and Phjm- 
 tree. We mull further obferve that !ywas 
 orten pronounced ei m the ancient Cornifh; 
 fo that among the rivers in this county 
 fcarcely one has reached us fo correal in its 
 orthography. Moreover from Bit in or L i/n 
 evidently the fame as Linne Gaelic, or L/ynn 
 Welfh. an eftuary, lake, pool in a river, or 
 fource, we alfo derive Litnjlon, a village on 
 the elluary oi the Exe, and Plynitrce or Plin* 
 iree^ a parifh on the fource of the Clis. 
 
 The Kiver TAMER, formerly TAMAR, 
 Is derived from T:im, Gaelic for ftream, a« 
 has alreadv been fhewn, and ar jrreat, or err 
 border. Mr. Baxter, and others, derive it from 
 la?7ierav, the gentle river, though it is acknow- 
 ledged to be rapid and even violent in many 
 parts. 
 
 HAMOSE, the harbor of this river, is tranf- 
 lated the ''Oozy Habitation." As we pro- 
 ceed we improve.- — The Plym was the '^ roll- 
 ins: water." '1 he water here is rendered the 
 " Oozy Habitation !" But the derivation of 
 this fine harbor is the fame as the Oi/Je in 
 Yorl^fhire, and comes from c7r/ changed to at^ 
 as, aus, and <ms water. " The Oufe or JJe, 
 fay our authors, is Hippofed to receive its 
 
 nauiQ
 
 C -6 1 
 
 name from Ifis, a denomination of Proferpine, 
 an infernal Goddefs whom the ancient Bri- 
 tons are known to have vvorfhippcd ; and 
 it is very ufual for ancient He;ithcns to con- 
 fecrate rivers as well as v/oods and mountains 
 to their Deities, & call them by their names/' 
 The reader mufl: not accufe me of incredulity. 
 The derivations of words in the names of the 
 obje6>s around us confiitiite the obje^of my 
 enquiries ; and the truth of the dedications 
 of rivers, woods, and mountains, I leave to 
 the mythologifl : but where the import of ap- 
 pellations clearly arifes from the features of 
 nature^ reconrfe to the name of an Heathen 
 Deity will be an oftentatious difplay of mif- 
 applied reading. Hcmi, which has been fhewn 
 to mean border, has been derived from Am- 
 inon ; and villages having been built on. 
 hams, and the word found in their names, it 
 hath been rendered village, town, &c. Jla- 
 j?iofe and the Tamery however, mean the bor- 
 der water. The firft name was perhaps adopt- 
 ed by Athelftan, when this river was made the 
 boundary between the Cornilh and Saxons; 
 for it feems to be a Saxon tranllation of 
 Tamer. 
 
 k ^ The
 
 [ 77 ] 
 
 The River TORRIGF, 
 Vulgarly Torridge — pofTibly, fa}s a wrifei*,- 
 a compound of the Britifh Dd:r water, and rhe 
 Saxon Ricg, ridge, from the ridge or military 
 way of the Romans, being their northern road 
 into Cornwall, which crofTed this ri\cr near 
 little Torrington!" Torridcre, lays another, 
 the etymology of the word is obvious. Tor 
 fignifying a hcig'.t, and ridge a military way !" 
 Thus, reader, are we am u fed ! 
 
 The word in doomfday is written Tori and 
 Torin, when applied to Torrington. Ai the 
 compiling this book, and for many reigns 
 after, this town was fpelt Toritone and Torin- 
 tone. From the / in Tori, and the in in To- 
 rin, I fhould exjied the river to be in many 
 places JJia/low, in comparifon to her filler 
 flream the Tamur. It muft be noted that a 
 rapid or wide river is not always, perhaps not 
 often, a deep one ; and in this cafe the end- 
 ing in /'is always appropriate. In the woid^ 
 Torridge there is no diminutive ending If 
 you fuppofc Torin to be the original word 
 from which it came, then the tranflation ia 
 falfe ; for in is a diminutive ending, an4 
 Torin means the fame as Tori or Torri. 
 
 In
 
 C 78 ] 
 
 In an old Latin charter ol BideforcJ, granted 
 by the Granvilles, fhis river is written Tori- 
 chia : in Enolifli Torich. We have many 
 Hreams ending in /(/; or ic, -which is flill an 
 Armoric diminutive. G and C were writ teri 
 indifcriminatcly for each other ; and as o- was 
 often ufed as / or i/, ich or /V/z has been pro- 
 nounced ih or i. But after the Norman con- 
 queft, if not before, many alterations in pro- 
 nunciation took place : Torig or Torigli, 
 which 1 ad been Tori, was now pronounced 
 with g foft. To^ig or Torich.^ In time ano- 
 ther/* was infertedj and now the word became 
 lorrig or Torrich : la Illy Big or Rich wsls 
 nearly the pronunciation ol' Ridge, and finally 
 Rifhe was fubilituted- for it. 
 
 But Torridge having for fome centuries 
 been the orthography of this name, and cuf- 
 tom having fanctioned its ufe, and even Stamp- 
 ed authority thereon, it will be neceflary not 
 only to fliew what the /, in, ic, and ig m^an, 
 butalfo what 7V fig.ifies. And here it mufl. 
 be noted that /?, o, and u were ufed for each 
 otber : Du?-, water or llream, would there- 
 fore be Dar, as at Dartmouth, or Dor, as at 
 Dorchefter. D and 7' were commutable, and 
 
 * Rich pronounced nearly as Ricb wealthy. 
 
 liencd'
 
 [ 79 ] 
 hence To)- was a fvnonvme of 7^//,*- water t)r 
 
 ■J J 
 
 ft I earn ; and Tori, Tor in, Torig, Torifre^ or 
 Torrige meant the fhallov\r ftream. We have 
 anoihcr Toni/ or Tarry, which falls into the 
 PJyni, near PI} mpfon. In Yorkfliire there 
 is a river named Torre ; and in Somerl'et the 
 Torr, 
 
 BIDDIFORD, 
 On the Torrige, correfponds with the nam* 
 of its ftream. The etymon of this appelhi- 
 tion is fnppofed to be " compounded of the 
 Saxon Bi lituattdj and ford, a fliallow place 
 in a river that may be eafily palled over." — 
 But Bi is juxta, and Di is not Saxon. 
 
 Dr. Watkin's remarks on this name *' That 
 it were well for the peace and credit of an- 
 tiquarians if the etymology of proper names 
 was always as eafily difcovercd as in the pre- 
 fent inftance; for juft above the bridge there 
 is to this day a fording place through the ri- 
 Ver^ and which was anciently the common 
 pafTage for travellers ; and it alfo gives name 
 to an houfe and eflate. But though the ety- 
 mology of the name is fo very obvious, and 
 cannot poffibly be mifiakcn, even by a perfoh 
 of the meaneft underflanding, it is yet fur- 
 
 prillng
 
 prifing that there are but very few who write 
 it corre6^1y. Even our lexicographers, and 
 what is tlill more inexciifable, our moft accu- 
 rate topographical hiftorians, and molt cele- 
 brated antiquaries fpell the word Biddeford,* 
 as is the cafe in the late expenfive and very 
 fplendid edition of Camden's Britannia. It 
 may perhaps be confidered as a matter of lit- 
 tle or no conlcquence, wheihcr a d is dropped 
 or retained ; but undoubtedly if accuracy is 
 to be regarded as a primarv point, even things 
 of but trifling moment, the fpelling of this 
 name according to its etymology ought 
 flri6)ly to be adhered to, and that efpecially 
 by writers wh"fe profeffcd defign is lo correil 
 the errors of former topographers, and to 
 give a faithful defcription of Great Britain. 
 
 To what Dr. W. advances I willingly fub- 
 fpribe, nay further, the fentimenfs which he 
 has delivered feem to have been written for 
 this book; but midakes will occur in every 
 publication. Out of a huudrtd derivations of 
 rivers, towns on ilrcams, of hills, &c. given 
 by authors, I have reafon to fuppofe (hat 
 fcarcely lv:o have been corrccl. Out o^ ten 
 therefore if I have corrccled five, I hope not 
 
 to 
 
 * I?i . Waikins fpeils this r,anit; Bi(f(fcrd.
 
 C SI ]■ 
 
 to be hardily cenfmed for the incorre^nefs of 
 the remainder. Mr. Gough has fuccefijfuUy 
 labtmred in reforming the topography of the 
 \yhoIe kingdom. Dr. Watkins, in his defcrip- 
 t'lon of liiddiford and other works, has (hewn 
 th I he is a diligent writer. But I mult pro- 
 ceed ,o give the explanation of this name. 
 
 Ad, water, is oficn changed to ed or id; 
 with & prefixed ded or did will mean itream. 
 Thus on the licre arc two hamlets named 
 Bedic; in Suflbx a little dream named B den 
 or Bedin ; in Yoikfhire another named Bcdd ; 
 in Cardigan the river Bidder. Bais is Gaelic 
 for water or flream ; and as s and / were con- 
 vertible. Bait in the names of places may be 
 the fame. Ai was pronounced as e according 
 to I hiiyd^ hence bet is Hream ; but bet anci 
 bed are the fame, as/ and d {iyc commutable. 
 At Bedjord, on the Oufe, we have a pafs over 
 a larger (beam than tlie Torrige. The lirll fyl 
 lable bed cannot be derived from bi, nor is /* 
 for fliallow apjiropratc in this |trcam. From 
 what has been laid bed may mean flYeam ; bi.t 
 bed and bid (as r and /were wrilten indifcri- 
 minatcly) implv the fame. Tiie old pafiage 
 at Biddiford is r.iloned by Dr. Watkins to be' 
 Jliallow, and this word may dciiolc i\\c /ha/hi? 
 
 II i^terford,
 
 C '2 ] 
 
 Heater Ford; but from the derivation oHWhiU 
 Jlone, JVhiddon, 8cc. there is fome uncertainty 
 in this etymology : for id is a fynonyme of 
 hill as well as of ftream — with d prefixed it 
 may imply hill ; and as Biddijord lies on a 
 fleep hillock above the river, this name may 
 mean the little hill ford. It has been rendered 
 bythephrafe " By-the-Ford.'* 
 
 A celebrated author fays that Bedford im- 
 plies heds and inns at the ford; and a modern 
 writer, to whom we are all greatly indebted 
 for his correft defcriptions, fays *' bedding in 
 the Saxon fignifies a bed or lodging ; if any 
 thing, he continues, is to be inferred from 
 this etymology, it muft be that Beddington, 
 in Surry, was the firfl llage out of London on 
 one of the great roads." 
 
 Fordy and every other adjun6l to names, is 
 referred by authors to the Saxon. But we 
 poffefTed pafTages acrofs ftreams long before the 
 times of the Saxons, and even before the 
 building of towns ; as all the names of rivers 
 and old towns were Gaelic, and thefe adjun6^s 
 necelTary ones, they muft; have been employ- 
 ed at the time of firft naming flreams, and be- 
 fore the arrival of the Saxons, Jhw^foras is 
 
 L Gaelic
 
 C S3 ] 
 
 Gaelic for the ford of a river. In Irifli fylla- 
 bics were often multiplied by the infertion of 
 d/i. lienceforas hecamefordhas, from which 
 is derived our word ford. 
 
 BRANFORD, Devon, 
 In doomfday Branford-fpeke, or Efpeac, is 
 written JBran-for-time. For, in this name, 
 was evidently derived from foras. ''The 
 Speke family poffeiling the greateft part of 
 the paridi, added their name thereto," fays 
 Sir Wm. Pole. Branford (where the river 
 rvLYi^fluwIij) is rendered thefzcijt rapid ford, 
 from BRAN a croio ! Of miilaken names for 
 water, ftream. Sec. the catalogue is innume- 
 rable ! UptoJi Pine was formerly namc4 
 Branford Pine, ^nd this joins Branford 
 Speke, A round hill within thefe parifhes in- 
 eludes a part of each dillri61. P///e, the fame 
 as Pen, means a round hiil ; Peac was adopted 
 as a fvnonvme of Pine; and thefe words dif- 
 tinouifli thetwG divifions of Branford. The 
 Saxons wrote Briwford-fpeac, Branford'es^ 
 peac ; the es or s was their genitive fmgular 
 ending, which added to Peac, compofes the 
 name E/pealr, Speake, or Speke; and hence 
 ihefc parilhes gave names to the families of 
 $peke and Pine, inflcad ol' their giving ap^^ 
 
 pellation?
 
 peHations to the pariflie^. This obfervation 
 Will apply to parifhes and families in general. 
 Bran is derived as in the introdu6lion3 and 
 may imp\y Jiream, 
 
 The following places like Biddifordt es:- 
 plained by phrafes, have expofitions of their 
 names omitted. 
 
 LIMERICK 
 Is flated by Gen. Valiancy to be a corrup- 
 tion ol Laimri-oic^ which he renders " on the 
 water edge." But Leim or Lim is Gaelic for 
 harbour, er is great or border, and iclc^ the root 
 of Fich, Vich, and JVich, \% country, terri- 
 tory, village, or caftle. Limerick will confe- 
 quently imply the great harbour, jortrefs, or 
 tomn t and the name alludes peculiarly to th6 
 ifland and territory on which this fortified 
 town is fituated, 
 
 ARDEVERA-MEUR and Ardevera-vian. 
 
 Ardevera is feperated by Mr. Whitaker, in 
 his hiftory ot St. German's, into ar and devra^ 
 Ifvhich he renders ( the houfes ) upon the Jiaven, 
 *' Nor letj fays he, ignorance triumph in fup- 
 pofition at hearing thefe derivations, fancy- 
 smother etymologift would fabricate another 
 
 £i ^ derivation.
 
 C 84 3 
 
 derivation, and fo fmile at the impotence of 
 reafoning in producing etymons for argu- 
 ments : ignorance, like blindnefs, is very apt 
 to apprehend pitfalls in the plaineft ground 
 and in the conceitednefs of fear, to prevent 
 all pofTibility of cohviclion. But Leiand him- 
 felf fpeaks in this very manner of both 
 houfes." " Petite's principal houfe was at 
 Ardeuera-iiian, ip Falmouth haven, by the 
 PENINSULA, called Ardeuera-meur," Vian, 
 according to Mr, W. implying little^ and meur 
 great. 
 
 Leiand calls Ardevernmeur a peninsula ; 
 and in Mr. Whitaker's tranflation " upon the 
 haven"* we have a phrafe which omits the 
 whole name ! The houfes belong not to it. 
 In dividing compound words the fyllables are 
 often miftaken^ and in old Gaelic denomina- 
 tions, adjc61ives generally follow their fubftan- 
 tives. One ropk therefore upon which our 
 etymologifis have lofl themfelves, in render- 
 ing fuch names, is their reverfing this order. 
 The word ar, inflead of being confrdcred an 
 adjeclivCj is here rendered upon ; but the firlt 
 fyllable is generally a fubftantivc : Ard then 
 
 * Dr. Pryce tranflates this Tvord upon the laj>f hjomf or A?i^.— • 
 
 Mr, W. has fubftjtuted baven for lake, , 
 
 18
 
 C 86 3 
 
 IS the firft part of this compound term ; but 
 its particular meaning in this name, with that 
 of the remainder of the word, I leave to per- 
 fons acquainted with the features of the place. 
 
 The OCKMEN, and OCKHAMTON. 
 The river is derived in the firll fy liable by 
 authors from ofc water, awch vigour, and 
 from feveral other terms ; but oi men we have 
 no explanation. Ockhamlmi in doomfday is 
 written Och-7nen'tun<' ; e and / were always 
 
 in old MSS employed indifcriminatcly. 
 
 OicJic, och^ ock, or oc is water ; nun or Tnen^ 
 little, fmall ; and ochmen implies the little 
 fireani. In this v.ord the initial of tune is 
 taken to (orm the ochmin falfely or/z///e///. — 
 The town is commonly called Ock-in-ton, 
 from oc water, and in a diminutive or plural 
 ending; or from /// a dilirict or border. It 
 is ;ilfo written Oxii-hanii)-ton corruptly for 
 Ock-hani'ton, in which ham feems to be a 
 Saxon tranflation of ///, border, ordirtri(Sl. — 
 The name implies Vx\c neater border toxjon. 
 
 The GREEDY, CREDITON,and KIRTON, 
 
 *' A fanciful etymologifl, fays Mr. Polwhele, 
 
 tells us that Creedy comes from Crudy, the 
 
 trembling or dimpling water; or from Cncydr 
 
 wandering.
 
 C 87 ] 
 
 wandering. But the true name of t\\t vale of 
 Crediion, Mr. P. ftates, and of the river, is 
 Eden. The town Caer Edertt or Caflrum apud 
 Ederif by abreviation of fpeech Creden and 
 Creden Town" — that is Caer Eden Town. 
 
 " Crediton feu Kirton, fays Skinner in his 
 Etymologicon, vel. q. d. A. S. Craet Tun, i. e. 
 TerraCarrorum" — the land of carts ! The truf- 
 tees of the Exeter turnpikes mufl: feel pecu- 
 liarly the propriety of this etymon. From 
 
 Ir or Ire Land, with Sg or Sc prefixed, and 
 this changed to Sh, comes Shire a divifion of 
 land. — C is faid to imply inclofure ; and Cir 
 may be land inclofed. The ancients wor- 
 fliipped within circles of ftoncs ; and the Cir 
 or enclofure being a circle, Ciorc or Circ, a 
 particular name, or contraction of the name for 
 li circle, and Cir an inclofure, have been ufcd 
 as fynonymcs of our word church, in various 
 town's names. — Hence Kirton mav imply the 
 Church Land or Town. — Creedy is fliewn in 
 page 32, to imply the little flream. 
 
 REW, or REU, Devon— the River RliY, &:c. 
 
 Rew in doomfday is written Rrvve. It is 
 
 iaid in the Ilillory of Devon to be derived 
 
 '•' from Row, being fo much longer than it is 
 
 wide."
 
 C «s ] 
 
 wide." ReWj it is alfo ftated, means *fth« 
 land af inli£i:itance4 from eru, an acre,eflate^ 
 or land of inheritance." Chaucer is quoted 
 in a iiote to corroborate the above, who men- 
 tions '[ All in a Ro^ on a liew — one after 
 another in order." But Rew and Raw, it i$ 
 further flated, is a row ofhoufesj and ufed i&f; 
 9. village in the north." 
 
 Reii, from av changed to ev and eii water* 
 with r prefixed may imply ftream. Thus wtf 
 have the Rue, a flream in Montgomeryfiiire. 
 The Cu/m divides this parifh into two partf;^ 
 and the £xe runs by it. The initial s being i| 
 fervile only, as proved in the Sid, was oftftiii 
 omitted. Srjdh, a llream, would thereiWe 
 become Ruth, which was pronounced Rm/i qj^ 
 Reu. Hence Reu, Rev, and Riv, in the com* 
 pofition of names, meant ftreamj and River^ 
 UermtdiXi great, will imply great Jlream. — If 
 was often changed to and pronounced as i or 
 y ; and hence the Rey^, in Wiltfhirc, will 
 mean flream. 
 
 It is dated by Mr. Polwhcle that Revo and 
 Raxs) are ufed for village in the north. They 
 are u led for the fame in ealiern countries ; 
 md we fliall find that names originally giveit 
 
 to
 
 C *9 3 
 
 to rti'cams^ became thofe of the lands around, 
 and finally of the villages upon them. — Hence 
 Rew may imply village. In Rath the t may- 
 be filenf, and pronounced Rah. This word 
 is a Gaelic term for village. It may be 
 changed to Ruh, and is perhaps the word 
 ftom whence Rew is derived. 
 
 The former part of Mr. Polwhele's deriva- 
 tion is taken from a MS of the derivations of 
 Devonfhire parifhes, compiled a few years 
 ifince by fome eminent antiquaries of the 
 county of Devon, Thefc gentlemen not 
 only miflcd our hiflorian,* but many other 
 perfons, and the MS of their explanations 
 was confidercd as exceedingly curious and 
 valuable. In the etymologies of the names 
 of places in this kingdom, nothing but great 
 application will enable us to refcue from time 
 the ancient ufes of words, and the reafons of 
 their firll impofitions. Many attempts have 
 been made towards this ; but authors have 
 Tiot comprehended the fyllcm of the ancients 
 in giving nannes. Labouring under this dif- 
 ndvantagc they have unfortunately been te- 
 
 * When I quote from Mr. P. the reader nnift generally un-. 
 derftand Hiat it Js what he hath cxtraded from this MS. 
 
 nacious;
 
 C so 3 
 
 nacious of their opinions, and in rendering 
 names have adopted words of correfponding 
 founds from whatever language they could 
 colle6l them ; often, very often too, without 
 any fidelity to exaclnefs, and ftill more fre- 
 quently without any conformity to defign. 
 Hence have they led us into difficulties which 
 difcrimination will fcarcely extricate for a 
 confiderable time. 
 
 RUAN LANYHORN, in Cornwall, 
 Implies, fays Mr. Whitaker, "St. Ru- 
 Mou's church at the angle." But if y be not 
 a diminutive ending in Lanyhorn, I Ihould 
 render this the little village {or little Jlream) 
 corner land. 
 
 St. Rumon for Ruan, is not unlike St. Mor- 
 w^NNA for MoREwiNSTOW. We have a river 
 named Rue, mentioned in the laft article — - 
 i^Maw is the name of a little ftream which 
 runs into Polruan creek, and is an appropriate 
 one for that in Ruan parifh. Paian major, a 
 diftri6l in Cornwall, Dr. Pryce interprets the 
 great river, and Ruan minor the lefs river; 
 but Ruan may be derived frc m ru a ftream, 
 and f?« a diminutive ; or as hereafter mcn- 
 lioned. The letter r or ^ in the Irifli was 
 
 M often
 
 [ «; 3 
 
 often chhngtd to h in the Cornifh or Welf!i. 
 Hchcc from corn a corner is Horn derived ; 
 and this pnrifli lies in a corner on the Fal. — 
 There are many projetlions of Innd on this 
 iTreani. and to diftii'iguifh this from others, it 
 is named Ru,in little land corner ; of Rnnn 
 fit tie lake corner, from Lnnn land, or Lon or 
 Lan a lake or ftream, ij a diminutive, and 
 Horn corner. But Rett or Rii implying 
 village, Ruan, if not derived from its little 
 ilream, may mean the little village. 
 
 Of the PRINCIPAL HOUSES in St. 
 GERMANS, Cornwall. 
 
 I have now levelled to the ground, fays 
 
 Mr. Whitakcr, in his hiftory of St. Germans 
 
 cathedral, that flrangc gothic line of frontier 
 
 wliich the hand of Dr. Borlafe had thrown up 
 
 againfl: the inroads ofcliriilianity, and for the 
 
 defence ol'Druidifm as the exclufive Heathcn- 
 
 ifni of Cornwall. The Cornifh became chrif- 
 
 tians with the other Britons of the North and 
 
 Weft ; were with others polluted by that 
 
 " dcteftable hercfy" of Arianifm, but cured 
 
 by the vigorous operations of the council of 
 
 Nice ; were afterwards, with others, infe61ed 
 
 by the proud folly of Pelagianifm, yet again 
 
 cured by the coming and by the preaching of 
 
 Germanus.
 
 E ?« 3 
 
 Cermanus. He went to Wales; he came 
 into Cornwall to compleat his work; he 
 went to King Benli^ in Wales; and he came 
 to King Theodore or Tewder, probably in 
 Cornwall, then refiding at a royal houfe af- 
 furedly in the prefent parifh of St. Germans. 
 Yet where in the parifh was that houfe ? This 
 is impofTible to point out with any greater 
 {hate of certainty than what refults from » 
 mere analyfis of names, and throws a quiver- 
 int: fort of morning twilight over the en- 
 quiry. This, however, will be fufficient for 
 the purpofe, if we can profecute our enquiry 
 under the clouds that hang over it with nny 
 critical infight into the Cornifh language. — 
 The ignorance indeed that prevails among 
 the prefent inhabitants of Cornwall, concern- 
 ing the language of their anceftors, concern* 
 ing the fignification of the local names which 
 meet them at every turn, is wonderful in it- 
 felf ; but it appears peculiarly wonderful if 
 ever vanity happens to irradinte the igno- 
 rance, and fo exhibit it more confpicuous to 
 the world "the blacknefs of darknefs" then 
 being ftrikingly difplayed by the paffingclafh 
 of a meteor. Thus a gentleman, even liter- 
 ary, refined, and lively, oblerving lately a 
 
 M 2 field
 
 i: 9= 3 
 
 field of his that was viilgariy known by the 
 appellation of the Bowling-Green, to be de- 
 nominated in his legal papers ParcBehan (or 
 little Held) in Cornifh, was Itruck with the 
 fuppofed magnilicence of the title, ridicu- 
 loufly refolved to build a houfe upon it^ for the 
 fake of ihis, and then more lidiculoufly gave 
 this houfe the mere Englifii appellation ofBe- 
 han Pare. A Bowling Green, of Cornwall, was 
 dilated & expanded by the force of folly into 
 a Park of England ! Such are the monllers 
 produced by Ignorance when it is impreg- 
 nated by Vanity ! But as we are fecure from 
 iRiSyfo are we /// no danger J rom that." 
 
 With tbefe very extraordinary declaration? 
 let us examine how this learned writer has 
 performed his undertaking. 
 
 BEHAN PARC. 
 pare in Gaelic is the fame as Park in En- 
 gl ifh, and i:ean or vian in Cornifh, or Fiott 
 in the Gaelic is old or little. Hence Fare 
 Bthan may mean the old park or the litile 
 park, as well as the little field. 
 
 Mr. W. after reprehending:: the gentleman 
 vho inccntinently changed Pave Behan to 
 
 Bchan
 
 Behan Pare, interprets the names of the 
 Ereater houfes i:i St. Germans to find the re- 
 iidence before referred to. He itates them 
 to be Hendra, Cut crew, Tre/keUi/, VuJemar" 
 till, MolinecJcf ColdrinnecJc, Bake, Cudden 
 Beak, and Caich-frcnch. 
 
 HENDRA, 
 Mr. W. and Dr. Pryce ftippofe to come 
 from Hen old, and Dra an houle ; and the 
 former fays that the name carries antiquity, 
 bi,it befpeaks no royalty. Of the meaning of 
 JJen as an hill, and its fignification as an ad- 
 je6live, the reader will find in Camden. But 
 writers feem to have forgotten that the ad- 
 je6live follows the fubftantivc in old names. 
 We have many ancient fettlements with the 
 praenomen Hen. Thus if Hen is old, Hen" 
 ham mud he old dorder ; Hennock old hill ; 
 Henny, a little hill in Devon, little old ; Hen- 
 ley in Arden, the old water land in the wood 
 land* — The reader will acknowledge that old 
 JiQufe could not be the 7npji early name of 
 
 * I muft ftate that Avden is by Mr. W. " tranflited Wood- 
 land j and proofs are adduced in liis Mancliefttr to confirm 
 the tranflation, Mr. Ba.xter and Mr. Macplicrfon liowcver 
 render this by bill and bigb bill; but I conceive that this erna 
 jsay imply the bill country^ liQva Ardzn height, and tn iand. 
 
 this
 
 [ OS ] 
 
 this dwelling, and from what has been men- 
 tioned he may fufpe^l that it is a modern ap- 
 pellation. Hen, in old (Jaelic names, is fre- 
 quently derived from water or from hill; 
 thus Henhy on the Tames rneans not as 
 ufually rendered, but the ftream town or ter- 
 ritory ; and is derived from an or en water, 
 which lafl: though written en was always pro- 
 nounced hen : but as ii and n are converti- 
 ble, hen may be derived from an or en an hill. 
 Thus we have Hennocky in Devon, which im- 
 plies hill land. I know not the fituation of 
 Hendra, but if it lie on a ftream, I /hould ren- 
 der it the ftream houle ; if on an hillj the 
 hill habitation. 
 
 CUTCREVV 
 "Is derived by Mr. \V. from Cuii Cornifli, 
 being a wood, Croxv, Cornifli, being the fame 
 word with Crowifiiy Crywyn, Crewijun, \Vel(h, 
 a kennel or hut, and with Cn/e, Englifli, a 
 yack in a farm-yard." 
 
 In books of local defcription it will be 
 found that d and / v.cre often written for each 
 othir; Chudcombe is written C/7/V/rc»/?2i5^ and 
 Chilcofube : Cud imd Cut are therefore the 
 fame in names of places. When the country 
 
 was
 
 C OS ] 
 
 was one continued forell, the woods could 
 
 not be confidered as a permanently leading 
 
 feature by which the earth was to be named 
 
 The hills, vallies, plains, lakes, and rivers only, 
 
 were to remain as long as time exifted. As 
 
 the country was cleared uf its woods, and 
 
 fettled with inhabitants, the face of the earth 
 
 prefented itfelf, and diibiCts were then named 
 
 from their principal features. We ought not 
 
 therefore to fuppofe, without fome particular 
 
 evidence^ that the etymon of the old name of 
 
 a place is to be derived from the wood which 
 
 accidentally grew upon it.* 
 
 In 
 
 * KILKENNY, Ireland. 
 Of this place various derivations have been given. Mr. 
 Ledwich, whofe interpretation is accounted the true one, de- 
 rives it from " Coiic or Kyle-Kin-ui-^-ibe wooikd bead or bill 
 fitar the river." 
 
 Of deriving places from woods which in uninhabited times 
 may have covered our territories, I have always difapproved : 
 the whole land was once a foreft ; & if towns had been named 
 from woods, the fynonymes of foreft woald have been found 
 in every denomination. But the leading features of the land 
 itftif, and of its ftreams are found chiefly employed in thi» 
 rtflfice. Moreover the ending in y denotes that Kenny is a di' 
 minuli'-M nottx; and we have proved that this letter in the end* 
 ings of names implies neither water nor river. 
 
 On the above deriration of Kilkamy, Mr. 0*Co»»or fays, 
 *« Never was ttyraology put mors to the rack, yet no :orturc 
 
 can
 
 [ 97 ] 
 
 In examining the names of the before- 
 mentioned houfes, to find whether either im- 
 plied a royal habitation, Mr. W. hints that 
 we Ihoiild learch all the Britifh diale61s, to 
 reach the radical idea of the appellation. — 
 But if he had confidered that the proper names 
 of rivers, hi Is, vallies, plains, &:c. gave de- 
 nommanon to nearly all the fettlements; 
 that the greater part of thefe names were 
 formed from one language to give appella- 
 tions to the particular features of nature 
 only ; and that there were not to be found 
 
 can wring from it the intelligence required." He ftates on 
 the contrary, that the Ijifli name is Cill Cbannigh, and that it 
 literally means the Cell or O'alory ofCaHneach, the firft Abbot 
 o? Acbota, in the fixth century." 
 
 ifl«« being church, a great number of villages in Wales 
 adopted this prtfix. In the fame manner was O// admitted as 
 a prefix to the names of pariflics in Ireland. But if this were 
 a prefix, then Kenny was originally the name of this place. 
 
 I know of few inftances where men gave denominations to 
 towns in thi? country, but I find names of places taken by men 
 every where. The parifh or town of Ken, in Devon, is on the 
 river Ken ; Kennell, in Wilts, takes iti name from its ftream, 
 and has a diminutive ending ; and Kenny, in Kilkenny, takes 
 its appellation from the Tuilc ft cam near the church vi\\\c)\ 
 paffes into the Nure : near this fmall ftream which forms ///- 
 tie lakes, is the church of Kilkenny or Killkenny, and the name 
 •ertainly imp lie; tbe church on the little lake. 
 
 in
 
 C 98 3 
 
 in di6^ionaries, nor were ever employed as 
 common words in the languages of the world, 
 he would have feen reaion for not refting 
 folely on fiich mode of enquiry. He would 
 befide thefe have compared the names of hills, 
 vallies, rivers^ and plains, with the fettlements 
 upon them, would have herebj difcovered 
 the roots of his proper names, and have efta- 
 blifhed reafons for their formation from ex- 
 amples not to be contejled. 
 
 We find in the Gaelic CodaJh a mountain. 
 Cudh, Ciitli, Cidt an head, and fynonymes of 
 Ceann ; the dh and th were often changed to 
 d and / : hence Cut and Cud would mean 
 head ; and as Pen and Ceann are head or hill, 
 fo Cud and Cuf would be the fame. ThuSj 
 among many examples which might be fe. 
 Ie6led, we have in Somerfct Cudworth, fitu- 
 ated on a fmall eminence under the high 
 ridge of Chillmzton Down. i'f^orth in this 
 name is a Gaelic adjun6l, and means border. 
 Cud is derived from Aithe changed to ait, at, 
 ad, ud. In Somerfet there is a parirti named 
 Cutcomhe ; the villaire belonging to it lies in 
 a coxnbe called fVater-Comhe, being bounded 
 by lofty eminences in tne North and South; 
 
 N and
 
 C 99 3 
 
 and on the Weft, Dunkerry lies partly in this 
 pariOi. The old name of Cutcombe was in 
 Doomlday Udc'come; it might be naturally 
 rendeied Hi/l-combe ; but ud may be a vari- 
 ation of ad water, and in this cale will mean 
 JVater^combe, 
 
 From what has been faid Cut and Cud may 
 be applied to water or hill in the names of 
 places rather than to wood. Crew may be de- 
 rived from Cro a cot, 
 
 TRESKELLY 
 Mr. W. fays is a name of grander import, 
 "It means the Grove-Houfe ; and the inter- 
 mediate letter being only interpolated eupho- 
 Xkias gratia occafionally. 
 
 Kelii^ Cornifli for grove, is I fuppofe a di- 
 minutive of Coin a wood. Allowing tres to 
 mean habitation, the derivation of Kelly is 
 uncertain. El and i7, from a an hill, pro- 
 nounced aw, and changed to al, el, and il, is 
 the root of hill ; with k prefixed it will be 
 Kel, the diminutive is Kelly. Thus we have 
 Kel, or Kil mar or mor^Rock, Cornwall, a 
 high hill near Lifkeard, which has great rocks 
 upon it, and which implies the grent hill rock. 
 
 On
 
 On the other hand el may come from av wa- 
 ter, changed to a//, al, and el. We have the 
 river Kelyn, in Merionethfhire, which is 
 proved in the Torrige to be a diminutive noun 
 of the fame import as Kelly. Having ftated 
 this, I fliall leave the reader, who knows the 
 fituation, to adopt what he conceives moft 
 applicable to the features of the place. 
 
 POLEMARTIN, MARTOCK, Somerfet, &c. 
 The firfl Mr. Whitaker ftates to be merely 
 the Jlanding water. After I have carefully 
 fearched for an appropriate explanation of a 
 word in vain, I confider it one of thofe which 
 were contrived by the firft inhabitants for 
 proper names. I then enquire the fituation of 
 the place, and fearch for the root of its name. 
 The event often produces a grave ftory. Mr. 
 W- derives Polemartin from Pol the Cornifti 
 for Pool, which he fays " requireth the union 
 o^ Merthyn Armoric for ftagnating the wa- 
 ter !" The reader will confult the author 
 who gives a copious explanation. From my 
 view of the map of Cornwall, a fmall tribu- 
 tary ftream rifes in this diftri6l; Pol will 
 therefore mean the head : Mar in Martin is 
 derived from av water, changed to au and ar, 
 as in the river Arrow ; with rn prefixed ir will 
 
 N c become
 
 become Mar, as in the names of fevcral towns 
 on ft reams named Mnrton, 
 
 In Mr. Collinfon's Somcrfet the pari (hes 
 are well dcfcribed, and MartocJc is confidered 
 as implying Market-Oak. Mart is faid to be 
 an abbreviation of marktt, and ock to come 
 from ac, the Saxon for an oaJc. But Martock 
 is derived from mar water, and toic land.— 
 The parifli lies in a corner between the rivers 
 Parrott and Yeo. 
 
 Polemartin then comes from pol head, mar 
 water, and tin or tain country. Thus alfo 
 Martin-hou, in Devon, on the coall of the 
 north fea, means the fea^ or water, territory, 
 hilL 
 
 MOLLINIEK, the River MOLE, 
 MOLTON, &c. 
 '* Speaks, fays Mr. W. only its only relation 
 lo a mill ! Melyn Welch, Melin Cornifh, 
 Melin, Meil, Mid, Mui/ean, Irifli, importing 
 a mill, and being only the echoes of the Latin 
 Mola, Mokndinwn, with the termination of 
 the pofleflive adje6live, the fame in Britifh as 
 in Latin, and fhewing itfelf equally in Britan- 
 nicus and Brethonek (Corniih) for Britifti." 
 
 But
 
 But this explanatJo^i - agrees, not -with Dr. 
 Fryce'Si who renders Molliniek the, place of 
 goldfinches ! 
 
 I (hall omit my obje61ibns to adje6^ives 
 giving names to the features of nature. Mor 
 may be derived the faniie as Mar in the lafl 
 article. The r changed to / was common.— 
 Thus may the river Aloh be derived, and the 
 towns and dillrids of Mol/and, Molic/i, Mo* 
 liton, Mollington, &c. MqI then is (Ireara, 
 Mollin little ftieam ; /r^ is t' e feme as in 
 Lodemck and himerick^ or as Ic in Iciis ,* and. 
 Mollintek implies the.litile iU'eam,;diHn6l, vilr 
 lage, or houl'e. ''■■'■■. • 
 
 COLDRINNICK 
 *' Is defcriptive lolely of the land on which 
 it lay, fays Mr W. as LolXC) is a ridge or 
 neck of a hilL Rhyn ( W) a mouniain, a (ape, 
 promontory : Run (lrfe)/the fame; lihyn 
 (C)a hill, Rhynen, Himcri {C) .a hillock, 
 JRinn (l) a peninfula or neck of' land, or 
 (which is evidently the primary idey) ihe 
 point. Col Rinneach therelore refc»-5> to ihat 
 fharp-pointcd ridge of an hid on which Coldr 
 r/>mecA- originally itood, ^c," 
 
 But
 
 [ '0^ ] 
 
 But the above mark not literally the mean- 
 ing of Coldrinneck. Coll is head or hill, 
 Rinn is point or lidge, and Ick is territory, 
 village, or houfe. 
 
 BAKE 
 Mr. W. fuppofes to mean Utile, although 
 he accounts this one of the " greater houfes." 
 Authors frequently have fuppofcd that the 
 firft inhabitants named things by qualities, 
 which are the names of nothing in the uni- 
 verfe ? Bocan or Bochan is cottage, i. e. 
 little houje, evidently derived from Boc or 
 Boch an houfe, and the diminutive an : 
 Boch, Bach, or Bake may therefore imply 
 the houfe : the next article, perhaps, the //V- 
 tie hill, or head land houfe, 
 
 CUDDEN BEAK. 
 " Mr. W. in page 1 1 2 of vol. 2, fpeaking of 
 Mr. Morgan, a Wellh gentleman of amiable 
 eharafter, & greatly refpe61ed memory, lays, 
 ** That he employed the knowledge of his 
 native language frequently in decyphering 
 the local names around him ; and was actually 
 deemed, by thofe who could not judge, to be 
 very happy in his explanations, yet was in 
 la^ moft fantajiically wrong refolving Cud' 
 
 den
 
 [ 204 3 
 
 den BecJc, for inftance, into Cudm ( W) a Tock 
 of hair or wool, and Bich ( W) little, yet in- 
 terpreting it a little promontory, as if a pro- 
 montory could poffibly be expreOed in any 
 language by a lock of hair. For that realon, 
 continues Mr. W. I have taken fo large a com- 
 pafs at examination before, and for that rea- 
 fon I (hall enlarge a little more now, willing 
 to chafe awayyi/c/i impeninence Jor ever from 
 the minds of my cotemporaries of Corn- 
 wall."* 
 
 Cudden 
 
 * Mr. ANDREW BRICE. 
 
 In defcribing the church of St. Columb, Mr, W. has the 
 /o'llowing note : — ** To ihofe who love to mark the abeia« 
 tions of the human mind, it muft be amufing to obferve Hal'« 
 calling tUe faint by the name of Columbanus, in oppnfition t* 
 Camden's correflion ofhimfelfi becaufe now no luiti ptrfoa 
 as " San6la Columba," or " no fuch book extant" as this 
 life of the faint that «• I can hear of." Yet in page 67 he 
 owns himfelf to be informed that th* patron of tiiib chu'ch i* 
 «« Sanila Columba," But after all appears, tht pubiiflicr, one 
 Brice, a printer.at Truro, afterwards aprinte , bf^kf lier, and 
 author, at Exeter, with all that pertntA which uneducd cd 
 abilities are fure to give, wiih all that ignoiance of reaioning 
 which unaflifted nature is equally fure to fupply, and with all 
 that tendency to fcepticifm to which fuch ij,n .rante, fuch pert- 
 nefs are equally fure to gravitate as to their natural center, 
 ihcenng at both, yet finally ccming back to die wrong." 
 
