Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Bangladesh and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names.
Dhaka is the capital and largest city, the origins of which are uncertain but not lacking in suggestions. Most often this is said to come from the dhak tree, also called the flame of the forest, which may once have been common in the area. However we also find this explained as from the goddess Dhakeshwari, her shrine being found in the city. A third story refers to a musical instrument, the dhak being played by Subahdar Islam Khan I when the city was founded in 1610. Fourth is Dhaka Bhasa, a Prakrit dialect reference to ‘a watch tower’. Perhaps we shall never know.
Chittagong is a westernised version of the Bengali name of Chattagram, Chattagaon, Chattala, Chativavo, Chaityabhumi, and Chatgaon. Although the Arabs had long known the port as Shetgang, from Shatt or ‘delta’ and Ganga meaning ‘Ganges’, a Chinese traveller recorded the name as Cheh-ti-gan and this is said to have produced the modern form.
Rajshahi is generally accepted as coming from the Hindi Raj and Persian-influenced Shahi which both refer to either the ‘royal’ or the ‘kingdom’ depending upon context.
Narayanganj got its name from the religious leader Bicon Lal Pandey, a Hindu also known as Benur Thakur or Lakshi Narayan Thakur.
Note the spellings of the places are in English as the piece is in English.
Showing posts with label Origins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Origins. Show all posts
Saturday, 11 July 2015
Sunday, 22 March 2015
Origins of Place Names: Greek Cities
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time I cast my net a little wider. As English place names share some links to other tongues it would be interesting to see if any of the elements contributing to our place names could be found elsewhere. This time we continue the tour of Western Europe and a look at the largest Greek cities.
Athens is often heard to be named after Athena, the goddess of Greek mythology. Correctly it should be said that both share a common origin. Athens got its name, note it is plural, from the sisterhood of the Athenai. At that time the city was Mycenae, similarly a plural name for the sisterhood of females who were related to the same goddess but then known as Mykene. This all begs the question as to the root word and meaning of all these terms – this is not known, although we do know why the name is uncertain. There have been numerous suggestions as to the etymology of these names since at least Plato’s time – and here lies the problem. These names are simply too old and have been used by too many languages for us to have any chance of seeing changes in sequence and thus following a trail back to the earliest usage.
Thessaloniki is from the Greek for ‘Thessalian victory’, the suffix nike easily understood. The first element refers to Thessalonike of Macedon, a princess and half-sister of Alexander the Great. In turn she was named because of the victory by the Macedonians at the Battle of Crocus Field in 353 BC and on the day of her birth.
Patras is named after the mythical Patreus, he the son of Preugenes.
Heraklion was founded by Arab raiders from Andalusia who called it Rabd al-handaq or ‘castle of the moat’ during the early ninth century. Later Byzantine conquest saw the name become Megalo Kastro, Greek for ‘the big castle’. By the nineteenth century the ancient and original name of Heraklion was revived, itself from the Roman port of Heracleum and both meaning ‘the city of Heracles’.
Larissa is from the pre-Greek or Pelasgian word meaning ‘fortress’.
Volos has two possible origins, both agreeing that Volos had previously been known as Golos. Some maintain this is a corruption of the wealthy landlord Folos, yet it seems more likely to be from the early Mycenaean Iolkos, an ancient city of unknown meaning and given as the embarkation point for the Argo, aboard which Jason led the so-called Argonauts to search for the Golden Fleece.
Rhodes the city is named after Rhodes the island and, in turn, from the nymph Rhodos of mythology who bore seven sons sired by Helios, the sun god. While she gave her name to the island, three of her grandsons are remembered in three places on the island, Camirus, Ialysus, and Lindus.
Ioannina is Greek for ‘town of John’.
Chalcis is an ancient name and comes from the early Greek for ‘copper, bronze’, although no archaeological evidence of any mines in the area has ever been found.
Agrinio was built by King Agrios, according to mythology, and thus named after him.
Trikala is built on the site of ancient Trikka or Trikke, itself named after the mythological nymph Trikke.
Lamia was either named after the mythological daughter of Poseidon or from the Malians, the tribe who lived in this area around the same time.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Athens is often heard to be named after Athena, the goddess of Greek mythology. Correctly it should be said that both share a common origin. Athens got its name, note it is plural, from the sisterhood of the Athenai. At that time the city was Mycenae, similarly a plural name for the sisterhood of females who were related to the same goddess but then known as Mykene. This all begs the question as to the root word and meaning of all these terms – this is not known, although we do know why the name is uncertain. There have been numerous suggestions as to the etymology of these names since at least Plato’s time – and here lies the problem. These names are simply too old and have been used by too many languages for us to have any chance of seeing changes in sequence and thus following a trail back to the earliest usage.
Thessaloniki is from the Greek for ‘Thessalian victory’, the suffix nike easily understood. The first element refers to Thessalonike of Macedon, a princess and half-sister of Alexander the Great. In turn she was named because of the victory by the Macedonians at the Battle of Crocus Field in 353 BC and on the day of her birth.
Patras is named after the mythical Patreus, he the son of Preugenes.
Heraklion was founded by Arab raiders from Andalusia who called it Rabd al-handaq or ‘castle of the moat’ during the early ninth century. Later Byzantine conquest saw the name become Megalo Kastro, Greek for ‘the big castle’. By the nineteenth century the ancient and original name of Heraklion was revived, itself from the Roman port of Heracleum and both meaning ‘the city of Heracles’.
Larissa is from the pre-Greek or Pelasgian word meaning ‘fortress’.
Volos has two possible origins, both agreeing that Volos had previously been known as Golos. Some maintain this is a corruption of the wealthy landlord Folos, yet it seems more likely to be from the early Mycenaean Iolkos, an ancient city of unknown meaning and given as the embarkation point for the Argo, aboard which Jason led the so-called Argonauts to search for the Golden Fleece.
Rhodes the city is named after Rhodes the island and, in turn, from the nymph Rhodos of mythology who bore seven sons sired by Helios, the sun god. While she gave her name to the island, three of her grandsons are remembered in three places on the island, Camirus, Ialysus, and Lindus.
Ioannina is Greek for ‘town of John’.
Chalcis is an ancient name and comes from the early Greek for ‘copper, bronze’, although no archaeological evidence of any mines in the area has ever been found.
Agrinio was built by King Agrios, according to mythology, and thus named after him.
Trikala is built on the site of ancient Trikka or Trikke, itself named after the mythological nymph Trikke.
Lamia was either named after the mythological daughter of Poseidon or from the Malians, the tribe who lived in this area around the same time.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 15 March 2015
Origins of Place Names: Finnish Cities
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time I cast my net a little wider. As English place names share some links to other tongues it would be interesting to see if any of the elements contributing to our place names could be found elsewhere. This time we continue the tour of Western Europe and a look at the largest of the places in Finland.
Helsinki is by far the largest and most populous of Finnish cities. Founded as recently as 1550 as Helsingfors, the Swedish name for the place, it takes the name of the tribe, the Helsingi with Swedish fors or 'waterfall' - this a reference to the rapids on the River Wanda and at the original site of this settlement.
Espoo takes the name of the River Espoo, itself from the Swedish Espaa which connects a or 'river' with aspe or 'aspen'. This is understood as referring to 'the river marked by a border of aspen'.
Tampere is of undertain etymology. Possibly this is of Swedish origins where damber means 'mill dam'. Alternatively, should this be of Scandinavian beginnings, this could represent pambr or pambion meaning 'thick bellied' and 'swollen belly' respectively. Should the latter be the correct definition, the swelling referred to the river and specifcally the rapids, a warning by and/or to roaming hunters these could be treacherous places to try and cross.
Vantaa has only been in offical use for the place since 1974. However the River Vantaa is recorded as such as early as 1351, itself simply meaning 'river'.
Oulu is yet another place named after a river. Here the river is the Oulujoki, itself taken from the lake Oulujarvi. Some believe Oulu to be from the Sumi for 'flood water', in which case it would be related to other words such as aulo 'melted snow'; aulot 'thaw', and oalli 'river channel'. It should be noted there are several other suggestions.
Turku is from turgu, an Old East Slavic word meaning 'market place'.
Jyvaskyla has two possible origins. Most often this is said to be jyvas and associated with an Old Prussian word juwis in which case this refers to 'yew trees'. Others argue there is also the possibility of this element referring to the sun's reflection on the waters here, yet this would not be a common source for a place name in any language or culture. In either case the suffix is kyla or 'village'.
Kuopio is another with more than one potential origin. Traditionally this is said to be the from the 16th century when an influential character named Kauhanen changed his name to Skopa, which became pronounced locally as Skopa, Coopia, and eventually Cuopio. However this does not explain the reason for the name, so perhaps this represents kuopia meaning 'paw' in the sense of a horse pawing the ground and understood to refer to the depression created by such. The most popular is a man's name, one Prokopij being a Karelian name recorded in the Middle Ages.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Helsinki is by far the largest and most populous of Finnish cities. Founded as recently as 1550 as Helsingfors, the Swedish name for the place, it takes the name of the tribe, the Helsingi with Swedish fors or 'waterfall' - this a reference to the rapids on the River Wanda and at the original site of this settlement.
Espoo takes the name of the River Espoo, itself from the Swedish Espaa which connects a or 'river' with aspe or 'aspen'. This is understood as referring to 'the river marked by a border of aspen'.
Tampere is of undertain etymology. Possibly this is of Swedish origins where damber means 'mill dam'. Alternatively, should this be of Scandinavian beginnings, this could represent pambr or pambion meaning 'thick bellied' and 'swollen belly' respectively. Should the latter be the correct definition, the swelling referred to the river and specifcally the rapids, a warning by and/or to roaming hunters these could be treacherous places to try and cross.
Vantaa has only been in offical use for the place since 1974. However the River Vantaa is recorded as such as early as 1351, itself simply meaning 'river'.
Oulu is yet another place named after a river. Here the river is the Oulujoki, itself taken from the lake Oulujarvi. Some believe Oulu to be from the Sumi for 'flood water', in which case it would be related to other words such as aulo 'melted snow'; aulot 'thaw', and oalli 'river channel'. It should be noted there are several other suggestions.
Turku is from turgu, an Old East Slavic word meaning 'market place'.
Jyvaskyla has two possible origins. Most often this is said to be jyvas and associated with an Old Prussian word juwis in which case this refers to 'yew trees'. Others argue there is also the possibility of this element referring to the sun's reflection on the waters here, yet this would not be a common source for a place name in any language or culture. In either case the suffix is kyla or 'village'.
Kuopio is another with more than one potential origin. Traditionally this is said to be the from the 16th century when an influential character named Kauhanen changed his name to Skopa, which became pronounced locally as Skopa, Coopia, and eventually Cuopio. However this does not explain the reason for the name, so perhaps this represents kuopia meaning 'paw' in the sense of a horse pawing the ground and understood to refer to the depression created by such. The most popular is a man's name, one Prokopij being a Karelian name recorded in the Middle Ages.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 8 March 2015
Origins of Place Names: Swedish Cities
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time I cast my net a little wider. As English place names share some links to other tongues it would be interesting to see if any of the elements contributing to our place names could be found elsewhere. This time we continue the tour of Western Europe and a look at the largest Swedish cities.
Stockholm is of uncertain origins, although the suffix is undoubtedly Swedish holm or 'island'. It would seem logical to assume the first part is from the same language, yet this assumes they were named at the same time which is highly unlikely, however, if so, this would be stock or 'post, pole' and used as a marker. Alternatively this may be an old Germanic word referring to a fortification, today still used in 'stockade'.
Gothenburg has the suffix seen in English place names as Old English burg and seen here as from borg. The first element refers to the Geats, those who lived in the region known as Gothia and corresponding to modern-day southern Sweden. It is related to the better-known word 'Goth' and shares a common etymology which is understood to have the highly simplistic meaning of 'men'.
Malmo's earliest record gives the name as Malmhaug which, depending upon how this is viewed, could refer to 'gravel pile' or 'ore hill'.
Vasteras is a Swedish name coming from vastra aros meaning 'the mouth of the Svartan (river)'. The Germanic name of the river is not difficult to see when we reveal this is 'the black river'.
Orebo gets its name from a feature also associated with aforementioned Svartan river. Here the literal translation is of 'the bridge of the gravel banks', this being where the river drains into Lake Hjalmaren.
Linkoping's first element is thought to originate from the Lionga ting political assembly - the suffix certainly comes from koping or 'market place'.
Helsingborg has the same suffix as Gothenburg, borg being related to Old English burg. The first element is shared with the Danish city of Helsingor which lies across the narrow strait and this is exactly what hals or 'neck' alludes to.
