The History of London Part 19

~Northumbrians~: the men of Northumbria--that is, Yorks.h.i.+re, Durham, and Northumberland.

~Mercians~: the men of Mercia, or land of the Middle English.

~supremacy~: Northumbria, Mercia, Wess.e.x, were separate kingdoms which were successively, in the order in which they are given, strong enough to overawe or exercise supremacy over the others. The king of Wess.e.x eventually became king of England.

~Witan~, or in its fuller form ~wit-an-a-ge-mote~, the 'meeting of wise men,' was the national council which afterwards grew up into our modern parliament.

9. THE SECOND SAXON SETTLEMENT.

~Pagan~: heathen, not yet converted to Christianity.

~King Alfred~, called the Great, was king of England from 871-901 A.D.

~Alderman~ in early England meant the ruler of a large district, such as a s.h.i.+re or kingdom. When Mercia became subject to Wess.e.x it was ruled by an alderman.

~Benfleet~: a place in Ess.e.x, on the north bank of the Thames, not far from Southend.

~Brunanburgh~ was the scene of a defeat of the Danes by Athelstan in 937 A.D.; the place cannot now be identified.

~Sweyn~, King of Denmark, invaded England with his son Canute in 1013 A.D.

~Redriff~ is now called Rotherhithe, south of the Thames.

~King Ethelred II.~, called the Unredig, or lacking in counsel, reigned 979-1013 A.D.

~Olave~ or ~Olaf~ and ~Magnus~ are Scandinavian names: there were early kings of Norway so called.

~The Portreeve~: the reeve or governor of London was a chief magistrate or mayor of the City.

~The 'Staller'~ or ~Marshal~ led the men of London to battle.

~The Knighten Guild~ was the ruling council of London: they were not chosen by election, but were the chief owners of property, and, like their land, the office was handed down from father to son.

~mote~: meeting.

~hustings~: a general meeting of the citizens held every week; later on the word came to mean the platform whence candidates for parliament addressed their const.i.tuents.

10. THE ANGLO-SAXON CITIZEN.

~Athelstan~ (925-940), the grandson of Alfred the Great, and ~Etheldred II.~ (979-1013) were kings of England.

~earl~ or ~eorl~ was what we should now call a gentleman of good family; ~thanes~: n.o.bles who for the most part acquired their t.i.tles from the king as rewards for services.

~munic.i.p.al~: having to do with the munic.i.p.ality or city.

~French~: Norman-French was the language spoken by the Normans.

~the meat and fish were salted~: in the absence of root-crops it was found difficult to keep animals through the winter. Hence much salt meat and fish were stored up.

~embroidery~: the art of working designs on cloth in needlework.

~spinster~: an unmarried woman; so called because unmarried daughters worked at spinning and weaving for the household, making 'homespun'

cloth for them.

~marauding~: roving about for plunder.

~solar~: in early houses the chamber over the hall, used as the bedroom for the master and mistress of the house. (See picture on p. 73.)

~tapestry~: thick hangings or curtains with figures worked on them.

~mead~: a fermented drink made of honey: metheglin is another form of the word.

~wattle~: flexible twigs, withies, or osier rods: ~daub~, mud.

~turbulent~: disorderly, riotous.

~Thames Street~: a very narrow street running along the bank of the Thames between Blackfriars and the Tower.

~ward~: a division of the City. The ~ward mote~ or ward meeting still exists, and elects the alderman or representative of the ward on the City Council.

11. THE WALL OF LONDON.

The ~White Tower~ is the 'keep' or central part of the Tower of London, begun by William the Conqueror and finished by the Red King. It is 92 feet high and the walls are 17 feet thick.

~Dowgate~: the site of one of the gates of Old London Wall is near where Cannon Street Railway Station now stands: here the Walbrook fell into the Thames.

~Queen Hithe~: 'The Queen's Landing Place.' Merchants were compelled to land their goods here so that the dues paid should go to the Queen.

~confluence~: a flowing together, the place where two rivers meet. The Fleet fell into the Thames at Blackfriars. (Latin _c.u.m_, with, together; _fluo_, to flow. Compare, _fluid_, _fluent_.)

~Montfichet's Tower~ was near Baynard's Castle, at the south-west corner of the old walls in Blackfriars. Both were named after the Norman tenants who occupied them.

~Houndsditch~ is now a cross street joining Bishopgate Street and Aldgate, with a Church of St. Botolph at each end of it. It adjoined the moat or ditch round the City wall.

~Allhallows~: the same as All Saints--all the saints to whom churches were often dedicated, and whose memory is celebrated on November 1, which is All Saints' Day.

~St. Giles, Cripplegate~, contains in its churchyard part of London Wall. Milton was buried here in 1674.

12. NORMAN LONDON.

~Bishop and Portreeve~: the two chief officers of the City, one ruling for the Church, the other a civil ruler.

~charter~: a writing confirming or granting privileges.