 For Mr. Brice'sdllbe'ief of the exiilence of Sanifla Columoa 
 I offer no apology j but to the charges of ignorance, unedu- 
 cated
 
 [ 105 ] 
 
 .^X^iidden Beak Mr; W. fays implies a wooded 
 point ol land. As I have in other articles de- 
 clared wara\^ainl1 wood being fo generally 
 introduced into derivations of names, fo to 
 preferve my confillency muft the reader ex- 
 pe6t in this article my endeavours to fliew, 
 thatCudden implies neither a lock of hair, or 
 
 eated abilitie<it and unafTifted nature, Mr. B's. Topographical 
 D.ftiunary will (hew Mr. W's great raiftakes. This work, 
 like ali others of its kind, and like all our local hiftories, has 
 many faults j but it is the bc(t, moft comprchenfjve, and even 
 the iDuft learned gazetteer in the Engliflj language. It provet 
 thdt Mr. B. was a man of learning, and ihcws his judgment 
 in feleftion, arrans^ement, and abridgment of articles To 
 its purchafcrs it recommended itfclf for honeftly containing as 
 much letttr-prtfs and as much ufeful information for 5os. as 
 ve can now procure for twenty times its price in modern pub- 
 lications. Calculating on his receipts from fubfcribers, and 
 fiom fuppofed re urns for copies fent to a London bookfeller, 
 who cheated him, and became a bankrupt — he funk money by 
 the publication. ♦' One confoLtion oovjeie'' remained (wbtch 
 is nearly bis own exprtffion to the luriter oftbisarUcte jujl before 
 bis death) — He li'ved to fee bit book grow in public ejltmaiion, 
 and increaje in price" 
 
 Mr. Brice is underftood to have been educated for a dlflint- 
 ing minifter, but to have chofen the trade of a printer. He 
 was a very ingenions man in his proftffion, and is fuppoftd to 
 have been well acquainted with the Latin, and to have under- 
 ftood tlie Greek and fome other languages, — The late Mf. 
 Jackfon, (.f Exeter, left a copy of Mr. Brice'swork, in which 
 iie hasinferted fomc thoufands of MS obfcrvations. 
 
 wood.
 
 C i06 ] 
 
 "NVGod. — **Cord, (C) fays this learned writer, 
 is timber or wood ; Coed, (W) wood, timber, 
 er trees ; Codden, (W) a tree ; Cudon, (C) 
 Ciidon^ Ciidden (W) a wood dove, properly 
 and prccifely (as appears by analogy) aJiy 
 thing belonging to a woodj &c." Thus far I 
 quote.— Z)*tr, a point, is traced through va 
 rious channels. 
 
 •I have uniformly referred to the origina] 
 language in which names were given for the 
 explanation of terms. In the Gaelic Ciidli, 
 >Cud, or Cuii is head or hill : £n is a diminu- 
 tive, and Cudden Beak may imply the little 
 hill point, or hoiife^ or the little head pointy 
 or honfe : but as en in compound words often 
 implies land, this term may be refolved into 
 head-land point, or hoiije. Mr. W. himfelf 
 remarks that we have an " llEXD-land," ( which 
 notwithflanding this unlucky exprciTion bela- 
 bours to prove a WooD-land), ^' a little to 
 ■the eafi: of St. Michael's Mount, named Cud- 
 den Point." — Cudden Mr. W. tranflates zvood" 
 land, and that too where no wood perhaps 
 ever grew ! The head-land here referred to 
 is the eafternmoll: point of Mount's Bay ; it is 
 a great projcclion of land, with a narrow flip 
 
 P protruding
 
 C 107 ] 
 
 protruding itfelf beyond the refr. Head land 
 point is a very appropriate term, but Wood- 
 Jand point cannot be fo. Moreover Camleck 
 mentioned in another page means not crooked 
 point, for this would be no didinguifhing 
 term. Cam means the fea or water, and is 
 derived from amhi with c prefixed as in the 
 river Cain- 
 Mr. W. in thefe examples furniflics us with 
 derivations from fome French authors ; but 
 however ingenious thefe may be deemed, they 
 feem not to flow fo much from defign as from 
 fancy. 
 
 CATCH FRENCH 
 Mr. W. fuppoles to be derived from Keage 
 or Cadge, a houfe. In Devon this word is 
 fometimes ufed for houfe, and comes from 
 Cai, formerly perhaps written Caighe : but 
 French in this cafe will be derived, not from 
 whence Mr. W. imagines, but from the Gaelic 
 word Francach french : thus from Corach was 
 derived Cork ; and from Eborac or Eiiorac 
 York. Francach is fometimes added, fays 
 Lhuyd, to appellatives when things are extra- 
 ordinary large : as Caoileach Frangach, a tur- 
 Ii.ey. i e. a French cock. Luch francach (i. e. 
 
 Frencl)
 
 [ lOS 3 
 
 French moufe) a rat. Cnu flirancacli a 
 French gual, or walhuit Attin Fhrancach 
 great fiirfe. Hence if Catch is houfe, Catch 
 French is plainly great hoiife ; and all that this 
 learned writer has attempted to fhew. That 
 French means Prince ^ that a Prince refided at 
 St. Germans, and that Catch French was the 
 royal houfe, feems to be a fabric memorable 
 only for fancy. 
 
 Other MISTAKES 
 In derivations^ fuppofed to have been adopted 
 from celebrated names, S^c, 
 
 LOSTWITHIEL, in Cornwall, 
 Is derived from lioSy an habitation, palace, 
 court, &c. and from aithe or uithe hill, and 
 €/a diminutive; or from ad, water, changed 
 to ed, id, ith, &c. as in the little river Gwithel, 
 in Radnorfliire. 
 
 After ftating that Pe?ilcenn''kmQzv\% the hill 
 of the kingj but which implies perhaps the 
 little lake hill, or the lake territory or village 
 hill, Mr. Whitaker favs the name of Loft- 
 withicl itfelf points out the very founder of 
 the houfe upon the hill foot, as it fignifies 
 JVithieVs palace. JVithiel he fuppofes to 
 
 O c have
 
 C 109 ] 
 
 have been the firft Earl of Cornwall ! Buf 
 TVithiel or JVithelvs, the name of two places 
 in Cornwall, of one in Hertfordfh're, of ano- 
 ther in Somerfet, and of the river before men- 
 tioned. We have too, IVitham on the hill, 
 and feveral other fettlements with the prseno- 
 men mithy denoting they are on eminences*' 
 or named from th ir contiguity to them; 
 & yet ferae pla( cs beginning with JVith, may 
 have borrowed their appellations from water, 
 as above flated. Hence the reader will per- 
 ceive thenpccflity of comparing old names 
 with the places they rcprefent. As to the 
 denomination Jf'^iihel being deiived from a 
 Prince, its probability will be found to have 
 originated in miftake. 
 
 PONC, PONT, or POINT CROSS. 
 
 Withiel is then confidered by Mr. Whitaker 
 an Earl of Cornwall, and the very firft. — 
 "Pontius he fays appeai-s by the fame fort of 
 evidence, to have been another Earl, and pro- 
 bably the fccond. At the mouth of the Loft- 
 withiel river, and for a fignature ofLoftwi- 
 thiel's jurifdi6lion over it, is what is tradition- 
 ally denominated Pontius Crofs : being a. 
 rrofs upon ihe left hand rock defining the li- 
 mits
 
 C no ] 
 
 mits of the town's jiirifdic^ion, and (landing 
 the bound of the town's annual excurfion by 
 wafer towards the fca. It is plainly therefore 
 the (ignature of an authority over this tide 
 river, conceded by iome Earl, who lived in 
 the palace here, and who favoured the town 
 at its fide. The Roman name of Pontius is 
 derived from the Britilh period of our hifto- 
 ry, like that of Ambrolius Aurelianus in 
 the befrinninc: of the fixth ccnturv, and 
 that of Eugenius Csciarius, near the middle 
 of the tenth. The name Pontius continued. 
 even as a family appellation in the ifiand 
 down to the middle ages; Thomas Pontius 
 being abbot of Canterbury in the l4th cen- 
 tury, and Nicholas Pontius a member of Mer- 
 ton College, Oxford, at the beginning ol the 
 15th. Thus a Roman name, which has judly 
 configned to infamy in the commencing an- 
 nals of our religion, appears to have been 
 born even by the true profefl'ors of chriftiar*- 
 ity in England and in Cornwall many ages 
 after the departure of the Romans from our 
 Ifle. The name, however, was anglicized into 
 Foncij^ and frenchified into Ponce ;* the for 
 mer a name not abfclutely unfamiliar to our 
 
 * The feq-JsI will fi^cw the conrrary, 
 
 ears
 
 C HI 3 
 
 ears at jjrefent in Pouncey ; and the latter \\i 
 the days of Leland applied with a vulgar 
 corruption to our crofs at the mouth ofLofl.- 
 ivithiel river. *' The very point of land at the 
 ea/f fide of the mouth of this haven," fays Le- 
 laisd, is " caulid Pontus Croffe,\ vulgo 
 Paunch Cmffe." Such continues Mr. W. were 
 plainly two of Cornwall's Britifh Earls, both 
 unknown to the pretended enumerators of 
 thole P'arls, and the only Earls that are known 
 by name ; Condor and Cadoc, or any other 
 mentioned by moderns, being all nonentities 
 of fable : and it comes from thole or other 
 Earls refiding in their palaces of Penkenek or 
 Reflormcl, that Loftwithiel has now the honor 
 of being the metropolis of Cornwall, &:c." 
 
 After all. Pone (here pronounced Ponce) 
 and Pont, according to Shaw and Lhuyd, are 
 old Gaelic words for Point; and the crofs by 
 Leland, and even Mr. Ws. own account, is 
 fituated at the verv point of land at the eaft 
 fide of the mouth of this haven." Hence 
 Pone or Pout Crofs, h the Crofs at the Point ; 
 and Withcl and Poi-tius mult rank with Con- 
 dor and Cadoc. 
 
 f Mr. W. alters this to Tontius Crofs. 
 
 MENIIENNET,
 
 1 
 
 C 1^2 J 
 
 AiENHENNET, MOMA, MEN AT, MENAVIA 
 theMENAPlI, iMl.NABILLY, &c. 
 Mr. Whitaker fays that McuJiennet implies 
 the mountain oj the ehUr ! The reader will 
 find the author's authorities in vol. 2, pa<^es 
 35 and SG. From aon or e/7, country or land, 
 with the prefix ?n, the word ?nen, in the com- 
 pofition ot names, is often derived ; and 
 when drawn from this root it means land only. 
 Thus the Menapii of the low lands of Bel- 
 gium were dwellers on water land^ or on ri- 
 verSj from ?7ieTi, lanJy and av or .?/? water. Of 
 this name no jufl etymon has been given ; but 
 it is evident from the nature of their country 
 that mevi could not mean hill : on the con- 
 trary, mn, if derived from a changed to au^ 
 euj and en, will imply hill. Thus Meiiabilly 
 in Cornwall, may be derived from men, an 
 hill or head ; and (as //, v, and b are convert- 
 ible) the diminutive of ////, r/7, or bil, which 
 is Billy, will imply little corner. 
 
 This word men is no where found in di6li- 
 onaries, except in the vocabular) of Dr. 
 Pryce. It is there ftaied lo mean " a hei i or 
 hill ; as JMenzoinnei k, the head of (he marfius ; 
 Menabiihj, the cgWs hill \" When the Do61or 
 
 wrote
 
 wrote he had not confidcred the Menapii of 
 the Netherlands, nor perhaps Meiiheiniet. 
 
 ''Tacitus (de Moribus Germ.) takes no- 
 tice, lays Bryant, in his Mythology, that the 
 Suevi worfliippcd Ifis ; and mentions that the 
 chief obje6l of their rites was an aik or fhip ; 
 Signum in Modum liburnse figuratum ; which 
 %vas held in great reverence. The like myf- 
 teries, according to Artimcdorus, prevailed 
 in one of the BriLilli iflands ; in which he fays 
 that the worfliip of Damater was carried on 
 vvith the fame rites as in Samothracia (Strabo, 
 lib. 4.) I make no doubt but that his hifiory 
 was true, and that the arkite rites prevailed in 
 many parts of Britain ; efpccially in the ifle 
 .of Mona, where in after times was the chief 
 ■ Ccat of the Sarronides or Druids. Moiiai (ig- 
 jiifiesInfulaSelenitis vel Arkitis. It was fome- 
 times expreffed Menai ; as is evident from 
 the Frith between the ifland and the main 
 land, being fiilcd Af)er Meiial at this day. — 
 Aber Menai fignifies frctum Inl'ula.^ dci Luni ; 
 which iliand undoubtedly had this name froui 
 its rites." 
 
 Kcligien
 
 JReligion and the Deities are roipetimes in- 
 troduced to fuperrcderefearch; but accord- 
 ing to the advice of Horace 
 
 Nee Deus, interfit, nifi dignusVindice Nodus 
 Inciderit. — I give another derivation — but 
 firfl fliall quote Camden's opinion on the 
 word Meneii : 
 
 " As to the ancient name of St. David's, 
 there is not far from it a place at this day 
 called Melin Meneii ; wherein is preferved 
 the old denomination (Mennvia), But the 
 original fignification of the word Meneii is 
 now lolt, and perhaps not to be retrieved. — 
 However I would recommend to the curious 
 in Ireland and Scotland, (where names of 
 places agree much with thofe in Wales) to 
 confider whether they may not fignify a frith 
 or narrow fea." 
 
 In Vallancey's trails there is a number by 
 Mr. Beauford on the ancient topography of 
 the Ifland, in which the Menapii are faid evi- 
 dently to come from Mene-ui-poii ; and thaft 
 it means the narroto diflrifi or country. 
 
 By^efireof a Wclfli gentleman I hav.e at- 
 tempted another derivation, Let.thewor4 
 
 P Menaiia
 
 C 115 3 
 
 MeJi^via. come from men, and imply an head 
 or promontory ; and amh or av the fea or wa- 
 ter; and Menavia will mean the fea or water 
 head-land. Let Menau, the ftrait between 
 Anglefey and the land, be derived from the 
 fame word, men and an water, and it will im- 
 ply the head-land water. The Menavii or 
 Menapii will in this cafe imply dwellers at the 
 head-land of the fea or water. 
 
 But aon, en, or on is alfo land : and fann, 
 vonn^ monn, and ?nen are the fame ; and men 
 meant not in all names head-land, but land 
 onlv. Menabilly and fome other places were 
 head-laiids: Menhennet not. The firfl being 
 bead-lands, it was concluded that men was ge- 
 nerally fo ; and hence may be perceived the 
 neceflity of attending to the roots of words. 
 
 I have faid that a isfometimes a contra61iort 
 
 ofa»; and from hence we find that JV/o/za 
 
 or Manna, as in Ravennas, is tlie little or 
 
 water land. Menav means the fea or water 
 
 ■land, or the/fa coaft. Menavia, if la implies 
 
 ifland, would be the fea land ifland; which 
 
 being tautology, feems to deilroy the luppo- 
 
 •fition of this ending generally implying what 
 
 authors have Hated.* 
 
 • Vide Gen. Vallancey on it in bis Profpcaus. 
 
 From
 
 C "6 ] 
 
 From what has been faid it is plain that thje 
 Menapii were the dwellers on the Jea co^ft or 
 borders of rivers : and this will account for 
 the Menapii of Belgia, and at the fame time 
 Ihew, as inhabitants were named from their 
 lands, that thefe people might not coionife 
 the coafts of Wales and Ireland. 
 
 TRESADERN, or TRESADARN, 
 Is rendered by Mr. Whitaker the town of 
 Saturn, After quoting from Mr. Hal's on 
 this article with much approbation, of whom 
 he elfewhere lays, " I thus exhibit Mr. Hal'^ 
 with all his erudition (as he thought it) wav- 
 ing his creft of honour upon his head, and 
 really, as my reader will think, with his cox- 
 comb cap of folly pricking up his afle's ears 
 at the fides." — He thus fpeaks of Dr. Pryce : 
 " All this (hews the folly of Pryce, who ac- 
 knowledges no Saturn in the Cornifh lan- 
 guage, though exprefsly acknowledged by 
 Porlafe.'* 
 
 I mufthere allow that the Carnabii of old 
 may have worfhipped many Gods, and doubt- 
 lefs among the reft Saturn. But our old 
 names, as well as our ideas, naturally arofe 
 from our perceptions : and from natural luu- 
 
 P ^ ations
 
 C fl7 ] 
 
 atlons in the moft early times, places feem to 
 have been denominated. I am thcrcfoie 
 obliged to pafs by both Gods and Saints, howr 
 ever facred their names, and however revered 
 their memories, and to analyfe the names of 
 places from principles which nature dife61s, 
 and in which fhe oflen is perfectly painted. 
 Should a few folitary inftances be iound^ 
 tvhere a deviation has taken place, my prin- 
 ciples will nor, I truft, be found fuperfeded. 
 
 Sead or Saide is a feat, road, or way. — We 
 '^ave alfo Sad-hergh, in Durham on a rivulef 
 which run:5 into the Tees ; Sadhergh, on the 
 Ilother ; 6"f2r/V//77o-^<57/, in Leicefter; 2ix\d Sater* 
 Jeigh, in Devon, which laft fcems to imply the 
 lame as Saternleigh : for (r and en, in the 
 compofition of old names, appear to be di- 
 minutives, and e/z, eim, and ern the fame. — 
 Befidcs thefe wc have many names beginning 
 with Sid, Sed, Sad, bod, Slid, Sat, &c. in each 
 of which the initial is often a prefix, in the 
 iiamesofflreams, hills, Slc. In ftreams y^r/ 
 would mean no more than id ox ad — En or 
 tun is a diminutive, and as u and r were con- 
 ilantly changed for each other, ern weuld be 
 the lame. Thus alfo an may become aim, 
 
 and
 
 •^ 
 
 msy he changed to .'irn or urn, & hence Satan 
 and Saturn, as Mr. W. fuppofes, may imply 
 the fame. The features of Treiadarn are not 
 given, and \o me are unknown : of its natiw 
 ra] fituation giving it name I have no doubt. 
 
 DADDY PORT. 
 About a quarter of a mi)e from Trcgony 
 Mr. W. fays there is an hmft named Daddyt 
 Port, which he renders the parent port of 
 Tregony ! He mentions too that the houfe 
 isofbri(k, and that it carries a modern af» 
 pe6i I Cufpe^l therefore that the place gav« 
 name to the houfcj and mufi examine Daddy. 
 Dad then comes mofl proi ably not from tad, 
 tat, or daid father, as Mr. \V. imagines, but 
 when di(I1^61ed will be found to be compofed 
 of ad or ead water, with the prefix d taken to 
 form its proper name : / or ^ is a diminutive ; 
 Daddy Port may therefore imply the little 
 water port. Thus we have alfo Dead-Man'S" 
 Head on the Cornifhcoaft, and the user Dead 
 in Pembrokefhire, the Taud in Lancafliire, 
 &c. But if this word fhould be derived from 
 aithe an hill, changed to ait, at, or ad, then it 
 will mean the little hill port. On the one 
 hand we have the Adiir or Adtr, a river in 
 Sufiex, the Adder or JVadder, in Devon. On 
 
 the
 
 C H3 2 
 
 the other we have Addin^rioji, in Surrey, oii 
 tlie declivity of a high fpacious common. — 
 Thus reader you muft judge the import of 
 Daddy from thefe or, perhaps, other features 
 of the place. 
 
 IIARTLAND and START POINT. 
 '* Hartavia, Artavia^ or Ihirtland doubtl^fs 
 comes from the Phoenician Hercules" lays. 
 Mr. Polwhele. Dr. Stukeley alfo flates that. 
 it originated from ihe Tyrian Hercules. Ri- 
 chard, of Cirencefter, fays at Artavia, *' Vi- 
 funtur Herculis Columnar." And Hartland- 
 promontory is generally named PromoTilo- 
 rium Herculis. *' At Start Point Mr. lol- 
 whele fays there are ftill remains of columns 
 it is fuppofed to the memory of the Phoeni- 
 cian AJiarte." 
 
 Of Harlland being derived from Hercules 
 there are great authorities, nor fliall we weaken 
 fuch teftimonies. Our province is to explain 
 words only. The old denomination was Ar- 
 tavia. The new one Harthmd. xirt is Gaelic 
 for a flone, teuty tabernacle, or houfc : hv h 
 t\\Q fea. Hence Arlavia implies the ft^a mark 
 or fea Jlcne. Laiui is alio Gaelic for land^ 
 and llartland means the land mark or land 
 
 Jlunc\
 
 Jlone. But in both thefe names we lofe Her- 
 cides f 
 
 Start Point may alfo come from the fame 
 word art, withy? prefixed as in flreams ; and 
 feems to point out that fome fea mark was 
 there erefted for guiding fhips. Whether 
 this were a flone, tent, tahernacle-i hoiife, or 
 to-xer we know not ; but we lofe in this tranf- 
 lation AJiarte alfo ! — With authors then who 
 derive Hercules from Hartland or Artavia, 
 or AJiarte from Start Point, we muft there- 
 fore difagree ; whilft we doubt not their au- 
 thority in hiftoric relations. 
 
 But the lands here treated of run far into 
 
 the fea ; and although we have given the 
 
 reader literal explanations, they exhibit not 
 
 the natural fituation of thefe places. — Earris 
 
 point or end, and may imply promontory. In 
 
 the names Darty and Yarty we find ihe / 
 
 added to ftrengthcn the found : Eart may 
 
 alfo have become Art, and may mean point 
 
 or promontory : and Start ( as in the Saxon 
 
 Steort) may mean the fame. Still, however, 
 
 Hercules and AJiarte are unaccounted. for; 
 
 arid we mud transfer t\\Q further enquiry to 
 
 the reader. 
 
 The
 
 The DANUBE, 
 A colony of Amonians, fays the learned 
 Mr. Bryant in his mythology, fettled in 
 Thrace ; and in thefe parts are to be found 
 many plain traces of their oriprinal hi(tory. — 
 The Danube was properly the river of Noah^, 
 exprefled Ds-Nau, Da-NAUos, D/^-nauva«, 
 Da-NAUBus;* V. Herod, lib. 4. Valerius Flac- 
 cus^ lib. 4, has 
 
 *' Quas Tanais flavufque Lycus\ Hypanifquc 
 KoAS^rz/e,! 
 
 " (Which is the true reading, v. 1. 6. v. 
 100 ). By thofe who live on the banks, it is 
 'Called Danau. Not far off is the Borifthenes, 
 •called alfo the Neiptr. This river was alfo 
 «xprefied witli the particle prefixed Danaper. 
 ixi the fame part of the world is the river 
 ^ei/ler : this likewife has been expreifed 
 ^RTuijher and V)anejler, People not under- 
 "ftanding the prefix have ufed it as a j)art of 
 the name." — ^Bryant's Mythol v. ii,^ p. Slid. 
 
 • In like manner a very late author deri/es Britannia from 
 *• BTrt-Tan-Nuh-aia, which he renders the land of theFUh- 
 ^<H5-M-g^f vvho entered into the covenant." 
 
 ^ 0«n«r*lly X}ces,—-'l Read oftencr nomnffue and milafque, 
 
 Thfr
 
 [ 122 ]1 
 
 The river "Danult was anciently named 
 IJiros by the Greeks : The Romans called it 
 Danubius from the rife to the middle of its 
 courfe ; and from thence to the mouth IJler. 
 The laft name is derived from ad changed to 
 a/, (?/j /"/ water, withy in ferted ; and er implies 
 great^ border, &c. ; and it is plain that in the 
 time of Herodotus, and long fince, J^oah had 
 not become the patron of this flream. Whe- 
 ther in after times hebecame fo, we muft now 
 examine. 
 
 The river Danube is in German ma^js 
 named Donau and Donou. In the fea of 
 Azof, not far from its mouth, the river Do7i 
 difcharges its waters. This laft is a very large 
 river, and by way of eminence, is now called 
 the Don, or the ftream : The firft by way of 
 fuper- eminence^ is ftiled the Donau, the great 
 flream or fir earns. 
 
 The Don comes from an or on water : — t 
 and d are known prefixes. We have a river 
 in Yorkfliire named Don^ which alfo means 
 flream. Avi, or ou may be a plural ending of 
 a fynonyme of the adje61ive c?// ox oil, as in 
 the name Brijlol or Brijlou ; and in the river 
 OJkoU, in the Ukraine. It means perhaps 
 
 Q great,
 
 fTf-eat, nolle, or border, 8zc. L and u were 
 by the ancients commonly written for each 
 other ; and hence DoriAV meant alio the great 
 nr border Jlrenm. C/and v were always con- 
 \'crtible, and 3 with a point (b*) was t;. The 
 Romans frequently latinized u and v by writ- 
 ing for them b. A, o, and u were anciently 
 written for each other : hence Donau, Donoit, 
 Hanau^ Dnna-v, Danube or Damihe meant the 
 lame as //Ze/-, the great or border ftream^ or 
 \\\c flreams; and Noah, without due con- 
 fideration, was introduced into the name of 
 this river by Mr. Bryant. 
 
 IIALDON, a Hill, near Exeter. 
 " Athelftan now came, fays Mr. Whi taker 
 in his St. Germans, lie wanted not to difiurb- 
 the ferenity, yet refolved to have his fove- 
 reignty acknowledged by the King of Corn- 
 wall, as it had already by the King of 
 Wales. Hczvel was then King, bearing a 
 name as familiar in Cornwall flill as it for- 
 merly was in Wales. But our Howel was as 
 little inclined as his brother of Wales to own 
 the fupremacy of Athelftan. He even came 
 into the field, like the King of South-Wales, 
 to engage in battle with the Saxons. Athel- 
 ftan therefore attacked him with vigour.— 
 
 The
 
 [ 124. 3 
 
 The battle was plainly fought near Exeter, and 
 probably on Haldon hill. Hoicel and his 
 Cornifh were beaten, as ll'^er and his Welfli 
 were before." In a note he quotes Florence 
 348, " Huivahjin preelio vicit & fugavit." — 
 The name he adds " then would be derived 
 from the incident Hcel-don, corrupted to 
 Haldon," 
 
 On the authority of the name Haldon then 
 alone, & without the teftimony of any author 
 for a battle on this hill, or any where near \t^ 
 is Haldon derived from Howel. We with this 
 were lefs likefi^^ion for hiflory, and fancy for 
 etymology. The appellation may originally 
 be derived from aid, and this from a an hill, 
 pronounced au, and changed to al. H was a 
 common prefix before vowels, and hence (if 
 you grant a change of vowels in names of hills 
 in the fame manner as evidently took place in 
 ftreams) hal, hd, and /////meant the fame. — 
 Hence Heljlvn in Cornwall fituated on the 
 fide of an hill, and Ualton in Chefliire. And, 
 2.%h was alfo a prefix, Beljlon* in Devon, and 
 lielinfgcde in London, were derived the 
 
 * Beljhn, in Hill. Col. for Devon, is deiivcd fnom the god 
 £el-^Beli»fgair, in Iliftories of London, trom King Belin. 
 
 Q 2 fame.
 
 fame. The firft means the hi!/ coimtry ; the 
 fecond the little hill gate, 
 
 D and t were often added after r and /, as 
 in the river Doiirclzvy in Wales, the Darly 
 and Yarty in Devon; and as in alt and ald^ 
 the Gaelic for an high place ; or in art and 
 ardy the Gaelic for the fame. On was an aug- 
 ment, and hence Haldon means the gnat hill. 
 PoLDON will alfo, for the fame reafons, imply 
 tht great hill ; and hence large hills ending 
 in o//j and which have the adjun6l down given 
 them, take it often from corruption. 
 
 CHIDLEY, CHEDDER, WIHTGARABYRIG 
 or CARISBROOKE CASTLE, &; MENDIP. 
 
 For the derivation of the firfl place we 
 have the following relation : " In 577 Cuth- 
 wine and Ceawlin fought with the Britons, 
 and flew three Kings, Commail, Condidan, 
 and Fairinmail, in the place that is called Do- 
 crham. (Durham, near Marfli-Ficld, in the 
 fouth of Glouceflcrfliire, and not far from 
 JBath). "And took three Chcfters — Glea- 
 wanceafter or Glouceller, and Cyrencefler 
 and Bathancefler or Bath." The Saxons, Mr. 
 Whitaker fays, thus entered upon the north 
 
 of
 
 of Somerfetfliire. in their way towards Devon* 
 /hire." But the chronicle mentions no fiich 
 rout. '' In 5 84 he further fiates that Ceawlin 
 and Cutha, the fame as Cuthwine before men- 
 tioned, '' fought the Bryttons in a place 
 named Fethan-leagy and Cuihan was flain ; 
 and Ceawlin took many towns and fpoils and 
 treafures without Noj and then returns to his 
 own again," This was plainly from the lafl 
 flroke fays Mr. W. not an invafion of con- 
 quefl like the former, but an incurfion for 
 plunder only : and an incurfion fo far into 
 the country of the Britons, that a retreat back 
 from it into the Englifh poflefTions, was con- 
 fidered as an incident memorable enough for 
 notice, even in lo compendious hiflory. — 
 The fcene of the battle was therefore, not as 
 hath been hitherto fuppofed Frethenie on the 
 Severn, but fome place of the name of Feat- 
 ley, if the old appellation is flill preferved, or 
 of fome name a little fimilar, if that is loft ; 
 and certainly very far within the poftefllons 
 of the Britons at that time. For thefe reafons 
 I fuppofe the bold excurfion to have reached 
 as iar as ChudA:'/o7/, in Devonfhire, the latter 
 half of this appellation being the fame as the 
 latter half of the other ; and ihe place itfelf 
 
 ninQ
 
 C i^' J 
 
 yjine miles to the weft of Exeter^ the Saxon 
 King and his brother to have been there en- 
 countered by the Dantnonii, and the brother 
 ilain, Ccawlin himfelf to have been feverely 
 handled, yet to have made good his retreat 
 with all his plunder ; and the old name Fe- 
 than-leag or Featley to have been fuperfeded 
 among the Saxons afterwards, in confequence 
 of Cutha's or Chuta's death and burial there, 
 by that of Chudleigh. So the caflle in the Ifle 
 of Wight, which was taken from the Britons 
 by Cerdic in 5 so, and given to his nephew 
 Wihtgar, an appellation then the fame as 
 Whitaker now,* is denominated by the Saxon 
 chronicle in the year 530 \\it\i JFiJit-gara- 
 hyrig, Carifbrooke caflle at prefent, merely 
 from the circumflance of JVihtgar being bu- 
 ried therein 544. 
 
 The above derivation of Chidley is, we are 
 obliged to fay, unfounded ; for this town is 
 evidently far removed from the fcene dc- 
 fcribed in the chronicle; and there is no 
 mention, in any hiftory of the place of bat- 
 tle, nor of an} town near it having changed 
 names on the death of Cutha. Moreover, 
 
 ■'' I tliink not, a<id the iliffcicuce may be eafilv ftievvn. 
 
 leigh
 
 leigh is a common acljiinfl ; and Cuthioine or 
 Ciitha will be Ihewn, not originally to have 
 been the prasnomen of CniJiky, As to the 
 name of JViht-gara-byrig, the Saxon chroni- 
 cle fays that "In 5 3 0, Cevdic and Cynric 
 conquered the Ille of TFiht or IVihtland ; 
 and flew a great many men in Wiht^gara' 
 hyrig" Now it appears that there was a place 
 prior to this conqucfl in Wihtland, named 
 Wiht-gara-byrig : that it was taken, and men 
 therein flain ; but at that time nothing is 
 mentioned of Wihtgar. The Saxon chroni- 
 cle indeed in 53 4, four years after, ftates that 
 Cerdic died, and that his fon Cynric fucceed- 
 ed and reigned twenty -fix years. Thefe two 
 Kings it is faid bellowed on Stufzr\di JViht- 
 o-ar, who were nephews to Cerdic, the whole 
 ifland of Wiht ; and it appears plainly from 
 JViht being the original pronunciation of the 
 name of this ifland; and from Garahyrig 
 being the name of a place therein when taken» 
 that fVihtn-ar took his name therefrom, (as 
 was common in thefe times) and not the 
 place from him. 
 
 But we may carry our reafoning farther to 
 £hew the inconfiftency of Mr. W's. parallel : 
 
 for
 
 for if Wiht-^ara-hijrig took its name from 
 Wihtgar, then IViht itfelf miift have been 
 derived from this Chief : But the name of 
 the ifland will foon be fhewn to have been 
 older than the time of the Saxons ; and Ca- 
 rifbrooke alfo to be derived from the Gaelic 
 language : Thus can an hill comes from aw, 
 and may be changed to car and gar. Is was 
 a diminutive, and the fame as u, or our iJJi, 
 — Hence Cari/broolce means the little hill 
 brooke ; Carljbyrig the little hill caftle. 
 
 Chidley is the common pronunciation of 
 CInidleig7i,mu\ is often written as pronounced. 
 It is derived from ceide an hill ; its root i$ 
 aithe changed to ail, aid, eid. Hence ceide 
 fhould be rendered /////, as by Mr. Lhuyd, and 
 not Jiiiluc/x. as by Mr. Shaw. It muft however 
 be obfervcd that the town is fituated on a 
 fmall eminence ; but the parifli takes its name 
 from the hills of Ilaldon and Ugbrooke, 
 around and on which it lies. In doomfday 
 the name is Chid-er-leia, Hwas pronounced 
 in ceide, though not written, in the moft 
 early times. Er is border, and ley land ; and 
 Qhid-er-kia will mean the hill border land. 
 
 Thus
 
 C ISO 3 
 
 Thus alfo we have Chedder in Somerlet, 
 which lies partly very high on Mendip, on its 
 brow, and partly on the border or valley. — • 
 The pariHi is very well defcribed in Collinfon's 
 Somerlet. Its name means hill border or 
 eftd ; and is a very appropriate name for the 
 fitiiation. 
 
 Mendip, written in an old furvey Menedep, 
 has no etvmon given it, but is derived from 
 monadh or nienadh a hill or mountain, and ibh 
 country. 
 
 WINKLEIGH, BINCHESTER, WINGHAM, 
 
 &c. &c. 
 
 The terms for hill and water are, in many 
 inRances from time and ignorance of the 
 Gaelic language, become undiftinguiflied, and 
 at prefent are fometimes written the fame. — • 
 Beinn or hum was even in the time of the Ro- 
 mans written bin and vin at feveral places — - 
 " JNC when fingle, fays Mr. Shaw, founds hard 
 in the Gaelic, nearly as the Englifh, but when 
 doubled bficomes fofter or more nafal, as may 
 be feen from bcRn a woman ; hemin a moun- 
 tain ; cean affection ; ceann a head." 
 
 /^/« and lin, ^\nc^ the introduction of a;, 
 liave become icin: hence IVincrfiam. in KTenr, 
 
 R i-.
 
 C I" J 
 
 is oil an hill; JVincaunton (whicli Skinner 
 derives from i?/>z wine, and Canute the Dane, )- 
 is on the (ide of an hill ; IFitichet is an hill ;•' 
 JVincO'Bank the fame. To thefe we might 
 add others. Win has become Winer, ju Rut- 
 land, which ftands high : it hath alfo become 
 JFink in Winkhigh, Devon. The g, ch, c, 
 and k have been added to make the n a heavy- 
 con fonant. 
 
 Binchefler was the Vinovium of Antoninus, 
 and the Binoviiim of Pto^omy. In the 7tlv 
 vol. of the Archa[?logia it is fuppofed by Mr. 
 Cave to be derived fiom the fellivals inflituted 
 there in honour of Bacchus, by the Romans. 
 The reader fhould confult his paper. But bin 
 will be found in this name to mean hill, and 
 ov is a lynonyme of av water ; Buwviwii 
 thcrelbre implies the llream hill ; and this 
 place lies on an hill, and on tli€ banks of the 
 river Were. 
 
 Other MISTAKES 
 
 or Names commonly derived from Animals, 
 
 Birds, Natural Productions, &c. 
 
 The River OTTER, ^ 
 
 A name greatly miftaken, is faid to be fo 
 
 called from the great number of water-dogs, 
 
 (otters) 
 
 ■ «
 
 (otters) found in this ftrcam, and in whicl> 
 cfur ancient writers generally agree. Many 
 (5f our modern authors alfo adopt this deriva-* 
 fTon. Some etvmolo^ifts however derive it 
 from y-diir, the water, which lay they, the 
 Anglo-Saxons, loftened into Otter. But this 
 river comes from od or ot water. Er in fonje 
 f^reams feems to be a contra61ian of err o;*. 
 earr, border or boundary. Thus the Tiber was 
 in the early part of the Roman hiftory de- 
 clared a boundary of Etruria ; and moil pro- 
 bably derived from the Gaelic iib or tiv^ a fy*- 
 nonyme of tav a Hream^ and err border.^ — 
 The Otter is fuppofed by Baxter to be a 
 boundary of the Danmonii, but diltri61s on 
 fireams are often named hams or bordcis ; 
 and this word and its fynonymes were an-* 
 ciently of frequent uCe. Hence it appears 
 tliat portions of land were often denoted by. 
 names for water or ftrcam, with err or ir bor-s 
 (Jer portfi.\ed. This river therefore may not 
 have been a boundary of the Danmonii ; but 
 named border Jlream from the cuflom of calU 
 ing lands hams or borders which are fitualect 
 on its banks..
 
 [153 ] 
 
 The River DOVE 
 Is generally derived from the bird of this 
 name ; but doh or dov is Gaelic for flream. — 
 We have already in the Culm combated a like 
 derivation. 
 
 ASH COMBE, 
 On Haldon, is derived by Rifden and others 
 from the q/Ji trees in its bottom. Ash in the 
 names of places is alzi:aijs derived by authors 
 from Asn trees; and fome diftri61s of this 
 kingdom, in which this word occui*s, carefully 
 plant thefe trees in their church yards and 
 hedges, to perpetuate the fuppofed ety- 
 mology. 
 
 But ii/h generally comes from afc water, or 
 from ais an hill : y before e and / in the Gae- 
 lic is equivalent to Jfi in the Englifh : and 
 Lhuyd thews that Jc was often changed toj^ 
 bv the Normans. 
 
 Ais or aj?i, in Alhcombe, as it is fituated 
 partly on, and enclofed by, Haldon, implies 
 an hill, and the whole name Hill Comle. 
 
 IIACOMBE, Devon, 
 Is faid to be a " compound of hacgey a 
 Saxon word for hedge, and coinle a vale ; or 
 
 of
 
 ot heccJia and combe." " If, fays the writerj 
 the Jirjl conje6lure be admitted, it means the 
 indofed valley ; if the Jecond it fignifies Hec* 
 chiis vale." But in the Ccllic alphabet thej^ 
 Iiad no hj and a implies an /////. -^This placQ 
 thej-efoie alio means the ///// Conibe, 
 
 ASHBURTON, Devon, BURTON, &c. 
 In doom fd ay Aijhcrton is faid in the MS of 
 Devonfhire pariflies to imply '^ Ais-heer^ 
 town : the town at the manor of v^/^ Trees !" 
 I have frequently read oi a manor of land, but 
 never^ except in this AIS, one of a/h trees. — 
 Alhburton lies partly in a bottom by a Itream, 
 and partly on the fides of rifing ground. — 
 Afc, water, may have become nfh^ and thi^ 
 place from its firfl fyllable might therefore 
 have taken its name from water ; but a^ it 
 was written ais at the compiling of doomlday 
 hook it might originally meen hilJ. 
 
 BeVj hor, or bur- has been derived from 
 lercr or burs: in this and man\ other town's 
 names; and this orijnnaliv meant villa^ie or 
 town ; but in after time's, a place of fajely or 
 prhilege. Ber or bur ha til likcwife been ima- 
 gined to come from bi'r or ber water. But er, 
 or, and //;• is brink or border. After r the 
 
 letters
 
 C 155 ] 
 
 tetteis d and / were often added to Ilrengthen 
 the found of the fyllable : hence 6ord alfo is 
 Gaelic for border. To ur, or, .or er, h has 
 been prefixed as mher, bear, bord, border ; 
 and hence ber or Lur will in this, and a variety 
 of other town s names/ mean border. AJh- 
 burton either the water, border, or the hill 
 ^oi-der town. 'Burton the border town. 
 