Jonkoping another place with the suffix koping or 'market place'. Here the first element comes from the small river known as the Junebacken.
Norrkoping and yet a third example of a koping or 'market place', here said to be 'to the north'.
Lund shares an origin with Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel. This comes from Old Norse lund, which in the case of Lundy is defined as 'puffin' but probably used in a looser sense here rather than relating specifically to this awkward-looking sea bird.
Note the spellings are, for the most part, English as the piece is written in English.
Stockholm is of uncertain origins, although the suffix is undoubtedly Swedish holm or 'island'. It would seem logical to assume the first part is from the same language, yet this assumes they were named at the same time which is highly unlikely, however, if so, this would be stock or 'post, pole' and used as a marker. Alternatively this may be an old Germanic word referring to a fortification, today still used in 'stockade'.
Gothenburg has the suffix seen in English place names as Old English burg and seen here as from borg. The first element refers to the Geats, those who lived in the region known as Gothia and corresponding to modern-day southern Sweden. It is related to the better-known word 'Goth' and shares a common etymology which is understood to have the highly simplistic meaning of 'men'.
Malmo's earliest record gives the name as Malmhaug which, depending upon how this is viewed, could refer to 'gravel pile' or 'ore hill'.
Vasteras is a Swedish name coming from vastra aros meaning 'the mouth of the Svartan (river)'. The Germanic name of the river is not difficult to see when we reveal this is 'the black river'.
Orebo gets its name from a feature also associated with aforementioned Svartan river. Here the literal translation is of 'the bridge of the gravel banks', this being where the river drains into Lake Hjalmaren.
Linkoping's first element is thought to originate from the Lionga ting political assembly - the suffix certainly comes from koping or 'market place'.
Helsingborg has the same suffix as Gothenburg, borg being related to Old English burg. The first element is shared with the Danish city of Helsingor which lies across the narrow strait and this is exactly what hals or 'neck' alludes to.
Jonkoping another place with the suffix koping or 'market place'. Here the first element comes from the small river known as the Junebacken.
Norrkoping and yet a third example of a koping or 'market place', here said to be 'to the north'.
Lund shares an origin with Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel. This comes from Old Norse lund, which in the case of Lundy is defined as 'puffin' but probably used in a looser sense here rather than relating specifically to this awkward-looking sea bird.
Note the spellings are, for the most part, English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 1 March 2015
Origins of Place Names: Norwegian Cities
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time I cast my net a little wider. As English place names share some links to other tongues it would be interesting to see if any of the elements contributing to our place names could be found elsewhere. This time we continue the tour of Western Europe and a look at the largest Norwegian cities.
Oslo, as so many crossword compilers are fond of asking us (and that includes me), was known as Christiana from 1624 until 1925 (with the later spelling of Kristiana). This alternative came from King Christian IV, who rebuilt the city after it had been destroyed by fire. Now reverting to its original, and quite ancient, name, Oslo comes from an Indo-European os or 'mouth' with the addition of the river name. Hence this is 'the mouth of the River Lo', with the river name thought to come from Old Norwegian ass og or 'the forest clearing'. Hence a real chicken / egg / chicken situation where the city was named after the mouth of a river, itself named after a feature on dry land.
Bergen is of more recent and simple origins. Here the Norwegian name of Bjorgvin is derived from 'mountain pasture'.
Trondheim has a surviving listing from 997 AD, earlier than any other Norwegian name but certainly not the most ancient of derivations despite the area having been settled for thousands of years. Trondheim may well have a claim as the most renamed city in Europe. It was first known as Kaupangen , this meaning 'trading place'; later it is Nidaros or 'mouth of the River Nid'; it is only now it becomes Trondheim, albeit Nidaros was reinstated for 14 months in the early 1930s and during the German occupation of the Second World War became Drontheim. The present name is taken from the district name of Trondelag, itself meaning 'the district or people of a common law'.
Stavanger takes us back to water, here the two elements are stafr meaning 'staff or branch', followed by angr 'inlet or bay'. In the case of stafr it is not clear if it refers to the shape of the inlet or to the nearby mountain. Whilst the latter is certainly not shaped thus, it is a common description when speaking of high and steep mountains in this country.
Kristiansand is, like medieval Oslo, named for King Christian IV with the addition of sand a reference to the headland on which it was constructed.
Fredrikstad is simple enough, the suffix stad indicates 'city' and follows the name of the founder King Frederick II.
Skien was known as Skitha, this Old Norse name literally meaning 'straight plank'. This probably refers to the very straight section of the local brook.
Tromso is named after the island of Tromsoya, itself of uncertain etymology although the element oy clearly means 'island'. Possibly this comes from an unrecorded name of Trumsa, a common enough river name derived from straumr or 'strong current'.
Drammen a name which has undergone several changes making the origins difficult to pinpoint. Yet the most likely is from the river name, known in Old Norse as the Drofn and coming from drofn meaning 'wave'.
Sandnes is a simple and fairly modern name derived from its position on 'the sandy headland' and coming from sand nes.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Oslo, as so many crossword compilers are fond of asking us (and that includes me), was known as Christiana from 1624 until 1925 (with the later spelling of Kristiana). This alternative came from King Christian IV, who rebuilt the city after it had been destroyed by fire. Now reverting to its original, and quite ancient, name, Oslo comes from an Indo-European os or 'mouth' with the addition of the river name. Hence this is 'the mouth of the River Lo', with the river name thought to come from Old Norwegian ass og or 'the forest clearing'. Hence a real chicken / egg / chicken situation where the city was named after the mouth of a river, itself named after a feature on dry land.
Bergen is of more recent and simple origins. Here the Norwegian name of Bjorgvin is derived from 'mountain pasture'.
Trondheim has a surviving listing from 997 AD, earlier than any other Norwegian name but certainly not the most ancient of derivations despite the area having been settled for thousands of years. Trondheim may well have a claim as the most renamed city in Europe. It was first known as Kaupangen , this meaning 'trading place'; later it is Nidaros or 'mouth of the River Nid'; it is only now it becomes Trondheim, albeit Nidaros was reinstated for 14 months in the early 1930s and during the German occupation of the Second World War became Drontheim. The present name is taken from the district name of Trondelag, itself meaning 'the district or people of a common law'.
Stavanger takes us back to water, here the two elements are stafr meaning 'staff or branch', followed by angr 'inlet or bay'. In the case of stafr it is not clear if it refers to the shape of the inlet or to the nearby mountain. Whilst the latter is certainly not shaped thus, it is a common description when speaking of high and steep mountains in this country.
Kristiansand is, like medieval Oslo, named for King Christian IV with the addition of sand a reference to the headland on which it was constructed.
Fredrikstad is simple enough, the suffix stad indicates 'city' and follows the name of the founder King Frederick II.
Skien was known as Skitha, this Old Norse name literally meaning 'straight plank'. This probably refers to the very straight section of the local brook.
Tromso is named after the island of Tromsoya, itself of uncertain etymology although the element oy clearly means 'island'. Possibly this comes from an unrecorded name of Trumsa, a common enough river name derived from straumr or 'strong current'.
Drammen a name which has undergone several changes making the origins difficult to pinpoint. Yet the most likely is from the river name, known in Old Norse as the Drofn and coming from drofn meaning 'wave'.
Sandnes is a simple and fairly modern name derived from its position on 'the sandy headland' and coming from sand nes.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 22 February 2015
Origins of Place Names: Swiss Cities
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time I cast my net a little wider. As English place names share some links to other tongues it would be interesting to see if any of the elements contributing to our place names could be found elsewhere. Here we continue the tour of Western Europe and a look at the largest Swiss cities.
Zurich's name is first recorded under the Roman occupation as Turicum. This came from the Germanic dur with the Latin suffix for 'town' icum and thus giving 'the town on the water'. That 'water' being Lake Zurich, itself named from the city and both influenced by the pronunciation of the Germanic Alemanni tribe.
Geneva is another city with a name from a Celtic tongue. Here Celtic gena or 'mouth' does not refer to its modern location on the Rhone but its original position at the mouth of a tributary, known as the Arve and itself meaning simply 'water'.
Basel's earliest records are as Robur, this from the Latin roburetum or 'grove of oaks'. The modern name can be dated to 374 AD, the official name changed to Basilia and from the Greek basileus or 'king'. This 'king' was actually the Roman emperor Valentinian I, who ordered the fortress to be built here.
Lausanne is, once again, first recorded as a Roman settlement. Here the Roman name of Lausonna probably represents a Latinicised Celtic name of leusa or 'smooth stone'. However some sources give this as another originating from a river name, when this would be Celtic Lausodunum or 'the fort on the River Laus' and the river name meaning 'stony', yet this river name is not recorded at this early stage and thus not provable.
Bern is of uncertain origins but seems most likely to be from an early Indo-European ber or 'marshland'. However folklore speaks of the founder of the city, Berchtold V, Duke of Zahringen, having already decided this was a good spot roaming around wondering what to name it. It is held he met a bear on this trek and decided it should be 'bear town' from the German bar.
Lucerne was named before the better-known Lake Lucerne on which it stands, although there is no agreement as to the origin of this name. The four most often cited are (i) the Latin lucerna 'the lighthouse'; (ii) Latin lucius or 'pike-basket' and pike would have been a popular food fish; (iii) Romansch lozzerina or 'marshy place'; and (iv) the Benedictine monastery dedicated to St Leodegar and founded by 740 AD. Note while the popular name of the lake is Lucerne, the German name is Vierwaldstattersee or 'lake of the four forest cantons', these the Swiss districts of Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden, and Luzern.
St Gallen evolved from the 7th-century hermitage of St Gall, its abbey is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and contains books which are more than a thousand years old.
Lugano probably comes from the Gaulish name of Lakvannos, the first element from laku 'lake' and thus speaking of 'the dwellers on the lake'. Other suggestions of the Latin lucus 'grove' or the pagan god Lugus seem less plausible without further supporting evidence.
Thun comes from a Celtic term, dunum referring to 'the fortified city'.
Schaffhausen is first recorded as Villa Scafhusun in 1045. Perhaps this comes from scapha or 'ford' which was actually where goods were removed from vessels and brought overland around the Rhine Falls before continuing the journey by boat. However another possible origin in schaf representing 'sheep' or 'ram' which is seen on the town's coat of arms. Hopefully the former is the true origin and, if proven, enables us to form an image of the earliest days around Schaffhausen, an image no camera could capture and no artist could paint.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Zurich's name is first recorded under the Roman occupation as Turicum. This came from the Germanic dur with the Latin suffix for 'town' icum and thus giving 'the town on the water'. That 'water' being Lake Zurich, itself named from the city and both influenced by the pronunciation of the Germanic Alemanni tribe.
Geneva is another city with a name from a Celtic tongue. Here Celtic gena or 'mouth' does not refer to its modern location on the Rhone but its original position at the mouth of a tributary, known as the Arve and itself meaning simply 'water'.
Basel's earliest records are as Robur, this from the Latin roburetum or 'grove of oaks'. The modern name can be dated to 374 AD, the official name changed to Basilia and from the Greek basileus or 'king'. This 'king' was actually the Roman emperor Valentinian I, who ordered the fortress to be built here.
Lausanne is, once again, first recorded as a Roman settlement. Here the Roman name of Lausonna probably represents a Latinicised Celtic name of leusa or 'smooth stone'. However some sources give this as another originating from a river name, when this would be Celtic Lausodunum or 'the fort on the River Laus' and the river name meaning 'stony', yet this river name is not recorded at this early stage and thus not provable.
Bern is of uncertain origins but seems most likely to be from an early Indo-European ber or 'marshland'. However folklore speaks of the founder of the city, Berchtold V, Duke of Zahringen, having already decided this was a good spot roaming around wondering what to name it. It is held he met a bear on this trek and decided it should be 'bear town' from the German bar.
Lucerne was named before the better-known Lake Lucerne on which it stands, although there is no agreement as to the origin of this name. The four most often cited are (i) the Latin lucerna 'the lighthouse'; (ii) Latin lucius or 'pike-basket' and pike would have been a popular food fish; (iii) Romansch lozzerina or 'marshy place'; and (iv) the Benedictine monastery dedicated to St Leodegar and founded by 740 AD. Note while the popular name of the lake is Lucerne, the German name is Vierwaldstattersee or 'lake of the four forest cantons', these the Swiss districts of Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden, and Luzern.
St Gallen evolved from the 7th-century hermitage of St Gall, its abbey is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and contains books which are more than a thousand years old.