 ' But th« endings of nances in aon. an, on, en, 
 in, S^c. T^.eant originally land ; and prefixes 
 were frequently added to thefe fyilablcs : 
 thus Lii'n, ten, tin, tnti, and ton were appella- 
 tions for the fame. Vowels were often multi- 
 plied in words; hence ton became ton?* and 
 town. Ladly names of lands became thofc of 
 towns and villages ; and lience ton now im- 
 plies town, village, &c. " JJhhurton therefore 
 may originally have meant the hill border 
 land ; Burton the border land. The fame may 
 be noted of other fituations. The derivation 
 of the word ton fecms not to have beeiik 
 known, and the like may be faid of all ouf 
 adjun(5is. 
 
 SILVERTON, Devon, SILCIIESTEK, 
 "Mayflgnify, it is faid in the hiftory of 
 Devon, aiid MS of Devor.lhirc parifhes, the 
 
 great
 
 ;C 1-6 J 
 
 great road to\i/n, from Sel-f are-ion ; or poffU 
 bly Ihe rich towji, Siher-ton. Stolfre in Sax- 
 pn is filvev. This etymology it is added is 
 jeadiJy fuggefted by its fertile foil, and fweet 
 fituation. 
 
 But this town is on the declivity, and near 
 the foot of a very fine hill, 5/7 may be de- 
 rived from a or an an hill changed to al, and 
 varied to //, as in the word hill ; of which lafl 
 word, z7/ or // is the root. 5 is a prefix, as 
 proved in the Sid\. hence Jll in this name is 
 /////; and the parifh I believe includes this 
 fine eminence. Ver is derived, as ^^r, from 
 er border. Silverton is therefore the hillhor'^ 
 der tovm. iailchejier and fome other places 
 beginning with 72/ are derived from the hills 
 on which they fland. 
 
 WHITSTONE, Devon. 
 In doomfday book JFiteJlaii is a name of 
 which an author thus fpeaks : — '' Weftcote 
 thinks,, that Whitfione took its name from the 
 whited tower s fo convenientlv {landing as to 
 be a mark to Ihip men at fea." If, continues 
 this writer, the name have reference to the 
 church, take Mr. Hal's etijTnology. Speaking 
 of JFhiiJlone, in ConrjimUt he fays, " It was 
 •: . . taxed
 
 C 1" J 
 
 taxed in tlie doomfday by the name of JF'ite'- 
 flan ; which, as I apprehend, hath myltery in 
 k, and refers not to any common ftone in the 
 parifh, but to the words of our Saviour to the 
 feven churches of Afia" — " To him that over- 
 cometh will I give a white-Jlo?ie : and in the 
 flone a new name written, which no niaji 
 hioKethy faving he that receiveth it !" 
 
 Mr. CoTTinfon, in his hiflory of Somerfet,* 
 Tap, that " there are feveral parts of this 
 neighbourhood which have the prasnomen of 
 white or -xhitt, fuch as this parifti o^ IVhite^ 
 Staitton, TF^hite-Lackirigton, IVhite-Crofs, 
 White-DotDTi, a drfcrimination they feem pri- 
 marily to have derived from the Saint 
 White, who, together with Saint Rayn, (ac- 
 cording to William of Worcefter) was buried 
 in a chapel upon the plain near Crewkerne." 
 
 But this name is derived from the Gaelic 
 aith an hill. D and t are not at prefenl afpi- 
 rated in man}^ words derived from this lan- 
 guage. Thus ^eadha is a goad ; mtadh is 
 mead or rrmlhiglin ; nnthair is a nadder or 
 adder, &c. 
 
 • Vol. 3— I'age u<>. 
 
 Hence
 
 •> 
 
 C 1S8 J 
 
 Hence then in Englifli ailh is fometimcs 
 Avritten without the h. Ai in the name Ait 
 was pronounced varioufly in diflferent times 
 and places. In Ibmc as e, in others as 
 i. — Ait therefore is et and it, and often er/ and 
 id. With u or zo prefixed it will be wet^ xuit ; 
 zt>€d or wid. Many, I might fay moll places, 
 beginning with thefe fyllables arc on hills. — 
 And as wit or zvid was always pronounced 
 wJiid or zohit, and the word j].i/i menns coun- 
 try, Whiteflone implies the hill land. 
 
 From nith the following Gaelic terms for 
 hill feem to be derived, viz. triath, fioth-an, 
 teide, ceide, c/eite, croit, mota, &c. — The hills 
 Whitt-Torr, Bet-Torr, WidJIiarn-Torr, Sec, 
 
 SKIDD AU or SKIDD AW. 
 We add this article under the clafs of hills 
 derived from aith, to (hew that au was an aug- 
 mentative as well as ar and all, or on, as we 
 mention in the head London. This name very 
 appropriately means the great hill: for it i.^ 
 reckoned the higheft in England. 
 
 BLACK ASTONE 
 Is another range of hill country, and is de- 
 rived from aighe, as in Blucldown or B/agdon. 
 
 S The
 
 The a after hlacJc is a contraflion of an great ; 
 and JloJie was formerly Jlan, as in Witejlan : 
 this name then implies i\\e great hill countri/. 
 Under this head may be arranged the follow- 
 ing : Bag'Torr, Bow-Torr, Row-Torr, Ugbo' 
 rough-Torr, Laugh-Torr ; the Gaelic words 
 for hill, foige, figh, &c. 
 
 INISWITRINN and AVALLON, now GLAS- 
 TONBURY* 
 "William, of Malmfbury, writes to this pur- 
 port in his account of this place : " It was 
 firft called Inifwitrinn by the Britons, and 
 afterwards by the Saxons interpreting the 
 formtY v\:kme Glajlinhirig ; or taking it from 
 Glajleing one of the firfl fettlers. It is alfo 
 called the iiland of Avallonia ; the original 
 of which name is this : It has been faid that 
 Glajleing following his fow found her fuckling 
 
 * It may not be amifs to mention that in the Hebrew 
 
 •' A Is reckoned a fcrvile. 
 
 B is alfo a ferviie, and when fet at the beginning of a 
 word fignifies /'«, by, ivith^ for^ &c. 
 
 C is a particle of fimilitude, like, as, according to. 
 
 H is emphatic?!, and means the, this. 
 
 L is a prepofition, /;oct, as. Sec. 
 
 N in the beginning forms proper names. 
 
 B denotes lubo, ivhich, &c. 
 
 X prefixed denotes a nouiu*' 
 
 her
 
 [ 140 J 
 
 her pigs under an apple-tree, near an ancient 
 chapel built by the difciples of Clirill. Here 
 he difcovered apples which were extraordi- 
 nary rare in thefe parts ; and he called it the 
 i{[?knd o? Avai/onia, that is the ifland of Ap- 
 ples ; for aval/a fignifies apples in the Britifli 
 tongue : or elfe it was fo called from one 
 AvalloCy who is laid to have lived here v/ith 
 his daughters, becaufe of the privacy of the 
 place." 
 
 Dugdale in the Monafticon lays, *' This 
 ifland, in which this church ftands, was by the 
 Britons firft called Ynjwytryn, that is the 
 Glafs IJlandj by reafon of the river, as it were 
 of the colour of glafs, encompaffing the 
 marfli. It was called an ifland, becaufe en- 
 clofed by a deep marfli. It was called Avail o- 
 nia, either from the Britifli word aval, figni- 
 fying an apple, as being full of fruit trees^ or 
 from Avallon, who was once Lord of that 
 territory. The Saxons gave it the name of 
 Glajiingebury J that is the town of glafs* 
 
 Mr, Whitaker fays, " The principal pvo- 
 du6lion of our orchards has derived its pre- 
 fent appellation among us from the Britifli! 
 language ; and in the Welfli, Armorican, and 
 
 S ^ Irifli
 
 [ 141 ] 
 
 Irifli is invariably denominated the avail, alally 
 or apple : and it fecnis to have been brought 
 into Britain by the firft colonies of the na- 
 tivesj and by the haediii of Somerfet/hire par- 
 ticularly. Hence we find the prefent fcite of 
 Glaftonbury to have been diflinguiflied before 
 the arrival of the Romans by the fignificant 
 title of Aviillonia, or the Apple Orchard. The 
 fruit alfo fo flronglv recommended itfelf to 
 the Britiflij that another Avellena arofe in the 
 North of England."* 
 
 '' The fpot, fays the hiftorian of Somerfet^ 
 was at this early period called by the natives 
 Infwytryn, or the GlaJJy IJland, either becaufe 
 its fiirface reprefented glajlen, or blue greefi 
 colour ; or becaufe it abounded with the herb 
 glajl or zvoad, with which they were ufed to 
 tinge their bodies. In after times it received 
 the fancied name of Avallon, or ihel/leoj 
 Apples ; or the land where Avalloc, a Britifh 
 chiefj fir/l pitched his rcfidence : the Saxons 
 finally calling it Gbcjlingabi/rig." 
 
 To thcfe authorities I mud add that Tnifwi- 
 inn comes from the Gaelic word Iiiis an 
 
 ♦ Hiftory of Manchefteiv 
 
 i/land ;
 
 C 1^5 3 
 
 ijland ; idt ^r\ hill ; nnd 77/;7z, :i ridge, poi/it, 
 or peak; and thcl'e terms very appropriately 
 imply the peak hill ijland. 
 
 I beg alfo io ftate that i^ Avalon be derived 
 from aval an apple, and on be an augment 
 then this name ^vill imply the great apple ! 
 
 To eftablifli corre6lly the fcnfe of names, 
 like denominations fh'ould be compared, and 
 fjtuations whether on hills, water , vallies, &c. 
 iliOLild be afcertained. But the natural })ofi- 
 tions of places are feldom attempted in de- 
 fcription ; and authors rarely give the face of 
 the lands which they propofe to delineate.* 
 Hence mud we often giiefs at the features of 
 the country : and as denominations of hill, 
 dale, river, &c. are frequently fimilarin founds 
 uncertainty arifes ; and opinions are lome- 
 times hazarded on flight or infufiicicnt 
 
 grounds. 
 
 I 
 
 APPLEBY, V/eftmoreland. 
 '' JVo certain derivation, fay Mr. Nicholfon 
 and Dr. Burn, of this zcord hath been agreed 
 
 * Inftead of defcribing places, authors often entertain us 
 with genealogical accounts of fanriilies to which the lanili 
 have belonged. But from the defcriptions of pariilics irt Col- 
 linfon's Scmerfet, I have found myfelf perfeflly farisfied. 
 
 upon.
 
 C 145 ] 
 
 upon. Without having recourfe to the Ro- 
 man name AhaUaha, (which Mr. Ilorfley 
 doubts whether it was the Roman name of 
 this place, but rather thinks this was the Ro- 
 man Gahicum) we chufe to adopt a more ob- 
 lious denomination, by referring it to the 
 jruit of that name. And if this place was in- 
 deed the Roman Aballaba, yet the Romans did 
 not ordinarily impofe new names, but only 
 modified the names tliey found at the feveral 
 places according to their own idiom. So 
 that we may fuppofe fomething of the like 
 pronunciation had been here before the Ro- 
 man times ; and perhaps we may afcend fo 
 high as the Hebrew tongue for its origin. — 
 Appel, abel, afel, is common to the Saxon, 
 Belgicy Danijh, and other northern languages, 
 and by univerfal confent hath been appro- 
 priated /o /;c7r//cz//f7r//e THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT, 
 Abel^ or as the Hebrews foften it, Avel, (by a 
 tranfmutation frequent in all languages of the 
 letters h, t, and v) fignifies forrow, mourning, 
 and woe. And it is exaBly agreeable to the 
 Jigurativenefs of that language^ to transfer the 
 word to this fruit upon the aforefaid con/dera^ 
 tion. Our Englifli Saxon word evil feems to 
 fpring from the fame fource ; and a doer of 
 
 evil
 
 [ 144 ] 
 
 cvii for the fame reafon is contra61ed into 
 devil. ^laJum, to fignify an apple, may pofTi- 
 bly have been received into the Latin tongue 
 from the like caufe. The name is not pecLi- 
 liar to this place. There is an Jppkhi/, Mac^- 
 na, and Parva in Leiceller/hire, and othen in 
 other places. So there is an Applethwaite, 
 Applegarth, Appleton, and the like of the 
 fame name." 
 
 But the chief part of lands and towns have 
 Gaelic roots for names, and Gaelic endings : 
 Ahhal is apple ; and hi is little. If therefore 
 apple in this name be referred to the fruit of 
 this name, and we adopt a literal tranflation, 
 this place, to diftinguifli it from Avalon, may 
 mean the little apple \ Authors, however* 
 account By Saxon ; and in the ends of names 
 render it habitation : fo that Appleby will 
 imply the apple hahitatlon ! But neither the 
 /itt/e apple, or the a^ple hahilation, is implied 
 in this name ; nor is By Saxon. Bigh or By 
 was an old word for habitation. Kach nis is 
 faid to be houfe ; but as riis is wood, eacJi rus 
 muft be the wood houfe, and each houfe only: 
 but each, eagh, aigh, and igh with t prefixed 
 isboufe; with ^ it will be the fjme, ifyou 
 
 allow
 
 (^ 145 
 
 -J 
 
 allow the fame prefixes to names of hoqfes, 
 as to rivers, hills^ Sec. 
 
 Jppky npal, or ai^el may be derived from 
 various foiirces : thus a-v is water, and ap may- 
 be the fame ; and al or el may be ufed in dif- 
 ferent fenfcs. 
 
 It may be urged that diftricls might receive 
 tlieir names from ap])lcs or orchards, as well 
 as from the natural fituations of places : and 
 we know, that not only this fruit, but vines 
 are afferlcd by learned authors to have given 
 names to ancient places. Thus itrawberries 
 have alfo given denominations to modern 
 villas ! In fancy we may contemplate a great 
 variety ; but we mufl; not attribute fo much 
 thereto as to fuperfede examination, or to 
 fubvert probability. Lands were generally 
 named before vineyards or orchards were 
 planted ; and although we deny not, that a 
 iew folitary inftanccs may be found, where a 
 vicious tafle has Inperlcded judgmc.it ; the 
 reader will perceive in every difiricl of this 
 kingdom, that pari/Jics ^nd manors arc denoted 
 by Jlrf am, hill^ valley, border, See. : and that 
 ihcir names generally painl, not their little 
 accidental embwHiflnncnts and produclion.s, 
 
 but
 
 C 1*6 3 
 
 but their great natural fituations and features. 
 But to return. 
 
 In naming an ifland the term water is ge- 
 nerally mentioned. Thus in this very word 
 ifland: the firft fy liable is denotes water ; 
 /and comes from the Gaelic word lann, as has 
 been already obferved ; and the compound 
 term means waler land. 
 
 On the word Avalon we muft flate, that 
 a Wapontake, in Ho/land, Lincolnfhire is 
 termed Aveland, This name means the fame 
 nearly as Avalon. Ave or ava, from av the 
 Jea or water, meant originally alike in thele 
 names : and as lann or lonn was Gaelic for 
 landy lonn and land were alfo fynonymes. — 
 Hence Aveland, Avalon or Avalonn mean the 
 water or fea land. 
 
 Further to eflablifh the above we may en- 
 quire the import of the word Holland. Ac- 
 cording to Camden Ingulphus names it Hoi- 
 land. *' It is, fays he, next the fea, and like 
 Holland, in Germany, is ^o very moitt in many 
 places that a deep print of one's foot remains, 
 and the furface itfelf fhakes^ if ftamped on. — 
 From whence it may feem to have taken the 
 
 T namcj,
 
 name, unlefs with Ingulphus one fhould call 
 it Hoilandy and derive it from flenty of hay." 
 
 " This and Holland^ continues he, in the 
 low countries agreeing' fo exaftly in their 
 fituation, foil, and moft other circumftances, 
 the original of the name is, without doubt, 
 one and the fame. Mr. Butler's conjeaure 
 drawn from the Saxon word holt a wood, and 
 that other from hay, feem both to have one 
 and the lame obje61ion againft them — that the 
 foil does not favor it either ; at leafl not fo 
 much as to render the place eminent for ei- 
 ther, efpecially confidering its ancient flate." 
 
 In the introdu6lion av, an, on, and oJ will 
 be found fynonymes for ivater. H originally 
 was pronounced before, and in time prefixed to 
 initial vowels; and hence ol became holl; 
 and Holland implies the fame as Ave/and-— 
 the water land. 
 
 The uncertainty of the true etymology of 
 a place is fomctimcs great ; and as we have 
 elfewhere faid, probability only in tranfla- 
 tions is to be €xpe61ed : but againft rational 
 evidence we ought not to enter the lifts. In 
 Jhe word lain we find denoted water and 
 
 counirj/ ;
 
 C 148 3 
 
 country : and in the words Avalon and Ap* 
 plebi/y (o fet afide ihcforbidikn fruit, the great 
 or little apple^ the glajlen or ^///e green, with 
 AvaUoc, and ez^en the r/oer o/" ew'/ himfelf^ 
 there feemed to be fome latitude for con- 
 je6ture. 
 
 Having fhewn the meanings of Inijlwitrin 
 and Avalon, I fhall conclude with flating, that 
 Glaef'tinga-byrig feems to imply the water 
 land town ; and to come from cais, dais, or 
 glais, (as in the introdu6lion) water ; tain^ 
 land ; and burg written hyrig, a town. 
 
 Of the derivation of rivers and mountains 
 by the ancients, the following fpecimen is 
 taken from a little treatife, attributed to 
 Plutarch. 
 
 ARAR, now LA SAONE. 
 *' Arar is a river in that part o^ France, for- 
 merly called Gallia Celtica, deriving the name 
 from its being mixed with the river Rhoda- 
 nus. For its fall into the Rhofnas within the 
 country of the Allobroges.* It was formerly 
 called Brigulus, but afterwards changed its 
 
 * Where now ftand the cities of Cbanbery^ Si. Jean Moum 
 Jiertf Ceneia, and Viennc. 
 
 T 2 name
 
 yjsme upon this occafion. v4rar as he was 
 hunting, entering into the wood, and there 
 finding his brother Celtiber torn in pieces by 
 the wild bealis, mortally wounded himfelf for 
 grief, and fell into this river ; which from 
 that accident was afterwards called by his own 
 name Arar" 
 
 " In this river there breeds a certain large 
 fifli, which by the natives is called Calpaea.-^ 
 This fifh during the increafe of the moon is 
 white : but all the while the moon is in the 
 wane, it is altogether black ; and when it 
 grows over bulky, is, as it were, flabbed by 
 its own fins. In the head of it is found a 
 ftone like a corn of fait, which being applied 
 to the left parts of the body when the moon 
 is in the wane, cures quartain agues, as Cal- 
 liflhenes the Sybarite tells in his thirteenth 
 book of Gaelic relations ; from whom Tima- 
 genes the Syrian borrowed his argument." 
 
 Near to this river ftands a mountain called 
 Lugdunus, which changed its name on this 
 occafioii. When JMomoriis and Artepomoriis 
 were dethroned by Seferoncus, in purfuance 
 of the oracles command, they designed to 
 build a city upon the top of the hill. But 
 ^vhca they had laid the foundation, great 
 
 numbers
 
 C 1-0 3 
 
 humbers of crows, with their wings expanded^ 
 covered all the neighbouring trees. Upon 
 which Momorus, being a perfon well fkilled 
 in augury, called the city Lugdunum * For 
 Luf^on in th eir language (ignified a crow; and 
 dumun any fpacious hill or wide place ; as. 
 Clitophon reports in his thirteenth book of 
 the building of cities. 
 
 In the tranflation of Mercator's geography 
 this city is faid to be derived *' by lome from 
 Lugure, by others from Lucere, becaufe it 
 ftandeth upon an hill, as a watch'towre maketh 
 farre and neere a lucent and fhyning profpe6h 
 Others againe, will have the name thereof 
 fetcht from Lugdo King of CelUs. In an an- 
 cient journal, which was made from Bour- 
 deaux unto Jerufalem, in the later part there- 
 of, this city is named Lugdunum , which is in- 
 terpreted in French: La Montague dejiree de 
 Lion — the dejired mountain oj Lyons. But it 
 feemeth thofe fearch the orif^inal of it further 
 which derive it from the Bclgic, or Ncther- 
 Dutch-word luch, which ^\gx\\^^\\\ fortune ; fo 
 that Lyons fhould have been a mountaine de- 
 dicated to fortune," 
 
 •Now in Englifh Lyons, wlich the French write mo;e 
 ri|^litly Lyitt, 
 
 I
 
 I prcrnme not to enter into the hiftory of 
 this river, and its mountain, nor to explain 
 the entertaining fables which their ftory may 
 contain ; thefe may perhaps be found eluci- 
 dated in hiflories of Lyons, or in books of 
 Heathen Deities, to which unlike my authors 
 I cannot refer the reader ; but my work de- 
 mands that I fhould explain Arar, Lugdimus, 
 Lt/gon, and Li/on, 
 
 Arar then is derived from ar, a fynonyme 
 of az? or au water: ar in the ending of this 
 word is an augmentative, and a fynonyme of 
 oil great : Arar will therefore mean the greal 
 fcater orjlream. 
 
 Lug comes like the river Lug, in Hereford- 
 fliire, from ug or uc a fynonvme of oc water, 
 which, with /prefixed, means lake ox Jiream: 
 or it may be derived from loch a lake. Dun, 
 or as latinized Dunum, means hilUfortrefsy or 
 perhaps to-wn ; and Lugdun or Lugdunum im- 
 plies the Jiream, hill,fortrefs, or town. 
 
 This place was fiift built on a mountain 
 near the banks of the Saone ; but afterwards 
 by " L. M. Plancus enlarged greatly, and 
 from the mountain upon which it was firft in- 
 habited.
 
 r IS2 3 
 
 habited, removed into the plain/' Luzm 
 may therefore be a contraclion of Lugdon, 
 and mean as above; or it may be another 
 name for this city. If the laiter, on may be 
 an augmentative of ftream ; or it may mean 
 dijlriEl, country, tozcn. Sec. The g was often 
 pronounced as a ^ ; and hence Luyon or Lyon 
 ■will mean in this cafe the great Jlream, or the 
 Jireain territory ov fire am town. 
 
 Of the jifual Modes of rendering into Englifh 
 the Names of STREAMS, &c. 
 The following obfervations deferve parti- 
 cular attention, as they relate to the ufual 
 method of deriving rivers, towns, &c, in this 
 kingdom. 
 
 Camden in his Britannia, page 747, Gib- 
 fon's edition, fays '^I cannot conje6lure what 
 might be the original fignification of the word 
 Tav ; but it may be worth obfervation, that 
 the moil noted rivers in South Wales feem to 
 be from thence denominated. For befides 
 that there are three or four rivers of that 
 name ; the firft fyllable in Tozvy, Teivi, and 
 Dyvi feems to be but fo many pronunciations 
 of it; and for the latter fyllable I have elfe- 
 where oITered my conje6^ure, that it only de- 
 notes
 
 i: 155 3 
 
 notes a river or perhaps water. Nor would 
 it feem to me very abfurd, if any Ihould de- 
 rive the river Thames from the fame original. 
 For fince it is pretty evident that the Romans 
 changed Dyved, the ancient name of this coun- 
 try, into Dimetia; and Ki/nedhav (a man's 
 name) into Cunota?nus : andalfo that in many 
 words where the Latins ufe an m, the Britons 
 have an n, as Firmus, Firv ; Terminus, Tcr^ 
 Hjin ; Amnis, Avon ; LimBf Lhiv, &c. it is 
 not unlikely (confidering we find the word 
 Tav ufual in the names of rivers) that the 
 Britons might call that river Tav, Tawy, or 
 TawySy before the Roman conquefl, which 
 they afterwards called Tamejis. And this 
 feems to me more than a conje6lurej when 
 we confider further, that the word Tav was 
 according to the old Britilh orthography 
 written Tarn, which fhcws that not only Tav 
 or Tajf, in Glamorgan flii re, &:c. is originally 
 the fame word with Thame or Thames ; but 
 alfo that the Greek Taixoi in Uarxiy-os is proba- 
 bly no other." 
 
 In Radnorfliire, pnge 608, he alfo writes, 
 " which word ( the f^f'^ye) tho' it be here the 
 name of a river, feems to have been anciently 
 
 an
 
 C «** ] 
 
 an appellative either (ov river or water : for 
 although it be not ufed at prefent in that , 
 fenfe, nor yet preferved in any gloffary or 
 other books, yet I find it in the termination 
 of the names of many of our rivers. Ex. Gr. 
 Lhugwy, JMynwy, JMowdhwi/f Tawy, Towy, 
 &c. Now that this final fyllable zcy, in thefe 
 names of rivers, is the fame as gwyy feems 
 more than probable : in that we find the river 
 Towijy called in the book of Landaff Tiugui 
 (ab Hoflia Taratir fuper ripam Gid ufque ad 
 Ripam Tiugui, &c.) and alfo the river Elwy, 
 called Elgui, And that gwy and toy fignified 
 water feems further to be confirmed from the 
 names of fome aquatic animals^ as Gwyach, 
 Giachy Eog alias Oiogy &c. This being grant- 
 ed we may be able to interpret the names of 
 jTeveral rivers which have hitherto remained 
 unintelligible : as Lhugwy clear water; from 
 Uiugy which fignifies light or brightnefs ; 
 Dowrdwi/y loud water, from Dwrdh noife ; 
 Edwy a fwift or rapid ftreamj from Ehed to 
 fyyScc. 
 
 w 
 
 *\ . ) > - 
 
 Dr. Piyce, ih his vocabulary, Mr. Lewis, 
 formerly of Honiton, Dr. Borlafe, and all our 
 %vriters, agree with Camden in the above 
 
 U principles.
 
 C 155 ] 
 
 principles, aihd all affert that guy, uy, iiy%, ey, 
 y and /, in the endings of names, mean tsater 
 or river. 
 
 Of the Names of MOUNTAINS or HILLS, 
 
 from Baxter, Lewis, and others. 
 " The moll: common way of naming hills 
 they lay was by metaphors, drawn from the 
 fevera! parts of the human body. Thus fome 
 were called y voel bald pate, y benglog a Jkull, 
 tall the forehead, cern onejide of the face, ael 
 an eye-lid, l/ygad an eye, rhyn a nofe, gehow 
 a mouthy pen the head^ munugl the neck, hraicli 
 an arm, Iron the breafi, kefi the belly, dun the 
 hip, cevan the hack, yjllys the fide, bant in the 
 buttock, efgair<i leg, and troed aybo/."— -Thus, 
 reader, have we metaphorically travelled from 
 head to foot ! 
 
 Camden, in his reafoning on the words 
 Tav, Til), Tau, Tarn, Sec* is nearly corre61 ; 
 and it is rather furprifing, without the know- 
 ledge of their derivations, that he ihould havo 
 guefled fo corre6lly ; but in the meaning of 
 guy^ wy, y, &Ci in the ending of names, he 
 was not fo happy ; for if Tav or 2'iv mean 
 water or river ; and guy, wy, y, &c. water and 
 river alfo, then Tivguy would be tautology. 
 
 The
 
 [ 156 3 
 
 The River WYE, and the Diminutives GWY, 
 WY, BI, &c. 
 The firft word, as we had no w nory in the old 
 language of this country, mud have been ori- 
 ginally written vie, which according to Lhuyd 
 implies water : but the adje6live and dimi« 
 nutive i, with the prefixes o-ry^ gu, 3, &c. as in 
 g^* guy, hi, Sec, implies little, low, fhal- 
 low, &c. 
 
 The reader will readily grant that towns for 
 convenience were neceffarily built near water, 
 or on rivers ; and that they and the lands 
 around them, generally took their names 
 from the ftreams on which they were fituated. 
 Hence if the names of thefe ftreams, and their 
 fynonymes have been unknown, he will not 
 be furprifed if authors have failed in their de- 
 rivations. The following example fliews our 
 yery imperfe6l acquaintance with etymology : 
 
 HONITON. 
 '* From Upottery, fays Mr. Lewis in Mr, 
 Polwhele's hill, views of Devon, the river 
 Otter defcends to Honiton, which may be d®- 
 jived from the Britifli words Cwn-i/'lun, i. e. 
 Oppidum CaninzAqux — Cwn (ignifyingdogs, 
 
 U 2 and
 
 r 1-57 ] 
 
 and^ water. The only difficulty is about c's 
 being changed to h" 
 
 Moft probably, fays Mr. Polwhele, Iloniton 
 took its name from Onnen-y-tim- — Oppdum 
 Fraxifiese Aquas, a town on an afh river. 
 
 " The name of Honiton is of obfcure ety- 
 mology, fays another author in the 63d vol. 
 of the gentleman's magazine. Ton fignifies 
 an habitation, a town ; honi in the old Nor- 
 man French fignified the fame as honte does 
 pow, that is Jhame or difs^race. An old Le- 
 gend relates, that at a certain time almoll all 
 the women of the place were barren, and of 
 couHe childlefs ; that, to remedy this evil, 
 they were enjoined by the priefts to repair to 
 St. Margaret's chapel, and pafs one whole 
 day and night there, in prayer, when by means 
 of a vifion they would become pregnant ; and 
 the faint never abufed their confidence. — 
 The arms of the borough, which are fingular, 
 feem to allude to fomewhat of this kind, 
 though perhaps of a Saxon origin. It repre- 
 fents a pregnant female in devotion to an 
 idol aufpicious to parturient women, an ob- 
 ftetric hand above, a honcyfuckle beneath, 
 the whole furrounded by beads. There is 
 
 now^
 
 Ipow, however, no occafion for any invoca- 
 tion to the faint ; the honi, cr (hame and 
 dilgrace of the town^ being long fince com- 
 pleatly done away." Mr. Polwhele, in the 
 hiftorv of Devon, gravely corrcfls Mr. Fel- 
 tham on the word honi : but the reader who 
 traces King Liid to Liidgate, who has vifited 
 Jfis at Paris, and who has examined the arms 
 of Hertford, needs no more doubt the truth 
 of this Legend, than the propriety of the de- 
 rivations of Honiton which precede it. 
 
 An, on, or im 3 in the compofition of names 
 for ftreani, is Gaelic for water ; and in the 
 dictionaries of this language there is no /z, 
 although before nouns of the feminine gen- 
 der beginning with a vowel,* h is as ftrongly 
 exprcfle.d in the Irifti as in the Englifh. — 
 Hence Honiton (in doomfday book Hanitone 
 
 ..and Hunilone) was written Anitone, Onitoney 
 or Unitone, and pronounced Hanilone, Honi- 
 tone, or Hunitone. In time the h was prefixed 
 
 'in writiuof. tlan or hon then means water or 
 flream ; i ox y is Gaelic for little or fhallov. 
 Hence the rivers On-ey or Oney, in Salop, and 
 in Hertford (hire ; the Un-cs a ftrcam, and 
 
 * Gen. VallaPfcy's G^apma;. 
 
 Uny,
 
 Uhi/j in Cornwall. After n the letter d was 
 often added ; and hence the river Ancle, in 
 Hamfiiire. ' To thefe we might add En-ian, 
 in Cornwall, and the Inni/, in Ireland. The 
 words born and brooke were often fubjoined 
 by the Saxons to fmc-^ll ftreams ; and hence 
 like wife Hon-ey brooke. Honey born, &c, I 
 have now proved that Honiton implies thb 
 
 LITTLE WATER LAND AND TOWN. The parifll 
 
 Jies on a fmall ftream. 
 
 To fhew that / or y in the endings of names 
 (denotes little, fhallow, low, &:c. I may enu- 
 merate the Greedy, the Bovy, the Tinny, the 
 J^iddij, the Becky, the Gary; the Colly, the 
 Meavy, the Torey, the Oldy, the Berry, the 
 Carry, &c. in Devon; in each of which the 
 ^ in the ending denotes a little or Jhallow 
 J^ream, The fmall ftreams of the whole 
 Jcingdom ending in / or^, might be produced 
 \Q corroborate this (ino^ular, and hitherto, un- 
 fs^nown fa6l. 
 
 Before I proceed it may be neceflary to 
 mention that prcvioufly to the year 1 200, w 
 and y were not found in old MSS. — that g 
 was formerly fometimes pronounced as y — 
 and in the middle of words, if u follows g, it 
 
 mufl
 
 muft be often omitted fays Lhuyd. Agalrij 
 this author intimates "That the Britons an- 
 ciently inferted p" in the middle of words, 
 fometimes out of regard to derivation, and 
 fometimes in imitation of the fame orthogra- 
 phy unnecejjarily, writing Tawy, Tagui ; My- 
 nuy, Mingui, Sec.** " Z/was aUb, he lays, 
 pronounced as jv or /'; as Fu^l was read Fyai" 
 In his Cornifh grammar he fays " It retained 
 this pronunciation in all ages, and has been 
 this laft century confined to it alone." Hence 
 then as g may not have been always in this 
 ending ; as w and y could not be ; and as u 
 and / were pronounced generally alike ; / 
 only which formerly fupplied the place of ^, 
 was necejjary in this final fyllable. But we 
 have feen that / took prefixes ; and gu, w, d, 
 &c. were prefixes only, in Liigwy^ Dowrdwy, 
 Eal-wy, Ihguii S^c 
 
 Of Places in VALLIES, or on PLAINS, 
 I fliall give one inftance only. 
 
 DAWLISH or DAULISH, 
 
 A village on the coafl of Devon. In 
 
 doomfday book Doulis ; the is pronounced 
 
 ifk. S before and after e and / in the Gaelic 
 
 is equivalent to^ in Englifli : thus Raidis 
 
 Gaelic
 
 C i6i 3 
 
 Gaelic is RadiJIi in Engliih. This place has 
 been liippofcd to imply *« Dufflui, the deep 
 promontory j or Dolis, a fruitful mead in a 
 bottom, or by a river fide." 
 
 *' Dole by the Britons, fays Sainmes, is 
 called a plnin or xsalley, lying to the fea or a 
 river ; and Ninnias, an ancient Britifli "writer, 
 fays, Caefar fought a battle on Dole; and 
 from which the city Doky in Armorica, hatb 
 its name ; and all from Daula, a plain in the 
 Phoenician." But this village is likely to 
 have taken its name from its valley, Dal in 
 the Gaelic is a plain field or dak. The a was 
 pronounced as in call or finally nearly as au; 
 and hence Daulifh, very appropriately for its 
 fituation, will mean the. Utile dale. We have 
 fome towns on plains beginning with this 
 praenomen. In Ireland many names of places 
 are derived from the plains on which they are 
 fituated ; but there are few fo named in 
 Englifh. 
 
 TOPSIIAM, Devon, 
 *' Derived by Baxter from Koppa-Sea-Ham, 
 
 Oppidum ad caput Maris" — comes from doh a 
 
 liream. D and / are convertible, ^s are alfo 
 
 P and /?, Hence doh and top may mean flream 
 
 — -otherwife
 
 r i<5« ] 
 
 -i— otfiefwife av water, changed to ov and op^ 
 %vith t prefixed, will compofe this prsenomen, 
 Ham is border or village, 
 
 MAMHEAD, MAM TORR, &c, 
 Mamhcad (in doomfday book Marneord) 
 pronounced ftill Mamyeordy is derived by au- 
 thors from mamy mother, and head peace % 
 and Mamhead, which took its name from the 
 end of Haldon, a promontory overlooking the 
 fea, the a&ftuary of the Exe, and the country 
 far around, has been rendered mother peace f 
 
 Not fo would a fpe6lator on the top of this 
 hill render the compound word. A handfome 
 ftone obelilk was, in the lafl century, ere6led 
 here ; but the warring elements have fhivered^ 
 from the column and bafe large pieces of 
 their contents ; and in time total deftruflign, 
 but for fome friendly repairs, muft inevitably 
 enfue. 
 
 Of the wreck fcattered around this building, 
 mother peace could not be the agent; and 
 yet Mam Torr, in Derby (hire, is alfo rendered 
 Mother Torr, and that too by very lat^- 
 i^vritei-s ! 
 
 V :bui
 
 C 163 3 
 
 ^iit mnjyi is Gaelic for hill ; and eord,{xom 
 tarr, is end, head, promontory, &c. Hence 
 JMameord is the hill end or promontory.-* 
 I fhould render Mnin Torr Peak Hill, 
 
 HENNOCK, 
 
 6eyond Haldon, has been tranflated Old 
 Hill; but the fitiiation of the new one is not 
 recorded. This parifh has been derived from 
 the Welfli hen old, and the Irifli cnoc a hill : 
 but this Wellh and Irifh connexion is not, 
 like many others, a happy one. Hennock in 
 doomfday book is written Hanoch and Ai* 
 nech, and comes from the Gaelic Aonach, a 
 hill, or rather hill country. 
 
 BUCKLAND, BUCKFASTLEIGH, TOTNES, 
 Lie on the river Dart. From bucks oy 
 deer, or from the tenure of Bocland, are the 
 two firft, and all other places, beginning with 
 luck, derived by our etymologifts. But thefe 
 fmall unconnected portions of land, adjoining 
 othei^s evidently named from the ftream, 
 abounded not more with bucks than other* 
 parts ; and were named before the tenure of 
 Bocland was kno^vn. Buck in the names of 
 lands on ftreams, is derived from ock or uck 
 water, We have many dreams named Beck 
 ^ ^ and
 
 and Beclcy, and the river Bache in Montgon^e^ 
 jryflilre. A, o, andw were written indifcrimi- 
 nately — Uache, Back, or Buck will therefore 
 mean the fame; and Buckland the (Irean? 
 land. 
 
 Buckfajileigh, in doomfday BuckfeJIre^ 
 •omes alfo from buck a ftream. J'V^ was de- 
 rived from fais% and this from ais an hill, in 
 t|?e fame manner as Jeithe, the Gaelic for hill, 
 comes from aithe changed to eithe. Tre and 
 (er are derived from tir land. Leigh is a 
 franflation of tir, and means in this^, as well as 
 }n other places, land only. 
 
 Totnes, in doomfday Totenais, and in other 
 
 places Totonais, is faid in the MS of Devon- 
 
 fhire parifhes, to be literally the town cj 
 
 Joxes ! Leland thinks its name Dodnefs, and 
 
 that it fignifies a rocky farm. 
 
 " Totnes vel Totonais, fays Skinner in his 
 Etymologicon, in Com. Dev. forteau a Fr. 
 Totene, Polypus Pi/cis qui crebo ibi capitur." 
 
 But Totenais may \)Q derived from ad water, 
 fhanged to at and ot, with / prefixed : we 
 have the river Taud; and as do6 9 flream 
 «omes from dobhar, fo dot will come from 
 
 V 2 dothar.
 
 C 16^ 3 
 
 ioiliar, which is flream al fo, Bol and tot artf 
 l)'nonymes. j^/z or on in the names of places 
 means generally land. Ais is Gaelic for hill, 
 and means alfo a fortrefs. Neas is a fortified 
 hill — Totenais will therefore imply the firean^ 
 hill or fortrefs land — Totneas the ftream for- 
 tified hill. But if on in toton Ihduld be an 
 augment of ftream, then Totonais would im- 
 ply the great ftream hill or .fortrefs. 
 
 HARROW, Middlefex— HALLOW, Worcef- 
 
 terlhire. ' ' " * 
 
 The firft is fuppofed to be derived from the 
 \vord arrow, and this old warlike inflrument 
 is ufed for arms oF this place : but the ety- 
 mon of this name is au an hill, changed to ar. 
 Ou or Q-x has been fliewn to be an ausnient : 
 arrou or arrow will therefore imply the great 
 or high hill. The h was a prefix as in Ilal- 
 don. Au, an hill, may alfo be changed to 
 al ; and allow or hallow will mean the fame a^ 
 urrow or harrow^ 
 
 BARNSTAPLE, BARSTABLE, &c. 
 The Roman name of this firfl place is fupai 
 jpofed to be written by the Monk of Ravenna 
 Apaunaris. Baxter alters it to Aber-nd-uijci 
 which he interprets X\\q mouth of the water. 
 
 This
 
 *rhis town is fituated about twelve vnWe^ 
 from the mouth of the harbour at the con- 
 fluence of the Tau, and a fmall ftream namecl 
 the Yco. Bnrn comes from Baun, the r in- 
 ferted inflead of the u, a>nd means Jlream. — • 
 We have the Barn-cy, a fmall flrcam in York- 
 fhire ; and Bar?iford, in Lancafhire, near Bol- 
 ton. Barj in B.vjlnble, comes from au aii 
 hill, changed to ar, with b prefixed. 
 