Lugano probably comes from the Gaulish name of Lakvannos, the first element from laku 'lake' and thus speaking of 'the dwellers on the lake'. Other suggestions of the Latin lucus 'grove' or the pagan god Lugus seem less plausible without further supporting evidence.
Thun comes from a Celtic term, dunum referring to 'the fortified city'.
Schaffhausen is first recorded as Villa Scafhusun in 1045. Perhaps this comes from scapha or 'ford' which was actually where goods were removed from vessels and brought overland around the Rhine Falls before continuing the journey by boat. However another possible origin in schaf representing 'sheep' or 'ram' which is seen on the town's coat of arms. Hopefully the former is the true origin and, if proven, enables us to form an image of the earliest days around Schaffhausen, an image no camera could capture and no artist could paint.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 15 February 2015
Origins of Place Names: Austrian Cities
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time I cast my net a little wider. As English place names share some links to other tongues it would be interesting to see if any of the elements contributing to our place names could be found elsewhere. This time we continue the tour of Western Europe and a look at the largest Austrian cities.
Vienna is the capital of Austria and one of several capital cities standing on the Danube. It is here the Danube unites with the River Vienna, the river name originating in Celtic and representing either vedunia 'tree' and thus 'forest stream' or vindo 'white' as in a building of stone. It is impossible to know for certain as the earlies record available is that of Vindobona, the name of the place when under Roman control around AD 50.
Graz has been dated archaeologically to its founding by the Alpine Slavic peoples, eventually growing to become a sizable fortification. This helped to show how the Slovene gradec described 'a small castle', and was related to Proto-Slavic and Greek words meaning 'small settlement' and to the many Slavic settlements featuring the element-grad.
Salzburg is, like the capital, named after a river. Here the River Salzach is not difficult to see as from the German salz or 'salt'. This region had been a centre of salt mining and trading since before recorded history. The modern name uses the suffix burg or 'fortress'.
Innsbruck is yet another name derived from the local river. Here the German Brucke or 'bridge' crossed the River Inn, itself from Celtic enos or simply 'water'.
Klagenfurt was said to literally translates as 'the ford of lament' (possibly 'ford of complaints'). For many years this was held to be from the belief this river crossing was haunted by fairies or demons, forever blamed as the reason it was so difficult to cross waters and swamps. This assumed it was a Germanic translation of the earlier Slovene name for this wetland from cviljovec and yet and Slovene name is much later than any Germanic recording. Perhaps a more plausible argument is this Slovene name was itself derived from the early Italic language where l'aquiliu would give a much more likely meaning of 'at the water'.
Wels has never been defined with any certainty but could represent a Celtic reference to 'the settlement on the bend of the river (Traun)'.
Sankt Polten or St Polten is derived from Hippolytus of Rome, later becoming Sankt Hippolyt, St Polyt, and today St Polten.
Dornbirn can be traced back to an Alemannic famer who lived here and gave his name to torrin puirron or 'the settlement of a man called Torro'. The traditional explanation of the German birnen or 'pears' has no etymological basis.
Wiener Neustadt is a comparatively new city, only founded in 1194. This accounts for the literal translation of 'New Vienna'.
Bregenz can ultimately be traced to around 3,500 years ago when the Brigantii tribe settled this region. By the 5th century BC this place was known as Brigantion and shortly after the birth of Christ given as Brigantium. This tribe took their name from the pagan goddess Brigantia, who can be seen in many mythologies. Indeed tracing the religious lineage of this water deity - she has given her name to the Brent in England, Braint in Wales, Brigid in Ireland, and other settlements as far afield as Hungary , France, Portugal, and the Indian sub-continent - reveals the Germanic Burgundi and Sanskrit Brhati. All these are from the Proto-Indo-European bhrg'hnti, itself the feminine from the root berg'h and meaning 'high, lofty, elevated'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Vienna is the capital of Austria and one of several capital cities standing on the Danube. It is here the Danube unites with the River Vienna, the river name originating in Celtic and representing either vedunia 'tree' and thus 'forest stream' or vindo 'white' as in a building of stone. It is impossible to know for certain as the earlies record available is that of Vindobona, the name of the place when under Roman control around AD 50.
Graz has been dated archaeologically to its founding by the Alpine Slavic peoples, eventually growing to become a sizable fortification. This helped to show how the Slovene gradec described 'a small castle', and was related to Proto-Slavic and Greek words meaning 'small settlement' and to the many Slavic settlements featuring the element-grad.
Salzburg is, like the capital, named after a river. Here the River Salzach is not difficult to see as from the German salz or 'salt'. This region had been a centre of salt mining and trading since before recorded history. The modern name uses the suffix burg or 'fortress'.
Innsbruck is yet another name derived from the local river. Here the German Brucke or 'bridge' crossed the River Inn, itself from Celtic enos or simply 'water'.
Klagenfurt was said to literally translates as 'the ford of lament' (possibly 'ford of complaints'). For many years this was held to be from the belief this river crossing was haunted by fairies or demons, forever blamed as the reason it was so difficult to cross waters and swamps. This assumed it was a Germanic translation of the earlier Slovene name for this wetland from cviljovec and yet and Slovene name is much later than any Germanic recording. Perhaps a more plausible argument is this Slovene name was itself derived from the early Italic language where l'aquiliu would give a much more likely meaning of 'at the water'.
Wels has never been defined with any certainty but could represent a Celtic reference to 'the settlement on the bend of the river (Traun)'.
Sankt Polten or St Polten is derived from Hippolytus of Rome, later becoming Sankt Hippolyt, St Polyt, and today St Polten.
Dornbirn can be traced back to an Alemannic famer who lived here and gave his name to torrin puirron or 'the settlement of a man called Torro'. The traditional explanation of the German birnen or 'pears' has no etymological basis.
Wiener Neustadt is a comparatively new city, only founded in 1194. This accounts for the literal translation of 'New Vienna'.
Bregenz can ultimately be traced to around 3,500 years ago when the Brigantii tribe settled this region. By the 5th century BC this place was known as Brigantion and shortly after the birth of Christ given as Brigantium. This tribe took their name from the pagan goddess Brigantia, who can be seen in many mythologies. Indeed tracing the religious lineage of this water deity - she has given her name to the Brent in England, Braint in Wales, Brigid in Ireland, and other settlements as far afield as Hungary , France, Portugal, and the Indian sub-continent - reveals the Germanic Burgundi and Sanskrit Brhati. All these are from the Proto-Indo-European bhrg'hnti, itself the feminine from the root berg'h and meaning 'high, lofty, elevated'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 8 February 2015
Origins of Place Names: Danish Cities
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time I cast my net a little wider. As English place names share some links to other tongues it would be interesting to see if any of the elements contributing to our place names could be found elsewhere. This time we continue the tour of Western Europe and a look at the largest Danish cities.
Copenhagen is derived from the Danish kiopman havn and describes 'the merchants' harbour'.
Aarhus stands at the mouth of the River Molle and the name reflects this in Danish aa os, 'the mouth of the river'. Water must have been one of the earliest words to have been coined, it is vital to every lifeform on the planet. Looking at the relationship of the words for 'water' in related languages would, theoretically, bring us to the original and the Danish aa cannot be very far removed from that earliest word. Consider how closely it resembles Old English ea particularly in pronunciation, fully understandable considering these are both Germanic languages. Yet is also very similar to French eau, particularly in pronunciation, although these languages are several linguistic generations removed from each other. Even the modern English 'water' is related. While hidden by modern spelling, in parts of northern England the pronunciation is as 'wah-ter' rather than 'war-ter'. Ignoring the second syllable the name can still be seen as related to the Proto-Indo-European for 'water' and more than likely to the (unknown) word first coined many, many millennia ago.
Odense has mythological origins and named from the Scandinavian god Odin.
Aalborg shares its first element with Aarhus and speaks of 'the fortification at the river'. The suffix is common to many English place names and comes from Old English burh.
Frederiksberg shares its suffix with that of Aalborg and, having been given to some twenty Danish-Dutch peasants by King Frederick III, became known as Ny Hollaenderby 'New Dutchmantown' on June 2nd 1651. This proved an agricultural failure and it was not until 1703 when Frederik IV built his palace here that the name was officially changed to Frederiksberg. Prior to the Middle Ages this area was known as Tulehoj or 'thyle hill'. The first element tells us a thul or thyle lived here. This is more often used as a title in historical documents, used for Unerth in Beowulf and even Odin himself. Whilst it translates as 'song', it would probably be better to view it as a job description and thus one who narrates an oral history through verse and/or song.
Horsens is thought to have come from Danish hors naes or 'the headland where horses are seen'. Both words are related to English, the former is obvious while the term 'ness' is now most often seen in the north of Britain but can also be found in Totnes in Devon, an ancient settlement and one which considers itself the oldest town in England.
Vejle is from an Old Danish word waethel meaning 'ford' or, quite literally, 'wading place' and sharing its name with the Vejle River. This is not a chicken and egg argument, for neither the river nor the settlement were named first but named for the river crossing.
Roskilde has its origins in 'Ro's spring', this a reference to legendary King Roar, who may or may not have been here in the 6th century.
Helsingor, often given as Elsinore, comes from Old Danish hals meaning 'neck' and a reference to the narrow strait Oresund. In turn this can be traced to Iceland and Old Norse terms and refers to 'the gravel beach strait'.
Silkeborg, as a city, was not formerly founded until 1844. However the name can be traced to least the 15th century when the islet in the lake was known by this name and means 'silk castle'.
Copenhagen is derived from the Danish kiopman havn and describes 'the merchants' harbour'.
Aarhus stands at the mouth of the River Molle and the name reflects this in Danish aa os, 'the mouth of the river'. Water must have been one of the earliest words to have been coined, it is vital to every lifeform on the planet. Looking at the relationship of the words for 'water' in related languages would, theoretically, bring us to the original and the Danish aa cannot be very far removed from that earliest word. Consider how closely it resembles Old English ea particularly in pronunciation, fully understandable considering these are both Germanic languages. Yet is also very similar to French eau, particularly in pronunciation, although these languages are several linguistic generations removed from each other. Even the modern English 'water' is related. While hidden by modern spelling, in parts of northern England the pronunciation is as 'wah-ter' rather than 'war-ter'. Ignoring the second syllable the name can still be seen as related to the Proto-Indo-European for 'water' and more than likely to the (unknown) word first coined many, many millennia ago.
Odense has mythological origins and named from the Scandinavian god Odin.
Aalborg shares its first element with Aarhus and speaks of 'the fortification at the river'. The suffix is common to many English place names and comes from Old English burh.
Frederiksberg shares its suffix with that of Aalborg and, having been given to some twenty Danish-Dutch peasants by King Frederick III, became known as Ny Hollaenderby 'New Dutchmantown' on June 2nd 1651. This proved an agricultural failure and it was not until 1703 when Frederik IV built his palace here that the name was officially changed to Frederiksberg. Prior to the Middle Ages this area was known as Tulehoj or 'thyle hill'. The first element tells us a thul or thyle lived here. This is more often used as a title in historical documents, used for Unerth in Beowulf and even Odin himself. Whilst it translates as 'song', it would probably be better to view it as a job description and thus one who narrates an oral history through verse and/or song.
Horsens is thought to have come from Danish hors naes or 'the headland where horses are seen'. Both words are related to English, the former is obvious while the term 'ness' is now most often seen in the north of Britain but can also be found in Totnes in Devon, an ancient settlement and one which considers itself the oldest town in England.
Vejle is from an Old Danish word waethel meaning 'ford' or, quite literally, 'wading place' and sharing its name with the Vejle River. This is not a chicken and egg argument, for neither the river nor the settlement were named first but named for the river crossing.
Roskilde has its origins in 'Ro's spring', this a reference to legendary King Roar, who may or may not have been here in the 6th century.
Helsingor, often given as Elsinore, comes from Old Danish hals meaning 'neck' and a reference to the narrow strait Oresund. In turn this can be traced to Iceland and Old Norse terms and refers to 'the gravel beach strait'.
Silkeborg, as a city, was not formerly founded until 1844. However the name can be traced to least the 15th century when the islet in the lake was known by this name and means 'silk castle'.
Sunday, 12 October 2014
The Nations of Oceania – Etymologically Speaking
Following on from previous weeks here we tie up the loose ends by examining the last of the continents. A comparatively modern term, only coined in the early nineteenth century, Oceania comes from a Greek word for ‘ocean’, an unusual name for a continent. Just what it comprises depends upon the record consulted but, for our purposes, it is everything in and around the Pacific basin not considered a part of Asia, North America, or South America.