 Staple or JIable has not been given an np«a 
 propriate etymon, and is generally fuppofed 
 to mean a mart. Baxter fays " it comes from 
 Pabulum, which is the fame as /latio." But 
 ilaple ox fl able was originally derived from the 
 Gaelic word Jla, a (land, ftatioUj or fettle- 
 ment ; and Baile a Iribe: \iet\ce Jiable ov Jlapls 
 will mean the tribe, fettlement, or toxan, which 
 was perhaps their mart or market. 
 
 In like manner a Jiable may be derived 
 from Jia a Jland, and peall a hvrft j which 
 ivill mean literally a horje JiaiuL 
 
 The Gaelic word ^ox Jland vf:n% o\{o Jlad ^ 
 (Dind hence our word (lead in towns' names, 
 
 I find no ground for fiippofing Barnjlap!e 
 ^paimaris. The derivation of Abcr^ or more 
 
 julllf
 
 C J«7 ] 
 
 Juflly A^err or jibearr, though fo common a 
 name, a word in Waics, hath not been ex- 
 plained. 
 
 Ab is water or Jireain, and is derived from 
 St; ; and err or earr is the e/zr/, conclu/ion, tail, 
 iimit, boundary. Hence many fmall, as well 
 ^s large, boundary rivers, may have the adjun6i 
 err, earr^ op the contra6lion er, in their names,. 
 
 APPLEDORE, 
 In doomfday book Apledore, feems to be 
 derived from av or ap llream, all or oil great, 
 or al or el border, and dor a dwelling ; and to 
 mean the great water dwelling, or thp zsatrr 
 lorder habitation, 
 
 TIVERTON and DAVERTON, Devon, 
 Not much unlike Biddiford, which is ren- 
 dered By-the-Ford, is Tiverton faid to mean 
 fwi-ford-toicTiy from having a Rream on each 
 (ide of it. Twi and tiv have been accounted 
 fynonymes ; but twi is allowed to mean two; 
 and tali varied to tiv is known to mean ftream. 
 Twifordton and Tiverton are therefore not 
 fynonymous names. Kr in Tiverton meansf 
 border, and the whole name the ftream bpr- 
 der land or townt 
 
 Da-'iierton,
 
 X '^8 3 
 
 Dnverton, now written Thorverton, is t^w^ 
 dered " through the land and town/' and '' a 
 thoroughfare ;"* but fuch explanations are a 
 burlefque on etymology. From the deriva* 
 tlons already given, it evidently appears, that 
 at a very early period fome general principles 
 were devifed for naming the lands, and fhe 
 fetllements upon them : their denominations, 
 as I have rendered them, proclaim this truths 
 Let the reader try every other mode for ex- 
 plaining their appellations : among thefe let 
 him have recourfe to the rules of Mr. Lhuyd 
 in Baxter's gloflfary, Mr. Whitaker's method 
 of trying all the Celtic languages, for dilco* 
 vering etymons, which were given from 
 one only, or to fome other method ; but Ie£ 
 him avoid fteering more wide of truth. 
 
 Such explanations as I have quoted, andt 
 which have been necelTarily given to elucidate 
 the prefent ftate of our knowledge in the ety-^ . 
 mology of proper names, feem at firft %he 
 tb have been felcBed to expofe author's. 
 But the reader who thinks thus, will find 
 his great miftake, when he comes to the 
 names of provinces, and great towns. Ift 
 
 MS of Devcnflure Pari&gs, and Hift, Devon, 
 
 thef«
 
 t 169 D 
 
 tticfc he ivlll recognirc the fame fancies and 
 abfurdities repeated in explanations ; and the 
 fame " general principles" more Jlrongly ma- 
 nifefting their truth, and demonftrating their 
 agreement, with the features of nature. 
 
 Tiav, from sro or lavy is Itream ; er is bor- 
 der, &c. ; and ton is land or town, as ihewij 
 ia Afhburton. 
 
 The SEVERN. 
 <' You will, fays Mr. Evans, in a late tour 
 $nto Wales, perhaps expe6l fome account of 
 the origin of its name ; but confider how ha- 
 zardous even to conjeBure, when the moft 
 able antiquaries have racked their brains in 
 vain, and candidly owned themfclves at the 
 mod perfeQ lofs refpe6ling its derivation.— 
 Vide Camden, Lloyd, and Pennant." I Ihall 
 therefore have occafion to beg the reader'gf 
 pardon, Ihould 1 fail in this attempt. 
 
 The Severn is derived bjc Malcolm in his 
 antiquities, as welhis by icveral other writers, 
 from fib Gaelic for flrong, or from fiobh 
 raging, and rian the fea. But the conllruc- 
 tion of Mr. Malcolm's own language, tlie 
 
 Gaelic,
 
 [ 170 ] 
 
 Gaelic, demands in old names, that the fub- 
 ftantive fliould precede the adje6live. Now 
 fab, fav, or fev is water or ftream, and rian 
 the little fea ; and hence the little fea ftream 
 would be a tranflation of Ptolomy's Sahriana, 
 In like manner might the Tamijfa mean the 
 little fea, from lamh the fea, and is a di- 
 minutive. Thus alfo as arnli, av, ov, and o5 
 may be confidered the fea, the 0/j^ would 
 mean the little fea ; and be fo named to (hew 
 the vaft fize of the mouth of its ftream^ as 
 well as of the dream itfelf. 
 
 General Vallancey derives the Severn from 
 -^'Jki a divifion, and rann a word of the fame 
 meaning/* ** Hence, fays he, the Severn a 
 boundary river." But two divifions imply- 
 not one flream. 
 
 The Romans, from whom Ptolomy received 
 •the name in his geography, latinized the u 
 and V of the Britons by d in various inftances, 
 to which our authors have not attended. — 
 Hence the flream might originally be pro- 
 nounced or written Savrian or Saurian. The 
 i m latinizing, fometimes inferted by thefe 
 people, was by the ancient Britons omitted. 
 Thus a river in Ireland was named Sauranus 
 
 W or
 
 C <T1 ] 
 
 or Sauran ; Sc the Severn too was mofi likclt, 
 from what follows, fo named by the ancient 
 inhabitants of the country. 
 
 The Welfh, after the timp of the Romans, 
 changed (he Iri/h / into /;, and called this 
 ftream Havren ; in which name the /infeited 
 hy the conquerors of the Britons, is fupprcfs- 
 ed. It appears therefore that the river, in 
 the time of the Romans, might, by the na- 
 tives, be written or pronounced Savrari or 
 Sauran. At what time, or by what fteps, it 
 became Severn^ we need not enquire : but it 
 is plain that the r in Savran was trarrfpofed to 
 form Savar?t ; and from the mutability of A 
 to e, the name became finally Severn, 
 
 In many words a tranfpofition of liquid or 
 other letters hath, from various circumftances, 
 taken place : thus bryn Welfli for hillock, is 
 in Armoric bern. The Englifli word ciij]) was 
 formerly written, and now is at fome places 
 pronounced ci/rj)s. The afp or afpen-Zre-c 
 was written aeps, as ftill pronounced. A var 
 riety of other inflances may be found in 
 Lhuyd's archselogia, which prove that Savran 
 may have become Severn, from the mutation 
 of vowels, 9nd tranfpofition of the r. 
 
 Having
 
 C 1T2 ] 
 
 Having followed this name from Sahriann 
 to Spvern, through the neceffary fteps, I fhall 
 briefly ftate, that, independently of the an" 
 cient name, the reafon of its fpelling may be 
 thus, much more concifely, Ihewn : 5ei?* is 
 ftream ; and an, or its fynonyme aiin changed 
 to am, means great ; and the Sevarn, now 
 Severn, means the great Jlream. 
 
 The TAMES. 
 The word tajn means ftream ; and the 
 Tames appears from the Monk of Ravenna to 
 have been anciently named Tamion or Tai- 
 mon, that is the great fiream. It was alio 
 named Tamefa, Tamejis^ Tamifa, Sic. 
 
 • Augments, which have hitherto been un- 
 noticed in pur old names, except in our in* 
 trodu61ion, are of quantity, or oi magnitude^ 
 The firil are fuch as exprefs our plural num- 
 bers : the fecond are fuch as are applicable to 
 large Itreams, hills, &c. In the languages o? 
 Europe e$ is an old plural ending : but many 
 
 • # In General Vallancey's trades, Inftances of feu, jCV^ fwj 
 are fhcwn to mean water in various parts of the world.— 
 Thefe words ate derived as in our introdudlion, from av, ev, 
 >», &c. with / prefixed. 
 
 W ^ plural
 
 plural terminations have been proved in this 
 work t » be Gaelic augments and diminutives. 
 Thus on in Taimon is an ai/g/nent : and es in 
 Tames maj have been alfo an augment, or a 
 corruption of one. On this head, however, 
 there may be two opinions : the one fup- 
 portcd by plural endings of the Welfh, Cor- 
 nifh, and other languages; the other by ad" 
 jeBives, or augmentatives and diminutives of 
 the OLD LANGUAGE o{ rivejs, hills, &c. 
 
 On the one part, there will appear names 
 neither exprefling the properties of flreams, 
 nor exhibiting often the endings of the words, 
 in the original fpcech. On the other, there 
 will be Ihewn in the denominations of flreams 
 their chara6lcrs and relation, in words of the 
 aboriginal tongue. 1 he rcafon of things wiH 
 appear on the one hand, from the fenfe of 
 the compound term. The impropriety on 
 the other, from employing a general and un- 
 fit name for a llream, which requires a word 
 of particular, and appropriate import. 
 
 It may not be here amifs to remark, that 
 o/V, hem, or border has been written uair ; 
 and no doubt (as a, o, and // were written in- 
 difcriminatelv) .7/> ; juA fo i/a/V, the Gaelic 
 
 for
 
 for ?whk, &c. is written ais in \\\cTan-nis or 
 Don : and tnis ending fcems to fhew that Ibme 
 fuch augment was once ufed in large ilreams 
 inftead o^ es. 
 
 Tarn me7\x\s Jlream ; and as diminutives in 
 in, elty ill, ell, er, &c. form from analogy and 
 languages, augments in on, ott, all, oil, or, ar> 
 &c. lo the diminutive is (as a, o, and u were 
 indifcrimirately ufcd) may form os, as, or us, 
 as augmentatives. Os, as, or us, as 5 and r 
 are commutable, may have alfo come from 
 oil or ot, which is a known augmentative 
 poftfix. In the Spanifh alfo Azo is an aug- 
 ment. In the Italian Azzo. Ptolomy in the 
 Tames writes is Efei, perhaps for J/o More- 
 over a, 0, and u have been commonly changed 
 in the names of rivers to e and i: and a has 
 been called from its changing fo often to f, 
 the mutable vowel in the languages of Eu- 
 rope. Hence the Savran became early the 
 Havren, and fince the Severn ; the Tamnr 
 has become the Tamer ; the Vijhila, ffixel; 
 the Aiifiir, Aufcr ; the Lupia, Lippe ; the 
 Larnuni, Larnen ; the Ifara, JJere ; the Ga- 
 Tumna, Garone ; the Viforgis, Wejer ; the 
 Oiife, IJis ; the Fhafis, Fejjo ; the Itunat 
 
 Eden ;
 
 r ns ] 
 
 Eilrn ; the Oenus, Tni's, Sec. Hence thft 
 Tnimon, Tamos, 8zc. may have become the 
 TAMrrs, and may mean the fame as Taimon, 
 the GREAT and deep stream. 
 
 The TOWY, TEJVI, and CONWY, 
 
 OR THE 
 
 TOBIUS, TUEROBIUS, and TISOBIUS. 
 
 If the Danubiiis be pronounced as in that 
 article ftated, the Tobius in "Wales mufl an- 
 ciently have been pronounce'd Ton ;* the Tu- 
 KROBius or DuEROBius, Duero ox Diierou, as a 
 river in Portugal ; the Toisobius or Tisobius^ 
 Tifou. 
 
 According to all our ^sTitcrs^ the ToLius is 
 now the Toizy^ and it is apparent, from what 
 has alreadv been faid, that the b in the firft 
 nair.e was ufed in latinizing the word, for u ; 
 and if in this fo employed, the fame may be 
 inferred of the other two. The Diierou is 
 faid to be the Tcivi, and the Toijou or Tijou 
 the Convey, 
 
 • Thus the Dart , formerly Dur, wis written by Richard 
 of Circnccfter Durius. The lake on which Cenia ftood, which 
 mufthave Ccen written Cen. was latinized Cenins. 
 
 ha
 
 C 1-6 ] 
 
 Let us {ee how thefe names may be ren-. 
 dered. The Tuii means the ftream. The 
 Duerou, from dour water, and ou great, the 
 great ftream. The Tijou from /.s a fynonyme 
 of//, id, or ad, water, with /prefixed, as at 
 Tiffington, on the river Dove, will imply the 
 great ttream alfo. But Towy, 2'eivi, and 
 Conwy are diminutive nouns, and anfwer not 
 to the Tohius, Diierobiiis, and Tolfobius, — 
 Moreover it fnould be obferved, that of thefe 
 rivers, the Tobius means the ftream only, and 
 the others the great ftream, whilft the Tobius 
 is the grcateft of the three. 
 
 There are two ways of accounting for this 
 departure from the ufual way of denominatiiig 
 large ftreams : -one may arife from corrup- 
 tion, on account of the Welfli ufing diminu- 
 tives in fo great a number of fhallow ftream?, 
 as belong to this principality ; the other from 
 pronouncing and writing contrary to cuftom 
 the II as i or y ; and jn either of thefe cafes, 
 not difcriminating like the ancients, between 
 their large and fmall fireams. 
 
 I have imagined that the Tuerobius in Pto- 
 lomy is the To-xy : but as I have taken no 
 pains to examine this maturely, it is here 
 
 mentioned
 
 t 177 D 
 
 mentioned as a hint which may reft on no 
 good foundation. 
 
 The ALE AN US 
 Has been given to the Danmonii, and placed 
 for the Ax; but a/ is a fynonyme of an, or 
 av ; and aen or aim was pronounced the fame 
 ^ on : hence it is the Jvon in Ham (hire. 
 
 KEVVTON, NYMETON, &c. 
 Keif, new, and nern, derived from av water* 
 changed to ev, em, eu, and eio, with n prefixed; 
 jmphes ftream. We have the rivers JVev- 
 ern. Neb, Nef-in, Nem, and C/iew, JSem 
 and JVym are fynonymes ; and /, and fome» 
 iimes e, are diminutives : hence Kym-e-ton 
 will imply the little ftream town. In the MS 
 of Devondiire pariflies this is rendered New- 
 foundland! Our Mwtons may not always 
 imply new towns, as we undcrftand the term. 
 They are generally built on ftreams, and a 
 few of them mni/ be very old fettlemeats, and 
 derived from the water near which they are 
 built. 
 
 LEA, LEY. and LEIGH 
 Are frequently derived from Lea water.— 
 Thus LeicrJi-laiidi a diftri61 in Somerfet, means 
 ftream land. Ley Ion, on the river Lea, is the 
 
 town
 
 town and parifli on that dream. Leighton, 
 o\\ the Dee, means the dream town. A lake 
 in Slapton parifh, Devon, is called Slapton- 
 Lea, which implies Slapton lake. And in ge- 
 neral whenever a territory is named from a 
 dream oti its border, the land of the diftri6l, 
 though not expreded, is underdood. Jud fo 
 when pari dies take their names from hills, 
 thcfe only are mentioned, though the whole 
 didri6^s are comprehended. The greater 
 part of the paridies in Devon, ending in 
 Leigh, are on dreams ; and in doomfday book 
 many were written without any prsenomen. 
 Leigh may I conceive alfo imply hill, from 
 ^ighe an hill, changed to Eighc, with / pre- 
 fixed. 
 
 Should we examine then the names ending 
 in Leigh, they would be found originally de- 
 rived from the water or hills on which they 
 are dtuated ; but thefe in time became the 
 denominations of the lands around, and of 
 the villages and towns upon them. Hence 
 we find Ley, Lay, Lea, or Leigh implying 
 land and town ; and Lea land, formerly wa- 
 ter or hill land, and which lying on water or 
 gn hills, was generally u a tilled, became in 
 
 X time
 
 time explained by grafly land, meadow, 
 ground unploughed, and fallow land. 
 
 STREET. 
 The word Jlreet is faid, by Mr. Whitaker 
 and others, to come from the latin Jlratufn, 
 a paved way : but I perceive no reafon for 
 f uppofing that flreet, which is a name given 
 to many of our lanes never paved, fhould 
 have been generally derived from the Ro- 
 man language. In the Gaelic Rraid or 
 Jlrait is a street or lane; and from this I 
 conceive our word {Ireet is derived. In like 
 manner Jlream and Jiring were derived per- 
 haps originally from the Gaelic freamh and 
 Jreng. 
 
 STOKE. 
 
 Tliis is another article which exhibits a 
 very extraordina.y inftance of our inattention 
 in not examining the language which obtain- 
 ed in this kingdom before the Saxon invafion ; 
 and of our credulity in trufling to Saxon 
 di61ionaries for terms, which thele people 
 appear never to have underftood. 
 
 The word Stoke is always derived from the 
 old ivord Stoct ^shich is rendered LociiSj 
 
 Tnincus,
 
 C 180 ] 
 
 Ttwicus, Caudes, Stripes, By fome it is faid 
 to imply a village, though in our di6liouaries 
 there is no fuch explanation. By others it is 
 rendered, as mentioned above, a pkce ; but 
 oF what kind etymologifts have not informed 
 us, and the woid is to this day unexplained. 
 
 Stoke in the names of places may mean 
 fiream or hill : the firfl may be derived from 
 oiche or oche water, with Jl prefixed as in the 
 uiver Stoke, Cambridgelhire. The fecond 
 from the Gaelic word Stuaic, pronounced 
 StoaJc, a round hill or promontory. Wo have 
 m this ifland many villages and to\vns named 
 Stoke, fituated chiefly on water and on hills : 
 among thofe on ftreams we might mention 
 many. Of thofe on hills, derived from aighe 
 an hill, changed to oighe, oiche, ^s\ih Jl pre- 
 fixed, are Stoke, in SiifFolk, near Nay land) and 
 Stoke- Gilford, in Gloucellerfhirc, near Brif- 
 tol. In Somerfet there is a parifh named 
 "North Stoke : this difhi6l has an elevated 
 point of land, called J\orth Stoke Brozv, on 
 which is an extenfive prol"pe6l. Now North 
 Stoke Brow can mean nothing except North 
 7Ii/l Brow. But Stoke having been the name 
 for hills and {oxjlrcams, became the appella- 
 
 X z tion
 
 Hon for the lands and the villages upon ihcm, 
 and hence Stoke may mean village or terri- 
 tory, but the word is derived as above. 
 
 Mr. Whitaker, in his hiftor}' ofManchefter, 
 fays that STOcK/;or/ was denominated from 
 the woods around it. And in this inflance 
 the learned writer has the authority of Dr. 
 Pryce on his fide, who in his Cornifli vocabu* 
 lary rendei-s Calfloke, on the Tamar, " hard 
 Jiock" and " hard oak i" But Cal may alfo 
 mean ftream, and Stoke an hill ; and thefe an- 
 fwer very appropriately to the fituation of 
 the place, which is on a round hill nearly fur- 
 founded by the river. Some uncertainty 
 liowever arifes from ihe words Ca/and Sloke. 
 I have mentioned that Sloke may mean wa- 
 ter as well as hill : and Cal is ^ fynonyme of 
 €au an hill. 
 
 It is now fo many centuries fince that the 
 old word Stoc, a Hock, root, poft, or pillar, 
 was firft confounded with Stoke, originally a 
 flream, and Stiiaic an hill, that this attempt 
 to explain thefe terms, and to fuggea reaion- 
 ablc diftinaions, may not be eliccmed unac- 
 ceptable. 
 
 BEAR,
 
 [ 18« 3 
 
 BEAR, BERRY, BURY, &c. 
 Diftriils derived rames from the borders of 
 hills and rivers : thus Be.ire is derived from 
 earr^ear, cr, or cr iir^ border, end, taii, head, 
 or prcmonfory, with Z" prefixed. We have 
 Beer or Beare, at Seaton, fi:iiated on the bor- 
 der of the fen ; Beerftrm and Rockbeare, on 
 the bordeis of rivulets or Ilrcams ; and Ken- 
 ijjbeare and AijhJheaTe^ on the borders of 
 hills. 
 
 Mr. Collinfon, in his hillory of Somerfet, 
 under ihe head of B"er Croco?nbe, fays ♦* "We 
 will not conceive the name of this place to 
 have proceeded from the ancient word Bere^ 
 which fignifies barhy, but from fome other 
 fource deeply buried in the arcana of etymo- 
 logy. A fmall ftream arifingin the parifli of 
 Staple- Fitzpaine runs through this pari/h, un- 
 der a bridge of two arches. 
 
 The diminutives of jB€«?r^ Ber, Bor, and Bur, 
 Border, «Scc. in general ufe, are Berry and 
 Bunj, Berry, when referred to the tops of 
 hills, may be derived from Bearradh. Ber 
 or Bir water, and Barr or Berr an head, jTiny, 
 in the compofition of the names of the fea- 
 tures of nature, be found to have diminutive 
 
 endings
 
 r- 1«5 ] 
 
 -endings. Burg or Berg may likewife be 
 vritten Bury ; and hence fome difcrimina- 
 tion may become necelTary in accaunting for 
 thefe names. 
 
 Berry^ taken for granted as implying little 
 top, or top, and having been found in names 
 fituated in bottoms, has been fuppofed by Ken- 
 r.ett in his paj'ochial antiquities, by Spelman 
 in his gloflary, and by feveral other authors^ 
 to mean top and hotlom ! But neither of 
 thefe is implied in this word further than it 
 may fignify little top, little border, little 
 fircara. Sec. Berry or Bury is alfo accounted 
 a caftle or camp, from camps of old having 
 been formed on little tops/' Juft fo is Ham 
 or //eweonfidered as a town and village, from 
 ^hefe being fituated on Hams. So alfo is Leigh 
 confidered paflure land, a town, and village, 
 from thefe being fituated on a lee or jlream. 
 Invariably the appellations for ftream, hill, 
 border, &:c. became in time the names for 
 the lands around and the towns upon them. 
 We have only further to ftatc, that Eur has 
 been raiftaken for Borough^ and Burg for the 
 diminutive of Bur. 
 
 * It may be dcrivrd from Bingus, a tcim for a foiticfs. 
 
 WORTH
 
 WORTH WORTHY. 
 //^ ^vas written for h'Vitxle, in the names 
 of feyeral ftreams. Let w be put for d in the 
 word Bearr or Bear, border, end, &c. and it 
 will become JTear. D and t were often 
 added after r, as in Dar, which became Da//, 
 a flream in Devon, linear would in this cafe 
 become Weard, and (as or was alfo border) 
 Word, which laftly would, as d was convert- 
 ible to th, become JVearth or IVorth. Worth 
 or IVorde, in Kent, is a village on the border 
 of the fea. Worth, in Devon, is an eftateon 
 the border of the Exe. Worthy, if not a cor- 
 ruption of Worth, would mean little border, 
 or the y would be a diminutive to a word 
 compounded with Worth. " Worth, fays Cam- 
 den in his Remains, anciently Werth and 
 and Weorthid: Alfricm makes it Pnedium, a 
 poffeffion or farm : Abbo tranllateth it a court 
 or place : Killianus a fort and an ifle.'* Ver- 
 ftegan, who comes nearell the right meaning, 
 fays that Weorth or JTeordis a kind of pe- 
 ri in fula or land environed almofl with water, 
 not in the lea, but in lorn e river, or between 
 two rivers." To this it may be obje61edthat 
 places ending in Worthy, and alfo in Worth, 
 are not always on dreams ; fome are on the 
 
 bcrder^j.
 
 borders, ends, or declivities of hills, others on 
 the fea, and others again in dilferent fiiua- 
 tions ; but all anfwer to border, end, point, 
 bead, &c. from whence this word is derived. 
 Thus er is border — Bdwov^iwy, in Devon, is 
 pronounced Bozceri/, Bolfvfovni//, Ho/Jeri/, 
 BuIkwoKiny, BuIk^T^y, &c. From henc^ it 
 will be found that err, er, or or, border, was 
 the root of this adjun6l ; and that xd is only 
 a prefix. 
 
 In Mr. Diokinfon's Northamptonfhire, Sir 
 Richard SutLon fays, that Wearth implies a 
 river ifland, and he quotes Donawerth, on 
 the Danube, to illuftrate his opinion ; but 
 Donawert is not I apprehend on an ifland,* 
 and is an in (lance which further proves what 
 is above afferted, 
 
 • Sec Brice's Topographical Diftionary. 
 
 THE
 
 ETYMOLOGY 
 
 OF 
 
 IWMAJ^-BRITISH J^AMES, 
 
 COMPARED WITH THE 
 
 PRESENT APPELLATIONS 
 DISTRICTS JND PRINCIPAL TOWNS 
 
 IN 
 
 ENGLAND.
 
 The ETYMOLOGY, 6cc. 
 
 ■. CORNWALL 
 
 HAS not been, I conceive, very corre6^1y 
 rendered, nor have feveral fynony- 
 moiis names which occur in Britanny Ixicu 
 juftly explained.— Cr>r/z in Corn-au, Corn-ab, 
 Corn-ou, Corn-oil or Corn-all, means Horn, 
 &c. ; and av, ab, au,oU. or all,* may imply 
 the fea or water. Mr. Whitakcr, in his late 
 publication, fuppofcs, with Dr. Borlafe and 
 others, that Cornwall is derived from Cornu' 
 Gallia : but it comes from Corn-av varied io 
 Corn-all; and the fy liable all changed to 
 wall in the fame manner as the diminutive i 
 or y, which means little or fliallow, is by the 
 Welih changed to zi:i/. 
 
 The GENIUS, CENION, FAL, &c. 
 *' Tregony fays Mr. W. was the veryfirjl town 
 upon any branch oF that fine harbour which 
 forms the principal pride of Cornwall ; which 
 excels all the harbours of the ifle, except 
 Milford- Haven, for fecurity of anchorage, 
 
 * This may alfo Imply great ; and Cornwall means, I think, 
 th« ^reat born or corner, 
 
 Y 2 for
 
 [ iS9 3 
 
 for expanfe of water, and for number of 
 openings into it, which therefore lies like a 
 vaft briareus, ftretching forth its gigantic car- 
 cafs on every fide and throwing out its 
 hundred arms into the land around it.— ;- 
 Tregony was upon the main arm, even the 
 denominating river ; was denominated Cenia 
 itfelf, whilft the harbour was called the mouth 
 of the Cenia : and the fouthern road of the 
 Komans in Cornwall terminated at this Cenia, 
 now Tregeny, or Tregony, more properly 
 that than this, as it is popularly entitled 
 Treg'ney — The caftle on the Cenia, now the 
 Fal. Tregony was thus a town at a time when 
 Fahnouth town, when Penryn, when even 
 Truro itfelf was not yet in contemplation for 
 many ages ; held pofleflion of the river Fal, 
 with its harbour at the mouth, when it had 
 and coujd have no rival ; and fo flood the 
 original lord, the natural fovereign of all." — 
 But for the remainder of this eulogium on 
 Tregony I mud refer the reader to Mr. Whit- 
 aker's hiftorv of St. German's cathedral. 
 
 It is neceffary here to ftate that the word 
 Ceiiius or Cenion means not a river in this 
 pame, as authors fuppoi'e, but is derived from 
 
 Can
 
 n 
 
 C 19Q J 
 
 Can or Ken a lake, and not as hitherto aflert- 
 ed from Geneii a mouth. It is agreed that on 
 this lake fome town flood named C^///^. Fo- 
 liha feems to be derived from the lal : it 
 means perhaps a settlement on the Fal or 
 Vol, from Vol a flream, and Ihh a country, 
 tribe, or fettlement. Vol may have changed 
 to Fau^ and fo Voliha have been fitiiated on 
 the Fawy. But Fawy is a diminutive noun, 
 the K?/ or ^0/ not. Here then arifes a diffi- 
 culty in placing Voliba on the Fawy, of which 
 antiquaries are not aware. 
 
 Mr. Whitaker in the above fuppofes thp 
 /Is/ the denominating river of the lake; but 
 the Keirjcyn or the lake flream feems to have 
 claimed the ancient honour. He mutt be fen- 
 fible that the largcfl itream has not been al- 
 ways the denominatincT river : and that after 
 a junQion of two ftreams, the lead often gives 
 name to the collection of water. 
 
 It is plain however that the Cenion of Tto- 
 lomy meant the great lake or lakes ; and the 
 Ceniiis of Rirhaid the lake Ccma the town 
 may imply the lake settlement, where the 
 flation was fitui.ted, if ia mean as Hated by 
 jGeneral Vallancey in his piolpeclus U\\ the 
 
 ^vhole>
 
 [ 191 3 
 
 whole, Cenia muft have been I think iipon the 
 Jake below the Kenwyn, and not on the Fal, 
 
 TRURO 
 Has been accounted a neto town by Cornifh 
 Etymologiils. The word tre fecras to have 
 fwelled molehills to mountains; and nothing 
 but the refidences of Kings or of Earls can 
 have conferred this praenomen ! Truro how- 
 ever is faid to have had ancient jurifdidioa 
 pver the harbour of Falmouth, as far as th^ 
 black rock at its mouth. It is partly fitualed 
 in the parifti of Kenwin ; and this part, which 
 was the ancient town^ had an old caftle, of 
 which the original is unknown. The parifh 
 of Kenwyn, or the lake llream, feems to end 
 at the beginning of the lake, where the name 
 Ken or Cen-ius took place. At this place 
 Aands Truro, forgotten as to heranjcient do- 
 minion over the haven ; dominion from what 
 caufe gained has certainly been long un- 
 known, although by late writers it has been 
 attributed to the refidence of one of ils Earls 
 in this caftle. 
 
 Dr. Borlafe fays that the town is named 
 Tre-ur-eu, which may be the fame as Tri or 
 Tre-ur^euu ; and may imply the water lor- 
 
 der
 
 C 192 3 
 
 der habitation. But if w come from av, au, 
 or z/r water; and eu or ou be an augment, 
 then it may mean the great water habitation, 
 or the habitation on the ftreams. This name 
 befpeaks as much antiquity as the names of 
 other towns. 
 
 TREGONY,* 
 
 In doomfday Tregoni, has a diminutive noun 
 for its laft two fyllables, and is derived from 
 Tre or Tri an habitation, and Can a lake, 
 changed to Can and Gon. The i or y in this 
 name means little or fliallow; and the word 
 means the habitation on the little or JJialloxs) 
 lake ; and not perhaps on the Ccnius or lake : 
 fo that this place may not anfwer to Ccnia-t 
 or tlie LAXE SETTLEMENT, if the ending in this 
 name has not been corrupted. 
 
 SCILLY, DINSUL, SOLWAY, &c. '^ 
 
 The name Scilly Dr. Borlafe fays is hot 
 
 fo fpelt in ancient deeds. He writes it 
 
 Sullch or SylleJi. The word has been loil in 
 
 fignification, and we Ihall attempt to revive 
 
 * We have feveral names on the harbour of Falmouth like 
 this: thus TreGAN on Clement's Lake; Ireganna Qxi MWot 
 Creek ; and rrfCANioN oa Truro Creek. 
 
 Its
 
 r 195 3 
 
 its meaning. 5////, fays Mr Whitakcr, is co;z^ 
 fpicunusy and Duiful ( the old name of St. 
 Michael's mount) \\\c conf]ncuou^\\\Vi\ Dr. 
 Borlafe reckons -S"/// the iun, and fuppofes 
 Sulleh to mean either " the flat rocks of, or 
 dedicated to, the fun." 
 
 But the name 1 conceive is derived from 
 iS/?// the fea, and Sailly may be i\i<zJkailowfea. 
 Dr. Borlafe ftates tha.t much of the bottom 
 of the fea between thcfe iflands is uncovered 
 at low water ; that formerly the beds were 
 dry land ; and it is conjectured that they for- 
 merly reached even to the land's end. But 
 fetting afide the conjecture, it is necelTary to 
 remark that Scillij, Sully, or Sailly is a dimi- 
 nutive noun ; and Sail meaning the fea, 
 Scilly, Sully, or Sailly will imply the fhallow 
 fea. Thus alfo Solway frith, acrofs which car- 
 riages may at low water drive, is derived from 
 the fame word Sail. Way or TFy in this name 
 is a variation of the Gaelic / or ij fliallow, 
 as I have proved in Welfli flreams : hence 
 Solway implies the little or fhallow fea. Fur- 
 ther we have Solehay, on the coafl; of Suffolk, 
 Sill, Sof, or Sail then meaning fea, Dinful 
 •will imply the fea hill; the SciUy JJlamU the 
 
 UttU %T flialioiQfta ijlands. 
 
 Mr.
 
 C ^9* ] 
 
 Mr. Whitaker however aflerts, that Sulleh 
 is derived, merely from the national poflreffors 
 of the ifles, the Silures of Wales. ''So little, 
 fays this learned author, does Etymology, un- 
 der the guidance of good fenfe, appear what 
 it is in the management of the generality, a 
 mere meteor generated by a collifion of 
 atoms; but a light, fober and fteady, a- beam 
 of the fun refle61ed by the moon, and ufe- 
 fully fupplying the place of a ftronger illu- 
 mination/' 
 
 But Sulkh or SuUy, which is alfo written 
 Syllx-ii in Holinfhead's chronicle, is evidently 
 a diminutive noun, Silur an augmentative 
 one, if z/rin this name Ihould be confidered 
 an ausrment. Ur however I conceive in this 
 word means border ; and Sil means the fea or 
 water, and the fame as 5/7 or SuJ in Scillij or 
 Sully. Hence the Silures of Wales are the 
 fea or water borderers, and confequently 
 Scilly is not derived from the Silures of 
 Wales. 
 
 The DANMONII, DEVON, &c. 
 The fynonymes Danmonii, Damnoniiy T^un- 
 moTiii, Diminonii, &c. I muft hereanalyfe. — » 
 Mr. Whitaker fays that the terra hath recently 
 
 Z been
 
 C 19S ] 
 
 been affected to be read Danfftonil, and that 
 Richard- hath falfely formed tlie word ; but 
 this learned writer offers no other ground for 
 his opinion than affertionSj and a fynony- 
 mous reading or two. The word Devon has 
 been confidered in the hiftory of Devon a 
 Saxon name for this diftrict. Thefe appella- 
 tionSj of which no juft etymons have been 
 given, will be explained in their order ; and 
 Jirjl Danmon : Dan is water or flream, from 
 an water, with the prefix d, as in the Dane^ 
 &c. Fan is land, which may be changed to 
 Von and Mon. Otherwife on or en land, 
 with m prefixed, will become Mon and Men, 
 and mean as before, although from another 
 root thefe lafl may imply hill. Hence Dan-- 
 von or Danmon may be rendered the water 
 or flream country. Secondly, Damnon may 
 be derived from aun, a fynonyme of ean wa- 
 water, with d prefixed, which would be Daim 
 or Doun, as at Dounham on the Oufe. U 
 and V were frequently changed mtom ; thus 
 Diuedhi was changed Dimedhi ; and Dyved 
 to Dimetia. "We have fiiewn that aon or on 
 is country ; Daunun or Davnon may there- 
 fore be changed to Damnon, and be latinized 
 Damnonia. Great are the differences of opi- 
 nion
 
 C 136 3 
 
 liion which arife on the orthography of, at 
 beftj doubtful words: ?ind of the ancient 
 names of Devon many diXquifitions have been 
 publilhed to eftablifh which is the moftjiift; 
 but thefe names are eafily proved to be Cy^ 
 nonymous words : Damnonia has been writ- 
 ten Dumnonia, Danmoiiia, Dunmonia, Dom^ 
 nonia^ &c. Devon is the laft, and confideied 
 the modern name ; but this too will be found 
 an old, term, and a fynonyme of the former : 
 Dav or Deo is known to imply dream in 
 Daverton on the Exe, and in the Devon ot 
 Deven a ftream in Nottinghamfhire. On ot 
 en in fettlements or territories implies coun- 
 try. Dav and Dev are derived from tamh 
 or tav, or from a?nh, av, or ev, the fea or wa- 
 ter, with d inftead of / prefixed. Devon will 
 from hence mean the water country or the 
 ftream country. Thus plainly and clearly do 
 thele terms illultrate each other, and prove 
 that authors have totally miflaken their ini* 
 port. 
 
 EXETER, EXON, 
 Was by the Romans named Ifca from Ifc 
 water. The Saxons named it Exanceafter, 
 and Exeter is a contraction of this word. — 
 
 Zq. Ifc
 
 r 197 ] 
 
 Ifc has become Fijc, and by the Saxons was 
 written Ex. The addition on is a fyllable 
 which often implied territory in the names of 
 old fettlements ; and was alfo ufed for de- 
 noting the towns upon them. 
 
 " The names of places in the Roman Britain, 
 fay» Mr. Macpherfon in his introduction to 
 the hiftory of Great Britain and Ireland, how- 
 ver difguiled they may have been in the or- 
 thography of the writers of the empire, may 
 be with great facility traced to their original 
 meaning, in the language fpoken to this day 
 by the pofterity of the Gael in the northern 
 Britain/' 
 
 In a note he explains feveral places — thus, 
 
 *' Cantium ; Kent; Canti^ endoftheifland. 
 
 ** Trinobantes ; Trion-oban, marfliy diftri6t. 
 
 '« Durotriges ; Dur^treig, the fea tribe, the 
 
 inhabitants of the 
 coaft of Dorfet- 
 fhire, in allufion 
 to their fituation, 
 
 "Dobuni; Dobh-buini, living on the bank 
 
 of the river; they 
 
 who of old poi- 
 
 felTed the county 
 
 of
 
 C 198 D 
 
 Belerium ; Bel-eir, 
 Dimaetas; Di-mot-atta, 
 
 of Gloucefter, al- 
 luding to their 
 fitiiation on the 
 banks of the Se- 
 vern. 
 
 Weftern Rock, 
 Cape Cornwall. 
 Inhabitants of the 
 Southern Plain. 
 The tribe of the 
 Cimbri who pof- 
 fefled the coun- 
 ties ofCaermar- 
 then, Pembroke, 
 and Cardigan. 
 
 « Ordovices ; Ord-tuavich, Northern Moun- 
 taineers — the in- 
 habitants ofNorth 
 Wales. 
 
 But Mr. Macpherfon has ims-tran/lated 
 thefe examples, as the reader will peceive in 
 the following pages. 
 
 The DUROTRIGES, DORSET, or DOR^ 
 SAET, the MORINI 
 The Durotriges have been derived by many 
 authoi-s from Dur water, and Trig an inhabi- 
 tant.
 
 [ i95 D 
 
 tant, which would imply the water inhabitant ! 
 And alfo from Dur water, and irigo to abide 
 or dwell ; but I cannot dire61 the reader where 
 to find Trig, an inhabitant, nor trigo to abide 
 or dwell ; and neither thefe nor Mr. Mac- 
 pherfon's derivation feem corre6l. This name 
 may be derived from Dur water, and ou or 
 Its contraction o (if this be not a latin termi- 
 nation ) great, and Traig coaft : and Durotraig 
 will mean the great water or the fea coaft ; 
 Durotriges, dwellers on the fea coaft. 
 
 The word fet in Dorfet and Somerfet, has 
 been derived by authors from fettan, which 
 ihey render to inhabit or dwell upon : but 
 faet in Dorfaet and Somerfaet, was derived 
 from the Gaelic Saod, a Ira 61: or diftrifl. — 
 Hence Dur m Durotraig was changed to Dor 
 in Dorfaet ; and Saet or Saod, a tra6t, was 
 changed for Traig coaft. Thus arc the names 
 fynonymes, and the evident meaning of each 
 elucidates the import of the other, fo as to 
 leave no doubt of their derivations. 
 
 The people of this country were alfo named 
 Morini, from Mor the fea, and in a diminu- 
 tive ; or /// a country. Hence the JMon/ii 
 Were the dwellers on the little fea or the 
 channel ; or dwellers on the fea country.—* 
 
 The
 
 C soo ] 
 
 The Morini o[ the Continent, oppofite Do- 
 ver, feem to favour the firft interpretation. 
 