Australia – A country originally known as Terra Australis Incognita or ‘unknown southern land’, this strange name because, perhaps uniquely, it appeared on a 2nd century map some 1,500 years before it was first sighted by Europeans.
Fiji – a name of uncertain meaning but one where the origins are well known. The island group is named from the main island, correctly known as Viti Levu and referred to by the inhabitants discovered by Captain James Cook as simply Viti. It was not the Fijians but the Tongans who knew the place as Fisi, in turn Anglicised as Fiji.
Kiribati – first sighted by Europeans in 1788 and later named by the French after the captain of that earlier vessel. That original captain was Thomas Gilbert, hence the Iles Gilbert or Gilbert Islands. The local name is Tungaru, thought to be after a former chieftain. Yet in a highly unusual turn of events the populace decided to use this local pronunciation of Gilberts, ie Kiribati, to show the group now encompasses other islands originally outside of their group. One of the islands in the group, sighted on Christmas Day and thus named Christmas Island, underwent the identical change and is known by the apparent Gilbertese name of Kiritimati, again the local pronunciation of the European name.
Marshall Islands – In the same year as Gilbert spied the Gilbert Islands, Captain John Marshall explored and mapped what are now known as the Marshall Islands. Not that these islands were unknown in the late eighteenth century, indeed they were first recorded by Europeans as early as 1529 when seen by Spanish navigator Alvarez de Saavedra.
Micronesia – the name of Micronesia, like the name of the continent, is derived from the Greek where micros ‘small’ nesos ‘island’ with ia ‘territory’.
Nauru – the first European to visit the island were the crew of Captain John Fearn’s vessel on a whale hunting voyage in 1798. He referred to this as the Pleasant Island and the name stuck until the twentieth century. The local and current name seems to come from the local language where anaoero means ‘I go to the beach’ and a reference to the twelve tribes which inhabited the place having a culture entirely based on fishing and coconuts.
New Zealand – although associated with Captain James Cook, New Zealand was first sighted by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman who called them the Staaten Islands. This means ‘the land of the States’, ie the states of the Netherlands. However Dutch authorities were not impressed and changed the name the following year to Nieuw Zeeland ‘new sea land’ and inspired by the Dutch province of Zeeland. Terrains of the two places could not be more different – the Dutch Zeeland is as flat as it can be which the New Zealand is a mountainous volcanic region.
Palau – this name has come to English through a German version of the Spanish name. Just what this means depends upon which local words is the origin. Two very similar words, with very different meanings, have been suggested – hence this is either beluu or ‘village’ or if aibebelau is a reference to creation mythology.
Papua New Guinea – two former areas united in the modern name. The region of Papua is from a local term but of unknown origin and meaning. The ‘new’ of New Guinea came from Ortiz de Rez, a Portuguese explorer who consider the inhabitants similar in appearance to those he met in Guinea, West Africa.
Samoa – French explorer Louis-Antoine de Bougainville named them the Navigator Islands in 1768. However the local name has always been Samoa, a reference to the large, now extinct, flightless birds which once inhabited the islands around here and named as ‘the place of moa’.
Solomon Islands – discovered and named in 1567 by Spanish explorer Alvaro de Mandana de Neyra. Having met the natives and the gold ornaments they wore, he jumped to the conclusion this must be the legendary land of Ophir where, according to the Bible in Kings 1 chapter 9 verse 28, the gold was brought to King Solomon. It does instantly beg the question as to why he did not simply call them the Ophir Islands.
Tonga – in the many dialects and related tongues of Polynesia the word tonga means simply ‘south’, an apt description of these, the southernmost group of these islands.
Tuvalu –a group of nine islands settled by migrating humans some 3,000 years ago. Yet only eight were ever inhabited, hence the local tongue refers to them as ‘eight standing together’, a reference to the separate communities united by constant travel and trade by canoe.
Vanuatu – a local name derived from vanua ‘land’ or perhaps ‘home’ with tu ‘stand’, a reference to this new nation’s independence.
As previously the capital cities of each nation will be examined next time.
Australia – A country originally known as Terra Australis Incognita or ‘unknown southern land’, this strange name because, perhaps uniquely, it appeared on a 2nd century map some 1,500 years before it was first sighted by Europeans.
Fiji – a name of uncertain meaning but one where the origins are well known. The island group is named from the main island, correctly known as Viti Levu and referred to by the inhabitants discovered by Captain James Cook as simply Viti. It was not the Fijians but the Tongans who knew the place as Fisi, in turn Anglicised as Fiji.
Kiribati – first sighted by Europeans in 1788 and later named by the French after the captain of that earlier vessel. That original captain was Thomas Gilbert, hence the Iles Gilbert or Gilbert Islands. The local name is Tungaru, thought to be after a former chieftain. Yet in a highly unusual turn of events the populace decided to use this local pronunciation of Gilberts, ie Kiribati, to show the group now encompasses other islands originally outside of their group. One of the islands in the group, sighted on Christmas Day and thus named Christmas Island, underwent the identical change and is known by the apparent Gilbertese name of Kiritimati, again the local pronunciation of the European name.
Marshall Islands – In the same year as Gilbert spied the Gilbert Islands, Captain John Marshall explored and mapped what are now known as the Marshall Islands. Not that these islands were unknown in the late eighteenth century, indeed they were first recorded by Europeans as early as 1529 when seen by Spanish navigator Alvarez de Saavedra.
Micronesia – the name of Micronesia, like the name of the continent, is derived from the Greek where micros ‘small’ nesos ‘island’ with ia ‘territory’.
Nauru – the first European to visit the island were the crew of Captain John Fearn’s vessel on a whale hunting voyage in 1798. He referred to this as the Pleasant Island and the name stuck until the twentieth century. The local and current name seems to come from the local language where anaoero means ‘I go to the beach’ and a reference to the twelve tribes which inhabited the place having a culture entirely based on fishing and coconuts.
New Zealand – although associated with Captain James Cook, New Zealand was first sighted by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman who called them the Staaten Islands. This means ‘the land of the States’, ie the states of the Netherlands. However Dutch authorities were not impressed and changed the name the following year to Nieuw Zeeland ‘new sea land’ and inspired by the Dutch province of Zeeland. Terrains of the two places could not be more different – the Dutch Zeeland is as flat as it can be which the New Zealand is a mountainous volcanic region.
Palau – this name has come to English through a German version of the Spanish name. Just what this means depends upon which local words is the origin. Two very similar words, with very different meanings, have been suggested – hence this is either beluu or ‘village’ or if aibebelau is a reference to creation mythology.
Papua New Guinea – two former areas united in the modern name. The region of Papua is from a local term but of unknown origin and meaning. The ‘new’ of New Guinea came from Ortiz de Rez, a Portuguese explorer who consider the inhabitants similar in appearance to those he met in Guinea, West Africa.
Samoa – French explorer Louis-Antoine de Bougainville named them the Navigator Islands in 1768. However the local name has always been Samoa, a reference to the large, now extinct, flightless birds which once inhabited the islands around here and named as ‘the place of moa’.
Solomon Islands – discovered and named in 1567 by Spanish explorer Alvaro de Mandana de Neyra. Having met the natives and the gold ornaments they wore, he jumped to the conclusion this must be the legendary land of Ophir where, according to the Bible in Kings 1 chapter 9 verse 28, the gold was brought to King Solomon. It does instantly beg the question as to why he did not simply call them the Ophir Islands.
Tonga – in the many dialects and related tongues of Polynesia the word tonga means simply ‘south’, an apt description of these, the southernmost group of these islands.
Tuvalu –a group of nine islands settled by migrating humans some 3,000 years ago. Yet only eight were ever inhabited, hence the local tongue refers to them as ‘eight standing together’, a reference to the separate communities united by constant travel and trade by canoe.
Vanuatu – a local name derived from vanua ‘land’ or perhaps ‘home’ with tu ‘stand’, a reference to this new nation’s independence.
As previously the capital cities of each nation will be examined next time.
Sunday, 16 June 2013
Hampshire Place Names
An excerpt from the book which came out in 2010 and a look at the entry for Brockenhurst which includes one of the most informative pub names I have ever found.
With just two records of note, as Broceste in 1086 and Brocheherst in 1158, the first element here is uncertain and there are two possible meanings. The more likely is a personal name followed by hyrst and thus ‘Broca’s wooded hill’. However the first element may be brocen which can still be seen as ‘broken’ and understood to be ‘undulating wooded hill’.
Locally we find Connigers Copse, a name which speaks of the time at the end of the twelfth century when rabbits were introduced to this country by the Normans. This reference to ‘the rabbit warren coppice’ reminds us that the animals which many see as pests were introduced for food and, within a few short years, they had escaped into the wild and had quite literally bred like rabbits resulting in the population we see today. Rhinefield is a regional name which began life as a field name, for the early forms from the fourteenth century of Ryefeld and Riefelde point to ‘the rye open land’.
Seen as Reidon in 1284, Reydone in 1333, and Roydon in 1573, the name of Roydon is derived from raege-dun or ‘the hill of the female roe deer’. Setley is first seen as Setle in 1331 and, although enclosing any plantation against wild animals was considered illegal until the law was changed in 1483, this can only refer to ‘the set out or planted woodland’. The name of Hincheslea tells us it was where ‘hind calves frequented a woodland clearing’ and possibly shows these immature females were being kept for meat and their hides.
Brockenhurst has some of the most informative pub names in the county, perhaps even the country. While the Filly is clearly a reference to the female New Forest ponies under the age of four, it is a very unusual name. The Morant Arms remembers Edward Morant who, in 1770, came to Brockenhurst House which he purchased for over six thousand pounds. However this was not the end of his spending for he completely rebuilt the home, a resplendent Georgian mansion with beautifully laid-out grounds and over 3,000 acres of land in total. His fortune came from the family estates in Jamaica. He is also remembered as being an amateur cricketer of considerable ability who organised many matches here at the end of the eighteenth century. The Turfcutters Arms is not what it may seem, for the ‘turf’ is a reference to a slab of peat which was dug hereabouts as a fuel.
However there can be none more unique a pub name than the Snakecatcher. Brusher Mills was born Henry (known as Harry) Mills in March 1840, one of eight children. He lived in the hut of a former charcoal burner, a simple affair with a bed of dry bracken, a chair, firewood kept in an old biscuit tin, a single spoon he had fashioned himself, and his tin of tobacco. He was not ashamed of his simple home, would often invite visitors inside for a cup of tea (plenty of sugar but no milk). A cleft palate made his speech difficult to comprehend, although tradtion has it that this was the result of a gypsy curse.
Harry ‘Brusher’ Mills was the snakecatcher, he caught adders to earn a living. Leaving his home in the early morning he would walk miles around the New Forest every day, a tin with holes in one hand, a sack over his shoulder, and a second sack carrying the tools of his trade - scissors, knives, tweezers and a forked stick. The adders would be caught, killed and stripped of the fat which would be melted down to produce an embrocation used for a multitude of ailments and troubles, including sprains, bruises, rheumatism, and, of course, adder bites. Such cures were trusted, which was not surprising, as other commonly held beliefs were that touching the body of a hanged man was the only way to rid a person of St Vitus Dance, while fits would be banished by eating the livers of no less than forty green frogs.
The majority of his catches were grass snakes, which he could sell the skins of as souvenirs. During his lifetime it is estimated Brusher, a name thought to be derived from the way he brushed the bracken aside to find his quarry, caught almost 30,000 snakes of which only one in every eight was an adder.
Harry died at the age of 65, the result of heart condition. His last meal of meat, bread and pickles was unfinished, the drink still alongside on the table, and he was found in an outhouse of his favourite pub, then called the Railway Tavern but today renamed the Snakecatcher in his honour.
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
With just two records of note, as Broceste in 1086 and Brocheherst in 1158, the first element here is uncertain and there are two possible meanings. The more likely is a personal name followed by hyrst and thus ‘Broca’s wooded hill’. However the first element may be brocen which can still be seen as ‘broken’ and understood to be ‘undulating wooded hill’.
Locally we find Connigers Copse, a name which speaks of the time at the end of the twelfth century when rabbits were introduced to this country by the Normans. This reference to ‘the rabbit warren coppice’ reminds us that the animals which many see as pests were introduced for food and, within a few short years, they had escaped into the wild and had quite literally bred like rabbits resulting in the population we see today. Rhinefield is a regional name which began life as a field name, for the early forms from the fourteenth century of Ryefeld and Riefelde point to ‘the rye open land’.
Seen as Reidon in 1284, Reydone in 1333, and Roydon in 1573, the name of Roydon is derived from raege-dun or ‘the hill of the female roe deer’. Setley is first seen as Setle in 1331 and, although enclosing any plantation against wild animals was considered illegal until the law was changed in 1483, this can only refer to ‘the set out or planted woodland’. The name of Hincheslea tells us it was where ‘hind calves frequented a woodland clearing’ and possibly shows these immature females were being kept for meat and their hides.
Brockenhurst has some of the most informative pub names in the county, perhaps even the country. While the Filly is clearly a reference to the female New Forest ponies under the age of four, it is a very unusual name. The Morant Arms remembers Edward Morant who, in 1770, came to Brockenhurst House which he purchased for over six thousand pounds. However this was not the end of his spending for he completely rebuilt the home, a resplendent Georgian mansion with beautifully laid-out grounds and over 3,000 acres of land in total. His fortune came from the family estates in Jamaica. He is also remembered as being an amateur cricketer of considerable ability who organised many matches here at the end of the eighteenth century. The Turfcutters Arms is not what it may seem, for the ‘turf’ is a reference to a slab of peat which was dug hereabouts as a fuel.
However there can be none more unique a pub name than the Snakecatcher. Brusher Mills was born Henry (known as Harry) Mills in March 1840, one of eight children. He lived in the hut of a former charcoal burner, a simple affair with a bed of dry bracken, a chair, firewood kept in an old biscuit tin, a single spoon he had fashioned himself, and his tin of tobacco. He was not ashamed of his simple home, would often invite visitors inside for a cup of tea (plenty of sugar but no milk). A cleft palate made his speech difficult to comprehend, although tradtion has it that this was the result of a gypsy curse.
Harry ‘Brusher’ Mills was the snakecatcher, he caught adders to earn a living. Leaving his home in the early morning he would walk miles around the New Forest every day, a tin with holes in one hand, a sack over his shoulder, and a second sack carrying the tools of his trade - scissors, knives, tweezers and a forked stick. The adders would be caught, killed and stripped of the fat which would be melted down to produce an embrocation used for a multitude of ailments and troubles, including sprains, bruises, rheumatism, and, of course, adder bites. Such cures were trusted, which was not surprising, as other commonly held beliefs were that touching the body of a hanged man was the only way to rid a person of St Vitus Dance, while fits would be banished by eating the livers of no less than forty green frogs.
The majority of his catches were grass snakes, which he could sell the skins of as souvenirs. During his lifetime it is estimated Brusher, a name thought to be derived from the way he brushed the bracken aside to find his quarry, caught almost 30,000 snakes of which only one in every eight was an adder.
Harry died at the age of 65, the result of heart condition. His last meal of meat, bread and pickles was unfinished, the drink still alongside on the table, and he was found in an outhouse of his favourite pub, then called the Railway Tavern but today renamed the Snakecatcher in his honour.
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Sunday, 12 May 2013
Shropshire Place Names
An excerpt from my book and the entry looking at one of Shropshire’s best-known landmarks – Clee Hill.
Whilst it may seem otherwise, this refers to the village and not the hill itself. The hill name describes the shape of 'ball-shaped or rounded hill'. On the western slope is a road leading around an area of woodland, the conifers playing host to the red squirrel for as long as anyone could remember is today only marked by Squirrel Lane.
The Golden Cross seems to have no etymology associating it with the place, indeed no pub of this name can be explained fully. The cross, despite the temptation to suggest otherwise, does not normally have any religious connection but normally refers to a marker post or maybe a crossroads. It seems the 'golden' addition was only to make it sound more grand because of its humble beginnings.
The other pub in the village has a known etymology and a surprisingly recent one. The Kremlin Inn is the highest pub in the county of Shropshire, indeed it is said to be the highest point between her and a direct line to the Urals. This pub had always been known as the Craven Arms until the early 1970's. In those days licensing laws were different and pubs routinely closed at 2:30pm until the evening session. To encourage patrons to leave promptly after the ten minute 'drinking up' period, the juke box was switched normally off. However as the last '45' finished the (then) large box of equipment started to pick up and emit the sounds of Radio Moscow. Shortly afterwards the place changed its name although there is still little to associate the place with the former Soviet Union.
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Whilst it may seem otherwise, this refers to the village and not the hill itself. The hill name describes the shape of 'ball-shaped or rounded hill'. On the western slope is a road leading around an area of woodland, the conifers playing host to the red squirrel for as long as anyone could remember is today only marked by Squirrel Lane.
The Golden Cross seems to have no etymology associating it with the place, indeed no pub of this name can be explained fully. The cross, despite the temptation to suggest otherwise, does not normally have any religious connection but normally refers to a marker post or maybe a crossroads. It seems the 'golden' addition was only to make it sound more grand because of its humble beginnings.
The other pub in the village has a known etymology and a surprisingly recent one. The Kremlin Inn is the highest pub in the county of Shropshire, indeed it is said to be the highest point between her and a direct line to the Urals. This pub had always been known as the Craven Arms until the early 1970's. In those days licensing laws were different and pubs routinely closed at 2:30pm until the evening session. To encourage patrons to leave promptly after the ten minute 'drinking up' period, the juke box was switched normally off. However as the last '45' finished the (then) large box of equipment started to pick up and emit the sounds of Radio Moscow. Shortly afterwards the place changed its name although there is still little to associate the place with the former Soviet Union.
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Sunday, 21 April 2013
Devizes in Wiltshire
A snippet from one of the forthcoming books on the origins of place names. This time it is the county of Wiltshire and the town of Devizes.
Recorded as Divises in the 11th century, this name is one of the very few places in England of Old French origin. Here the name is from devise to describe the '(place at) the boundaries'.
Locally we find Dunkirk, a common minor name in England referring to the Flemish town which was an English possession during the 17th century. The Brittox describes its location near the castle gates, this being fortified by stockades, and Castle Street is of obvious derivation as indeed is Long Street. Trafalgar Place, too, is clearly a reminder of one of the pivotal battles in history.
Hillworth Road speaks of its destination, Wharf Street was cut alongside the Kennet and Avon Canal, Morris's Lane remembers a prominent local family, and Estcourt Street was named after Thomas Estcourt, MP for Devizes from 1835 who served as Home Secretary in the Earl of Derby's government of 1859.
Pub names featuring animals are often heraldic, when a colour is specified they are always from a coat of arms. The White Bear refers to the earls of Kent, the Pelican Inn could refer to Corpus Christi College in Oxford, the Dolphin is featured in many crests and particularly those associated with the sea, while the Black Swan was a mythical creature and a symbol of a rare individual until the discovery of Australia where black swans are indigenous.
The locality would have given a name to the Bridge Inn, The Millstream, and the Southgate Inn; an association with the church is seen in the Bell by the Green and the Lamb Inn; hunting was the inspiration for the names of the Fox & Hounds and Hare & Hounds; and patriotism gave us the Queens Head and the British Lion. The Cavalier will have spawned numerous stories with suggested etymologies, when the most likely is simply it makes a splendid image for a sign, although it does also suggest a royalist and a patriot.
The message at the Four Seasons is telling us it is open all year round, while making an attractive sign usually depicting four separate images. Finally there is the Moonrakers, a name which is said to have originally come from Wiltshire. Locals tell the story of how the Customs and Excise men came looking for smugglers, finding them dredging the waters apparently to retrieve casks of brandy. However the leader of the group, pretending to by an idiot, told them they had seen a large cheese in the waters and were trying to find it. The customs men soon realised the supposed 'cheese' was in fact the reflection of the full moon.
The Three Crowns show the nations of England, Scotland and Ireland all coming under one monarch; George & Dragon clearly points to the patron saint of England and his most famous enemy.
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Recorded as Divises in the 11th century, this name is one of the very few places in England of Old French origin. Here the name is from devise to describe the '(place at) the boundaries'.
Locally we find Dunkirk, a common minor name in England referring to the Flemish town which was an English possession during the 17th century. The Brittox describes its location near the castle gates, this being fortified by stockades, and Castle Street is of obvious derivation as indeed is Long Street. Trafalgar Place, too, is clearly a reminder of one of the pivotal battles in history.
Hillworth Road speaks of its destination, Wharf Street was cut alongside the Kennet and Avon Canal, Morris's Lane remembers a prominent local family, and Estcourt Street was named after Thomas Estcourt, MP for Devizes from 1835 who served as Home Secretary in the Earl of Derby's government of 1859.
Pub names featuring animals are often heraldic, when a colour is specified they are always from a coat of arms. The White Bear refers to the earls of Kent, the Pelican Inn could refer to Corpus Christi College in Oxford, the Dolphin is featured in many crests and particularly those associated with the sea, while the Black Swan was a mythical creature and a symbol of a rare individual until the discovery of Australia where black swans are indigenous.
The locality would have given a name to the Bridge Inn, The Millstream, and the Southgate Inn; an association with the church is seen in the Bell by the Green and the Lamb Inn; hunting was the inspiration for the names of the Fox & Hounds and Hare & Hounds; and patriotism gave us the Queens Head and the British Lion. The Cavalier will have spawned numerous stories with suggested etymologies, when the most likely is simply it makes a splendid image for a sign, although it does also suggest a royalist and a patriot.
The message at the Four Seasons is telling us it is open all year round, while making an attractive sign usually depicting four separate images. Finally there is the Moonrakers, a name which is said to have originally come from Wiltshire. Locals tell the story of how the Customs and Excise men came looking for smugglers, finding them dredging the waters apparently to retrieve casks of brandy. However the leader of the group, pretending to by an idiot, told them they had seen a large cheese in the waters and were trying to find it. The customs men soon realised the supposed 'cheese' was in fact the reflection of the full moon.
The Three Crowns show the nations of England, Scotland and Ireland all coming under one monarch; George & Dragon clearly points to the patron saint of England and his most famous enemy.
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Sunday, 10 February 2013
Lincolnshire Place Names
With the up-coming release of Lincolnshire Place Names, courtesy of Fineleaf Editions, talks in the county on that very subject are on the horizon. Thus here is a taster.
Louth
A name found in Domesday as Lude, although the earlier form of Hludensis monasterium in 790 tells us much more. The name comes from Old English hlud, itself given to the River Lud and describing itself as 'the noisy stream'. Those from Louth are referred to as Ludensians.
The name of the Lincolnshire Poacher may allude to those who lived off the game from the lord of the manor, but here the reference is to the tradition song of The Lincolnshire Poacher. The Miller's Daughter is a typical rural pub name, the sign featuring a young lady with a windmill in the background. The Massingberd Arms is named after the family who have held land here and been resident at nearby Gunby Hall since around 1700.
Louth's most obvious feature is St James' Church or, more correctly, its 295 feet high spire is one of the tallest in the land. The ascent of this daunting climb was made to repair the weathercock and on another occasion the spire itself following lightning strike. However it is the unofficial climbs which are of more interest. In 1771 Anthony Fountain, a sailor from Doncaster, went up and came back down quite safely, although the purpose of this exhausting venture is unknown.
However we do know the reason for Louth cobbler Benjamin Smith climbing the church on 5th May 1818, it was to win a bet he had made with a pedlar. Smith, having just consumed no less than ten pints of beer, boasted he could climb the church without any trouble whatsoever. Up he went, right to the very top where he daringly danced a hornpipe on the top stone of the spire. On the way down he paused to climb and recklessly balance on only one leg on the very point of one pinnacle. When he finally reached the ground he found the joke was on him. The pedlar, whom he left holding his jacket and the stake money, had vanished and he returned to the pub where he still had to pay for his ten pints!
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Louth
A name found in Domesday as Lude, although the earlier form of Hludensis monasterium in 790 tells us much more. The name comes from Old English hlud, itself given to the River Lud and describing itself as 'the noisy stream'. Those from Louth are referred to as Ludensians.
The name of the Lincolnshire Poacher may allude to those who lived off the game from the lord of the manor, but here the reference is to the tradition song of The Lincolnshire Poacher. The Miller's Daughter is a typical rural pub name, the sign featuring a young lady with a windmill in the background. The Massingberd Arms is named after the family who have held land here and been resident at nearby Gunby Hall since around 1700.
Louth's most obvious feature is St James' Church or, more correctly, its 295 feet high spire is one of the tallest in the land. The ascent of this daunting climb was made to repair the weathercock and on another occasion the spire itself following lightning strike. However it is the unofficial climbs which are of more interest. In 1771 Anthony Fountain, a sailor from Doncaster, went up and came back down quite safely, although the purpose of this exhausting venture is unknown.