 DURNOVARIA, DURINUM, or DOR- 
 CHESTER. 
 
 Durnovaria has been rendered " a paflage 
 
 over the water, or the river Varin" which 
 
 fome authors fuppofe the ancient name of 
 
 the Frome. Skinner thinks Varia a ford cr 
 
 a bridge : tradition afciibes the name to 
 
 King Dorn ; but the etymology accounted 
 
 the moll rational is from Varia, accounted 
 
 the Frome, and a contra61ion o^ Durniiun or 
 
 Dunium. All thcfe, like other derivations 
 
 which I fl^iall quote, are evidently ihe genuine 
 
 offsprings of fancy. Mr. Baxter thinks that 
 
 Vuniitm in Ptolomy was Maiden- Cajlle, and 
 
 that Diirnovaria was the town. 
 
 Dnrin uin comes from T>ur water, and In 
 ufed for border, land, or town. Varia, in 
 Durnovaria, means the fame as In, and is de- 
 rived from IJair, Vair, or Var, border. Dnm 
 may come from Don or Dun varied to Doiin 
 or Duun, and, (o prevent the clashing of vow- 
 els, and for found, changed to Dorn or Durrj, 
 The is perha])S a Roman termination ; and 
 ^orn or Ihirn may imply hill, or be a fyno- 
 
 nvme
 
 t 201 3 
 
 hvme of Diir in Durinumi and hence Dur- 
 notoaria, may imply the hill oi water border 
 town, 
 
 MORIDUNUM and MARIDUNUVf. 
 On the fouthern end of Black-Down, three 
 miles weft of Honiton, is a magnificent fta- 
 tion, named Ilembury Fort. Kembury is de- 
 rived from Hem or IJam border^ and Bury a 
 camp or caftle, and may imply the camp bor- 
 der. It has alfo been named Henbury^ and 
 rendered the Old Fort ; but this is too nearly 
 allied to the old derivation of Hennock. 
 
 It has been fiiggefted that this flation^ and 
 |iot Seaton, is the Moridiinum of the ancients^ 
 but a proof from its etymology has not been 
 attempted. Moridunum is tranHated by our 
 \yritei-s Seaton ; and it is afferted that this 
 word is the fame in the Britifh that Sea-ton is 
 in Engliflij " a town on an hill by thefea." — 
 At prefent I will omit the enquiry whether it 
 is Britifh or not : Micr is faid to be the ge- 
 neral reading in MSS according to the Iter 
 Antononi by Gale And all towns ending in 
 Dunum or Tunmn, according to Sammes, are 
 of high fituation. But Dun means a fortrefs 
 as well as a hill, and therefore Seaton, which 
 
 is
 
 is not on an hill, might in refpe6l to pofition 
 only have anfwered to the name. Seaton is 
 however twentv-five Roman miles from Ifca 
 Danmoniorum, which is ten miles farther 
 than the itineraries of Richard of Cirencefler, 
 and Antoninus aflign it : it is fituated under- 
 neath an hill, and without fufficient remains 
 to denote the former greatnefs of a Roman 
 ftation. 
 
 Hcjuhury-Fort, inftead of twenty-five miles, 
 is, on the contrary, exactly fifteen Roman 
 miles as mentioned in the itineraries. J\lbt 
 generally implies More, as in Moreton, or 
 Mor, as in feveral places on ftreams named 
 Morton : this laft is often derived from sv 
 or au water, changed to on and or, with m 
 prefixed, as mentioned in Polemartin. Be- 
 neath Moridunum, and from the fide of this 
 hill, rifes the river Tci/e ; and not far beneath 
 runs the river Otter. 
 
 On the border of Maridunum, in Wales, 
 ran the Tohius. But Mur beino- the general 
 reading in Moridunum, and this being Gaehc 
 for a bulwark, the name rnai/ be rendered 
 Cafile Hill. The fequel however will fliew 
 that Mor is the right orthography ; and from 
 
 A a whnt
 
 C 205 3 
 
 what has been flated, this as well as Maridu* 
 nwn may rather be tranflated the flreaniy hilU 
 or fortrefi. Both thefe places are twelve 
 miles from the fea : Mor, the Welfti for fea, 
 h confequently not applicable ; nor is Du* 
 nwn from this langnage, but from the Gaelic, 
 The Romans therefore changed not the v in 
 Caer-Vyrdhin (which the Welfh call this city) 
 as Camden fuppofes; but the people of the 
 laft nation changed the jn into v, and dun into 
 dhin or din, after they had perhaps driven the 
 Gaelic Celiac from the country to which they 
 had given names. And it appears that when 
 the Romans latinized Mardun in Wales, that 
 the prefent race had not changed thefe words, 
 if they had taken poiTcflion of the country. 
 
 Hitherto we have not confidered the words 
 BlncJc Down, which are ufually rendered 
 Black or blealc Down, and of which we have 
 no corre6l etymon. This hill is flill called 
 Blaigdon, at a high part of it which lies in 
 Somerfet. The name is derived from the 
 root, Aiglie an hill : the g in this name was 
 not afpirated, and to aig, d was added in the 
 fame manner as it was after / in Hal-don. — 
 On may be an augment, or Von may imply 
 
 country.
 
 C 204 3 
 
 country, from on land, with the prefix d; and 
 in many cafes it will be difficult to decide 
 which of thefe the ending in owdoes imply; 
 but as on in the Shannon is evidently an aug- 
 ment, fo I conceive it is the fame in fingle 
 high hills ; but in a long range of high land 
 it may imply country : thus Hal-don may im- 
 ply hill land ; and Pol-don, in Somerfet, may 
 very appropriately for its ancient fituation 
 imply head land. Moreover Von may be- 
 come Doiin and Down ; and this term which 
 has been rendered " a plain on the top of an 
 hillj" but which is found attached to tra*^ of 
 country on levels and even in bottoms, 
 means land only; and originally Don and 
 Ton, and Down and Tmn^ were of the fame 
 import. 
 
 Of Don implying land I have given two 
 inftances ; of Ton originally implying the 
 fame, I fhall felect one. Near the border of 
 Dartmoor, in the parifh of Chagford, there is 
 an hill called Milliton, which was never inha- 
 bited : it is derived from Meall an hill, and 
 Ton land, and the name means the land of the 
 little hill; or the little hill land. Hence 
 then Blaigdon, now Black Do:vn, may imply 
 the great hill, or the hill country, 
 
 A a 5 This
 
 [ 205 3 
 
 This land overlooks the great eaftern roads 
 from Salifbury, Shaftefbury, Bath, Briftol, &c. 
 to Exeter. The old road from Taunton to 
 Exeter ran through it ; and it "Was the fitted 
 ground for a great flat ion, and to fecure the 
 country in this diftri6l. 
 
 That this part of the hill had an ancient 
 name or names no perfon will deny ; and 
 time which deftroys the remembrance and 
 traces of many things hath not yet left us 
 without the o/d appellation. An extenfive 
 manor, fays Mr. Chappie, quoted in the 
 hiflory of Devon, in the parifli of Peahem- 
 bury, was held by Bernard Wright, Efq. in 
 177 2, named *' Cox Pitt* Manor and MOR- 
 DEN." The laft of which, whether now 
 containing this fortrefs, or feparated by time 
 from it, evidently refers to the hill in quef- 
 tion ; and this with the di fiance from Exeter, 
 its noble remains, its agreement with Caer- 
 jnarthen, and other circumdances, prove, as 
 nearly as at this day, evidence from names, 
 and other eirciimnanccs can be expe6led to 
 evince, that Hemhury Fort is the Moridu- 
 num of the ancients. 
 
 • Cox Pitt feeras to imply ihe Ateam, valley, oi; bottom. 
 
 Tlic
 
 C 206 3- 
 
 The BELG/E, SOMERSET, HAMSHIRE, 
 
 WILTSHIRE. 
 The word Bellas has not been underftood. 
 It has been fuppofed to come from BeUce 
 Anger : from Pel remote, and many other 
 inapplicable terms. A part of Belgia was 
 named Swiierfaet, of which we find no juft 
 etymon. Somerfet has been faid to be de- 
 rived from the town of Somerton ; and this 
 from the asftival pleafantnefs of its fituation, 
 air, &c, I fhali juft mention fnch derivar 
 tions, and proceed to confider the rational 
 import of the word. We have many places 
 near fords and ftreams which have the pra?- 
 nomen Soiver or Sumer, We have the river 
 Sim-en in Dorfet, and Sam-fords on ftreams* 
 in every part of the kingdom. Sa/n or Sum 
 comes from amh, am, or urn, ihe fea or water 
 (as does um in Northumberland), withy pre- 
 fixed ; er is border, & Saet or Set as mention- 
 ed in Dorfet : the name will then imply the 
 water border diftri6l. In early times no land in 
 England was more, if fo much, interfe6ledby 
 the fea as this country. Hence if ^ca mean 
 water, as in the river Bcl-au, in Weftmore- 
 land ; or as Bel, in Belij^ia, the old name of 
 Holland and the Netherlands ; and if g^e im- 
 ply
 
 r 207 ] 
 
 ply earth or land, this country would as ap- 
 propriately mean water land as any di(lri6t in 
 England. The lame may be faid of that part 
 of Belgia which lies on the coaft of Hamlhire, 
 if that were a part. Notwithftanding then 
 the opinion of authors, the Be^Ta^ was, from 
 the natural fituation of this country, an ap- 
 propriate name for the people of the diflric^. 
 Bel in Belgia was tranflated Hoi in Holland ; 
 and Hoi is derived from av changed to ou and 
 ol water. Bel alfo comes from mi, al, el, 
 with b prefixed. Bile however being border, 
 the natives (who had loft many words origi- 
 nally applied to the features of nature) tranf- 
 lated the word Bel by cr in Somerfet, and by 
 Ha?n in Hamfhire, or Hamtunlhire. But in 
 Holland Lincolnfhire there is a wapentake, 
 named Avelarid, which is a fynonyme of Hol- 
 land ; and Aveland we cannot millake in ren- 
 dering rt'c?/(?r land : hence Bel implied not 
 border in Belgae ; but this being a fyllable 
 not ufed in common language, and the lan- 
 guage of livers. Sic. being loft, it was con- 
 cluded, as Bile was the neareft common word, 
 that Bel meant border ; and hence er was 
 adopted in Somerfet. It may however be 
 afferted that they tranflated Bel by um, and 
 
 added
 
 t «08 D 
 
 added er or border : but this could not be, 
 for had they thus rendered the word in So- 
 merfet, they would have fo tranfldted it in 
 Hamfhire, for Ham in this name is the fame 
 as er in that ; befides urn is derived from a» 
 or ab as in the Abus or Humber. 
 
 In the county of Somerfet, fome of the 
 Cangii are fuppofed to have been feated: 
 thefe are by Mr. Whitaker and other authors 
 called woodlanders, herdfmen, &:c. ; and the 
 word is fuppofed to be derived from Ceann a 
 head, which it is aflerted, from what authority 
 I know not, to mean alfo a wood. But it will 
 be found that thefe people were dwellers on 
 lakes, Jireams, or arms of the /ea ; and that 
 the word was derived from Can a lake : it 
 Was often adopted in old names, and has ne- 
 ver by our etymologifts been juflly rendered. 
 
 Wiltjliire, or Wiltunjhire, is fuppofed to 
 have been derived from IVilton* formerly its 
 principal town, fituated on the river JVilUjt 
 which means little dream, 
 
 SALTSDURY. 
 In Salop we find Sal to mean hill, is is a 
 diminutive, and Bury implies camp, &:c. — 
 
 The
 
 C 209 3 
 
 The old name was Sordiodunum ; SaJ or Sol, 
 and Sar or Sor imply the fame ; and bi little 
 is the fame as is. Dun implies a fort or 
 camp. The old town was on a little hill — ^ 
 When the fee and the inhabitants were re- 
 moved, they named the new town New Salif- 
 hury : but the fituation happened very un- 
 fortunate for the name — the new little hill is a 
 bottom ! 
 
 BRISTOL, in which are included the Deriva- 
 tions of STOL and STOW. 
 Briftol is faid in Mr. Barrett's hiftory of 
 this city, to have been named " Caer Oder 
 nante Badon." " A name, fays this induftrious 
 colle6lor3 that has puzzled all antiquaries to 
 account for. If one might be allowed to 
 guefs, he continues, the citi/ Oder, in the vale 
 of Bath, might not improbably have been 
 written at firft citi/ Oster ; and by dropping 
 the fibilant letter Jl not unufual among the 
 Biitons after the French, the name Oder 
 ( from OJler) was by them formed, and fo 
 OsTORius, the Roman Proprietor^ may have 
 dignified our city with his name." 
 
 But the words Caer Oder nantt Badon feem 
 not to imply what iMr, B, here imagined. — 
 
 We
 
 We have in Germany the river Oder. Ad or 
 od is water, er may imply great or border, 
 and Caer Oder nante Badon may be rendered 
 great water, or the water border city, in th& 
 valley of Bath. 
 
 Caer Brito, Brite, or Briton was another 
 name of ihis city, the explanation of which 
 Mr. B. feems not better to have underllood. 
 It appears to imply nearly the fame as the 
 la/l. Br has been proved a prefix only in 
 the names of rivers by the chapter on poft- 
 fixes, Od, ed, id, or which is the fame, ot, et, 
 it are fynonymes of water, and derived from 
 ad. We had anciently a river named the //- 
 una, which is now the Eden ; the IdiitnanuSj 
 &c. We have at prefent the Idel, the Lie, 
 the Oder, the Otter, &c. To Id we have Br 
 prefixed in Bridjlow, on the W^ye — in Brid- 
 port — in the river Bride, or as fome call it the 
 Brit — in Briddijlow^ &c. Laftly, there is in 
 Suffolk the river Bretten, at the head of which 
 is Brettenha?Ji, which as e and i were formerly 
 written for each other, is the fame as Britten. 
 But this is a fmall ftream from its ending in 
 en, whilfl the Avon is a large one, and from 
 its augmentative ending may have been named 
 
 B b the
 
 C «i» 3 
 
 the Briton, from whence the city may have 
 taken this denomination. But Briton may 
 be comporccl of Brit a ftream, and on land ; 
 and from the ancient fcite of Briftol, the wa^ 
 ter land would feem the mojl proper denomi" 
 nation. With / or 7? as prefixes, an or on 
 land become in various names of places Tan 
 and Ton, Stan and Sion, and Don ; and im- 
 ply country and town. Or border, or bor- 
 der land, changed to on and ol, with the fame 
 prefixes, become in many places Tou and 
 Tol, or Stow and Stol, and imply what has 
 hitherto been vmexplained, border land or 
 fettlement. Thus we find Briflol latinized, in 
 an old charter of Bidefoid, Briioua ; and 
 as ig and ic were commutable with //, authors 
 have written this name Britjiow, Brigflozv, 
 Bricjlow, &c. Further, this name inay im- 
 ply ///*//, land or town, from Brigh or Bri an 
 hill, and Ton land or town. Laftly, from 
 Brigh an hill, and Stol or Stow a border fet- 
 tlement, may be derived Brighjiow, Brigjlow, 
 Bric/low, Bri/Iozo, and Bri/lul. 
 
 I Ihall confider the parts of this name 
 more at large under the head Britannia, to 
 which this may be confidered an introdu61ion. 
 
 HAMSHIKE
 
 r 212 ] 
 
 HAMSIIIRE 
 Is derived from HaTn border, and the Gae. 
 lie word Sgircy Scire or Schire a divifion. 
 
 The REG MI. 
 Of this appellation every explanation feems 
 conje6>ure only ; and we find no probable 
 fynonyme to compare with it, nor any ra- 
 tional attempt to alcertain the meaning of 
 the name. 
 
 In the variations of the roots for water may 
 be found all thofe which are in the terms for 
 fea ; and the fame names which are applied 
 to ftreams are ufed for places on the fea coaft 
 and for the fea itfelf. Hence in the Iceni the 
 term Ic comes perhaps from Oiche or Oc wa- 
 ter. The Regni will perhaps be found to be 
 derived from a root of a term for water. — 
 Thus Tain is water, and Rain is the fame as 
 at Rairiham ; and, according to General Va- 
 lancey. Rain means the fea.* But as ai was 
 formerly pronounced as e. Rain and Ren are 
 the fame. " When n is confidered a heavy 
 confonant it has a^ added ;" and " at the be- 
 ginning of words pertaining to the feminine 
 
 * Rian is the name by other writen. 
 
 B b 2 gender
 
 gender n is pronounced as frn" Hence Ren 
 would be pronounced and written Regn,^^ 
 Thus the river Tain or Ten, now the Teign 
 and Te/ng, was in the Saxon chronicle written 
 Tegn : hence the Regni may imply dwellers 
 on the water, 
 
 Bui another method may be employed for 
 elucidating this name. Rian is faid to mean 
 the fea : I fhould fufpe6l Li the lea to be 
 changed into Riy and that Rian or Rien 
 meant the little fea, inftead of fea only, as 
 mentioned in Gaelic dictionaries. And ac- 
 cordingly I find it ufed for a branch of the 
 ocean in Lough Rian in Scotland. An or en 
 then in this name may be a diminutive, and 
 llian or Rien by the above may have been 
 pronounced and written Reign or Regn, — 
 The Regni may therefdre have implied inJiR'- 
 liiants of the Utile Jea or channel. 
 
 KENT, or CANTIUM, and CANTERBURY, 
 Mr. O'Halloran derives from Ceann-tir, and 
 refers to the chief town of this county for a 
 confirmation of the truth of his opinion. — 
 But to Ccann an head, a / is often M'ded ; 
 and hence Ceant, Kant, or Kent may mean 
 head. Further, "we have feen that Cant may 
 
 mean
 
 C 214 ] 
 
 mean ftrcam, Er implies border, and Eury 
 a fortrefs : and iicnce Canterbury may mean 
 the ftream border town — which is nearly the 
 import of the Roman Britifli name Durover^ 
 nia, Cant-icnra-hyrg, an old name which 
 comes from Cant a fucam ; TVara border 
 (derived from er ox ar, with zv prefixed), and 
 Byrg a fortrefs or town ; is rendered by our 
 authors, the Kentifli mens' city : and Cant- 
 guar-laudt, which implies the xcater border 
 landy is faid to mean the Kentifh mens" land. 
 
 ROCHESTER 
 Has been miftaken in the etymology of its 
 ancient name Durohrha^ — ihe laft fyllable of 
 which authors have rendered bridge : but in 
 what language Brh or Brha will imply a 
 bridge, fome difficulty will be found in afcer- 
 taininir. A elebrated writer has therefore 
 fuppofed, although he has not flicwn, that it 
 ineans town. ^'was often changed to m ; 
 Briv may therefore be rendered Brim, and 
 may imply as the Engiifh word of the fame 
 name. Moreover the Gaelic term Brigch, 
 according to Lhuvd, isb..rder; and he has 
 fl^ewn that ch was feme times by the Romans 
 changed to :; : hence Briv may imply brim 
 
 or
 
 C 215 3 
 
 ©r border. The names for land, border, &c, 
 were the names of the fettlements upon them ; 
 and hence Briv may have implied town.— r 
 The Saxons named this place Hrove Cenjier 
 and Rove-Ceajler, Rove may be derived from 
 av or ov water, with the prefix hr ov r, which 
 has been proved a prefix in Riv-cr, and in 
 other names of ftreams. Ro in Rochefter is 
 a contra61ion of Rove. 
 
 The TRINOBANTES 
 Have been fuppofed to mean the city of 
 7/75 new comers in Mr. Whitaker's Manchelter; 
 in which explanation the city feems more to 
 be confidered than the country, or its inhabi- 
 tants. In the Cambrian Regiflcr therefore 
 the word Tranovant is laid to mean the coun- 
 try beyond the ftreams, and from this the au- 
 thor fuppofes the word Trinobantes to be 
 derived. But neither will this agree with the 
 old mode of naming places. We had the 
 Trinius,* now the Tern among the Corna- 
 vii ; and Trin or Treii means ftream, as in 
 this river, or as in the Trent ^ formerly Tren, 
 O, if not a Latin termination, may be an aug- 
 ment, and Fonn and Vonn imply land or 
 
 • See Baxter's Gloffary. 
 
 country;
 
 [ 216 3 
 
 country ; Trlnovonti, Trinovanri, or TriiW' 
 •vant will therefore imply the great ftream 
 country. The Trinohaiites, inhabitants of 
 this country. 
 
 LONDON. 
 Below the ground whereon Ludgate was 
 fituated, lies Fleet Ditch. Lud or Lod is Ga- 
 elic for a pond ; and this word alfo denotes 
 the llream which runs through this ditch. — 
 Authors however alTert that 7i'/V/gL//ri changed 
 the name of this city, and built the gate ; 
 GcofTery, of Monmouth^ liater-, that he altered 
 the old name of Troynovant to Lundain, or 
 Lud's Tozvn, notwithftanding he was ftoutly 
 oppofed herein by Nennius : and Sammes, in 
 examining FLr/le2;ari, exhorts us to " let the 
 King enjoy the honour of that ftruclure, 
 whofe very mute ftatue, then on the gate, 
 feemed to call out againft thofe who would 
 deprive him of it." The la ft author would 
 not admit that Ludgate took its denomination 
 from Lud, and alTerted that the final Ivllable 
 was not Britifti, but Saxon. 
 
 It is the lot of writers to err, but Mr. 
 Sammes takino^ for granted what his difloval 
 antagonift had advanced, found no refource 
 
 f(jr
 
 C ^17 ] 
 
 for refuting him, but by reference to the fta- 
 tue ! The word Lud, however, may imply a 
 pond, pool, ditch, and even water or dream ; 
 and from the Gaelic word Gcatn, gate is alfo 
 derived ; and hence Lud and Gate were ori- 
 ginally terms of the oldcll Britifh language. 
 
 Other derivations which have been given 
 for London, are from Luna, a name of Diana 
 — from Lindiis, a city of Rhodes — from Lug^ 
 dus, a Britidi Prince — from Llan-Dyn-, the 
 temple of Diana — from hundain, the Tames 
 bank town — from Llhwri, a wood, and Dinas^ 
 a town — from Lhojig, a. fliip, ctnd Dinas, a 
 town — and from Lou, a plain, and Don, an 
 liill Every writer on London exhibits a new 
 etymon, and the reader will expe6l me to fol- 
 low cuftom. 
 
 Two derivations of this name naturally 
 arife from its fituation, although a rational 
 one has not even to this day been attempted. 
 
 FIRST, 
 
 Lon may be derived from o//, a fynonymc 
 of an water, with / prefixed : thus we have 
 the river Lun or Lone. This letter / has been 
 proved a fcrvile, and in the Hebrew is ac- 
 counted
 
 ■ Z 2i« 3 
 
 coiKited a prepofition implying upon, Slc. 
 but in ftreams, it feems like other prefixes, 
 ufed only to form proper names. Lon then 
 v/ill mean flream : D may have been added 
 to ftrengthen the found of the firft fyllable, 
 or taken as a prefix to on teriitory, for bet- 
 ter conne6ling the compound word ; London 
 will mean, in either cafe, the fiream territory. 
 
 SECO N DLYp 
 
 Lion may othcrwife, from the Gaelic, im- 
 ply a marjh or lake, and Van now Don, a 
 faltnefs, fortrels, or land ; and Londun or 
 I^ondon may mean the marlh or lake fortrefs, 
 or land. 
 
 Casfar, in his fecond expedition into Bri- 
 tain, firft pafled the Tames. Speaking of his?- 
 place ofpalTage, and of thisr;ver, he ufes thefe 
 remarkable words : — " It is fordable only ia 
 ONE TLACE,* and that with great difficulty"—^ 
 Upon the fituation of this ford modern au- 
 thors difagree; Camden, and fome other 
 writers, fuppofe it to have been at Co-wy 
 Stakes : Maitland oppofite the higher fide of 
 Chelfea hofpital. 
 
 * Duncan's Cacfar. 
 
 C c From
 
 From the prefent depth of the riVer at 
 Chelfea^ no decifive argument can be drawn ; 
 for the bedii of rivers vary from floods, from 
 embankments, which have particularly taken 
 place on this \eiy part of the llream, and 
 from other caufcs. Moreover no evidences, 
 either in ancient or modern times, are re- 
 corded, that flakes in the fides or in the bot- 
 tom of the river, mentioned by Casfar, have 
 ever been produced in favour of Cheljea, 
 
 From tradition not more light is often dif- 
 covered ; but names of places out-live ages.— 
 Bede, fpeakingon the fubjecl of Cowij Stakes, 
 fays '' the fooifteps whereof (the ftakes) are 
 feen to this day ; and it appears on the view 
 that each of them is as thick as a man's thigh, 
 and that beirg foldcred with lead, they ftick 
 to the bottom of the river immoveable." 
 
 The word Cowi/ throws more light on the 
 fubje61. The word comes from av water, 
 changed to cu, with c prefixed. "We have the 
 Cov-er a river in Yorlfhire j the Coiv-en, a 
 ill earn in Caermarthenlliive ; and the river 
 Coui/ in Scotland, on which Jhallow Jlrcam 
 the tovn cf Cowy flands. The / or ^ is a di- 
 minutive,
 
 C 220 ] 
 
 mlnutive, and Qowi/ Stakes imply the Jhalloxo 
 water Jlakes, 
 
 After pafling Cowy Stales, the conqueror 
 began his march, of which we have no certain 
 accounts, except that it was through the do- 
 minions of Caffivellanus, on the north of the 
 Tames. The advances of his cavalry were 
 fharply contefled, and this part of his army 
 was finally ordered to accompany the legions. 
 The Trinobantes and other nations, in the 
 mean time, fubmitted ; and from thefe Casfar 
 found that he was not far from Caffi^ella- 
 nus's town. '' A town, we are informed in 
 the commentaries among the Britons, was no- 
 thing but a thick wood fortified zcith a ditch 
 and rampart, to ferve as a place of retreat 
 againfl the incurfions of enemies." It con- 
 tained cabins for the garrilbn, and ere6lions 
 for its cattle. The country is reprefented 
 2isfiill of houfes^ built after the manner of the 
 Gauls.* 
 
 *' Surrounded with woods and marfhes'* lay 
 the chief of the Britilh fortrefifes. Its fitua- 
 tion, though difputed, is fuppofed to have 
 
 f Cafar's Commentaries, 
 
 C c 2 been
 
 t «2^ ] 
 
 been at Camulodiinum or Maiden.^ ** Ca- 
 muloduniim is accounted, by the hiftorian of 
 Manchefler, merely the title of a camp. — 
 Camii/ushe'wg one of the Britifli denomina- 
 tions for Mars, and Dunum fignifying a 
 TOWN." For proofs we are referred to Cam- 
 den, Ca^far, and Gruter. Thefe are authori- 
 ties ^ve AviHi not to conteft ; but Camden 
 ipeaks not fo decifively. *' I dare not ven- 
 ture> he flates, to fay that this place was fo 
 called from the god Camulus ; and yet that 
 Mars was worfhipped under this name ap- 
 pears from an old ftone at Rome, in the houfe 
 of the Colloti, and from altars that have been 
 found with this infcription^CAMULo Deo 
 
 SANCTO ET FORTISSIMO." 
 
 That the Britons fhould have given thia 
 camp or town the name of Camu/us or JMars^ 
 is I conceive improbable ; for I find no 
 town, fettlement, or fortrefs in Britain, of 
 zvhi'ch I have exainined the etymohygij, (al- 
 though fome there may be) dedicated by 
 thefe people to a Pagan deity ; but named 
 from its fituation on ftreams, hills, plains, &c. 
 
 t Some fay Colchefter, 
 
 Camalldun,
 
 t 222 3 
 
 Cainalldiin, Camolldun, or Camulldiinrm^h'i 
 have been the name, and Camii, which is 
 found on old coins, ihe abbreviation o^CamuU 
 as Briio was of BritonJ^ And this being fo 
 nearly like the Roman Camu/iis, might alfo 
 be fo written by that people. Bat Camall, 
 CamoU, or Cauiull means great Jiream, from 
 Cam a Jiream^ and a//, oil, or /^i/, great ; and" 
 D/y/z on hill, Jortrefs, or /ow/z. And this 
 might appropriately anfwer to Colchefter or 
 Maiden. 
 
 It may however be infifled that this was a 
 Roman colony, and that it received a Roman 
 name. But this is giving up the Britijh ap- 
 pellation and the fortrefs altogether : and as 
 1 cannot find that Camulm was originally a 
 Britijh denomination for Mars^ I fubmit to 
 better judges the name Camulodimum* 
 
 The ancient fcite of London was about 1 9 
 miles from Cowy Stakes. From Maitland's 
 defcription of the old foundation of this city 
 (which was very low) to which I refer my 
 readers, and from the natural fituation of the 
 grounds around, it appears to have h^en fur" 
 
 * Sec word Brijlol. 
 
 rounded
 
 [ 225 ] 
 
 rounded with marjhes, which in thefe and later 
 limes were overg»'own with woods; and Lon, 
 the firft part of the name, if rellri6led to the 
 interpretation of Marsh^ may corroborate it. 
 Would an inhabitant on the banks of the 
 Tames conceive it advifeable in fuch cafe to 
 travel 60 or 70 mi es to Camulodimum, fitu- 
 ated ON AN EMINENCE, werc he informed the 
 place he fearched for was at ay/w5//di(iance, 
 and Jlronnly for tijir d with woods and marjkes, 
 and that the name implied the marjhfortrefs? 
 
 But it fecms that when Claudius conquered 
 this country, the capital was known to be at 
 C amid oih mum ; and therefore Cokhefitr or 
 Maiden was the fortrefs taken by Casfar ! — • 
 But this is not a very happy conclufion : fur 
 \[ Lcndun or the marjli fortrefs were taken 
 and deftroyed by Caefai'y the inhabitants would 
 naturally fly to other faftneffes, and erect their 
 flandaids without the reach of the enemy. 
 
 Being beat fiom their marPi, fituaicd 
 wherever this may have been, thev retired to 
 zr\ hill ; and here finding themfelvcs fafe, 
 they continued for fi^me lime ; but the Bri- 
 tors being conquered, and brought into fub- 
 je61iOn by Cluudius, and the Romans finding 
 
 the
 
 the Tames the fafeft harbour, and this place 
 the beft ftaticn for commerce, they invited 
 inhabitants to fettle en this fpc^t. In a few 
 years Londcn is faid to have become the 
 principal fettlement. Thus rapidly might 
 their refpeQ for an old. fortrefi increafe the 
 population of the new town. 
 
 To conclude, the reader will confult Cajfar, 
 examine his operations on the north of the 
 Tames, and compare with thefe the diftance 
 o^Co-wy SiaJces from London. Should his 
 marches be confidercd to have been direfted 
 in a flraicrJit line, and to have extended to a 
 • greater diftance than this, fome other fpot 
 muft claim the honour of our ancient for- 
 trefs. In favour of this town we have gi\tTi 
 all that can confiflently be urged ; and have 
 only further to remark, that it feems to bear 
 a denomination which carries its antiquity to 
 the firjl naming of habitations on ftreams» 
 and much beyond the modern accounis of 
 its foundation. 
 
 From what has been faid in .(he foregoing 
 pages, we find Camail, Cainoll, and Camull 
 mezint great /I ream ; and we. know ti.at the 
 Ca/HEL, otherwife the Alxn, a liver in Corn- 
 wall,
 
 Avail, implies the liitkjlream ; and that el is 
 generally a diminutive. 
 
 "In Englifh fome fubftantives have the 
 form of diminutives ; but thefe are not many, 
 and are formed by addinp^ the terminations 
 Icin, lingy in 2;, ock, en, and e/, and the like ; as 
 Iamb, lambkin ; goofe, gofling ; duck, duck- 
 ling ; hill, hillock; chick, chicken; cock, 
 cockerel, &c." Jience it feems to follow, 
 that the broad vowels generally conveyed the 
 idea of a great ftream, and the narrow one$, 
 at leait in nioft cafes, that of a fmall one.— • 
 But as/ and r have teen proved commutable, 
 ar, or, or ur were fubllituted for aU, c//, or 
 ull :* and er and />, for ell and /'//. But the 
 endings of ftreams being corrupted from time, 
 er is fubftituted for ar in (he Tamar, now 
 wriiten Tamer ; en for iin in the liiina, now 
 the Eden ; en or em for an in the habriana, 
 
 ■ • I have often conceived that er, ur, kc. border, may m old 
 Hitticx be changed to c/, ul, Sec. ; but this I only mention, 
 without dating to determine for myfclf. 1 have found theni 
 changed in fticams, wiiere a very great variety required the 
 change j but for the word border, no neccfTiiy for fuch varia- 
 tion may have cxifted ; ahhough Camuldonurp mif ht be very 
 well expla-ned by ihcjirear: bonier hill. The (amc may be 
 f^d of 0!< as of ol or u!» 
 
 iioy/
 
 [ 226 J 
 
 now the Severn. Even er in Gaelic diftiona- 
 ries feems to have loft its analogy ; and is ex- 
 plained by great, whilft from the fize of fome 
 ftreams (if er mean not in them border) it 
 evidently implies little. 
 
 On the contrary, an rendered little in ma- 
 ny of our rivers, was I conceive written ori- 
 ginallye/z; thus the Zow an, a river in De- 
 von, was anciently written Lofiizu ; Rhyn, 
 in the Cornifh, was a hill, and Rhyn^^ a hil- 
 lock ; and a/z, on, or iin, which mean great, 
 noble, Sec. were in old times attached to large 
 rivers, and ufed as augmentatives. Hence 
 fome confufion arifes from not preferving 
 analogy. But as this takes place more or 
 lefs in all languages, it is no wonder it Ihould 
 have obtained in the names of rivers, whofe 
 principles have been, at leaft partly unknown, 
 for more than 2000 years. 
 
 Under the article Ilm'cdi I (hall explain 
 fuch poftfixes in the endings of ftreams, as 
 have not already been fpoken of. 
 
 COLCHESTER. 
 The Derivation of this Town is fuppofed 
 to come cither from Col in Colonm Camitlo' 
 
 D d diinum.
 
 [ J?«7 ] 
 
 dunnm, or from the River CoTne. In the 
 Saxon Chronicle, (o which the Reader muft 
 not always truft, the ftreani is named the 
 CulnCt and the eity Colne-ceajler. 
 
 fThe following fhould have been inferted 
 after Hamjhire. or Hamtunjhire, the border 
 land dillria.3 
 
 V£Cf IS'/VeCTA, MlCWs,ICtis, and 
 WIGHT. 
 
 Names whofe etymologies have fo long 
 been fought for in vain, fliould be touched 
 with trembling rather than fearlefs hands j. 
 but I have undertaken the tafk, and mull not 
 '«lefift. 
 
 " Wight is generally fuppofed to come 
 from Giiith, a breach or dhijion alluding to 
 thcfuppojed feparation of this ifland from the 
 main land." " Or from its Latin appellation 
 VeEiis, a word fignifying a bar or bolt !"* 
 
 But Fc8is is derived from Fich or Vich 2i. 
 country, an etymon not hitherto mentioned. 
 After n we have Ihewn that d and / are often 
 
 • Worflcy'3 Ifleof Wight. Mr. Whltaker alfo derives le^ 
 
 from Guiil or C'atbf divorced or feparatcd ; Cuid-it will co»' 
 
 ^cjuently be the little feparated ! 
 
 fubjoined
 
 fiibjoined to ftrengthen the found of a fylla- 
 ble : after r in the Dowrowy, and in the 
 I>arTy, they were added in the fame manner ; 
 
 ;flfter Pick or Vic the / was added in the like 
 way : thus the Gaelic word Direach is now in 
 Englifli written DireB^ and means ftraight, 
 
 ..&c. Is, is moft probably a diminutive ; al- 
 
 rthough it may mean water, and come from 
 ad, at, as, as in the introduction. Hence VeC' 
 
 jis or PUchtis will mean i\vQlittk territory, &c. 
 
 Ve6la, FeQan^ or VeBaii means alfo the lit- 
 tle or water territory, from au water, and 
 Ved: as before ; or from .Ve6i, and a or an 
 littki 
 
 J\Ii8is is the fame zs ViBis-^the ^«and v 
 iare converiible. 
 
 J8is — IcJi is the root of Vich, lich, and 
 Mich, as it is of Crich, Toich, and Bich, which 
 alfo mean territory, country^ &c. I6iis im- 
 plies therefore the little territory or zcater 
 land. 
 
 Wiglit comes from, F/c7z/ or lVicht\ for as 
 c and ^ are convertible, Wicht and IVight 
 •were written for each other. 
 
 Dd 2 WINCHESTER,
 
 C 229 ] 
 
 WINCHESTER, formerly VENTA BEL- 
 GARUM. 
 
 Mr. "Whitaker fays that ttie proper Belgas 
 had Winchefter for their Venta or head town. 
 Mr. Pegge, in the firfl vol. of the Archasolo- 
 gia, imagined that Kenta Belgariim, North 
 and South Winfdd, and other places, were 
 named f^om the culture of the vine in Bri- 
 tain. But it feems evident from the an- 
 tiquity of the appellation, that thefe name? 
 •were given before vines were planted in this 
 kingdom ; and as Dr. Mufgrave cited by Mr. 
 P. fuppofed the etymon of Venta had not 
 been afcertained, I will endeavour to fupply 
 this defeat. 
 
 This town is fituated " on the weftern de- 
 clivity, and bottom of a hill, by the river Itch- 
 ^nr In Camd.en's Britannia this flreani is 
 alfo called Aire, from its running through 
 Ahesjord : in which inftance the laR town is 
 fuppofed (how truly I know not) to have 
 taken its name from the llream. From the 
 fame and other reafons, I luppofe Venta may 
 have been derived from the river which runs 
 by it. lichen is a word which comes from 
 Jch water, and en a diminutive. We have 
 found (i or / olten added after tz; Van, a fy* 
 
 iionyme
 
 C 250 3 
 
 nonynie of an o\ ean water, changed to Van, 
 will become Vand, as in the Vandei. And 
 Uen or Ven will become Vent, the name of a 
 iftream in Cumberland. We had Ifca Silu- 
 rum, Ifca Danmoniorum, Venta Siliirum, 
 Venta Belgarum, and Venta Icenorum, the 
 4aft of thefe on the West Ji/m or Went Jeamh. 
 The three laft are on fmall ilreams, the two 
 firft not ; and therefore, as a implies hill, and 
 thele places lie on hills, the terms Ifca and 
 Vcnia may imply Itream hill : but as a may 
 he a contra6iion oi an, on, or aon, country or 
 ierritory, the ftream territory or fettlement. 
 
 BERKSHIRE. 
 Juft as appropriately as the foregoing 
 names has Berklhire been explained ; and in 
 this (late, our ignorance of the derivations of 
 the proper names, not only of counties, but 
 of all the towns, rivers, hills, vallies, and 
 plains around us, proclaims the moft aftonifh- 
 ing indifference of mankind, to the examina- 
 tion of the names of things, which lie every 
 day before them, which time ever witncffed. 
 
 *' BerJiJliire, fays an author, was written in 
 the moll early annals Bear wucpiire ; the En- 
 gliffj Saxons alte;wards .wrote it Berroc fnjre, 
 
 from
 
 I 251 3 
 
 from whence the prefent name of Bcrkfhirc 
 is immediately derived. Some, fays he, have 
 fuppofcd this name to have been originally 
 ■derived from that of a wood which produced 
 great quantities of box, named Beroke or 
 Burroc ; others imagine the county took its 
 name from a difbarked or bare oak in the fo- 
 reft of Windfor, to which the inhabitants 
 xifed to refort in times of danger, and confult 
 about public afTairs." I might tranfcribe fuch 
 ftories without end, in the derivations of 
 names in this and every other diftri6l : but I 
 mud confine myfelf to few iuftanccs for ehi- 
 cidating my fubjef^. 
 
 " The Rhcmi of Gaul, in the neighbour- 
 hood of Bibrax, coming over in a colony to 
 iBritain, fays Mr. Whitaker, and fettling in 
 the eailern parts of Berkfhire, conftru61ed tlje 
 aiew city of Bibracte, and formed the new 
 itribe of the Bibroces i" This reader is an 
 example, of one of the many paflhges which 
 we conjlantly encounter, and where hiftoric 
 truth is violated. 
 