However we do know the reason for Louth cobbler Benjamin Smith climbing the church on 5th May 1818, it was to win a bet he had made with a pedlar. Smith, having just consumed no less than ten pints of beer, boasted he could climb the church without any trouble whatsoever. Up he went, right to the very top where he daringly danced a hornpipe on the top stone of the spire. On the way down he paused to climb and recklessly balance on only one leg on the very point of one pinnacle. When he finally reached the ground he found the joke was on him. The pedlar, whom he left holding his jacket and the stake money, had vanished and he returned to the pub where he still had to pay for his ten pints!
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Sunday, 3 February 2013
Hertfordshire Place Names
With the up-coming release of Hertfordshire Place Names talks in the county on that very subject are on the horizon. Thus here is a taster featuring a name synonymous with film, quite relevant with both the BAFTAs and the Oscars in the news.
Elstree
Listed as Tithulfes in the eleventh century, this name features a Saxon personal name and Old English treow and describes 'the boundary tree of a man called Tidwulf'. That the modern form is Elstree and not Telstree is almost to be expected, for Middle English would have described it as atte Telstree and the initial 'T' would have been easily confused with that at the end of the preceding word. Indeed this happens even more often when atte is followed by a vowel at the beginning of the original place name and thus starts 'T-' today.
Cranes Farm was named after Mary Crane, Nicoll Farm remembers Susanna Nicoll, and Palmers named after Edward Palmer, all of whom would have known each other for they were all here in the middle of the eighteenth century. Deacons Hill is of an earlier time, the old chantry here granted by Henry VIII to All Souls College, Oxofrd.
The Fishery Inn is aptly named as it overlooks Aldermaston Lake. The Artichoke was chosen for its image, the vegetable much less common than any tree names such as the Hollybush. The Woodcock is a pub which has taken the place name of Woodcock Hill, which must have been a family name as the habitat is quite wrong for the bird.
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Elstree
Listed as Tithulfes in the eleventh century, this name features a Saxon personal name and Old English treow and describes 'the boundary tree of a man called Tidwulf'. That the modern form is Elstree and not Telstree is almost to be expected, for Middle English would have described it as atte Telstree and the initial 'T' would have been easily confused with that at the end of the preceding word. Indeed this happens even more often when atte is followed by a vowel at the beginning of the original place name and thus starts 'T-' today.
Cranes Farm was named after Mary Crane, Nicoll Farm remembers Susanna Nicoll, and Palmers named after Edward Palmer, all of whom would have known each other for they were all here in the middle of the eighteenth century. Deacons Hill is of an earlier time, the old chantry here granted by Henry VIII to All Souls College, Oxofrd.
The Fishery Inn is aptly named as it overlooks Aldermaston Lake. The Artichoke was chosen for its image, the vegetable much less common than any tree names such as the Hollybush. The Woodcock is a pub which has taken the place name of Woodcock Hill, which must have been a family name as the habitat is quite wrong for the bird.
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Sunday, 27 January 2013
Dorset Place Names
A couple of years ago my Dorset Place Names was published. With talks coming up in the county on the subject of the origins of place names, here is a taster.
CERNE ABBAS
Nationally better known for the chalk figure here, it is often overlooked that there is a settlement of this name here. Domesday gives this as simply Cernel, yet by 1288 this is seen as Cerne Abbatis. The two elements have quite different origins, the addition is clearly a reference to this being held by the local abbey, while the main name comes from a Celtic river name. Here is the name of the River Cerne, itself taken from a Celtic term carn meaning 'cairn, heap of stones'. Now even today a cairn is a marker and it is easy to see this as the same thing historically, although whether this was a marker for this place or if it was a route marker is unclear.
Local names include Acerman Street, telling of the 'place of the farm workers', and Andrews Lane which was home to the family of Samuel Andrews.
The local pub is the Cerne Giant, the chalk figure has been the subject of much debate in recent times as to its age. Generally thought to be at least Saxon and even pre-Roman, there is no mention of this figure before the 17th century. By cutting trenches a foot wide and one foot deep a figure of a naked man has been created, standing 180 feet high and 157 feet wide. In 1996 archaeologists discovered his left hand had once held a cloak and there had been a disembodied head at its feet. No conclusion was reached as to the age of the figure, or of who or what it represents. Doubtless the arguments will continue for some time to come.
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
CERNE ABBAS
Nationally better known for the chalk figure here, it is often overlooked that there is a settlement of this name here. Domesday gives this as simply Cernel, yet by 1288 this is seen as Cerne Abbatis. The two elements have quite different origins, the addition is clearly a reference to this being held by the local abbey, while the main name comes from a Celtic river name. Here is the name of the River Cerne, itself taken from a Celtic term carn meaning 'cairn, heap of stones'. Now even today a cairn is a marker and it is easy to see this as the same thing historically, although whether this was a marker for this place or if it was a route marker is unclear.
Local names include Acerman Street, telling of the 'place of the farm workers', and Andrews Lane which was home to the family of Samuel Andrews.
The local pub is the Cerne Giant, the chalk figure has been the subject of much debate in recent times as to its age. Generally thought to be at least Saxon and even pre-Roman, there is no mention of this figure before the 17th century. By cutting trenches a foot wide and one foot deep a figure of a naked man has been created, standing 180 feet high and 157 feet wide. In 1996 archaeologists discovered his left hand had once held a cloak and there had been a disembodied head at its feet. No conclusion was reached as to the age of the figure, or of who or what it represents. Doubtless the arguments will continue for some time to come.
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Sunday, 20 January 2013
Cornwall Place Names
With the up-coming release of Cornwall Place Names talks in the county on that very subject are on the horizon. Thus here is a taster.
Dobwalls
A rather unusual name listed as Dobbewalles in 1619, for it describes 'the walls of the Dobbe family'. The A38 by-pass has two so-called bat bridges, these are designed to continue the lines of the hedgerows removed for the construction of the road, thus keeping the bats on course and away from the speeding traffic below.
Bosigran is a local name recorded as Boschygarn in 1361 and is thought to refer to 'the dwelling at the lost place of Chycarn'. Appearing as Coldruscot in 1418, Caduscot is an Old Cornish name meaning 'the ridge across a wood'. Connon Bridge is a corruption of the original 'bridge at or of the convent'. Coombe is from Old English cumb or 'the valley'. Two Waters Foot tells us it is at 'the foot of two streams'
Doublebois still betrays its French origins, the name describing 'the wood split into two parts'. Found as Pennant in 1357, the Old Cornish name of Pennant describes its location 'at the head of the valley'. Plashford is an Old English name from plaesc ford 'the marshy ford'. Seen as Polmena in 1627, Polmenna is a name describing 'the pool at the hillside'.
St Pinnock, listed as Pynnoke in 1442, is another place taking its name from one of the many Cornish saints. East Taphouse is 'the eastern alehouse', east of Middle Alehouse and East Alehouse, which are found under Braddock. Trevelmond is a combination of Middle English atte and the French bel mont and speaking of this being found 'at the fair hill'.
A pub named the Highwayman suggests an image of a mysterious figure more associated with acts of derring-do rather than that of a murderous robber. Both piracy and smuggling also seem to attract such romanticism. However as the pub has only been here since 1963 the image of the villain has been taken to represent what effectively is a pub on a highway.
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Dobwalls
A rather unusual name listed as Dobbewalles in 1619, for it describes 'the walls of the Dobbe family'. The A38 by-pass has two so-called bat bridges, these are designed to continue the lines of the hedgerows removed for the construction of the road, thus keeping the bats on course and away from the speeding traffic below.
Bosigran is a local name recorded as Boschygarn in 1361 and is thought to refer to 'the dwelling at the lost place of Chycarn'. Appearing as Coldruscot in 1418, Caduscot is an Old Cornish name meaning 'the ridge across a wood'. Connon Bridge is a corruption of the original 'bridge at or of the convent'. Coombe is from Old English cumb or 'the valley'. Two Waters Foot tells us it is at 'the foot of two streams'
Doublebois still betrays its French origins, the name describing 'the wood split into two parts'. Found as Pennant in 1357, the Old Cornish name of Pennant describes its location 'at the head of the valley'. Plashford is an Old English name from plaesc ford 'the marshy ford'. Seen as Polmena in 1627, Polmenna is a name describing 'the pool at the hillside'.
St Pinnock, listed as Pynnoke in 1442, is another place taking its name from one of the many Cornish saints. East Taphouse is 'the eastern alehouse', east of Middle Alehouse and East Alehouse, which are found under Braddock. Trevelmond is a combination of Middle English atte and the French bel mont and speaking of this being found 'at the fair hill'.
A pub named the Highwayman suggests an image of a mysterious figure more associated with acts of derring-do rather than that of a murderous robber. Both piracy and smuggling also seem to attract such romanticism. However as the pub has only been here since 1963 the image of the villain has been taken to represent what effectively is a pub on a highway.
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Sunday, 13 January 2013
Cambridgeshire Place Names
With the up-coming release of Cambridgeshire Place Names talks in the county on that very subject are on the horizon. Thus here is a taster.
Barrington
Domesday lists this name as Barentone, a name taking a Saxon personal name and adding Old English tun to refer to 'Bara's farmstead'.
One local road has the unusual name of Whole Way. This comes from old English holh weg and refers to 'the road through the hollow', it covers the way to Harlton. Stead Lane takes its name from stede, simply meaning 'place, position' and referring to a certain spot on the road, not the destination.
Cracknow Hill means 'crack waggon hill', a reference to how steep it is, thus likely to break any waggon, particularly an overladen one. Edix Hill Hole may be a diminutive for Edward, while there is no doubt the original reference was to the Saxon cemetery here. Fox Hill Down Farm describes the 'hill or valley (ostensibly different aspects of the same thing) by the nook frequented by foxes', Wilsmere Down Farm was originally 'Wulfmaer's down or slope', and Balk Plantation is from balke a word denoting 'an unworked ridge separating two cultivated strips'.
Barrington Hall was once home to the Bendyshe family. While the building and spacious grounds date back to the seventeenth century, with later obviously Georgian improvements, the family can trace their family back much further and are one of the oldest in the county.
The local here has one of the most common names in the country, indeed the Royal Oak is probably second only to the Red Lion in popularity. It commemorates one of the most famous episodes in English history when, following defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, Charles II and his aide Colonel Carless hid in the Boscobel Oak while the Parliamentarians walked just feet below them during this stage of the pursuit. Years later, at the Restoration of the Monarchy, the king's birthday of 29th May was declared Royal Oak Day.
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Barrington
Domesday lists this name as Barentone, a name taking a Saxon personal name and adding Old English tun to refer to 'Bara's farmstead'.
One local road has the unusual name of Whole Way. This comes from old English holh weg and refers to 'the road through the hollow', it covers the way to Harlton. Stead Lane takes its name from stede, simply meaning 'place, position' and referring to a certain spot on the road, not the destination.
Cracknow Hill means 'crack waggon hill', a reference to how steep it is, thus likely to break any waggon, particularly an overladen one. Edix Hill Hole may be a diminutive for Edward, while there is no doubt the original reference was to the Saxon cemetery here. Fox Hill Down Farm describes the 'hill or valley (ostensibly different aspects of the same thing) by the nook frequented by foxes', Wilsmere Down Farm was originally 'Wulfmaer's down or slope', and Balk Plantation is from balke a word denoting 'an unworked ridge separating two cultivated strips'.
Barrington Hall was once home to the Bendyshe family. While the building and spacious grounds date back to the seventeenth century, with later obviously Georgian improvements, the family can trace their family back much further and are one of the oldest in the county.
The local here has one of the most common names in the country, indeed the Royal Oak is probably second only to the Red Lion in popularity. It commemorates one of the most famous episodes in English history when, following defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, Charles II and his aide Colonel Carless hid in the Boscobel Oak while the Parliamentarians walked just feet below them during this stage of the pursuit. Years later, at the Restoration of the Monarchy, the king's birthday of 29th May was declared Royal Oak Day.
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Sunday, 9 September 2012
Butterflies and Moths – the viewpoint of an etymologist, not an entomologist
In Britain there are some three thousand species of lepidoptera, eighty-five per cent of which are moths. For many years the mere mention of a fritillary or skipper has piqued my interest, just why were such unusual names chosen to describe moths and butterflies?
Clearly with such a vast array of these insects the etymologies of all of them cannot be covered in a single article. Hence we shall look at the most common and the families or groups. Indeed the vast majority of the names include a colour or shape, which require little or no explanation. Examples include the swallowtails, however the hairstreaks are also quite easy to explain, the fine stripes beneath the wings giving them their collective name.
Argus was a character in Greek mythology with a hundred eyes, the argus butterflies are typically brown and have wings with very eye-like spots. Fritillary is derived from a word in Modern Latin referring to 'dice box', this is most likely a reference to the wing spots, said to resemble the spots on dice. Brimstones are named for their colour, they are predominantly yellow.
Peacocks are butterflies named for the four eye-like spots on the wings which very much resemble those 'eyes' on the splendid tale of the male bird with which it shares its name. With a shape underneath the hind wings, the comma butterfly takes its name from the spots said to resemble such punctuation. Ghost Moths get their name from the display flight of the male, hovering in a display area with other males and sometimes slowly rising and falling in what is seen as typical ghostly behaviour. These are also referred to as part of the Swift group of moths, rather obviously speaking of their comparatively speedy flight.
Leopard moths take their name from the wing spots, although none resemble those of the big cat. Festoon moths have patterns which resemble a festoon, a string or chain of flowers, ribbons, leaves, etc. Hornet moths are named for their yellow stripes. Clearwings have just that, although faintly patterned would be a more accurate description.`
Another group are the foresters, which generally speaking enjoy a woodland habitat. However these were categorised when first identified and some either were mistakenly classified as such or simply have had to find alternative habitats. The lappet group have wings having a shape resembling the distinctive fold in headgear and clothing of Victorian times, also known as lappets. Hook-tips, as the name suggests, have a distinct hook on the tip of the wing.
Those named from their flight include the skippers, a group which includes the smaller skipperlings, which are characterised by their tendency for short flights with exaggerated jerking movements. No surprise to find the December moth is seen flying in that month, however it is more commonly spotted in the previous two months.
The delightfully named Gatekeeper Butterfly is a species which is found in hedges and meadow margins. For this reason it is often seen sunning itself on posts and gates of fields. Presumably it also did so when tollgates littered the country and butterflies where much more numerous than today. The Puss moth is named because of its rather hairy appearance, the Kitten moth is named because they appear a smaller version of the Puss moth. Tussock moths are very hairy, so much so the hairs often disguise the fact they are moths.
Processionary moths are known as such for they wander around in single file as caterpillars when searching for food sources. Footmen are named for having bright colours likened to the uniforms of those from the royal courts. Similarly the tigers, handmaid and muslin species are all said to resemble such.
Doubtless there are many more species of butterfly and moth to be discovered, assuming scientists identify them before man's need for land destroy these habitats. It is highly likely these new species will be named for their discoverers, as is the norm today, rather than the delightfully creative names of yesteryear.
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Clearly with such a vast array of these insects the etymologies of all of them cannot be covered in a single article. Hence we shall look at the most common and the families or groups. Indeed the vast majority of the names include a colour or shape, which require little or no explanation. Examples include the swallowtails, however the hairstreaks are also quite easy to explain, the fine stripes beneath the wings giving them their collective name.
Argus was a character in Greek mythology with a hundred eyes, the argus butterflies are typically brown and have wings with very eye-like spots. Fritillary is derived from a word in Modern Latin referring to 'dice box', this is most likely a reference to the wing spots, said to resemble the spots on dice. Brimstones are named for their colour, they are predominantly yellow.
Peacocks are butterflies named for the four eye-like spots on the wings which very much resemble those 'eyes' on the splendid tale of the male bird with which it shares its name. With a shape underneath the hind wings, the comma butterfly takes its name from the spots said to resemble such punctuation. Ghost Moths get their name from the display flight of the male, hovering in a display area with other males and sometimes slowly rising and falling in what is seen as typical ghostly behaviour. These are also referred to as part of the Swift group of moths, rather obviously speaking of their comparatively speedy flight.
Leopard moths take their name from the wing spots, although none resemble those of the big cat. Festoon moths have patterns which resemble a festoon, a string or chain of flowers, ribbons, leaves, etc. Hornet moths are named for their yellow stripes. Clearwings have just that, although faintly patterned would be a more accurate description.`
Another group are the foresters, which generally speaking enjoy a woodland habitat. However these were categorised when first identified and some either were mistakenly classified as such or simply have had to find alternative habitats. The lappet group have wings having a shape resembling the distinctive fold in headgear and clothing of Victorian times, also known as lappets. Hook-tips, as the name suggests, have a distinct hook on the tip of the wing.
Those named from their flight include the skippers, a group which includes the smaller skipperlings, which are characterised by their tendency for short flights with exaggerated jerking movements. No surprise to find the December moth is seen flying in that month, however it is more commonly spotted in the previous two months.
The delightfully named Gatekeeper Butterfly is a species which is found in hedges and meadow margins. For this reason it is often seen sunning itself on posts and gates of fields. Presumably it also did so when tollgates littered the country and butterflies where much more numerous than today. The Puss moth is named because of its rather hairy appearance, the Kitten moth is named because they appear a smaller version of the Puss moth. Tussock moths are very hairy, so much so the hairs often disguise the fact they are moths.
Processionary moths are known as such for they wander around in single file as caterpillars when searching for food sources. Footmen are named for having bright colours likened to the uniforms of those from the royal courts. Similarly the tigers, handmaid and muslin species are all said to resemble such.
Doubtless there are many more species of butterfly and moth to be discovered, assuming scientists identify them before man's need for land destroy these habitats. It is highly likely these new species will be named for their discoverers, as is the norm today, rather than the delightfully creative names of yesteryear.
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Sunday, 19 August 2012
Waterfowl Names Examined
As children waterbirds were probably our first introduction to wildlife. Few of us were not taken down to the local pond or park armed with bread for the ducks, swans and perhaps even geese.
Several times in our history these birds were highly prized, maybe for their meat and/or as the goal for some forgotten sport. Obviously in the earliest days these were hunted solely for their meat and it would have been then that hunters would have differentiated between the various waterfowl in order for them to be quite aware of what they hoped to bring back to the table. It will be noted that some of the species discussed below are not strictly waterfowl but simply birds associated with water. No apologies are made for include these species with which we are all so familiar.
Of course the ducks are probably the most populous of all waterbirds. They derive their name from the characteristic dabbling or diving underwater for food, and it comes from Old English duce meaning 'to duck, dive'. Oddly this was not the original Old English word for the duck, that was ened which is largely unchanged since the earliest known aneti of Proto-Indo-European beginnings.
It has always been debated as to why the Saxons stopped using ened in favour of duce, most likely that the act of 'ducking' was a different word to the noun 'duck' but eventually the former fell out of general use. Duckling is simply 'the small duck' and quite recent, while the mallard is simply an early corruption of 'male duck'.
While geese is simply a mispronunciation of goose, the singular form can be traced virtually unchanged through many ancient European languages. The very earliest form is the Proto-Indo-European ghans which has filtered down to modern English as 'gander', ie the male goose. Both the goose and ghans can only be an imiation of the bird's cry, most often said today to be a 'honk'. Gosling is clearly a 'small goose' and a rather recent development.
All herons share the basic body shape of a wading bird, long legs and a long neck. However they are unique in being the only birds with a long neck which do not fly with the neck extended but drawn right back against the body, a characteristic which makes them easily identifiable in flight. The name can me traced back to Proto-Indo-European griq or 'shriek, cry' and imitative of the cry of these birds. The crane is a similar bird and easily confused with the heron, indeed the name in Old English referred to both creatures and there is every indication they share the same derivation of their respective names. Egret is from Old French aigrette also meaning 'heron'.
Recently making a comeback to Britain, the osprey was named quite late. It comes from the Middle Latin avis prede literally 'bird of prey' and, while this originally referred to any hawk, was mistakenly thought to refer to this species.
Some names speak for themselves. Anyone who has had their food plucked right from their hand by a gull in flight will understand why they were named from the verb 'to swallow'. A dipper dives below the surface of the young streams seeking the larvae on which they feed, they also move with a decided 'dipping' motion either of which could have been the reason for the name. Most kingfishers do exactly what their name suggests, however the bird with which we are so familiar is also known as the halcyon. This refers to the supposed halcyon days of calm at the winter solstice when the mythical bird bred in a nest floating on the calm seas.
The young of the swan is known as a cygnet, derived from Latin cygnus and Greek kyknos both meaning 'swan'. These are from Proto-Indo-European keuk meaning 'to be white', this was from the time when all swans were considered to be white, before the discovery of Australia and its native black swans.
The swan itself has the strangest of origins. The term is Germanic, seen in Old English swan, Old Norse svanr, Middle Dutch swane, and Proto Germanic swanaz - ultimately from Proto-Indo-European swon 'to make sound'. Thus this is literally 'the singing bird' but swans are hardly the greatest singers of the bird world. Hence this is probably mythological, indeed in the Greek stories the swan is sacred to both Apollo and Venus and held to sing only in the last moments before death.
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Several times in our history these birds were highly prized, maybe for their meat and/or as the goal for some forgotten sport. Obviously in the earliest days these were hunted solely for their meat and it would have been then that hunters would have differentiated between the various waterfowl in order for them to be quite aware of what they hoped to bring back to the table. It will be noted that some of the species discussed below are not strictly waterfowl but simply birds associated with water. No apologies are made for include these species with which we are all so familiar.
Of course the ducks are probably the most populous of all waterbirds. They derive their name from the characteristic dabbling or diving underwater for food, and it comes from Old English duce meaning 'to duck, dive'. Oddly this was not the original Old English word for the duck, that was ened which is largely unchanged since the earliest known aneti of Proto-Indo-European beginnings.
It has always been debated as to why the Saxons stopped using ened in favour of duce, most likely that the act of 'ducking' was a different word to the noun 'duck' but eventually the former fell out of general use. Duckling is simply 'the small duck' and quite recent, while the mallard is simply an early corruption of 'male duck'.
While geese is simply a mispronunciation of goose, the singular form can be traced virtually unchanged through many ancient European languages. The very earliest form is the Proto-Indo-European ghans which has filtered down to modern English as 'gander', ie the male goose. Both the goose and ghans can only be an imiation of the bird's cry, most often said today to be a 'honk'. Gosling is clearly a 'small goose' and a rather recent development.
All herons share the basic body shape of a wading bird, long legs and a long neck. However they are unique in being the only birds with a long neck which do not fly with the neck extended but drawn right back against the body, a characteristic which makes them easily identifiable in flight. The name can me traced back to Proto-Indo-European griq or 'shriek, cry' and imitative of the cry of these birds. The crane is a similar bird and easily confused with the heron, indeed the name in Old English referred to both creatures and there is every indication they share the same derivation of their respective names. Egret is from Old French aigrette also meaning 'heron'.
Recently making a comeback to Britain, the osprey was named quite late. It comes from the Middle Latin avis prede literally 'bird of prey' and, while this originally referred to any hawk, was mistakenly thought to refer to this species.
Some names speak for themselves. Anyone who has had their food plucked right from their hand by a gull in flight will understand why they were named from the verb 'to swallow'. A dipper dives below the surface of the young streams seeking the larvae on which they feed, they also move with a decided 'dipping' motion either of which could have been the reason for the name. Most kingfishers do exactly what their name suggests, however the bird with which we are so familiar is also known as the halcyon. This refers to the supposed halcyon days of calm at the winter solstice when the mythical bird bred in a nest floating on the calm seas.
The young of the swan is known as a cygnet, derived from Latin cygnus and Greek kyknos both meaning 'swan'. These are from Proto-Indo-European keuk meaning 'to be white', this was from the time when all swans were considered to be white, before the discovery of Australia and its native black swans.
The swan itself has the strangest of origins. The term is Germanic, seen in Old English swan, Old Norse svanr, Middle Dutch swane, and Proto Germanic swanaz - ultimately from Proto-Indo-European swon 'to make sound'. Thus this is literally 'the singing bird' but swans are hardly the greatest singers of the bird world. Hence this is probably mythological, indeed in the Greek stories the swan is sacred to both Apollo and Venus and held to sing only in the last moments before death.
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects, or even specific words to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Sunday, 12 August 2012
Yet More Nursery Rhyme Origins
A couple of earlier posts looked at the history behind the nursery rhymes which have been recited by (and to) our children for many generations. Having already covered the majority, here are the few remaining:
Lavender Blue was recorded by a number over the years. Burl Ives was the first although probably best-known is that by Marillion, correctly adapted by Marillion. The earliest known reference dates from around 1680, where it was called Diddle Diddle or the Kind Country Lovers. This record interestingly states it should be sung to the tune of Lavenders Green, showing there was already a song in existence (albeit one with a different colour). Maybe this is not the song we should be teaching our children for, at least originally, it is entirely about sex and drink. Breaking down the original lyric it tells of how the man tells the woman she has to love him (because he loves her), that there is a vale nearby where she should lie down with him (simply because he desires it), and that she should also accept his dog. The more suitable modern version developed from around the early nineteenth century.