 Berkfliire is a narrow county, lying in its 
 sreatell extent on the border of the Tames 
 from call to v;eft. Bir or Ber is water ; Qc 
 
 or
 
 •» 
 
 or TF'uc in this, as well as in feveral other 
 names of places, which will be explained, 
 means territory; and the word implies the 
 "water or fir earn territory. 
 
 The people of this country were named 
 Bibroci. B, to avoid the clafhing of vowels, 
 was written by the Romans for ii ; Bibroci 
 may therefore be read Biuroci, from which 
 the name in the Saxon annals is immediately 
 derived. And as Bior and Biur is water, 
 and oc, uc, 8zc. is territory or border land, 
 the Bibroci were the dwellers on the water, or 
 ftream territory. Thus were thefe people 
 evidently named from the natural fituation of 
 their land, and derived not their appellation 
 from being defcendants of a foreign colony. 
 We fliall fhew the fame in every diftrift of the 
 kingdom. 
 
 READING, Berks, 
 Is derived perhaps as the river Bead, m 
 Northumberland : its root is ad or ead, with 
 T prefixed. In implies land, country, or 
 town. Ing is faid by General Valiancy to 
 imply a corner ; but in this fyllable g is ad- 
 ded to make n a heavy conionant. 
 
 WINDSOR,
 
 C 235 3 
 
 WINDSOR, Berks, 
 In the Saxon chronicle named Windlefofra, 
 Windlejoure, and Windlefora, has in Norman 
 times been ^vritten WindleJJiora, &c. This 
 name is, by antiquaries, rendered JFindinor 
 Jhore. Even our great poet, in his Windfor 
 Foreft, thus exprefles himfelf : 
 
 " Oh would'fl thou fing what Heroes Windfor 
 
 bore. 
 What Kings firfl breath 'd upon her Winding 
 
 Shore," 
 
 But the poet wrote not as an etymologift, 
 although our etymologifls often write like 
 poets. 
 
 Rivers feldom flow in dire6t courfcs; and 
 water is never perhaps derived from the 
 crookedncfs of its flream. But it is the cuf- 
 tom of antiquaries to render names of Itreams 
 by qualities. Thus the Cajn is faid to implv 
 crooked. El is a diminutive ending : the 
 Cam-el mud therefore be the little crooked ; 
 although its ftream is more crooked than the 
 Cam. 
 
 W indie fora and Winding Jliore are faid Xo 
 
 imply
 
 [ 234 3 
 
 imply the fame ; and the latter to be a tranf- 
 lation of the former, which is accounted 
 Saxon. To the laft lan'^uage I have feldom 
 referred ; and as Mr. Lewis, in the article 
 Honiton, found a difficulty in the convertibility 
 of c to hy fo here will the reader find the fame 
 in changing le to ing. 
 
 In derivations there are, as Mr. Evans on 
 the Severn fays, fome things on which " the 
 moft able antiquaries have racked their brains 
 in vain, and candidly owned themfelves at 
 the moft perfe6l lofs." Juil fo do I, who am 
 not an antiquary, find myfelf bewildered, be- 
 tween JVindlefora and IVinding fhore. 
 
 But leaving one of thefe I will endeavour 
 to explain the other. Vin in Vinovium has 
 been proved to imply hill; and as d and t 
 are commutable, and often added after n, 
 Vi'jid and TVind might mean the fame. It 
 was ufual to add fome word denoting border 
 in the names of places fituated on the fides of 
 hills and flreams ; and the word earr^ er, or, 
 cir, or zyrwas varied by prefixes to difiinguifli 
 one diftri61: from another.* Thus B-ear 
 
 * See the word Bear or Berc, Worth and Worthy. 
 
 E e meant
 
 [ 255 ] 
 
 meant border, in Kenti/beare, in Roclclfcare,. 
 and in Beer, near Seaton : Ver was border in 
 Silverton : and S-er or S-or is the fame in 
 JVindJor or Windfer. In time tbel'e border 
 appellations became the names of the lands 
 around, and finally of the towns upon them. 
 
 Fra and Fre were fometimes written for 
 fer, as in Il-fra-comhe, on the north fea, De- 
 von, ^xoviowwztdillftrcombc, and in Silverton^ 
 Devon, written in doomfday Sulfreion : but 
 in Whidlefofra the f feems to be an inferted 
 letter never articulated. 
 
 In Windlefora, or rather Wind-el-fora, i( all 
 
 an augment, and not e/l a diminutive, were 
 
 originally the prefix to Win, then this name 
 
 may be derived from Uin or Win a fynonynae 
 
 of Ean water, as fhewn in the introdu61ion ; 
 
 and Wind-all-fora may in this cafe imply the 
 
 great Jlream border or town. But as this place 
 
 lies on a very remarkable lillU. hill, til is likely 
 
 to have been the poflfix, and the name feems 
 
 to have been given from the fituation of the 
 
 hill on the Tames ; or from the pofition of 
 
 the town on the fide and bottom of the hill. 
 
 If it hath taken its denomination from the 
 
 firft, it meant originally the border ^ little hill : 
 
 if
 
 [ 236 J 
 
 if from the ferond it implied the little hill 
 lorder or town. 
 
 The ICENI, CENIMANNI, &c. 
 The firfl: has been derived from Ychen ox- 
 en, from iZe";/ a wedge, and from the Ife, now 
 the Oiife ; the change, fay authors, from Ifi 
 to /ce was very natural. The C^/</, Y-cen-i, 
 or Cen-om-es are rendered by Mr. Whi taker 
 the head ones ; the Ceriimagni\ &c. the head 
 men. And he fuppoles thefe derived from 
 the Cenoinanni of the continent ! But Ic-en 
 may come from Oiche changed to Ich or Ic 
 water, and en land. Many parts of this pro- 
 vince, which are on water or on ftreams, ftill 
 retain the praenomen Ic or Ick, in the names 
 of their pariflies. 
 
 Befides the common derivations of the 
 Cenimanniy the reader will obferve that Cen 
 may be derived as hereafter, or from Ceann 
 an head. Man may be derived as the ifland 
 o'i Mona, ox Manna; orasil/<9« or Man in 
 Danmon, and imply land. Nor may mean 
 water, or border, coaji ox head ; andJFb/ytbe 
 a tranflation of Manni, miflaken for Macne 
 a tribe. Again, Fioch, Foch, or Fake, land, 
 may have been ufed as a fynonyme oi J\ J an ; 
 
 E e 2 and
 
 C 257 3 
 
 and have been miftaken for the word Folk. — < 
 To r in Nor, a d was often added ; and hence 
 -ZVb/-fi?and JsCorth may have been early readings 
 of this name. 
 
 Should Cenunanni be a fynonynious read- 
 ing of Iceniy then the reader will derive Ceii 
 from an water, or from Can or Cen a lake or 
 ftream. He will alfo find Nor the fame as the 
 river Nore^ to be derived from av the fea or 
 ■water, changed to an, ar, and or, to which // 
 was prefixed to form its proper name. Suv or 
 SufyN'iW alfo be found a fynonyme of JsTor, 
 and to be derived from the fame word av 
 or itv^ withyprcfixed to vary its proper name. 
 The Ccnimarmi may imply inhabitants of the 
 lake or water land, or of the head land. 
 
 Moreover the reader will obferve, that the 
 new names of diltricls were generally fyno- 
 nymes of the old denominations ; but that the 
 words JVortJifoIk and SoutJifolk defcribc not 
 the lands of the Iceni; nor are they tranfla- 
 tions of the word. One of thefe denomina- 
 tions alfo denotes people as SouthfolJc, who 
 have neighbours more foutherly : from all 
 which it will appear that thefe words like 
 
 JVeJhnorelnnd
 
 Wejlmoreland may be corruptions of the ori- 
 ginal ones. 
 
 The CAM 
 Has been derived by every writer from the 
 adje61;iveC7c7/72 crooked ; the Camel'' in Corn- 
 wall may therefore be dra\vn from the fame 
 fource ; but as el is a diminutive, the Camel 
 will imply the /////(? rroiJ^-e(:/, although it has a 
 more winding courfc than the Cain. Thefe 
 appellations exhibit two more inflances of 
 folly in adopting adjectives for explaining 
 the names of places. The Cam is derived 
 from amh or am water, with c prefixed. C 
 is alfo a prefix to an water, in Can, a lake or 
 flream. 
 
 CANTABRIG, GRANTABRIGE. and 
 CAMBRIGE. 
 From Cantalupe's hiftory of Cambridge 
 the following is extracted : " In the year of 
 the world 43 21, 3 75 years before Chrill, Gur- 
 gunt, fon of Belin, King of Britain, returning 
 from Denmark, difcovcred thirty fliips, in 
 which were Partholaym and Canteber, bro- 
 thers and fovereigns of Cantabra, in Spain, 
 
 * Named alfo tlic Ai-an, in which name an is alfo a diminutive, 
 
 with
 
 [ 2S9 ] 
 
 ^vith their families and friends. Thefe had 
 been expelled their country. Gurgunt pity- 
 ing their dillrefs, fent Partholaym to Ireland ; 
 and Cantcber, who was educated at Athens, 
 he conducted to England, gave him Guen- 
 olenna, his daughter, to wife, and the eaf- 
 tern part of England, as her dower. — Can- 
 teber improved his new territory, founded 
 Caer Grant, named from his fon the Earl of 
 Grantin. In Latin it was termed Cnnte from 
 Canteber the founder, from whence came 
 Cantabrigia." Thus far hiflory ; but I mufl 
 further inveftigate the origin of thefe names. 
 
 The river Cam was foimerly named Grari" 
 ta ; but at Cambridge it was doubtlefs very 
 early denominated Cnnla. Each of thefe 
 terms is derived from an water, to which d or 
 / is added in this, as well as other appella- 
 tions of iireams, to ftrengthen the found of 
 the fyllable. Thus from ari or en are derived 
 the rivers Ande, in Hamfhire, and the Kent, in 
 Weflmoreland. The prefixes gr, c, or /i arc 
 explained in the introdu6lion ; they ferve 
 generally to dillinguifli one fcttlement from 
 another. But Grinita and Cania are tonfi- 
 dered as ancient names of this town. The 
 reader will obferve, that buth Can and Canta 
 
 imply
 
 imply lake in the Gaelic language. The ri- 
 ver Auheg^, in Ireland, ^vhich means little wa- 
 ter, from an water, and beg little, is alio 
 named MuUa, derived from Mul a. ft ream, 
 and nn a diminutive evidently contracted to 
 to ^ ; juft fo might Grant a and Cant a de- 
 note a little ftream or lake, from Cant or 
 Grant a lake or ftream, and a the contra61ion 
 of the fame diminutive. 
 
 Brig, in Cantahrig, may not have been de- 
 rived as all our authors have imagined, from 
 Bridge yhui from Bntg, a village or borough, 
 t/) according to Lhuyd, has in our oldeft or- 
 thography three pronunciations, of which he 
 reckons the firft as oo, the fecond as y or im 
 Fual, pronounced Fial, the third as ij or / 
 in Bird or Third. Bri/g then may have been 
 pronounced and written Brig, as it is in Ca/i- 
 tabrig ; and this name may mean the litde 
 lake or ftream town, or the lake or ftream 
 town ; Cambridze the ftream town. In De- 
 von we have the town o^ King (bridge, where 
 the rivulet muft have been always fo llcnder, 
 that no bridge over it could have beftowed. 
 the name. This place was, I apprehend. 
 Terra Regis, and meant, the King's village — 
 Budgeisnter ^s'^?>m docmfday iirz/g-i- ; it was 
 
 given
 
 C 2H 3 
 
 given to Walter de Doway, and from thence 
 an ancient name was Brugge-If^alter, which is 
 Walter's borough or town. Perhaps, fays 
 Mr, Collin Ton, the idea of the town receiving 
 its name from the bridge will never be totally 
 rclinquifhed. Againfl the above obfervations 
 it may be remarked, that Brige is Bridge in 
 the Saxon language, that Simon of Durham, 
 the Saxon chronicle, Hoveden, and others, 
 wrote it Brige, Brie, and Bricge, which are 
 Saxon words for Bridge. But it may be re- 
 plied, that Canta is Gaelic and not Saxon, and 
 that Brig muft be accounted Gaelic alfo * — 
 ^fid hence the town mujl have been an ancient 
 Bvitifli fettlement. In the local hiflorics of 
 counties and towns, many millaken etymons 
 are exhibited ; and thele form very confide- 
 rable portions of works : eventually, howe- 
 
 * In Hennock and other articles, I have given examples to 
 Ihew that words from the fame language fliould be enijilojcd. 
 The grammarian may rationally amufe himfelf with tracing the 
 affinity of the names in old languages ; but the antiquary 
 need not exhibit the confullon of Babe!, by citing al! the 
 Celtic languages, nor by forming words from all the chiming 
 appellations which his reading may fupp'y : it is fufficicnt 
 that he difcovers from what language names were given, and 
 without any other foreign aid. that renders them according to 
 their original and natural import, 
 
 ver,
 
 C ^42 ] 
 
 ver, fuch parts may be re-written, and Brido-e 
 in Kingfbrid^e, Bridgewater, & even in Cn??i^ 
 bridge, like Ridge in the Turridge, may give 
 place to the ancient and incontrovertible or- 
 thography. 
 
 CAMBORICUM, 
 
 Thus written in Antoninus — by Richard, of 
 Cirencefter, Camjorica Colonia, has been ac- 
 counted Cambridge. Dr. Saikcly fuppofed 
 an old ftation at Chefterford this place ; Dr* 
 Gale imagined ir to be near Cambridge ; and 
 Dr. Horfeley at Icklingham. AH thefe and 
 other opinions I (hall pafs by, and confider 
 the import of the word only, Cam-hor-icum 
 or Cainhoriginn has been fuppofed to be 
 formed of Camh or Cambo, and riciim, which 
 laft has been written by fome authors ritiun • 
 and has generally been underftood, from what 
 authority I know not, to mean a pafTage or 
 ford. In ancient compound names we are 
 often prefented with doubtful divifions, and 
 fancy has given them many an explanation. 
 In this name C^;« means llream, bor is bor- 
 der, and ic, already explained, means territory 
 or <own. Hence -Camhoricum meant the 
 ftream border feitlement. 
 
 Ff ELV
 
 ELY 
 Has been derived from £c/ a fi/h, becauftf 
 eels abound in the water around this place ; 
 from Hdig a willow * which grows in plenty io 
 this plac?, w'.isre fcirc:? any other tree is now 
 to be found/' and from the word Holy. Thus 
 conltanliy do We encounter fancy in the jin- 
 gle of terms ! In Hill and He.'l, words adopt- 
 ed in the compofition of names, the root is 
 Hi o' eU, and is derived from au an hillj 
 changed to a//, ell or ft . Fly is a diminutive 
 noun, and feems \o be derived from the liUle 
 hill Oil which it ftands. 
 
 NORWICH and IPSWICH. 
 J\'or in ihe firil name has been rendered 
 JVorth as in Norihfolk, and wich confidered of 
 an uncertain import. But Nor may be de- 
 rived as the river J^ore, in Ireland, from a.v 
 changed to au^ oil, and or, with the prefix n, 
 which forms proper names. Thus the Adder 
 a ft ream is alfo named Nadder : but or is alfo 
 border, and Nor may be the fame. Norwich, 
 which lies on the Yare, may imply the ftream 
 or border territory or town. 
 
 Jjjfccirht formerly Gipjwich, like Norwich 
 may alio be derived from the Ilream on which 
 
 it
 
 [ 244 J 
 
 It lies. We have G'ihfmere, in Nottingham, 
 and the river Glppin^, in Siiff)lk ; and this 
 lad is derived from av, ap, ip, with «• prefixed, 
 as is iprwich. fFi'ch will be explained in 
 the following pages. 
 
 HUNTINGTON or IirNTINGDON. 
 This is the name of an old fettlement which 
 is rendered by our etymologifts the Hunter's 
 Down. In the p. -tide Honiton or IJwiiton, 
 Devon, it is fh?wn, that Hofi^ Hun, and Hun 
 may imply ft ream ; Tin, Ten, Tan, Ton or 
 Don means land. We have feveral Hunting- 
 tons and Huntingdons on fmall ftreams, and 
 two Huntingfords on a fmall flream in Glou- 
 ceftcrfliire, which mean little ftream fords. 
 
 The CORITANI and their Cities. 
 The Coritani have been faid to come fromi 
 the land of Pits and Vooh ; but in this cafe 
 they certainly changed for a iliier country : 
 fo convenientlv did the firft inhabitants chang^e 
 their new fituations to correfpond with their 
 names ! The Coritani, the Haeaui, the Bi- 
 Irvci, and the reft of the Britifli tribes, are by 
 our hiltorians traced from one nalion to ano- 
 ther, of the fame name, on the continent ; 
 and from thence conveyed to Britain ; and all 
 
 F f 2 fecm
 
 feem to fet at defiance the law of chances—* 
 for from this law they might not in all cafes 
 Jiave found new fituations agreeable to their 
 former names ; but like jVezo Sa/i/buri/, the 
 new liitle hill, might have been loft in f 
 \alley. 
 
 Mr. Whltaker remarks that " the name o^ 
 this nation appears plainly to have been 
 Corii, Coritani, and Coitanni. The lad ap- 
 pallaiion of them, he fays, which literally fig« 
 pifies Woodlanders, is, according to this learn* 
 ed writer, derived from Coit-cn or woods, 
 which more particularly covered ihe furface 
 of this country. And the two others are bor» 
 rowed from that one remarkable ciicuraftance 
 in their condition, of which the woodinefs of 
 their country is a fufficient argument, the few- 
 Uefs of their numbers, and the infignificancy 
 of their kingdom. The Corii mean the little 
 people, and the Coritan imports the country 
 of them." 
 
 That a country overrun to a great extent 
 from its borders with lakes and pools, and in 
 its interior with dreams, fliould implv woods, 
 is fcarecly to be conceived : and that the Co- 
 rii meant little men, from the paucity of its 
 
 inhabitants*
 
 [ 24S 3 
 
 inhabitants, of which we have no hlHonc 
 proof, is Hill more inconceivable. To this 
 we may add t^at nei^h^r of thcfe words feeras 
 ^ny way to bear out luch tranflation, nor to' 
 fait the ancient mode of naming places. 
 
 ContaTii and Coitanni muft have been ufec|. 
 as fynonynious words. We have the rivers 
 Car, Car-y, Car-an, nnd Car or Cor-Dyke, a 
 drain, in Lincoln. We have alfo Coi^racJi, a 
 marfh or fen, that is water land ; and all thefe 
 are derived from av, the fea or water, change4 
 \o oVt Qu, or^ which, with c prefixed, will im- 
 ply water» Itream, lake, pool, drain, &€.-- 
 The word may alfo imply a corner ^ bend, or 
 twijl, 
 
 Con'lan may imply the water, flream, or draiij 
 
 country, &c. 
 Lincoln implies the lake, head, or hill, 
 J^ottin^ham the little iueam border. 
 Derhij the ftream habitation. 
 l.'^iceflcr the ftream camp. 
 Ruthm(h from Rotn a ro:id, the road land. 
 JSCortharnpton the land or border town^ north 
 
 of the Neno 
 
 The
 
 C 547 ] 
 
 The PARISH, PARIS, 
 May have derived their name from Parh, 
 a part, portion, &c.; an old word preferved 
 in the Cornifli, and is a diminutive; and 
 Pais, which is perhaps the fame as our word 
 Fari/k, may imply the little diftricl, portion, 
 &c. It may alfo be derived from er or e:irr 
 border, end, point, head, or head-land. B 
 and p are prefixes, and convertible : Bar or 
 Par is head, or head- land. The poftfix is 
 may come from ad, changed to at, as, is, as 
 in the introduction, and mean water, the fame 
 as is in Inis an ifland. This land is now 
 named HoJdernefs, which is derived as in the 
 river Hull, from au water, changed to ^i/ and 
 ol. The h was a prefix : Der is border, and 
 Nejs implies promontory. Hence Paris may 
 mean as before Hated, or the water portion 
 or head-land. Holdernefs may imply the wa- 
 ter border head-land. Thcfe names and ex- 
 planations illuflrate each other, and fliew that 
 the appellations were given from the features 
 of the country. Of the explanations before 
 given, authors follow Mr. Baxter, who tranf- 
 lates it •' Paur ifa^" low jjafture. Paris, in 
 France, is traced by eiymologilis from Par 
 and IJis ; in like manner was the Tames de- 
 rived
 
 C ^4» ] 
 
 rived from Ta?n and JJis : Paris is under- 
 Hood to have taken its name from the fitua* 
 tion of a famous temple of this goddefs in 
 ihat city, the image of which, nurfing Orus, 
 is now at the Petits Auguflins, in the great 
 metropolis. We might have fufpe6led that 
 the name was derived from the Parijii, and 
 that thefe borrowed their denomination from 
 the features of their territory, had we not 
 been aflurcd by authors, that it owes its ap- 
 pellation to the above circumftance ! 
 
 The BRIGANTES. 
 Of the name of this nation many an ety- 
 mon has been the creature of fancy. We 
 ihall compare the appellation with its fyno- 
 nyme or prefent reprefentative ; but firft 
 iliall ftate, that the word may have been de- 
 rived from fhe fame fource as B itain. We 
 have fliewn in Briftol how Bri^ may be de- 
 rived ; Aon, Any Ant meant country in va- 
 rious names ; and the Brigantes may imply 
 the people of the water country. 
 
 " In Ireland, after the Burrow^ Noir and 
 Siiir were united, the ftream was named Bri' 
 gu.s; and ::n ancient diftricl, containing the 
 -entire county of Waterford, was, as Mr. 
 
 Beaufort
 
 [ «*5 3 
 
 BeaiiFwt informs iis,* named Breogain, <ile«. 
 nominated from lying on theBreoghan or Bri- 
 gus. The inhabitants of this difl;ri6l, he alio 
 ftates, were frequently called Slioght Breog- 
 hain, or the race dwelling on the forked river, 
 and were the Brigantcs of Ptolomy. " 
 
 But Breogh and ^^n may be confidered aS 
 two names ; and from Braoch, Breoch, or 
 Breogh, the border of a country, may this 
 name be derived. The word An may imply 
 water, or may be a contraclion of Aon coun- 
 try. T was often added after h : hence the 
 B/fgcifites may mean dwellei-s on the border 
 land, or the water border land. We will now 
 examine how this explanation agrees with the 
 name Northumberland, which was perhaps an 
 old provincial fynonyme or denomination, or 
 a tranllation otBreoghant or Brigant, 
 
 The river Hwnher was by Ptolomy named 
 AhiiSy of which we have no etymon. Ab or 
 Av is the Gaelic Amh, the. fea or watcr> 
 which changed io Am and Urn, with the ad- 
 dition of Bcr border, tail, &c. means the bor- 
 der water, as well -as the water mouth or 
 tail, Cand/z are both prefixes, and there- 
 fore Clumber and H-iwiber, in the names 
 
 Js^urth- 
 • Vallancey's Trafts,
 
 Nortli-2i?nherJa7i(l, or North-H-wn-her-Iand^ 
 and C-umber-lnnd, or C-iimer-Iand, imply the 
 fame. Both thefe denominations imply the 
 water border land. The territories of the 
 Bfigantes were nearly the fame as the Saxon 
 kingdom north of the Humber. Several 
 parts, however, of this di{lri6l, when divided, 
 took the names of their principal towns ; but 
 the whole kingdom of North-wnher-lani 
 meant the north water border land : the lat- 
 ter part of which feems to be a tranflation of 
 Breoghant : and the Humber, as well as the 
 fea around this territory, meant in thefe ap- 
 pellations the border water. 
 
 But if Belf^e* meant not border land, nei- 
 ther might Brigant mean the fame ; and fo 
 Brig might be miftaken for Breach or Breo^h, 
 for the fame reafon that Bel was for Bile,-^' 
 Both thefe names then might anciently imply 
 water land ; but in the new names they im- 
 ply water border land, 
 
 * See Somerfrt, where I confider that Bel means water or 
 the fea. Some readers may think that Bel impHes border ; but 
 as places on the fea were generally by the ancients named wa- 
 ter land, I conceive that Bdh derived as mentioned in Somer- 
 f«t j and th»t it means water rather than border* 
 
 G g Before
 
 [ ^51 ] 
 
 Before I conclude this it will be iiecefTary 
 to obferve, that a Brigant means, in the WellH 
 and other languages, a depredator ; and I, 
 might conclude on Mr. Macpherfon's autho-. 
 rity, that the Brifrantes meant thieves In 
 late times, when the diflentions of nations 
 called forth refiftanc^ again ft each other, de- 
 predations naturally took place, and the namo 
 of a nation might become, not only for a 
 time, a term of infamy among its enemies, but 
 it might be adopted as a word of reproach in 
 their language alfo. Mankind muft however 
 difcriminatc between proper names of places, 
 and opprobious appellations* The greater 
 part of the ancient nations of this kingdom, 
 evidently took their names from their fitua- 
 tions, and it is agreeable to reafon to fuppofe^ 
 that fome general principle was followed in 
 naming every diftri6l, fo as to diftinguifli one 
 from another. 
 
 WESMORELAND. 
 In the river Dart the word Moor, JVIoer, 
 More, or Mere, in Crcinmere, a lake in Dartr 
 moor, is traced to the original meaning, and 
 fhewn to imply the zvater fourcz. The word 
 ^¥is or Wes may be derived from Is, Es, Uis, 
 
 or
 
 or Ties, and means water, the fame as Gran or 
 CraUj in Cr^;? or Craumefe. Ues or TVes in 
 this name has become from corruption //^e/?. 
 We have many names of places bisgi'nning 
 with H^is and JVes, as Wejfel on the Tyll ; 
 alfo Wi/bich, W if comb, Wiflon, JVefioJh J^^ef^ 
 cot, ?nd the river Wef-er, "WEStmorelandh 
 flill pronounced Wi^moreland, and means the 
 water fource land. This name has been de- 
 rived by our authors from Marius a British 
 Prince, from Moorilh land, weftern Moori/h 
 land, and by Mr. Whitaker from Wafte-moor- 
 •land ; but no fatisfa6tory explanation feems 
 to have been exhibited by ariy writer that I 
 have confulted. Many of the llreams of the 
 north of England take their rife in this coun- 
 ty ; and the immenfe lakes, together with tlic 
 fprings and flreams of Wesmoreland, are cer- 
 tainly the moll peculiar features of this dif- 
 tri6l. 
 
 CARLISLE. 
 " We come next, fays Dr. Burn, to the an- 
 cient and famous city of Carlille, called by 
 the Romans Luguvallium, environed wilh the 
 rivers of Eden on the N E fide, Pettcrel on the 
 SE, and Caldew on the S IV. It is fituated 
 
 Gg 2 along
 
 E *^t ] 
 
 along Severiis's wall, and from the colony 
 there placed received its denomination. For 
 Llu-gydu-gwal in the ancient Britifh figni- 
 fies aji army by the wall ;* from whence the 
 Romans formed their LugU'Vallium ! The 
 Saxons afterwards by contra6lion called it 
 Luel and Lu-wall ; and the lafl: Britifh inha- 
 bitants there prefixing to it the word Caer, 
 which is the appellation of a city, called it 
 Caer Luil ox Caer Leyl, and the common peo- 
 ple pronounce it according to the faid or- 
 thography to this day." 
 
 But I conceive this town to be derived 
 from the plural oi Lug a. llream, and Bai/e a 
 town, or Balla 2l fortrefs ; and Luyhaile, Luy* 
 *vaile, Luyaile became in time Lidly and has 
 been termed LiiiVs city ; but implies the for- 
 trefs on the llrer.ms, or the ftreams' town. 
 
 PENHITH, Cumberland. 
 In Piichards's Welch diclionary it is flated 
 that this place was formerly named Penrhyn 
 Rionedd: and Mr. Whitakcr ftates that Pen- 
 
 * How (his author could think that an army by the wait 
 could be the name of a town, he has not informed us; nor 
 does it appear that LuQU'valliiim means as this learned writer 
 has ftatcd, 
 
 rith
 
 rith is a contraction of thefe words. In the 
 Cornifh l^uth is red; and as it was pro- 
 nounced fometimcs as / or //, and as Rionedh 
 is evidently derived from the Gaelic word 
 Ruanaidh, red, it is plain that Penrith is not 
 a contra61ion o^ Pen-nnYii-Rionedd, but comes 
 from Pen and Rulh, the laft pronounced and 
 now written Rith. Hence Hhi/n in Feiirhyn 
 "Was funk and not abbreviated. 
 
 LANCASTER 
 Is derived from Lan or Lon, a lake or 
 Aream, and implies the Itream camp. 
 
 YORK, or EBORACUM, 
 According to Camden was named by the 
 Britons Caer-Effroc, by the Saxons Evor-wic, 
 by Nertiiiiis Caer-Ebrauc. The Britilh hif- 
 tory derives the name from the firfl founder 
 King Ebraucus. But with fubmiflion, fays 
 Camden^ to better judgments, my opinion is 
 that the word Eboracmn comes from the river 
 Ure, implying its fituation to be upon that 
 river. Thus the Eburovices in France were 
 feated upon the river L're, near Enreaiix, in 
 Normandy ; the Eburones in the Netherlands, 
 near the river Onrt, in the diocefe of 
 t'if^ge, &c. 
 
 Camden
 
 Camden in this above has judged very 
 rightly as to the derivation of this citv. The 
 Romans often wrote h inftead of/;. The ri- 
 Ver is th« Oiife, which in our time changes its 
 ^ame at Aldwark Ferry, where the Oufebourn 
 joins it ; but it is plain that in the time of 
 this people the llream was even at York 
 called EiiOTi 
 
 Whether l^uor or Ehor mean the ftream or 
 the great ftream, I leave to the reader. The 
 ending ac in Ehorac is oc in Effr-oc ; auc in 
 Ebr-auc ; vie in the Vre of France, on which 
 the Elfuro-vic-es were fcated ; and zvic in 
 Evor-wic. From thele and what is faid of 
 y/ctis, or the Iflc of Wight, it is plain thjit 
 /c was varied to ac, auc, oc, vie, and zcic: but 
 each of thefe was evidently iifed for territory 
 or diJlriB; and Eborac meant the ure or ixv?- 
 ter dijlrid: or Jetllernent. To conclude, cu in 
 JEiwrac was pronounced^; and the ^ in ^c 
 was dropped. Hence Eborac or Euorac be- 
 came lore or York* 
 
 LIVERPOOL. 
 
 •CORK 
 
 Isfuppofed by General P'allancey (to whom the IcamcJ 
 ^TQrld is greatly indebted for his indefatijiabie reft-aichc:), to 
 
 be
 
 LIVERPOOL. 
 
 t< 
 
 The former part of the name is fuppofed 
 by fome, fays Mr, Enfield^ to be derived frorai. 
 a bird which ufed to be found in this place, 
 and was called the Liver ; but this bird, he 
 fays, appears to have had no exiftence except 
 in fabulous tradition, and in the herald's of- 
 fice. Others imagine that it might be taken 
 from a fea weed, now known by the name 
 Liver in the weft of England, or frcm a fpe- 
 cies of the Hepatica, vulgarly called Liver- 
 wort, Whilfl others derive it from the Lever 
 family, which is of ancient date in this 
 county." 
 
 be derived from Ciurce, which he apprehends to be the farne 
 witli the Chaldee Cirih, or the Irifh word Ciura, merchantable 1 
 
 The word Cork is however fuppofed by Smith* to come frpm 
 Curach, and to mean a bog or marjb. That Curacb or Corraob 
 mezns a. mary7j we need not deny ;t but that ac meant ierri- 
 lory, and that Cor means Jiream^ we have proved ; and hence 
 Corac, Core, or Cork will imply the river territory, which is a 
 very applicable explanation, of the name of this place ; an4 
 alludes I conceive, the fame as Limerick, to the ifland on whicb 
 itisHtuated. The fame nearly may be ftated of Euora< ot^ 
 rori4 
 
 * Hiftory of the county, and town of Cork.— | See the an- 
 cient ftate of thh aty .-^l Biorrac aKo me«ns a-raarlhy field, 
 from Bier water, and ac cerricory. 
 
 But
 
 C «« J 
 
 But Liver in this word may mean the great 
 aeftuary or harbour border, from Leim, Lim, 
 or Liv, an harbour,* and er great or border. 
 This place was alfo anciently named Ler or 
 Lyr Pool; perhaps from Lear Gaelic for the 
 fea, and Poll a road. Liiverpool implies the 
 great harbour road, or Ihe harbour border 
 road.f 
 
 * DUBLIN and the LIFFY. 
 Mr. Baxter derives the firft from Duv and Lhu», black 
 water, or black channel. Mr. Bcauford, in Gen. Vallancey's 
 trafils, fays that " it evidently comes from Dubb black, and 
 Leana a fwampy place ; and that it means the place of the 
 black harbour or lake ; or rather the lake of the fea, the bay of 
 Dublin being frequently fo called." 
 
 But as the adjeftive generally follows the fubftantive in the 
 language of the old names of places, thefe authors have mif- 
 saken the words ; and this place, formerly fo marfliy as to re- 
 quire hurdles for paffing from the river to the houfcs, is likely 
 to tcizTca Jlream marjf}, fiom Dob a ftream, and Leana^ Lonot 
 Lin a marfh- 
 
 The river is named Lfffy, which may be derived from Leitn, 
 Urrif Li'v, or LiJ an harbour ; and Li^y \^ill imply the little 
 harbour ; or, from what is faid in the aiticleof the river Plym, 
 the little lake. Limerick alio, btfides what is mentioned in that 
 article, may imply the harbour border town ; the lake border i 
 «r the great lake town. 
 
 b' 
 
 f VaUancey's Trafts, vol, 3, page 270, 
 
 MANCUNIUM
 
 59 ] 
 
 MANCUNIUM* or MANCHESTER, 
 QUANTOCK, &c. 
 Mr. Baxter and Mr. Whitaker derive the 
 firft name from Man a place, and Cenion 
 tents. The reader, whilft he requires truth, 
 or at leaft probability, will, in this name, keep 
 particularl}" in view the uncertainty of deriva- 
 tions. In the language to which we have in- 
 variably referred for the explanation of names^ 
 Man means not 2i place, nor does Cenion im- 
 ply, tents. The tranflation moreover feems 
 not to illuftrate the fituation of Mancunium, 
 which was on an hill by the Med/ock, 
 
 Man 
 
 •Mr. BAXTER. 
 A few terms only, arifing from our fenfations, or from cur 
 perceptions of the objefts around us, were, in the old lan- 
 guages of the world, the roo//, from which all OTHER ivorc/s 
 diftmgui thing the features of nature, were gradually formed. — 
 Many of thefe laft, though derived from different fources, are 
 row found fimilar in their orthography j and hence, and from. 
 our not comprehending that the roots of thefe words expref? 
 their fenfe, difficulties have arilen in rendering old terms. 
 
 Mr. Whitaker, in his hiftory of Manchefter, feeins to hav^ 
 borrowed many of his derivations from Mr. Baxter, who often 
 derives names from parts of nature, which never gave them 
 denomination. Ambiguities arife not from common words of 
 the original language j for thefe were formed, and varied, to 
 tonvey common idcM only j and in thffe Mr. Baxtet was cer- 
 
 Hh 
 
 tiin'v
 
 C 266 ] 
 
 Man often implies Jlream from an wafer, 
 with /;/ prefixed. Thus we have the J\lan or 
 Maim a river in Nottinghamfhire ; the Man- 
 jjafi in Derbyfliire ; and the Man-i-Jold iqt 
 StafTordfliire. Cuan is Gaelic for an hill ; 
 Quantock or Cuantoich, in Somerfet, means 
 the hill country, from Cuan as before, and 
 Toich country. Hence Mancunimn may ini- 
 ply the flream hill. 
 
 But 
 
 tainly not at a lofs in his tranflations : but in the knowl edge 
 of PROPER NAMES, nccefTarily formed for every particAlkr 
 diftri6\, and for every local purpofc, the number of which 
 exceed our ordinary conception, and vvhofe roots only, ia 
 the common language, denote the names of places and of natu- 
 ral things, he was, like other authors, certainly deficient. 
 
 Nothing imtates the riiind more, than it difcoverv of 
 errors, which have been impcfed on our credulity for truths. 
 We fcldom confider what aflertions we ourfelves have made j 
 what principles taken for granted and propagated, fdr want 
 of patient invcftigation, and frofn our inability to compre- 
 hend their difficulties : aflertions & principles, which had per- 
 haps no ground but in our prejudices ; and no foundation, but 
 in our fancies. Mr. Whitakcr had been mifled ; and in his 
 refentmcnt, he charafterifes Mr. Baxter, as '• the Merry An- 
 ^re"M of Etymolo^y."-[ — But Mr. B's. etymological fins are 
 highly coloured, if not greatly overcharged. They were not, 
 1 conceive, the voluntary cft'ufions of a Mnry AndreWy but 
 thl$ celebrated writer's involuntary wanderings, from proba- 
 bility 
 f Hift. of St, German's Cathedral, 
 
 I
 
 C 261 J 
 
 But this place was alfo named Mnmuckim, 
 which may mean the Utile hiJI, or the hill 
 country, caflle or town ; Msiiigceajier^ \vhich 
 may imply littU flream, or ///// cajlle ; Ma^ 
 ?7iercen/ier. which may be rendered the little 
 hill, or harder hill caflle ; and Mainecejlret 
 which may be translated nearly the fame, 
 
 JMamceJlre and Mancaflle, as this place has 
 ,jilfo been named, may imply cajlle hill' 
 
 But 
 
 Vility and truth ; which, like our own miftakes, fiiouIJ rather 
 .«ntercain than irritate the intelligent readeri 
 
 Moreover we fee many things by parts, and in etymology 
 
 fddom comprehend compleat fubjefts. Were we then to dervy 
 
 merit ^f//(')rf//>' to the exertion of a learned writer, who may 
 
 have failed partially, in fuch an undertaking as the origin of 
 
 names, we might be found pondc^jining his laudable cSFarct. 
 
 The author of this treatifc boafts of no literary attutnme^:! • 
 but in purfuing his lubjeijl, the deficiency of learning became a 
 very inferior confideration. He perceived that tie etyrnolcgs'es 
 of old names proceeded from roots hitherto unknoivn ; a>ul be 'was 
 obliged HiMstvv to /bezu this truth. Ine^camining ancient de- 
 Kominations, fancy, which is always bufy in prefenting ideas, 
 was ftriftly to be watched ; and dejign, which accommodates 
 -appellations to fubjefts, was anxioufly to be purfued. Every 
 falfe fuggeftion in the origin of words retards our progrefs j 
 .£.Rd reafon and rcflcdlion only enable us to rcfame our rtation^ 
 
 aad 
 Hh ^
 
 But from un a fynonyme of a;z water, xvith 
 c prefixed, Cun may mean Jlream. In War- 
 wickfhire ^ve have the river Cune, Moreover 
 as Mam is Gaelic for liilh and n and m arc 
 often fubftituted for each other, as has been 
 the cafe perhaps in this name, Ms«* may alfo 
 imply hill ; and Mancuniwn may fliU be ren- 
 dered the Jlream hill. 
 
 and to profecute our enquiries. With thefc guides tbe author 
 has endeavoured to open a path to the etymology of old names. 
 From his expofitions of the denominations of the ifland, its 
 provinces, to>vns, rivers, hills, vallies, and plains } he conceites 
 that thefe have been, •with "very few except! oiiSf wrongly 
 RENDERED BY ALL OUR AUTHORS. The fubjeft is therefore 
 of fuch confequence, that further examination muft fallow j 
 and in the courfc of the enquiry, the writer hopes to fee. the dif- 
 ficulties under which etymologifts have laboured, greatly re- 
 moved. In performing his taflc, without he may truly fay a 
 guide, the reader muft not be furprifed if he finds that a few 
 errors have attended the author's language, expofitions, and 
 obfervations, 
 
 * Man alfo has been Iliewn to imply land. Or is an augment 
 and a fynonyme of ol! great : the word Ma>i-or then, which 
 :Mr. Whitakcr, in his hiftory of this town, calls an untraceable 
 word, and which he renders (from what authority I know 
 tiot) zdipid, may be traced to mean THE GREAT LAND. — 
 Baj'On, which he alfo renders a military man, is alfo derived 
 from Bar an head, chief, or chieftain, and o« an augment.— 
 Laftly, Bar-ton may be derived from Bar chief, and Ion 
 land or farm. 
 
 To
 
 To afcertain of feveral lynonymous woHs 
 which is wrong, when all may be proved 
 right, what hours have been fpent, what learn- 
 ing employed, and what pages filled ! 
 