Little Boy Blue shares the blue colour but little else. The earliest written record comes from 1744, however this is thought to be much older. Some sources suggest this either comes from, or shares an origin in, Shakespeare’s King Lear. In Act III Scene VI, Mad Tom utters the lines: “Sleepest or wakest thou, jolly shepherd? Thy sheep be in the corn and for the blast of thy manikin mouth thy sheep shall take no harm.”
Staying with both ‘little’ and ‘Shakespeare’ themes we find Little Bo Peep. First seen in the early nineteenth century, it has been suggested there was a children’s game called Bo-Peep dating from the sixteenth century and one which was referred to in King Lear. However in Ninfield, East Sussex it is held Bo-Peep was their most famous resident of yesteryear. A smugglers’ stronghold locals believe she was paid to walk her sheep across the shore to hide the footprints of the smugglers.
Another ‘little’ character is Little Miss Muffet. Again this appears in print for the first time in the early nineteenth century, this in a book called Songs for the Nursery. Suggestions as to the origins are many, including that it refers to Mary, Queen of Scots, yet none have any credibility and the origins are a mystery. Reliable sources inform me one child some fifty or more years ago unwittingly rewrote the third line so it telling of how the young lady was “…..eating her curtains away.”
London Bridge is Falling Down is first seen in the middle of the eighteenth century. However this has nothing to do with London or England, indeed there are versions at least twice that age set in Denmark, Germany, France and Italy. It seems all will have a common origin, the known versions simply adaptations, yet without knowing what the original was it is impossible to give a meaning.
Mary Had A Little Lamb was the first line of an old rugby song I encountered in my rugby union days. The second line of “She kept it in a bucket” shows this had nothing to do with the nursery rhyme other than the first line and the tune. As a rhyme it was first published in 1830, and for once we know this is based on a real incident. One Mary Sawyer had a pet lamb and, egged on by her brother, took the animal to school when one John Roulstone was studying with his uncle, a minister, to prepare for college. Roulstone was delighted by the event and next day made a special journey on horseback to the old school to hand her a piece of paper. On that paper was written the three original stanzas of the poem entitled Mary Had A Little Lamb.
Monday’s Child first appears in print in 1830. This cannot be the origin for these early horoscope-style rhymes were known by the sixteenth century and probably much, much older.
Nuts in May is first recorded in a book entitled The Traditional Games of England, Scotland and Ireland at the end of the nineteenth century. The title telling us it was already well established. It takes very little thought to see why nuts are not gathered in the month of May in the United Kingdom and thus it seems inevitable the title is a corruption – possibly of ‘knots of may’ which would them refer to small posies of may blossom, produced by the hawthorn. This is also the origin of the phrase “Ne’er cast a clout to may is out”, a reference to the appearance of may blossom and not the end of the month.
Old King Cole is generally accepted to recall a Welsh royal. The evidence said to be that Coel is a Brythonic name and records are found of a Coel Hen (Coel the Old) in Romano-British history. He is said to have been born in AD85 in Wales and died in Colchester in AD170, making him one of the oldest people in England at the time. While the significance of the bowl is unknown, the pipe and the fiddlers are almost certainly both musical and suggest the king was known for his musical talent.
Old Mother Hubbard first appears in print in 1805, the rhyme almost unchanged over the next two centuries. Many explanations have been offered and yet, if this is a political satire, it is a mystery as to what or whom is being satirized.
One, Two Buckle my shoe first appears in print in 1805. Unlikely to have ever been a meaning for what was one of many traditionally counting rhymes
One, Two, Three, Four, Five is another counting rhyme and, as with the previous example, likely has no hidden meaning. First published in the middle of the eighteenth century, it is interesting to note the original English version featured a hare instead of a fish.
Oranges and Lemons is a traditional children’s singing game, first published in the middle of the eighteenth century. It seems unlikely to have any of the gruesome origins usually attributed to it - Henry VIII’s wives, public execution, and even child sacrifice – for these rely on the last two lines: “Here comes a candle to light you to bed, here comes a chopper to chop off your head. Chop, chop, chop, chop, the last man’s dead” and these lines are comparatively recent additions and are not seen in early printed versions. Thus this probably represents a tour of the churches of London although why is unclear.
Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake, Baker’s Man first appears in print in 1698, not as a stand alone verse but as lines in the play The Campaigners by Thomas D‘Urfey. The lines are spoken by a nurse to children and thus shows, even then, it was simply a child’s signing game. It is difficult to see it as anything else.
Pease Porridge Hot makes its debut in print in 1760, the origins are unknown but would have been ‘pottage’ and not ‘porridge’ originally.
Peter Piper is a toungue twister first published in 1813 by John Harris in his book Peter Piper’s Practical Principles of Plain and Perfect Pronunciation – a challenging title to read aloud. Earlier versions are unknown and could have been written solely for the work, in which case the subject may be eighteenth century Mauritian administrator Peter Poivre, who examined the possibility of using the Seychelles for cultivating spices.
Polly Put the Kettle On is first mentioned in print in 1841, when Charles Dickens speaks of it in his work Barnaby Rudge. The tune, if not the lyric, was known in 1770 while the earliest versions speak of ‘Molly’ and not ‘Polly’. It would seem this is simply a children’s song from the Georgian era, when middle class English families would use Polly as a pet form of Mary and Sukey for Susan.
Pop Goes the Weasel has a number of printed references, all in the first half of the 1850s and nothing earlier. This may be sufficient proof the rhyme was written around this time. Much has been suggested regarding its origins which would certainly be from London. Indeed the Eagle public house still stands on the corner of City Road, as mentioned in the lyric which can be found on a plaque inside the pub to this day. Ironically every suggestion as to the origin always meets the same obstacle, the title and first line which has never been understood.
Rain Rain Go Away seems a perfect rhyme for British weather and can be traced back to at least the seventeenth century. However this is not solely British for it is common to many much older cultures including the ancient Greeks.
Thus ends the third and final look at the beginnings of traditional nursery rhymes.
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. Feel free to drop me a line.
Lavender Blue was recorded by a number over the years. Burl Ives was the first although probably best-known is that by Marillion, correctly adapted by Marillion. The earliest known reference dates from around 1680, where it was called Diddle Diddle or the Kind Country Lovers. This record interestingly states it should be sung to the tune of Lavenders Green, showing there was already a song in existence (albeit one with a different colour). Maybe this is not the song we should be teaching our children for, at least originally, it is entirely about sex and drink. Breaking down the original lyric it tells of how the man tells the woman she has to love him (because he loves her), that there is a vale nearby where she should lie down with him (simply because he desires it), and that she should also accept his dog. The more suitable modern version developed from around the early nineteenth century.
Little Boy Blue shares the blue colour but little else. The earliest written record comes from 1744, however this is thought to be much older. Some sources suggest this either comes from, or shares an origin in, Shakespeare’s King Lear. In Act III Scene VI, Mad Tom utters the lines: “Sleepest or wakest thou, jolly shepherd? Thy sheep be in the corn and for the blast of thy manikin mouth thy sheep shall take no harm.”
Staying with both ‘little’ and ‘Shakespeare’ themes we find Little Bo Peep. First seen in the early nineteenth century, it has been suggested there was a children’s game called Bo-Peep dating from the sixteenth century and one which was referred to in King Lear. However in Ninfield, East Sussex it is held Bo-Peep was their most famous resident of yesteryear. A smugglers’ stronghold locals believe she was paid to walk her sheep across the shore to hide the footprints of the smugglers.
Another ‘little’ character is Little Miss Muffet. Again this appears in print for the first time in the early nineteenth century, this in a book called Songs for the Nursery. Suggestions as to the origins are many, including that it refers to Mary, Queen of Scots, yet none have any credibility and the origins are a mystery. Reliable sources inform me one child some fifty or more years ago unwittingly rewrote the third line so it telling of how the young lady was “…..eating her curtains away.”
London Bridge is Falling Down is first seen in the middle of the eighteenth century. However this has nothing to do with London or England, indeed there are versions at least twice that age set in Denmark, Germany, France and Italy. It seems all will have a common origin, the known versions simply adaptations, yet without knowing what the original was it is impossible to give a meaning.
Mary Had A Little Lamb was the first line of an old rugby song I encountered in my rugby union days. The second line of “She kept it in a bucket” shows this had nothing to do with the nursery rhyme other than the first line and the tune. As a rhyme it was first published in 1830, and for once we know this is based on a real incident. One Mary Sawyer had a pet lamb and, egged on by her brother, took the animal to school when one John Roulstone was studying with his uncle, a minister, to prepare for college. Roulstone was delighted by the event and next day made a special journey on horseback to the old school to hand her a piece of paper. On that paper was written the three original stanzas of the poem entitled Mary Had A Little Lamb.
Monday’s Child first appears in print in 1830. This cannot be the origin for these early horoscope-style rhymes were known by the sixteenth century and probably much, much older.
Nuts in May is first recorded in a book entitled The Traditional Games of England, Scotland and Ireland at the end of the nineteenth century. The title telling us it was already well established. It takes very little thought to see why nuts are not gathered in the month of May in the United Kingdom and thus it seems inevitable the title is a corruption – possibly of ‘knots of may’ which would them refer to small posies of may blossom, produced by the hawthorn. This is also the origin of the phrase “Ne’er cast a clout to may is out”, a reference to the appearance of may blossom and not the end of the month.
Old King Cole is generally accepted to recall a Welsh royal. The evidence said to be that Coel is a Brythonic name and records are found of a Coel Hen (Coel the Old) in Romano-British history. He is said to have been born in AD85 in Wales and died in Colchester in AD170, making him one of the oldest people in England at the time. While the significance of the bowl is unknown, the pipe and the fiddlers are almost certainly both musical and suggest the king was known for his musical talent.
Old Mother Hubbard first appears in print in 1805, the rhyme almost unchanged over the next two centuries. Many explanations have been offered and yet, if this is a political satire, it is a mystery as to what or whom is being satirized.
One, Two Buckle my shoe first appears in print in 1805. Unlikely to have ever been a meaning for what was one of many traditionally counting rhymes
One, Two, Three, Four, Five is another counting rhyme and, as with the previous example, likely has no hidden meaning. First published in the middle of the eighteenth century, it is interesting to note the original English version featured a hare instead of a fish.
Oranges and Lemons is a traditional children’s singing game, first published in the middle of the eighteenth century. It seems unlikely to have any of the gruesome origins usually attributed to it - Henry VIII’s wives, public execution, and even child sacrifice – for these rely on the last two lines: “Here comes a candle to light you to bed, here comes a chopper to chop off your head. Chop, chop, chop, chop, the last man’s dead” and these lines are comparatively recent additions and are not seen in early printed versions. Thus this probably represents a tour of the churches of London although why is unclear.
Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake, Baker’s Man first appears in print in 1698, not as a stand alone verse but as lines in the play The Campaigners by Thomas D‘Urfey. The lines are spoken by a nurse to children and thus shows, even then, it was simply a child’s signing game. It is difficult to see it as anything else.
Pease Porridge Hot makes its debut in print in 1760, the origins are unknown but would have been ‘pottage’ and not ‘porridge’ originally.
Peter Piper is a toungue twister first published in 1813 by John Harris in his book Peter Piper’s Practical Principles of Plain and Perfect Pronunciation – a challenging title to read aloud. Earlier versions are unknown and could have been written solely for the work, in which case the subject may be eighteenth century Mauritian administrator Peter Poivre, who examined the possibility of using the Seychelles for cultivating spices.
Polly Put the Kettle On is first mentioned in print in 1841, when Charles Dickens speaks of it in his work Barnaby Rudge. The tune, if not the lyric, was known in 1770 while the earliest versions speak of ‘Molly’ and not ‘Polly’. It would seem this is simply a children’s song from the Georgian era, when middle class English families would use Polly as a pet form of Mary and Sukey for Susan.
Pop Goes the Weasel has a number of printed references, all in the first half of the 1850s and nothing earlier. This may be sufficient proof the rhyme was written around this time. Much has been suggested regarding its origins which would certainly be from London. Indeed the Eagle public house still stands on the corner of City Road, as mentioned in the lyric which can be found on a plaque inside the pub to this day. Ironically every suggestion as to the origin always meets the same obstacle, the title and first line which has never been understood.
Rain Rain Go Away seems a perfect rhyme for British weather and can be traced back to at least the seventeenth century. However this is not solely British for it is common to many much older cultures including the ancient Greeks.
Thus ends the third and final look at the beginnings of traditional nursery rhymes.
I would welcome any suggestions for themes or subjects to examine the origins, meanings and etymologies. Feel free to drop me a line.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)