 The etymologift wifhes not to miflead his 
 readers; and although he lometimes fails in 
 his proofs, and fatigues with his wanderings, 
 he often amufes in his deviations and excur- 
 fions, and even in his etymological fins. — 
 Thus reader maveft thou be entertained with 
 my vagaries ; and if my etymological errors 
 are of fuch complexion, as to attone for their 
 violation of probability, thou needefl not 
 havfhly cenfure this efl'ay. 
 
 The CARNABII, CORNOVII, &c. 
 From Car or Cor as in the Coritani, and 
 Nah or Mav the fea or water^ may imply the 
 dzcellers of the sea htitd or corner : or from 
 Corn, Horn^ and Av the fea, which may im- 
 ply xhtfea, horn, or corner. 
 
 WORCESTER 
 
 Was named Wecgerna-cen/Icr, V/eoo-orna- 
 
 ceajlery Wifrera-ceajier, and Wire-ceajler, "A 
 
 name fuppofed by fume to be formed from 
 
 Wire, the name of a forefl upon the borders 
 
 of
 
 C «64 3 
 
 of Shropfliire." By others this dcnommation 
 is derived from Wigora in Wigora-ceaftcr ; 
 and this from Huic or ff^ic, which they ren- 
 der the winding banks of rivers. Mr. Carte 
 derives ff^ic or Huic from Hukh, For a is — 
 and others from the briny wells in this 
 country. 
 
 We have proved that Wig or Wic meant 
 flream, that the word in time was ufed for 
 borderland; and that it was laftlj adopted 
 for village or town. The ending or, eVy trn, 
 orrii &c. is explained in the article Severn. 
 
 SHROPSHIRE, SHREWSBURY, SALOP. 
 Thefe names have been totally loft as to 
 their original lignification. Scrobbes, which 
 was the Saxon fpelling of SJirezcs, has been 
 fuppol'ed by etymologills to mean Jliruhs or 
 trees ; but a difficulty arifes to account from 
 whence fuch tranllation can be drawn. The 
 fynonyme Salop will elucidate this name. 6".?/ 
 may imply either hill or water, but it means 
 in many places hill, and is derived from a, or 
 all, changed to al, withy prefixed. Op from 
 oh or ov is water, and the word means the 
 xcRtery hill, or town. 
 
 Scrobbes
 
 C 265 D 
 
 Scrohhes has become Shrews, the 66 was al- 
 ways perhaps pronounced as ^^ or t^u. The 
 Romans often wrote d for w, j^nd therefore 
 this is lik.'?!}' to be a name as ancient as thefe 
 people, //-^occurs not, fays Lhuyd, in ancient 
 MSS ; br.t about the year i^OO it was firft 
 ufed as v confonant. In the Gaelic ther^ 
 was no/z : hence Shrew nnifl: have been writ- 
 ten Srev, Sreav ; and as mh was the Gaelic 
 V, Sreamh, which is Gaelic for ftreani ; and 
 confequently Shrewfbury, which is nearly 
 iurrounded by the Severn, means tlie lire am, 
 hill, or town. No name could p< ffibly have 
 been more appropriately chofen, nor can 
 ihere be an etymon more appropriately juil, 
 
 STAFFORD, 
 On the Sow, comes from av wafer, with the 
 prefix y7, as does Staverton on the Dart, and 
 towns of the fame name on other ftreams, 
 which mean the fiream border towns. Staf 
 ■and Stnv are, like Tis/and Tav, fynonyraesj 
 ai]d Striffurd implies the llrcani ford. 
 
 LICHFIELD, and the word FIELD, 
 By the Saxons written Liccdfeld and Licel- 
 fdd. It is agreed by all to imply the field of 
 carcafles ! But Ich or Is: is a term derived 
 
 fiom
 
 C 266 3 
 
 from OicJie, Oc, or Och water, as in the intro- 
 duclioD. Ic hath many confonants prefixed 
 in the appellations of towns : Ed and Et was 
 a diminutive ending. The firft part of the 
 name feems to be drawn from the Gaelic lan- 
 guage, and F/'e/d mufl therefore have origi- 
 nally belonged to the fame : Field is however 
 fuppofed to come from the Saxon word Fcld ; 
 it means generally a place, as the field or 
 place of battle. Bail Gaelic meant alfo a 
 place, a town, or village ; the root of this 
 was Ail/, which is Gaelic for a place. ^Ai was 
 pronounced as s* Bail, Bel, Fel, as b andjf 
 were convertible letters, were therefore the 
 fame. An an hill was changed to Al or All, 
 and this to Aid or Alt, in the names of many 
 places : d was then added in names after I ; 
 and hence Fel became the Saxon Feld. More- 
 over, Bail, Beil, and Fcil were alfo, as a was 
 changed fo often to e, the fame ; and Feil h 
 even at this time in fome places the pronun- 
 ciation of Field; with d added as before, we 
 have the name Feild, now Field. 
 
 From the above it would appear that the 
 derivation of F/e/i is not, as afferted, in our 
 
 * Lhuyd's Archselogia. 
 
 diQionaries,
 
 di^lionaiics '' ground not built on, not in- 
 habited, not inclofed" — but the very con- 
 trary ; it may be fuch as is built on, inha- 
 bited, and inclofed. Licedfelcl or Licetfeld 
 implies the little water place or town ; bi^t 
 as /is generally a prefix to extended water, 
 this name may imply the little lake town, 
 
 WARWICK, 
 By the Britoiis named Caer Guaruic, is de- 
 rived as the IV are or JVere a ftream, which 
 comes from av changed to au, ar, or er; w 
 in this name being a prefix. On the Avon, 
 and in this county, there are many fynony- 
 mes of War in the firfl; fvllable of names, and 
 which have ar for their root : thus we have 
 Mar in Marclive, Par in Parfhore, Bar in 
 Harford ; but Bar is Gaelic for ftream ; and 
 as Par, JSlar, and War are fynonymes, and 
 Wick means territory or town, Warwick will 
 imply the llream town. This place has been 
 derived from G-jeaijr a Britilh Prince, from 
 Waremund father of the firft Offa, King of the 
 Mercians, and from Guarth a fortrefs. 
 
 BIRMINGHAM. 
 Dugdale's derivation of this town is from 
 Birminge a Saxon poffeffor. Mr. Button's 
 
 I i from
 
 ■K,^ 
 
 L 263 ]' 
 
 from Brom the fhrub Broom, and Wych a do 
 clivity. A learned author fuppofed Brenii^ 
 mum to be corapofed of Bre and Maen, the 
 high ftone ; and the fite of it he fays mull 
 have been on the creft of the hill at Birming- 
 ham. But the high Jlone in the derivation of 
 this town's name, may be ranked ^vith the 
 white Jlone in the name Whitllone. 
 
 In its (ite Mr. Ilutton fays " all the paft 
 writers upon Birmingham have viewed her as 
 low & watery, & with reafon ; becaufe Dig- 
 bethj then the chief flrec't, bears that defcrip- 
 tion. But all future writers will view her on 
 an eminence, and with as much reafon ; be- 
 caufe for one low ftreet we have fifty ele- 
 vated. Birmingham, like the empire to 
 which it belongs, has been for many centu- 
 ries travelling up-hill ; and like that rifing in 
 Gonfeqiience." 
 
 Brem in Bremin, or Brejjiin the ancient 
 name of this place, latinized Breminiinnt may 
 be derived the fame as Brcm in the river 
 Bramige or Bremige, in Northumberland ; 
 or it may mean brink or border, and be a 
 fynonyme of our word Brim. In thelafl 
 
 cafe
 
 r §6s ] 
 
 cafe it may be derived from the fame root as 
 Hem. Kn will imply land or town. 
 
 . Brem or Brom-wich will mean the fame, 
 Fich, Vich, or Widi is territory* &c. but 
 Brimi<gehain may imply the 'xater territonj 
 border^ from Brim a ftream ; Ic or Ig terri- 
 tory ; and Hajn border ; or the little water 
 border, from Brim as before, Icox /»• a dimi- 
 nutive, and Ham border ; for Brim in this 
 word cannot be fuppofed border, and/Ziriw 
 the fame ; and yet as the Saxons milunder- 
 llood Ham, they might add it to the old 
 name for village. 
 
 Brim-ige alfo feems to be a fynonyme of 
 Bir-minrr or Bir-min. The firft derived as 
 the river Bremige; and Birmin implying 
 little water or ftream. 
 
 But if this town fhould have taken its name 
 from its /////, then Bre an hill, and Min or 
 Men little, may have been terms from whence 
 Breminiiun was derived. It Ihould be noted 
 that Bremen, in Germany, lies on the JVefer, 
 and on the border of an cxtcnllve plain ; and 
 feems to imply the town on the lUeam bor- 
 der, or territory. 
 
 n fv' WARRINGTON,
 
 r 570 ] 
 
 WARRINGTON, 
 Is ftated by Mr. Whitaker to be the Verati- 
 riiim of the Ravennas, and he renders Vera^ 
 tin ford town ; referring to Mr. Lhuyd's 
 Ait:h2elogia, and to Gale's Antoninus, for au- 
 thorities. But notwithftanding thefe. War 
 IS iftream, as in the river Var, and ill JJ^ar- 
 wick ; and Tain or Tin is Tand ; Vhr or Warr^ 
 in-tony as In is alfo land, and the root of Tin, 
 ■will imply the flream territory town. 
 
 COVENTRY. 
 
 Cov-en is derived the fame as the river 
 Cov-er, and means little llream ; Tri or Try 
 is habitation or town. There are other ety- 
 mons for this town's name; but thefe have 
 not been very appropriately chofen. 
 
 The ORDOVICES. 
 
 Mr. Whitaker, after ftating the eonquefls 
 of this nation, fays 'Mhat they alTumed or 
 received the diftinguifhing appellation of 
 Ord-vices or Or dor ices, the great Huicii or 
 iioNouKABi/E Vices !" 
 
 In expl^Jning the meaning of thefe terms 
 he mentions *' there appear to have been 
 two nations in the illand b) one denomina- 
 tion
 
 C S71 3 
 
 tlon of Uiccii, l.^ices, or Vices : and tlie name 
 he lays Ijgnifies a l/rave people ! This there- 
 fore, Mr. W. continues, was naturally a po- 
 pular appellation among the military tribes 
 of the Celtae. And we lind the Anltrici Ehu^ 
 ro-ViceSy the Aukrici Branno-Viccs, and the 
 Lemo-Vices in Gaul ; and meet with the 
 Huiccii or Vices, and the Onlo-Vices in Bri- 
 tain !"* 
 
 But this name is derived thus : — Jrd or 
 Orel is an hill ; on or o may be a plural end. 
 ing, an augment, or a Roman termination. — 
 Fich, Vich, or Vic means tenitory ; and the 
 Ordovices will' imply d^^•ellers of the hill 
 country, or the great hill country ; and this 
 will be a very appropriate and rational expla- 
 nation of the name of this people who inha- 
 bited the mod mountainous dilbict of Wales. 
 
 The DIMiET/E or DYVED. 
 
 This name^ like others^ has been \vronglv 
 
 tianflated by all our authors. From 'Tamh 
 
 or Tav, the lea or water, comes a large dais 
 
 of prccnomens, varied, as in the introduction^ 
 
 • See the Hiiiory of Mauciieiler for mere on ihislitad } and 
 ehe aiticle Huiccii \Y»ich hciein follows. 
 
 to
 
 C «^2 J 
 
 to Tiv, Div, and Dim. We have the Divert 
 
 a ftream in Wilts : et or ei is a diminutive ; 
 and aid means a portion, &c. The Bimxtx 
 therefore may imply dzcellers on the Iiltle fea, 
 or inhabitants ofthefea portio?i. 
 
 TheSILURES 
 Have been rendered under the head Scilly, 
 the fea or water borderers ; but as 5/7 implies 
 hill in the names of many places, this name 
 may, as well as Scilly, be othervvife tranf- 
 lated. 
 
 Tlie HUICCII. 
 Of thefe, as well as other nations, we have 
 many ludicrous explanations. It fhould be 
 confidered, that to name land lying on the 
 borders of flreams, hills, &c. the following 
 words, or contra6lion of ^vords, being fhort 
 fyllables, were adopted as poftfixes — to wit : 
 er, ir, ar, or, ur ; in, eUy an, on, un ; aCy ec, 
 ic, oe, uc :* hence fingly they may imply 
 land on Rreams, hills, &ic. Ic became Uic^ 
 
 Huic, 
 
 * Although the Shannon, the Taimo^:, and many other large 
 ftrcams anciently took augments, and a vaft number of fmall 
 Iticams their diminutive endings, it will appear evident to a per* 
 fwn who fcall examine, that /(?ffTC (licams have taken poftfiKes 
 
 exiH-cflivc
 
 L «75 3 
 
 Huic, Wic, Wich TFeek, Fich, and Bich 
 as in Wifbich; and meant land, or land on 
 fome border. The JViccii were dwellers on 
 border land ; and the territory meruit by thefe 
 terms, notwithftanding what is mentioned bj 
 authors, may have often flretched far from 
 the principal ttrearas or hills. It is faid that 
 the IViccii poffefled a part only of the coun- 
 try of the Dobuni, how truly I know not. 
 
 Iclt, Wicliy Wick, or WeeJc^ however, like 
 Lea or Ley, meant originally water. We 
 have Wiccombe on the little river IF^ick ; but 
 places or lands on wicks or flreams were 
 named from thefe, in the fame manner as 
 thofe on leas were named from this fynonyme 
 of ftream. Hence in time Fic/i, ff'^ic/i, or 
 Week became territory, and even village and 
 town. Still, however, the ftreams in fomcf 
 places retained their names, and WicIJiajn^ 
 
 exprefilve of their border land ; but augments and diminu* 
 tives, and terms for border, annexed to the names of water or 
 ftreams, are fpclt the fame as denominations for \\ater or 
 ftream : thus er or ar in the Tamer or Tamar, Tiber or Ilum- 
 ber, which may mean ^reat or border ^ is the fame as ar or er 
 water, in the r»ver Arrow, or in ErmiKp/of!, Devon. Hence 
 fomc difcrimination viill bs necefiary ia tendering fuch terms. 
 
 Wicl.zvick,
 
 [ «•♦ J 
 
 IP^irhvirl-y and TVicklnnd Tkve names of places 
 in our books of local defcription But Ick 
 iiiay not only be derived from lireams ; for 
 Aifrhe an hill may be changed to Igh, Ich^ 
 Ijich, Vich, Wich', &c. ; the reader will there- 
 fore exercifc his own judgment where thcfe 
 names occur; but he will generally lind them 
 on ftreams. 
 
 The DOBUXI. 
 The Dohuni have been faid to mean, by 
 Mr.Whitaker and otiier writers, Lovs landers : 
 & are derived from the Wclfh Duffeu, Bodo, 
 c(r Bodim : but the appellation x^omes from 
 Dol> a Hream, and Un Ixvrder land ; the 
 Dohuni dwellers on the ftream border land. 
 
 I agree with Mr. Macpherfon, who fay* 
 that " the names of all the original tribes of 
 this kinirdom were of a Gaelic origin." Who- 
 ever will look into a map of this country, 
 through which the river flows, will find the 
 Severn and its tributary ftreams, more likely 
 to have given name to the inhabitants around, 
 than the words Duffin, Budo, or Bodun. — 
 Thcfe peo])le were alfo named Huiccii. 
 
 GLOUCESTER
 
 GLOUCESTER 
 Was the ancient Gkv-wn or Clev-um ; it 
 implies the cliff, fortrefs, or town. 
 
 The CASSIEUCHLANI 
 Seems to imply inhabitants of the ftream 
 fource land ; but this has been otherwife ren- 
 dered, and the reader will perhaps confider 
 the etymon as yet not afcertained. 
 
 BUCKINGHAM, 
 Derived by all our writers from the Beech- 
 es, Bucks, or Deer with which this country is 
 imagined to have abounded : but a more ra- 
 tional enquiry will fhew, that from its natural 
 fituation on the Oule, this town took its 
 name, 
 
 « 
 
 Uck is water, and this word is a variation of 
 Oiche, as fliewn in the introdu6^ion : with ^ 
 prefixed it will be Buck. Beck was an old 
 term for Jlream ; and in Montgomeryfhire 
 there is the river Bache. A, o, and u were 
 written indifcriminately for each other, and 
 hence Back or Buck were the fame, and each 
 me^nt /iream. 
 
 The Oufe is faid to wafh this town on every 
 lide except the north, /n in this name will 
 
 K k therefore
 
 C 276 J 
 
 therefore mean territory, or it may be a dimi- 
 nutive. Ham is border ; but by the Saxons 
 this might be an adjun61: added for town.—- 
 Buckingham will therefore mean the Jlrcam 
 territory town, or if the river is fmall at this 
 place, the little flream town. 
 
 HERTFORD or HARTFORD, HARTING- 
 
 FORD. 
 The ford of this place is dated by our 
 writers to imply the ford of the harts ; and 
 to be derived from the deer with which this 
 country formerly abounded ! We exhibit no 
 ancient fiatue like Lud on Ludgate, nor like 
 JJis at Paris, to confirm this etymon. More 
 ample authorities prefent themfelves. The 
 arms of Hertford, according to Speed, are an 
 hart couchant in the water : and the Saxon 
 chronicle names this place Heorotford, Thus 
 arc we precluded from differing on the ety- 
 mon, by a decifion of the herald's office, and 
 by the word Heorot* which in Saxon im- 
 plies an hart. 
 
 * The word Hforo/ Cervus being fnnilar in found to the 
 ttrm hart, fecmsto have been accounted by the Saxons the 
 etymon of this name; and authors of the late, and prefent 
 ages, confiding in the propriety of the derivation, have 
 adopted a tranflation of their chiming appellation. 
 
 But
 
 But we mufl: ftate that Her and Har are de- 
 rived from the root nr, and a large clafs of 
 names of rivers, towns on ftreams, and one 
 even of the fea, is from thence derived. To 
 ar the letter / is often fubjoined in the ap- 
 pellations of places and rivers, to flrengthen 
 the found of the fyllable: thus Z)z/r water 
 has become Dart ; yar, Yart in the Yarty ; 
 and Ber, Bert. The name Hert or Hart then 
 means fimply ftream, as Hart does in the ri- 
 ver Hartley. Hartingford i§ fituated on a 
 fmall ftream about a mile from Hartford ; 
 and if Hartford were the fojrd of harts. Hart- 
 ingford^ as in is a diminunitive, muft be the 
 ford of the little harts, or of the fawns ! But 
 it may be faid that in in Hart/>/ford means ter- 
 ritory. The reader will obferve in maps, that 
 Hertford is on the river Lea, Hertingford on. 
 the Mimmeram. The firll on a large ftream, 
 and the fecond on a fmall tributary one : 
 and he will conclude that the diminutive end- 
 ing was in this cafe peculiarly adopted to dif- 
 tinguifh thefe fords, which are fo near each 
 other. From what has been /lated it will ap- 
 pear that llarliiigford implies the little llreani 
 ford; and Hartford the (Ircam ford. 
 
 K k ,? The
 
 C 278 2 
 
 The H.^DUl 
 Are derived, not as authors have imagined, 
 but from Ed, Eid, or Heid, cattle, and Du 
 land or country. Thefe people, Mr. Whita- 
 ker fays, retained the name of their parent 
 tribe of Gaul : but no fituation more plainly 
 befpeaks its own name, nor more ftrongly 
 contradi6ls the fuppofed colonization of this 
 kingdom from nations of the fame name on 
 the Continent. The etymon for this deno- 
 mination was unknown. The Haedui^o^t^t^ 
 the grazing parts of Somerfet and Gloucefter- 
 fliire, and the appellation implies the cattle 
 land inhabitants. 
 
 From not underflanding the oboriginal 
 mode of naming places, and for want of a 
 key to old denominations, our introdu61ions 
 to books of ancient hiftory, and of local de- 
 fcription, are fo intermixed with ludicrous 
 conceits on the one hand, and with fo much 
 mifapplied refearch on the other, that the 
 reader will often be amufcd with the wcak- 
 nefs and irrationality in the one, and be 
 diftrefled for the deficiency of judgment and 
 defign in the other. He will moreover per- 
 ceive, that many of our bell, and moft ufefiil 
 
 hittoric ]
 
 r -7^ ] 
 
 Jiillorlcal writings require rorre61ion un- 
 known to their authors. I might give quo- 
 tations without number, to evince the trutfa 
 of this affertion, from writers who have traced 
 the hiltory of mankind through vanous ages 
 of the world ; and who have deduced nations 
 of like names from one another, where no dl» 
 re6l communication ever took place ; and 
 where nothing but fimilar fituations produced 
 like denominations. 
 
 Hiftory fhould be re-writtcn in numberlefs 
 inftances, and in every cafe it fliou Id produce 
 certain evidences to fet addc names, which 
 appear evidently to have been taken from na- 
 ture : and of thefe, our belief fhould reft, 
 not on the opinions of ancient credulous 
 writers, nov on fanciful modern ones ; but on 
 proofs arifing from facis, collc61ed from ob- 
 fervation, and evinced from their dependence 
 on reafon, and the ancient mode of beitow- 
 ing names. 
 
 But we have no authentic documents, for 
 affertions without number, with which our 
 hiltorical writers are filled ; and iiofhing but 
 fancy ariling from our ignorance of the na- 
 tural import of denominations has generally 
 
 introduced
 
 C 280 ] 
 
 introduced foreigners for giving names, to 
 parts of this and other kingdoms, derived 
 from their former refidences. 
 
 It is granted by hiflorians " that fathers 
 and heads of families were the firft fovereigns, 
 and that the patriarchal was the moft ancient 
 form of government." Hence mankind muft 
 have originally migrated in families, and time 
 and necefTity only, from the great number of 
 thefe, formed nations. The firfl inhabitants 
 coming thus, brought no national name, nor 
 were any denominations given to places \n 
 Britain, but fuch as their natural fituation im- 
 plied. In time however tribes became nu- 
 merous, and more general communication 
 with each other became neceffary ; and now 
 denominations of villages and diftrifls were 
 regulated, and more diliin(5l appellations 
 from prefixes were given. There were very 
 few wholly inland provinces in this nation : 
 and that the maritime diftri6ls generally toqk 
 fynonymes for their names, expreflive of their 
 fitualion upon the fca, in the fame manner as 
 towns on ftreams, from the water which flow- 
 ed by them, we may thus fhcw. 
 
 The
 
 C ^si 3 
 
 The Carnnlii were the dwellers at the fea, 
 or great corner or horn ; the Danmonii the 
 inhabitants of the dream or water country ; 
 the Morinioi Dnrotriges people of the great 
 •water or fea coaft; the Regni or Riaiii were 
 the rcficlents on the little fea or fea land ; the 
 Cr?//// dwellers at the corner or head; the 
 Trinuhantes inhabitants on the great llrcams ; 
 the Iceni or Cenomanni people of water land, 
 or great head land ; the Coritani dwellers 
 on the flream, lake, or bend land ; the Pari/ii 
 inhabitants of the water portion, or head land ; 
 the Brizardes dwellers on the water or hill 
 country ; the Car//<7<^i/ refidents at the water 
 corner ; the Ordo-vices inhabitants of the 
 oreat hill country ; the Dimaetx dwellers on 
 the little fea; the 5/7//re5 people of the wa- 
 ter, fea, or hill border; the Belgx dwellers 
 on the water land ; the Hxiui I have juft 
 mentioned. 
 
 I muft further obfcrve that the inhabitants 
 of Kent are fuppofed by writers to be of 
 Belgic extra6^ion, the Regni of the fame, the 
 ^//re^<3//, by iome, the fame, the IhiTOtrigca 
 the fame ; and to the north of thcfe, were 
 nations accounted Eelga?. But it feems that 
 
 thefe
 
 [ 582 J 
 
 thefe, although defcended from this nation, 
 werenot named from them ; but on the con- 
 trary, adopted denominations defcriptive of 
 their fituations. — Moreover many of the dif- 
 tri61s of the Continent, inhabited by people 
 named Belgz^ afTumed alfo names for their 
 diftricls according to their fituations : but the 
 dijlrici cf the Belgx of England itfecjjis is not 
 fuppojedfo to have taken its naine^ because the 
 :belg^ were a nation on the continent • 
 and far this reafon only I prefume ! — Was the 
 Duriits in England then named from the 
 Diirius in Portugal ? Was Aqux Calidse in 
 Somerfet, peopled or named from Aquas Ca- 
 Udas in Portugal ? — If the Cumbri of Cum- 
 berland, came from the Cimbri of the Con- 
 tinent, as many authors have affertcd, and 
 aimed to prove at great length, then might I 
 place Umbri in Norlh-uviher-land, and bring 
 acolonyof the Umbri fiom Italy, for their 
 forefathers. — But Vm in Northumberland is 
 known to be derived fiom the Humber, and 
 this from the old name Abus. 
 
 On the whole it is demonHrable that we 
 gained names from fituations only during the 
 patriarchal government, or very Toon after, 
 
 and
 
 [ 283 J 
 
 and have never loft notices of them fince : 
 for as rivers, hills, plains, &c. were necelTary 
 to be dirtinguifhed by names in thefe times, 
 and as lands were to be portioned and diftin- 
 guiflied, for knowing one part from another; 
 ib alfo would the feveral diftri6^s of the king- 
 dom be diflinguiflied, in which thefe portions 
 were fituated. Hence then was the kingdom 
 early divided into portions, and foon after 
 into provinces. 
 
 Notwithftanding what is here dated, I wifh 
 not to carry any general principle too far; 
 peculiar circumftances may have occurred, 
 and thefe have varied the denominations of 
 certain places in England. But the remem- 
 brance of early names, to which we havebceii 
 Ipeaking, outlives ages ; and where a general 
 principle was evidently followed, and a better 
 or more rational one cannot be fubftituted, 
 itfhould not be given up for the reconcilia^ 
 tion o^ old prejudices, nor for the accommo- 
 dation of long deviation from plain truths. 
 
 I had intended not to have treated of the 
 ancient names of North Britain, but <ifeio in- 
 terfering with my plan, \ have extended my 
 inquiries. 
 
 1.1 Th3
 
 C f84 ] 
 
 The CALEDONir 
 is a name miflaken by our mofl able cri- 
 tics and antiquaries. " All thefe tribes, fays 
 Mr. Whi taker,* were firft called by the ge- 
 neral appellation of Caledonians or Caledo- 
 nian Britons. And the name was not derived 
 as the learned Mr. Macpherfon imagines 
 from Cael and Don, fignifying the Gauls of 
 the hills. It was the denomination of the in- 
 habitants equally in the low lands of the eaft- 
 ern coaft^ and on the mountains of northern 
 and weflern highlands. Origi; ally peculiar 
 to the tribe that ranged in a line acrofs the 
 iiland, and inhabited the hills in common with 
 the Cerones and Creones,. the Carnonaca^ and 
 others, it was derived from the great forefc 
 that fwept acrofs all the weftcrn parts of the 
 country. And the furefts of Britain in ge- 
 neral, and the three greateil of them in parti- 
 cular, were diflinguifhed among the natives 
 by the fimple denomination of Caledon or 
 woods. Refiding almoft entirely within the 
 precin61s of an extenfive wood, the nation 
 was originally denominated the Caledon-ii or 
 Woodlanders, and communicated its name to 
 nil the tribes that lay north of the friths." 
 
 * See alfo Baxter for a like account. 
 
 *' The
 
 r «85 3 
 
 " The name of the Caledonii, which from 
 being the proper name of one nation, fays 
 Br. Henry from Dr. Macpherfon, became the 
 common denomination of many, is evidently 
 compounded of two Britifh words Cael and 
 Dim, which fignify the Gauls or Britons of 
 the mountains : a name very proper for the 
 real Caledonii of Baden-och, Braidalbin, and 
 the adjacent tra6ls, which are the moft moun- 
 tainous parts of Scotland, and not very unfuit- 
 able to the other nations, to whom it was 
 given by the Roman authors.'^ 
 
 Mr. Macpherfon, in his introduclion to 
 the hiftory of Great Britain, fays that " this 
 etymon firft occurred to him, and he commu- 
 nicated it to Dr. Macpherfon, who adopted 
 it from a convi6lion of its juftnefs." But our 
 authors are in this inftance, as indeed they 
 have been in all other names of provinces, 
 miftaken. Cau is hill, and Cal is the fame; 
 the lail is derived from An varied to Al, as in 
 Hal-dou, in CaUJlock, and in many other 
 names. Don is olten wrongly rendered ; its 
 root in this name is On land. The Caledonii 
 then imply people of the hill land. Caledon 
 rendered woods, diftinguiflies not onediftrit^i 
 
 L 1 2 from
 
 C 286 ] 
 
 from another, and marks not a diftin6lion be- 
 tween hills, valliesj and plains. Neither do 
 the Gauls produce a derivation which de- 
 notes the particular features of the country, 
 or which is defcriptive of the mountains in- 
 tended to be particularized by the hill coun- 
 try. Laflly, in naming provinces, the land 
 onlv was originally defcribed in the fingular 
 number of ihe denomination : the plural de- 
 noted the inhabitants. Thefe areparticu-. 
 lars to which writers feldom have attended ; 
 and from their inattention to thefe, thoufands 
 of errors have arifen in the hiftory of na- 
 tions, the local delcriptions of countries, and 
 in the derivations of the names of the ftates 
 And dirtri61s of Europe, 
 
 The SELGOVI.^ 
 Were feated on the fliores of Solway frith. 
 Mr. Baxter fuppofes that the name of this 
 people is compounded ofSel and Gi ii, which 
 he fays fignifies iait waves, alluding to Solway 
 frith, with which the coafts of their country 
 were waflied ; but Dr. Macpherfon derives it 
 from Sea/g, which literally (ignifies hunting, 
 and metaphorically theft. Mr. Macpherfon 
 fays that *' Se/gova; is plainly Sel^ovich latin- 
 ized.
 
 [ 5?S7 J 
 
 ized. Se/goi-ich literally fignifying hunters, 
 in a metaphorical fenfe plunderers, a name, 
 he fays, by which their fiiccelVors in the lame 
 country ought to have been diftinguiftied till 
 within a little more than a century back. Gd' 
 deni, he alfo ftates^ is plainly from Gadenm, 
 rohhers, and thieves; a name which arofe 
 from the fame love of depredation, with their 
 friends and neighbours the Selgov^."* 
 
 We have fiiewn under the head Scilly the 
 import of the word Sol. Govie is derived 
 irom Geafnh or Gcnv, a branch or Jlip ; and 
 the Selgeava2 or Selgovas were inhabitants re- 
 ading on the lands of this branch or flip of 
 the fea, to wit. Solway frith. Thus peculiarly 
 happy were the ancients in applicably naming 
 their provinces, whilft: more particularly un- 
 fortunate are the moderns, in neither accu- 
 rately, or even tolerably, rendering their de- 
 nominations. 
 
 The GADENI. 
 
 "■ We can hardly fuppofe, lays Dr. Henrvj 
 with Camden, that this people poflelTcd io 
 large a tra61 of country as Tiviotaale, Twe- 
 dalc, Mersj and the Loihians, iince Ptolemy 
 
 * Intr. to Hjft. Great Britain. 
 
 hati)
 
 [ 28 8 J 
 
 hath not mentioned one town -within their 
 territories. It is more probable that they 
 \vere a fmall nation inhabiting the moft dc- 
 fartand mountainous parts of Tiviotdale and 
 Northumberland. " Mr. Baxter derives this 
 name from Gaden to fly or wander. 
 
 In the above derivations of Mr. Macpher- 
 fon and Mr. Baxter, the land is not defcribed, 
 and we have found that from the defcription 
 of the country only, were the original inha- 
 bitants firfl named. This people, according 
 to Dr. Kenry's defcription, are likely to have 
 taken their names from their hills. Gad de- 
 rived from Aithe, changed to Ait, At, and 
 ^i, with g prefixed as in Gad's hill, Kent, 
 may mean hill, Adh indeed a root in many 
 names of hills, and in denominations of places 
 on hills. But Gad aUb in many appellations 
 comes from Ad water, with g prefixed, as in 
 the river Gade in Kertfordfliire, and in the 
 river G^^"*^ or Gad o^ this province. The En 
 in the endings of words generally nppears to 
 imply country ; and in this word it will be 
 the fame. 
 
 The ancients, who regulated the appclln« 
 lions of dirtii6^<5, fi\od not thircca on their 
 
 own
 
 r ^^^ J 
 
 OTvn foreheads ; and the trouble taken to 
 deck their brows -with the title, hath been 
 idly fpent. In Selgovias the tranflation plun* 
 derers is evidently wrong : and from the Ga^ 
 deni further examinations may fhew, that ill 
 the derivations of names, where nothing lies 
 deeper than correfponding founds, common 
 fenfe is often defcrted, 
 
 IVERNIA, IIIBERNIA, ERIN, IRELAND. 
 " Eirin, Ireland, fays Mr. Shaw, /. e. laT" 
 inn, weilern ifland ;" but lav-hm cannot im- 
 ply the xveflern ijland : for /// or ///;; is land 
 only, and wants fome term for water, to form 
 a word which denotes ijland. The term Irov 
 Ei?' may be fuch a word. 
 
 Mr. Whitaker flates, that " the ifland was 
 denominated Er-in, ler-ine, ler-ne, or Iter- 
 nia : Er, lev, or Iv-er, fignifying, he fays, the 
 weftern ; and In-is, Ine, or /;/, the illand."— 
 There is lefs difcrimination than confufion in 
 this ftiitement. Whatever Er or Icr may 
 mean, Iv-^r will not imply the fanie. In alfo 
 is land or country only, as mentioned above; 
 but In-is is the water country or ifland. The 
 word h for water, changed to Er, and tranf- 
 pofed in Er-in, is the fame as //• in Ire-land, 
 
 A
 
 A late writer Tays that Er-in implies the 
 jand of the moon; and I have already dated 
 that he renders Britanniay '* the land of the fifl^ 
 god Noah, who entered into the covenant.*'-^ 
 Mr. Macpherfon Aevive^ H'lbernia from the 
 Latin adjective Hibernus, and has a long and 
 curious difquifilion, to prove this fingular 
 difcovery. 
 
 General Vallancey tranflates Er-in nearly 
 the lame as Mr. Shaw and Mr. Whi taker ; but 
 it has been tranflatcd by others, the laft, or 
 utmoll habitation ; and may be derived from 
 Er border or end : and In, Country, 
 
 Moreover, Toernia, Hihernia, Eri/it and Ire* 
 land, are fynonymous names ; and Iv derived 
 i'romAv water, is the fame as Ir or Er, derived 
 alfo from Av changed to Au, Ar, Er, or Ir. — 
 In or En land may be changed to Eiin, *' as 
 the u in the dipthong, eii ferves oltcn to 
 lengthen the e only :" and as u and /• are 
 convertible, Eun and Er/i will im])ly ihe 
 fame. Laftly, Iv and 1/j or Il/b are alfo fy- 
 nonymes : from whence it will appear, that 
 thefe names may imply the water or border 
 hud. 
 
 BRITANNIA,
 
 r 291 ] 
 
 BRITANNIA, ARMORICA. 
 Brit, which has been (hewn to come from Ad 
 water, may alfo be derived from Aith an hill, 
 varied to Ait, Et, or It. Er or Erin has been 
 fuppofed to be derived from Er or Earr, bor- 
 der or end ; and if this fuppofition (hould be 
 true, Bri or Bre^ in Briton, may have been 
 ufed as a fubftantive, and have implied home, 
 hegimiing, or neareft part ; as Er in Erin did 
 the fill theft part. 
 
 General Vallancey derives Britain from 
 Bruit, tin or lead ; and Tan land. But this 
 ifland was probably firft named from its prin- 
 cipal features, and long before tin and lead 
 were difcovcred. Mr. Macpherfon derives it 
 from Brait high, and in country : but this is 
 placing the adjedive before the fubftantive, 
 which was not common in o/r/ names. To 
 the opinion that the " name was not applied 
 to the region, but beftowed on the inhabit- 
 ers," as afferted by Mr. Whitaker, I dare not 
 fubfcribe. Bre or Bri is Gaelic for an hill ; 
 and Tain is land ; Britain may therefore, 
 from Mr. W's. own interpretation o^ Albion, 
 mean hill country. Further we know that 
 Br/"-, Brie, Bris, and Brit imply, from fome 
 
 M roots.
 
 roots, hill ; from others water. Brigant^ 
 which may imply hill land, is (aid to mean a 
 high-lander (hill-lander) : the Brigantes from 
 hence may alfo imply dwellers on hills. Jiift 
 fo will Britain mean hill land. 
 
 Mr. Whitaker, in page 14, vol. I, hift. of 
 St. Germans, fays, " fo alfo the Gauls of Ar- 
 morica were called Britons, alTuredly, as fome 
 Gauls of Picardy certainly were : and as all 
 the Gauls of our iflands avowedly were at the 
 time of the Roman redu6lion of them ; yet 
 from fome circumftances, unknown to us, ge- 
 nerally called Armoricans then ; and from 
 others, equally unknown, were commonly en- 
 titled Britons afterwards." 
 
 On the above we mufl obferve, that the 
 word Is-lnnd implies water land ; but water 
 land meant not, originally, \2in6. furrounded by 
 water only, but territories bordering thereon 
 alfo. Hence what are tranflatcd the iflands 
 of the Gentiles in fcripturcs, meant generally 
 lands bordering upon the water or ocean. — 
 The names of iflands were varied, as the words 
 for rivers and hills. Sometimes indeed ffua/l 
 ijlands were named little lands : thus Lundy 
 or Landy is little land. Veclii may alfo mean 
 
 the
 
 C ^03 J 
 
 the fame, though this lad may imply the fame 
 as In-is or Is-hmd, water or little land. Wa- 
 ter land then implying ifland, or land fur- 
 roiindcd by water, is thus diftinguiflied from 
 In-IfiTid d\iin€i%. IJlands however might not 
 be thus diftinguifhed were they named hill 
 lands. But wliether Britain mean the home, 
 the hill, or the zoater land, will only perhaps 
 be determined, from more obfervations on 
 the fituations of places, beginning with Bre, 
 Bri, Bret, Brit, Bred, Br id, Sec, 
 
 Britain, or Briton, I have elfe where at- 
 tempted to fhew may imply fea or water 
 land. Annorica alfo implies the great water 
 or fea territory ; and therefore the Britoni 
 would be a very proper appellation for the 
 natives of either country, as Armorican would 
 be alfo for a native ol Armorica. 
 
 ALBIN, ALBAN, and ALBION. 
 Albion has been derived from Alben white, 
 and from Albion the giant, of whom I cannot 
 give the reader a genealogy. Mr. Macphcr- 
 lon derives Alhin from Alb or Alp, which he 
 renders high, and In country ; but this feems 
 to be contrary to the ancient mode of form- 
 ing namesj which was to place the adjeflive 
 
 JM m % after
 
 after the fubftantive. Moreover, from what 
 follows, the word Alp will be found to to im- 
 ply hill ; and the A/pcs will mean the hills. — 
 Mr. Whitaker fays that Albion was a name 
 conferred on this land before inhabited, *' and 
 whilft its Albioji or Heights were only viewed 
 at a diftance from the oppofite fhore of Gaul/' 
 But General Vallaneey, who renders it the 
 eaftern land, will not allow that this country 
 wears the afpecl here contended for, when 
 viewed from the coaft of Belgia. Albania 
 may come from Al a cliff, ban white, and ia, 
 country, and mean the white cliff land ; and 
 this name may have appropriately been given 
 to Britain before it was fettled by inhabitants 
 from the oppofite coaft. But Alb in Albion, 
 Albin, or Alban may be derived from A or 
 All an hill, changed to Av, Ab, Aub, and (as 
 u was in old names convertible to Ij to Alb. 
 Or it may come from Av water, changed to 
 ^/4nb and Alb; as in the Alba, a river in Spain, 
 and the Albis or Elbe, in Germany. Thus it 
 appears that Alb and Brit will admit of being 
 rendered hill or water. We have found in 
 various inflances, that the names of flreams 
 have been transferred to the lands upon them; 
 and thofe of lands have, no doubt, been given 
 
 to
 
 [ 295 J 
 
 to their ftreams. Where the roots of words 
 would admit of different explanations, and 
 the features of the lands were fuited to any 
 of them, it appears as if the ancient inhabit- 
 ants had adopted fuch roots : their prefixes 
 were varied chiefly for the purpofe of diflin- 
 guifhing names from each other. I have 
 only to add than lon^ In, or An means land. 
 
 INDEX.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 A A 
 
 -TXBER, what 
 
 Page. 
 
 
 Page. 
 
 167 
 
 The Barney 
 
 166 
 
 The A bus 
 
 249 
 
 Barnliaple 
 
 165 
 
 The Adder or Adur 
 
 J18 
 
 Barftable 
 
 165 
 
 Addinoton 
 
 119 
 
 Baron 
 
 262 
 
 Adjundls to old Names, 
 
 Barton 
 
 262 
 
 aii Gaelic Teirns 
 
 38 
 
 Tie Baudcr 
 
 29 
 
 Albion, Albin and Alban 293 
 
 Mr. J^axter 
 
 259 
 
 Alcorabe or Aucombe 
 
 53 
 
 The Bean 
 
 30 
 
 Alcote or Aucote 
 
 33 
 
 Bear 
 
 182 
 
 The Aieaims 
 
 177 
 
 Becky 
 
 159 
 
 The Aire 
 
 229 
 
 The Bedel 
 
 31 
 
 The Aude 
 
 239 
 
 The Beden 
 
 31 
 
 The Anker 
 
 54 
 
 Bedford 
 
 82 
 
 Apaunaris 
 
 ^66 
 
 Beddington 
 
 82 
 
 Appleby 
 
 142 
 
 Bcdic 
 
 31 
 
 Applcdore 
 
 167 
 
 Beer Crocombe 
 
 182 
 
 1 he Arar 
 
 143 
 
 Beer 
 
 182 
 
 Arden 
 
 94 
 
 Bchan Pare 
 
 93 
 
 ArJevera-meur 
 
 84 
 
 Bel 
 
 230 
 
 Ardtvera-vian 
 
 84 
 
 The Belgae 
 
 2CG 
 
 The Ark 
 
 53 
 
 Eelinfgate 
 
 124 
 
 The Aime 
 
 67 
 
 Belftone 
 
 124 
 
 The Arrow 
 
 19 
 
 Eckfliire 
 
 230 
 
 Aitavia 
 
 119 
 
 Berry 
 
 159, 182 
 
 The word A(h 
 
 183 
 
 Bcworthy 
 
 185 
 
 Aftiburtun 
 
 J 34 
 
 Bibrax 
 
 231 
 
 Afliccmbc 
 
 133 
 
 Bibrafte or Biay 
 
 231 
 
 Avalon 
 
 1»9 
 
 The Bibroci 
 
 231 
 
 Aveiand 
 
 146 
 
 The Bidder 
 
 31 
 
 Avington or Alvington 55 
 
 Biddefoid 
 
 79 
 
 Augnicms 20, 
 
 46, 172 
 
 Binchcfter 
 
 1 to 
 
 Augments, miftakcn 
 
 for 
 
 Binoviuni 
 
 ^:A 
 
 I'iural Endings 
 
 47 
 
 Birmingham 
 
 267 
 
 The Avon 
 
 72 
 
 Blackaltone 
 
 i:i8 
 
 Aufcr or Aufur 
 
 174 
 
 Blackdoun 
 
 128 
 
 The Axe 
 
 J 9 
 
 The Elr,;c 
 
 30,31 
 
 Aykfb'jar 
 
 182 
 
 The Bk'idt-oo 
 
 31 
 
 
 
 The Blcngu 
 
 31 
 
 B 
 
 
 The Blith 
 
 31 
 
 The Bache 
 
 275 
 
 Th: Bovy 
 
 29 
 
 Bake 
 
 103 
 
 The Biadfield 
 
 31 
 
 Ban 
 
 24, 28 
 
 Branfoid Pine 
 
 };3 
 
 Bar 
 
 24 
 
 Branford Spcke 
 
 83 
 
 Barfcrd 
 
 267 
 
 The Brane 
 
 30, 31
 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 
 
 Page. 
 
 Page. 
 
 The Brant 
 
 
 ol 
 
 The Car 
 
 3* 
 
 Tlic Bray 
 
 
 31 
 
 The Carah 
 
 29 
 
 The Bia)an 
 
 
 31 
 
 The Carey 32, 
 
 I. -.9 
 
 Bremen 
 
 
 269 
 
 Carifbrookc 
 
 12J 
 
 Bieminium 
 
 
 268 
 
 Carlifle 
 
 254 
 
 The Brent 
 
 
 ol 
 
 The Carmbii or Cornovii 
 
 263 
 
 The Breton 
 
 
 31 
 
 The Carron 
 
 -9 
 
 The Bietfen 
 
 
 210 
 
 The Cairieuchlani 
 
 275 
 
 Brettenham 
 
 
 210 
 
 Catch French 
 
 i07 
 
 Mr, Andrew Brlce 
 
 
 104 
 
 Caufon 
 
 48 
 
 The Biide 
 
 
 31 
 
 The Ceni 
 
 250 
 
 The Bridy 
 
 
 31 
 
 Cenia 
 
 190 
 
 Biidltovv 
 
 
 210 
 
 The Cenius, Cenion 
 
 18) 
 
 Bridpoit 
 
 
 210 
 
 The Ccnomaniii 
 
 256 
 
 Briddiltow 
 
 
 210 
 
 The Cenomes 
 
 236 
 
 Brigant 
 
 
 250 
 
 The Chan-e of Letters in 
 
 
 Brigantes 
 
 
 248 
 
 Syllabes 
 
 50 
 
 The word Biigs 
 
 
 240 
 
 Chedder 
 
 125 
 
 Bridgewatcr 
 
 
 240 
 
 The Liicw 
 
 m 
 
 Briftol 
 
 
 200 
 
 Chidcombe 
 
 95 
 
 Britain 
 
 
 291 
 
 Chidl--y 
 
 I2J 
 
 Britannia 
 
 
 291 
 
 1 lie Clan 
 
 32 
 
 Briv, wliat 
 
 
 215 
 
 T he C laiiinay 
 
 3 = 
 
 Buckfalileigh 
 
 
 163 
 
 1 he Clais, CUs or Ciis 
 
 31 
 
 Buck land 
 
 
 163 
 
 I'he Clatford 
 
 32 
 
 BuckinghaTi 
 
 
 2?5 
 
 The Claw 
 
 Si 
 
 Burton 
 
 
 134 
 
 The Ciav 
 
 32 
 
 Bury 
 
 
 182 
 
 The Clcddgh 
 
 32 
 
 The word By (fee Each) 
 
 1-14 
 
 The Claie 
 
 52 
 
 
 
 
 The CJethy 
 
 32 
 
 C 
 
 
 
 1 he CIcton 
 
 32 
 
 Word Caighe (iee E; 
 
 xb) 
 
 107 
 
 The Cltuer 
 
 32 
 
 The (Jaledonii 
 
 
 283 
 
 1 he Clun 
 
 32 
 
 The Cain 
 
 
 J4 
 
 Tne Cluyd 
 
 32 
 
 Calftoke 
 
 
 181 
 
 Cockington 
 
 3« 
 
 The Cam 
 
 23, 
 
 238 
 
 Cd 
 
 ~S 
 
 The Canu-ieck 
 
 
 107 
 
 Colcheftcr 
 
 iz:i 
 
 Cambridge 
 
 
 238 
 
 Coldrvnmck 
 
 I02 
 
 Camboricum 
 
 
 242 
 
 The Colnc 
 
 227' 
 
 The Camtl 
 
 
 28 
 
 The C.;lly 
 
 ( I 
 
 Camulodunum 
 
 
 221 
 
 Ci ml L ticfined 
 
 37 
 
 Can 
 
 2. 
 
 h 2S 
 
 1 nc Conwy 
 
 72 
 
 The Cangii 
 
 
 20S 
 
 Coik 
 
 2.,5 
 
 Cantabrig 
 
 
 23S 
 
 The Corii 
 
 Z;S 
 
 Canterburv 
 
 
 213 
 
 'i lie Corin 
 
 41 
 
 ^Cantg'-.arland 
 
 
 214 
 
 The Cijr;t.-.ni 
 The Corry 
 
 2'4 
 
 159 
 
 •The Head Border 
 
 I.an 
 
 d in- 
 
 Cornw^ii 
 
 J S 
 
 Read of the ii^aia Boj 
 
 dcf LavA 
 
 CoMi T- V 
 
 270 
 
 as in Page 214 
 
 
 
 1 he Cover 
 
 2:9
 
 The Cowcn 
 
 Cran orCraumere 
 
 The Crane 
 
 The Crandon 
 
 Cranborn 
 
 Cranford 
 
 The Cray 
 
 Crayford 
 
 The Greedy 
 
 Crediton 
 
 The Crock 
 
 Cud com be 
 
 Cuddcp-Beak 
 
 Cuduorth 
 
 The Culm 
 
 Cumberland 
 
 The Ciimbri 
 
 The Cune 
 
 Cutciew 
 
 D 
 
 Daddy Port 
 The Dan 
 Danmonia 
 The Danube 
 The Dare 
 Dav 
 
 Paverton 28, 54, 167 
 
 Dawlifti 160 
 
 The Dead 118 
 
 Dead-Man's-Hcad )i8 
 
 Derby 246 
 
 Derivation of Rivers, 
 Mountains, &c. by 
 the Ancients 148 
 
 Derivation, general Piin- 
 
 ciples of J 68 
 
 Derivation, Specimens of, 
 felefled to elucidate 
 the Subjeft only 168 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 
 Page. 
 
 
 Page. 
 
 219 
 
 King Dorn 
 
 xoo 
 
 58 
 
 The Dove 
 
 «33 
 
 3- 
 
 Dur, Dor or Dar 
 
 as 
 
 32 
 
 Durnovaria 
 
 200 
 
 59 
 
 Durotriges 
 
 198 
 
 58 
 
 The Dourdwy 
 
 160 
 
 32 
 
 Drev\(teignton 
 
 166 
 
 5X 
 
 The Word Down 
 
 204 
 
 32> 87 
 
 Durobrivae 
 
 214 
 
 87 
 
 Dublia 
 
 258 
 
 82 
 
 
 
 98 
 
 E 
 
 
 103 
 
 •Each 
 
 144 
 
 98 
 
 Eboracum 
 
 255 
 
 69 
 
 Ecclefbourn 
 
 20 
 
 a-lg 
 
 The Eden 19, 
 
 174. 225 
 
 382 
 
 The Elbe 
 
 54. 65 
 
 362 
 
 Elbeiton 
 
 54 
 
 93 
 
 Ely 
 
 243 
 
 
 The Enian 
 
 x3 
 
 
 Erin 
 
 389 
 
 liS 
 
 Eton 
 
 19 
 
 28 
 
 Eiiel 
 
 '9 
 
 J'94 
 
 Everton 
 
 »9 
 
 X2I 
 
 Sure 
 
 255 
 
 57 
 
 Exe 
 
 »9 
 
 29 
 
 Exon 
 
 1 96 
 
 The Fal 
 
 190 
 
 Devon 
 Dinful 
 Diminutives 
 Dimaetae 
 The D' buni 
 The Dun 
 Donaweith 
 Dorchefter 
 Doi fet 
 
 194 
 
 2S, 54, 167 
 
 27I 
 274 
 30 
 185 
 200 
 198 
 
 ♦ Each was found to imply 
 Houfe in Page i44< This 
 Wo.d is the Root of T^acb, an 
 Habitation ; and when changed 
 to igb, is alfo the Root of 
 7i^h, an Houfe ; and of Bi^b 
 or By, as in Trnbigb or Tenhy. 
 Cm alfo, I conceive, was thus 
 derived, and was perhaps ori- 
 ginally written Caighe, from 
 whence our provincial Term 
 Calge, an Houfe. From this 
 and other Roots, the Variation 
 of Pn fixes appears to have 
 been common } & from hence 
 all the Roots of tlie Gaelic 
 Langvjage may peihaps be 
 found but few, comparatively 
 fpeaking, in Number.
 
 •INDEX. 
 
 ^be f'awy 
 The FeflTo 
 i^ethanleae 
 
 Page. 
 »74 
 
 «27 
 
 The word Field b66 
 
 The word Folk in Norfolk 237 
 The word Ford 83 
 
 Fretherne ia6 
 
 The Gade 
 The Gadeni 
 Gaelic Roots for Water 
 The Garone 
 The Garumna 
 The Ged 
 
 General Rules for Pre- 
 fixes 
 Gibfmere 
 Gipping 
 Gipfwich 
 Glevum 
 The Glafon 
 Glaftonbury 
 Glouccfter 
 The Granta 
 Ofaotabrige 
 
 s8S 
 287 
 
 24 
 
 «74 
 174 
 
 288 
 
 30 and 34 
 344 
 344 
 
 243 
 
 *75 
 
 3i 
 
 139 
 
 a7S 
 *38 
 
 H 
 
 Hvi2% not in feme Al- 
 phabets, though ufed 
 in fpeaking 
 
 H acorn be 
 
 •The Haedui 
 
 Hal, Har» and Haw 
 
 Haidon 
 
 Hallo'v 
 
 Halton 
 
 The word Ham 
 
 Hamlet 
 
 Hamfliire 212, 
 
 51 
 
 133 
 
 278 
 
 51 
 
 123 
 
 165 
 
 124 
 
 63 
 
 82 
 
 237 
 
 •Under this Head the De- 
 rivation of one Nation from 
 another is confidertd; ajid 
 like Names proved to be no 
 Proof of fuch Deiivationj 
 
 Hamoft 
 
 Harrow 
 
 Hartford 
 
 Hartingford 
 
 Hartland 
 
 Havren 
 
 Hartavia 
 
 Helftone 
 
 Hendra 
 
 Hembury Fort 
 
 Henham 
 
 Henley 
 
 Hennock 
 
 Henny 
 
 Hibemia 
 
 Holdernefs 
 
 Holland 
 
 Hucombe or Holcombe 
 
 Holfworthy 
 
 Honeybrooke 
 
 Honeybourn 
 
 Honiton 
 
 The Huiccii 
 
 Humber 
 
 Huntington 
 
 Page. 
 
 75 
 
 275 
 276 
 119 
 
 ■74 
 119 
 
 124 
 94 
 
 30B 
 
 94 
 
 94 
 163 
 
 94 
 289 
 247 
 207 
 
 53 
 185 
 »59 
 159 
 156 
 372 
 
 349 
 
 244 
 
 The Diminutive / oty 
 
 The Iceni 
 
 The Ide 
 
 The Idel 
 
 The Hen 
 
 Ilchefter 
 
 Hfracombe 
 
 In tranflaied Ham 
 
 Inis 
 
 Iniiwitrin 
 
 The Inny 
 
 Ipfwich 
 
 Irford 
 
 lron-A£lon 
 
 liara 
 
 Ifca DanmonioruiQ 
 
 Ifca Silurum 
 
 Ifis J74, 
 
 Ifland, what 
 
 336 
 
 210 
 
 19 
 
 >9 
 
 36 
 *3S 
 
 38,55 
 
 »39 
 
 18 
 343 
 
 29 
 39 
 
 174 
 
 35o 
 
 250 
 247 
 289 
 
 N
 
 INDEX. 
 
 The Ifter 
 The lrcht» 
 The J tuna 
 The Ivel 
 Ivernia 
 
 Page. 
 
 122 
 229 
 225 
 19, 3.3 
 2S9 
 
 K 
 
 Kelham and Averham 
 
 The Kelyn 
 
 Kelly 
 
 The Ken 
 
 The Kennett 
 
 The Kenwyn 
 
 Kentifbear 1S2, 
 
 Kent 
 
 Kilkenny 
 
 Kilmar-rock 
 
 Kini^ibridge 
 
 *K.irton 
 
 L 
 L changed to U and R 
 The Laden 
 The Lan or Lane 
 Lancafter 
 The Larnen 
 The Larnura 
 Tlie Lavant 
 The Laver 
 The Lea or Lee 
 Ley or Leigh 
 Leicefter 
 Leighton 
 Of Letters inferted in 
 
 Syllables 
 Ley ton 
 The Lid 
 Lichtield 
 The LifFy 
 Limerick 
 Limfton 
 The Lime 
 The Lippe 
 Lincoln 
 Lhyn or Linnc 
 
 64 
 100 
 
 99 
 
 72 
 
 97 
 
 J 90 
 
 235 
 
 2»3 
 
 96 
 
 99 
 240 
 
 87 
 
 Ji 
 
 28 
 
 *S5 
 
 «74 
 
 174 
 
 30 
 
 30 
 177 
 177 
 246 
 178 
 
 54 
 177 
 
 29 
 264 
 
 357 
 84 
 
 75 
 
 174 
 
 246 
 
 26 
 
 The Liver 
 
 Liverpool 
 
 Lodenick 
 
 The Lodden k 
 
 The Loder 
 
 The Loman or Lomen 
 
 The Lun 
 
 London 
 
 Loftwithiel 
 
 Louiih i<ian 
 
 The Lud 
 
 Ludgate 
 
 The Lug 
 
 Lugdanum 
 
 So 
 
 257. 
 102 
 
 30' 
 47 
 
 2»7 
 216 
 
 30. 
 «i6' 
 
 15?' 
 150 
 
 •For Etymoiogicen, vol 9, 
 d. A. S. in Page S7, read 
 Etymologicon, vel, q. d. A. S. 
 
 Mr Lhuyd, a CoDJefture 
 
 of his proved 28 
 
 The Lun 5g 
 
 1 he Lupia 174- 
 
 Lundy 54 
 
 M 
 The Madus or Medway 2S 
 
 Maiden 211 
 
 The Man or Maun 260 
 
 The Man van 260 
 
 The Manifold 260 
 
 The word Manor 262 
 
 Manchefter 259 
 
 Mancu Ilium 259 
 
 Marclive 267 
 
 Martin hou lOi 
 
 Martcck ico 
 
 Marton loi 
 
 Mamhead i6z 
 
 Mam Torr i6z 
 
 Menai iiz 
 
 Menavia iiz 
 
 The Menapii iiz 
 
 Menabiliy ii2 
 
 Mcndip J25 
 
 Menliennet ii» 
 
 Menwinnick J 12 
 
 The Meavy 159 
 
 Miflis 228 
 
 Miliiioii 204 
 
 Mimmeram 277 
 Modes of rendering 
 h'treams, Hills, Val- 
 Jies, HiC, IJ2, 155, and j6#
 
 INDEX. 
 
 JOI 
 I02 
 I02 
 1 02 
 112 
 
 57 
 
 Page. 
 The Mole, Molton, &c. loi 
 •Mollinick 
 MoUand 
 Mollitcn 
 Moliington 
 Mona 
 The word Moor, More, 
 
 or Mere 
 Moridunum, not Seaton 
 
 "but Hembury Fort 2or 
 The Morini 198 
 
 •^'Moretonhamftead 61 
 
 Morew inflow 59 
 
 Morwenna 59 
 
 ♦Printed wrongly page loi 
 Mollinick. 
 
 ^When I compofed the Ar- 
 ticleabovc referred to, I had 
 not confidered the meaning of 
 the Word Ton; & fuppoling 
 that it originally implied what 
 is generally underftood by it, 
 I '.was at a lofs to account for 
 the name of this Town. The 
 Reader -.vill ealily conceive to 
 what etymological Conceits 
 Authors are liabie, when thty 
 examine not firiflly their fteps. 
 I had intended to analife the 
 Word Ton; but thinking it 
 already we!l defined, I omitted 
 my Talk, until 1 had printed 
 as far as Alhourton ; when, to 
 my great furprife, 1 found the 
 Word anciently implied Land. 
 More ton ham Head will there- 
 fore very iiporopriately mean, 
 the Moor La>:d Border Setsle- 
 meni : and the Parifli is evi- 
 dently named, from its Ijing 
 OB the Border of Dartmoor. 
 I have further to add, that a!l 
 our Didlionaiics give u; wrong 
 E'xplanations cf \\\e origi>u.l 
 import of this word. See the 
 word Alhbuiton. 
 
 The Mulla 
 
 A Mute and a Liquid in 
 the beginning of the 
 Names of Streams, &c. 
 foim a Prefix 30 tQ 
 
 N 
 
 JV has ^, cb, c, & k, often 
 added to make it a 
 heavy Confonani 66 
 
 Nabaeus 
 
 Nadder 
 
 Nan 
 
 Nanny 
 
 Narrow Vowels 
 
 Neb 
 
 Nefin 
 
 Neafon 
 
 Ncm 
 
 Nen 
 
 Nevern 
 
 Newtoa 
 
 Nid 
 
 Ntdius 
 
 Nor, what 
 
 Norfolk 
 
 Northanjpton 
 
 Northumberland 
 
 Norwicli 
 
 North Stoke 
 
 Nottingham 
 
 Nymeton 
 
 Page. 
 47 
 
 34 
 
 131 
 
 30 
 30 
 30 
 
 2S 
 
 «77 
 
 J77 
 48 
 
 J77 
 
 30 
 
 »77 
 
 HT 
 29 
 30 
 243 
 *37 
 246 
 350 
 
 ^3 
 j8o 
 246 
 177 
 
 O 
 
 Ockinton or Ockhamton 
 
 The Ock'ncu 
 The Odel 
 The Oder 
 ihc Oldy 
 The Oney 
 The Ordovices 
 7 he Ocr.us 
 '1 he Oie 
 The Oiter 
 '1 he Ofkol 
 The Over 
 The Oule 
 
 »9 
 
 2o> 38, «;s 
 
 '^ 
 
 210 
 
 >59 
 iS 
 
 270 
 176 
 
 '9 
 
 210 
 
 i22 
 
 75 
 
 u, 
 
 N %
 
 TNDEX 
 
 The 0» 
 
 ■ age. 
 '9 
 
 Paris 
 
 Psrifii 
 
 Parrott 
 
 Parfliore 
 
 The word Pel 
 
 Pendennis 
 
 Penrith 
 
 Penkenneck 
 
 Penmanmaor 
 
 The Phafjs 
 
 The Fiddel 
 
 Polemartin 
 
 *47 
 
 29 
 167 
 
 73 
 
 74 
 *54 
 108 
 
 48 
 
 >74 
 
 29 
 
 100 
 
 Pone, Pont or Point Crofs 109 
 Poftfixes miftaken for Plu- 
 ral Endings 4i bo 
 prefixes, Proofs of 35 to 40 
 99 and 243 
 The Plym 74 
 Piymtree 75 
 Plymton 75 
 The Principal Houfes of 
 
 St. German's 91 
 
 The Principles of the De- 
 rivation of the Names 
 of Streams, &c. 18 
 
 Plural Endings, their Ori- 
 gin 47 and 172 
 
 Quantock 
 
 *59 
 
 R 
 
 ^, its frequent changes to 
 
 U and L 51 
 
 The Ravius 18 53 
 
 Kainham ^iz 
 
 The Read 232 
 
 Reading 132 
 
 Rew 87 
 
 The Regni 212 
 
 The Rty 87 
 
 )lian 30 
 
 River «7 2I5 
 
 Rochefter 214 
 
 Rod.bear 182, ajS 
 
 Jage. 
 
 Rother 30 
 
 Ruan Langhom «)» 
 
 Ruan Major 99 
 
 Ruan Minor 9^ 
 The Routs of Names for 
 
 Water 18 to 2» 
 
 Rutland 246 
 
 S 
 
 The Sabriana 169 
 
 Sadbergh 117 
 
 Saddington lif 
 
 Saliibury 208 - 
 
 San 3» 
 
 Salop 264 
 
 Satan and Satura iiS 
 
 Satterleigh * »T 
 
 Saveranus 169 
 
 Savaren zt 
 
 Seaton not Moridunum 21© 
 
 Scilly i9»- 
 
 The Selgovae 386 
 
 The Severn I69 
 
 Sgire or Scire a Shire zt» 
 
 The Sid 29, 68 
 
 Silchefter 135 
 
 Silverton 13S 
 
 Silures 272 
 
 Shropfhire 264 
 
 Shrewiburjr 264 
 
 Skiddavv 48, 13S 
 
 The Sob 29 
 
 Solway Frith 192 
 
 Somerfet 206 
 
 Solebay 193 
 
 Sorbiodunum 20S 
 
 Sruth 35 
 
 Sreamh 33 
 
 Stable and Staple 165 
 
 Start Point 1 19 
 
 Stafford ^6$ 
 
 The word Stead 14 
 
 The word Street 179 
 
 The word Stoke 179 
 
 The words Stol and Stow 209 
 
 Stockport 181 
 
 Stoke GifFord i<^0 
 
 The Stroud 3i 
 
 Suffolk zi7
 
 il^DEXw 
 
 Page. 
 The Sunin 47 
 
 The Syllables er, if, ar, 
 or, ur, in> en, an, on, 
 un, ac, ec, ic, oc, uc, 
 &c. itiply Land on 
 Streams, Hills, &c. 272 
 
 the Talc 
 The Taimoa 
 The Tame 
 The Tamer 
 The Tames 
 The Tanat 
 The Tau 
 Taud 
 The Tavy 
 The Teiga 
 The Teivi 
 The Tora 
 The Tiber 
 Tiverton 
 
 2-9, 68 
 
 «75 
 
 a8> 75 
 
 a8, 172 
 
 a8 
 
 a8, 29 
 
 118 
 
 57 
 30, 66 
 
 »75 
 *I5 
 132 
 
 »67 
 
 The Tobius, Tuerobius 
 &Tifobius, or theTou, 
 Tuerou, and Tifou j 
 now faid to be the 
 Towy, the Teivi> and 
 Con\v¥ 175 
 
 The Tone 36 
 
 Topfham 161 
 
 •Torrige 77 
 
 Torre 79 
 
 Toref 79 
 
 Totnes 164 
 
 Trcgony 192 
 
 Trent 33 
 
 Trefadern 116 
 
 *Tor may be derived from 
 Tamh or Ta-v changed to Tau ; 
 the u, to prevent the ciafliing 
 of Vowels, and to produce a 
 ilrongei Sound, changed to r. 
 1 hus Tau-icb or lau-ige was 
 changed to 7oriche or Torige : 
 hence Tor in Torbay, and 
 jnany other Names beginning 
 ■with 7»r, implies Water. 
 
 Trelkelly 
 Trinobantcs 
 The Troviu* 
 Truro 
 Tunbridge 
 
 191 
 
 30 
 
 U, the Pronunciation of 4$ 
 U, its frequent Changes 
 
 to L and R $% 
 
 U was changed to L and^ 
 R where an Augment 
 or Diminutive follow- 
 ed, to avoid the claih- 
 ing of Vowels .5 1 and 5} 
 The t/and F frequently 
 changed by the Roman* 
 to B ' 37* 
 
 The Unes iS 
 
 Upton Pvne It 
 
 The Ufk J 9 
 
 The Ufway 19 
 
 Uxbridge 3^ 
 
 ▼ 
 Vandel 33* 
 
 Vefta, Veftis, &c 227 
 
 The Vent z^o 
 
 Venta Belgarum 229. 
 
 Venta Iccnorum 230 
 
 Venta Silurum 23* 
 
 Veratinum^ 870 
 
 Vinovium 131 
 
 The Viftula 174. 
 
 The Viforgis 174 
 
 Voliba 1)9 
 
 Vowels have generally a 
 Confonant, or Confo- 
 nants prefixed in the 
 properNames of Rivers, 
 Hills, &c. 2. i iiluf- 
 trated in Pages 2i to 4* 
 
 w 
 
 
 Wairington 
 
 27» 
 
 VVarv\ ick. 
 
 267 
 
 The Wcnrfum 
 
 230 
 
 The Were o« Ware 
 
 067
 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 
 
 
 Page. 
 
 
 Page. 
 
 Wefcot 
 
 2J3 
 
 Wi(tlch 
 
 
 253 
 
 The Wefer 
 
 »74 
 
 Wifcombc 
 
 
 253 
 
 Weffel 
 
 253 
 
 Wiftoa 
 
 
 253 , 
 
 Wefmoreland 
 
 251 
 
 Withel 
 
 
 io3 
 
 Wefton 
 
 253 
 
 Witham 
 
 
 109 
 
 Wliirftone 
 
 136 
 
 Worcefter 
 
 
 363 
 
 WW k I m ^ A fc >• *• ** 
 
 Wick or Week 
 
 273 
 
 The Words Worth and 
 
 
 Wickland 
 
 274 
 
 Worthy 
 
 
 184 
 
 Wight 
 
 Wiktgarabyrig 
 The Willy 
 WiltQiire 
 
 327 
 
 Wivclfcombe 
 
 
 36 
 
 123 
 
 308 
 
 Wixel 
 
 The Termination or Ad- 
 
 »'74 
 
 206 
 
 jef>ive IVy, mi 
 
 ftaken 
 
 
 Winchet 
 
 13I 
 
 for Fie or /^<f. 
 
 VVa- 
 
 2S6 
 
 Wincaunton 
 
 J31 
 
 ter 
 
 
 W infield 
 
 B29 
 
 « 
 
 
 
 Winchefter 
 
 220 
 
 Y 
 
 
 
 Wingham 
 
 130 
 
 Yealm or Yam 
 
 
 55 
 
 Windlbr 
 
 233 
 
 Yare 
 
 
 a 43 
 
 WinkJey 
 
 130 
 
 York 
 
 
 2J5 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 WOOiMZR, PRINIER, EXETER.
 
 r 507 ] 
 
 ERRATA AND ADDENDA. 
 
 "PAGE 10, /. 3, for was r. were— 31 r. Initial— 36 r. Eiy- 
 
 mologicon — 42 r. means — 54 /. 3, r. thus Baiter and 
 
 jS;^;)?^;- is Water— but C in Ifc may be changed to T, thus 
 
 Fafcellus, is in Italian Faftello — and Uifge is in the language 
 
 of Mona IVyJiee — 55 for take r. takes. — 70, /. li, after names 
 
 add Col comes from Av water changed to Ou and 01, with C 
 
 prefixed — 71 r. Roman — 97 and 119 for there r. thcfe — 97 
 
 Kil in Kilkenny may otherwife imply Hill, &:c.fce Trclkelly — 
 
 loi T. Molinick — no, /. 18, >•. has been juftly — 116 and 136 
 
 r. Hals— i2j for Don, fee page '204.-127 for names r. name — 
 
 136, /. 5, wants mark of Quotation — 144 r, parrs— 146 r. 
 
 Wapentake — 159, /. 9, for land and, r. land or — 166 for En- 
 
 glifli r. England — 164 r. fortean — 168,/. 17, dele more — for 
 
 Author's r. Authors— 174 for is r. ii— 177 r. imply— 185 r. 
 
 Nottinghamfliirc— 190 for Icaft r. lefs — 211, /. 6, for or, r. 
 
 and — 2 14, /. 10, for water r. head — 241 in note add he — 247, 
 
 /, 5,r. Paris — ^74 r. Bodo— 275 »•. feem— 278 r, Aboriginal. 
 
 It fhould be obferved throughout this 
 book, that the names of di(tri61s or parifhes, 
 originally referred to the /c7/7r/5j and not to 
 the villages or towns. 
 
 Endings in Den^ Din, Sec. from /// and En, 
 feem generally to mean land, in old names, 
 though rendered otherwife in Di61ionaries, 
 and by Authors : Hence Pendinnis may im- 
 ply the little head land. 
 
 Mor, h'om a or au an hill, changed to ou 
 and or, with m prefixed, may alfo mean hill. 
 Mordcn, page 202, may imply hill land. 
 
 O o We
 
 C 508 ] 
 
 We diflikc antiquated and vulgar names, 
 and often adopt, euphonias gratia, iuch ad- 
 ditional letters, that with difficulty do we re- 
 cognife the original, except through the vul- 
 gar denomination. I have laid that names as 
 commonly pronounced, are often nearer 
 to the original than as they are written. 
 Thus Mphington, Devon, pronounced Afin- 
 ton, the firfl fy liable of which from a-v water, 
 is nearer the etymon than Alph : Thus alfo 
 Thorverion, Devon, in Doomfday Tovreton or 
 Toverton, is now pronounced DavertoJi ; the 
 firfl fyllable of which, from Tav aTftrcam, is 
 nearer the original word than Thor. Some ob- 
 je61ions to ihe above having been fuggefted, I 
 again ftate my opinion, and leave the reader 
 to judge for himfelf. 
 
 TrCj Trior Trighe an habitation, confider- 
 ed by Dr. Pryce an original Britilh word, is 
 derived as Bigh, Gaighe, and Tighe, from the 
 root Igii. Triv or Trev, another Cornifh name, 
 comes perhaps from the root Ibh, Iv, or Ev 
 with Tr prefixed. 
 
 Words convey the images or ideas which 
 arife in our minds, fvom our perceptions of 
 things : and it is faid that Plato expe6led a 
 plain agreement between the name and the 
 thing ; and that where there was a difagree- 
 
 ment,
 
 C 309 3 
 
 ment, he would never admit a conjeflure. In 
 this treatife I have endeavoured to explain 
 every thing by its own name ; and to the 
 Mythologifl; I leave explanations by meta- 
 phoi"s. 
 
 Of all the conceits which occupy the mind, 
 thofe which derive ftreams, hills, fettlements, 
 &c. from birds, animals, men, &c. ieem to be 
 the moft difficult to account for. With a 
 few common names for water and for hills, to 
 give proper names to many thoufands of 
 flreams^nd hills in this nation, it was found 
 necefifary to vary confonants and vowels ; and 
 to employ prefixes and poftfixes. — No other 
 fufficient mode could be found which would 
 rationally explain the various circumflances 
 of the features of nature. With thefe varia- 
 tions, and additions, a few old denominations 
 are like the names of birds, and other things 
 in different languages : Thus Mfgeir is faid 
 to imply a mountain, and it is afferted, " that 
 there are many mountains in Wales of the 
 name of Efgir ; but fo ufed metaphorically, 
 the word llgnifying in Welfli, a leg."* This 
 confufion, aiifing from the ufe of the name of 
 one thing, for that of another, proceeds iome- 
 tirne? from not analyfing words. Ais is Gaelic 
 
 O o 2 for 
 
 * Lhuyd's Archaelogia, p. 5, and thii Beck, p. 155.
 
 C 510 ] 
 
 for hill ; g;eir is alio fpelt by fome ^car^, 
 and this part of the compound terra, may 
 imply fhort, fharp, pointed, &c. ; and Aifgear 
 will mean the fhort, fharp, or pointed hill ; 
 hence the word has no metaphorical allufiou 
 to a leg.— Thus alfo in Wales, two ftreams, 
 from Och and An or En, water, with the pre- 
 fixes C and Hi obtained their proper names : 
 They are pronounced as our Englifh words, 
 Cock and Hen, and it is imagined that from 
 bur Cock and Ben, thefe Gaelic proper names 
 were derived. — The reader need not to be 
 reminded of Dean Swift's deriving Greek 
 names from the Englifli. 
 
 Englifh words borrowed from the Gaelic, 
 are more numerous than commonly imagined. 
 I have marked in Mr. Shaw's Dictionary, feve- 
 ral hundred words, from which our language 
 is partly and originally derived. Authors arc 
 not aware, to what extent we are indebted to 
 this language for our adjun6ls. I have already 
 fhewn this in various inflances ; and will 
 here produce a very particular one more, 
 /^w/za/'/poftfixed in Gaelic names forms com- 
 parative nouns : the Gaelic 7?ih is our v, which 
 was often changed to b : ^/w/ic?// would there- 
 fore become Avail, and Adml ; and as ai was 
 pronounced e,* A/jai/ h^s been pronounced 
 AM from which our ending in Mle, 
 
 like, 
 
 • See Lhuyd's Archaelogia-
 
 C 511 ] 
 
 like, as, &c. is I conceive derived. Our 
 prefcnt great and jiiilly celebrated Etymo- 
 loffical writer has however a differtation 
 to prove that this adjun6l comes from the 
 Saxon and Englifh word full. — But probable 
 may mean prooj-hke, not proof-fid: compa- 
 nionable, companion-Z/ite, not companion^//. 
 
 For fuch as will not attend to the changes of 
 letters and lyllables, and to the corruption of 
 names, I add the following. To form a word 
 for ftream, it feemed not abfolutely necetfary 
 to have a liquid prefixed to the root of the 
 name : Thus the rivers Clan or Crane, might 
 have been written Can, which implies a lake 
 or ftream. On the other hand, it feems not 
 to have been neceffary in forming a word for 
 ftream, to prefix conlonants to liquids, — 
 Thus Trov in the Trovius, is now Rav in the 
 Ravius, which are two names for the fame 
 ftream : thus alfo the Lan^ a part of the name 
 of the ClRTit is alio the denomination of 
 a ftream : laftly it Teems not to have been 
 indifpenfably requifite to prefix a conlbnant 
 to common names lor water : for Av is \va- 
 ter, and is often uied for ftream, as in the 
 Avon or Aven, 
 
 But notwithftanding what is here ftated, it 
 was at leali convenient, in order to difiinguith 
 
 ft reams
 
 C 512 ] 
 
 fireams from each other by proper names, to 
 add thefe prefixes to the common ones for 
 water; and the ancients had three wavs of 
 varying denominations, befides thofe which 
 arofe from changing their vowels & confo- 
 nants, and this may be (hewn in various in- 
 flances of every part of nature. 
 
 Thus, from An water, comes 
 
 Can a lake or flream, 
 Cran a ftream. 
 Clan a ftream, 
 Lan a ftream. 
 From Aighean hill, comes 
 
 Haighe in Haytorr orHeytorr* 
 
 Baigh in Baigtorr, 
 
 Blaighe in Blaigdon, 
 
 Brighc an hillj 
 
 Righe or Rye in Suflcx, 
 
 Lcighe an hill. 
 
 I have explained to the reader the roots 
 of words, and could wifh further to illuftrate 
 their confonant prefixes. To General Val- 
 iancy's Profpeclus and Grammar might I refer 
 him ; but he may expect fomething more 
 here. In the Hebrew, the letter H implies 
 the or this. The Welch and Cornifh // 
 often changes into an S or an F in the Irifh, 
 and fometimes into C. Hence the Ha'vren is 
 
 the
 
 C ^^'3 ] 
 
 the Severn; Ham or Haime is the fame asr 
 Faime ; and Horn as Corn, H has been 
 therefore converted to C and S, and thefe to 
 D, G, K, T, Szc. It has alfo been commuta- 
 ble with -F. which is convertible with B,P, V 
 and ilf; and hence all thefe may have been 
 prefixed, to form proper names and mean 
 the or thh only, as I have before aflerted. 
 
 JV I have already proved a prefix, even in 
 names of men and women. — X>, Withers in 
 his Ariftarchus, fays, fignifies 'Extent ^ longi- 
 tudinal and indire6t. This letter is a prefix to 
 Och Water, in luoch a Lake. — R, Mr.Withers 
 fays, means motion : this fymbol is a prefix. 
 In page 20, Ain is fhewn to imply water, and 
 Rain ineans falling water. From Av water 
 changed to Iv, with li prefixed, and with the 
 pofilix er we have River, Thefe examples 
 elucidate the truth of Mr. Ws opinions; but 
 thefe letters are fometimes ufed without re- 
 gard tofuch particular meanings, and are pre- 
 fixes onlv. 
 
 To conclude this work of fix year's Iaboui% 
 I fliail further remark that the names of dillri6is 
 and towns, not only of thiskingdom, but of the 
 Continent, may be eafily traced from the prin- 
 ciples given in this book : and in every 
 country the Jiiuatioa of a place agrees lb 
 
 perfe£lly
 
 r 31* J 
 
 pei-feQIy with its mojl ancient appellation, 
 that the fame rational mode of forming de- 
 nominations, is difcernible nearly through- 
 out Europe, Let the reader who doubts this, 
 confult a map of the borders of the Rhine, 
 wherein the hills and tributary lireams are 
 well delineated, and he will readily find that 
 the names of the towns upon them, muft be de- 
 rived as herein alTerted. We are therefore 
 obliged to acknowledge, that the people who 
 conferred names, were every where acquaint- 
 ed with the ancient mode of denoting the fea- 
 tures of nature ; and we are compelled from 
 various circumftnnces to conclude, that our 
 denominations in general are much older than 
 authors have imagined. Of the precife timci 
 when they were firfl given in this kingdom, 
 we have no notices; but that it was fome 
 time before the Roman invafion, and when the 
 whole land was inhabited, by a people who 
 fpoke the fame language — the language of 
 the ancellorsof thelrifli and Scots, there re- 
 mains little doubt. 
 
 Woolmer, Printer, E»et<r, 
 
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