The Ethnology of the British Islands Part 18

3. No Danish forms for geographical localities occur in the county.

That the Kentish population has certain peculiarities is highly probable; and it is also probable that similar peculiarities on the part of the population of Hants brought the two within the same category. And hence came the extension of the Jute hypothesis to the _Cantware_.

_Were there Frisians in England?_--The presumption is in favour of the affirmative; since the Frisians were eminently the occupiers of the German sea-coast.

Again--

1. A native tradition makes Hengist a Frisian.

2. Procopius writes that "three numerous nations occupy Brittia--the Angili, the Phrissones, and the Britons."--B. G., iv. 20.

3. In one of Alfred's engagements against the Danes the vessels are said to have been "shapen neither like the Frisian nor the Danish," and that there were killed in the engagement "Wulfheard the Frisian, and aebbe the Frisian, and aethelhere the Frisian--and of all the men, Frisians and English, seventy-two."--Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, A.D. 897.

In Mr. Kemble's "Saxons in England," a fresh instrument of criticism is exhibited. A local name like that of the present town of _Kettering_ is in Anglo-Saxon _Cytringas_. Here the -_as_ is the sign of the plural number, and the -_ing_- a sort of Anglo-Saxon patronymic, or, (if this expression be exceptional) a Gentile form. Hence, _Cytr-ing-as_ means the _Cytrings_, and is the name of a _community_--_i.e._, it is a political or social rather than a geographical term.

Now nearly two hundred such terms occur in the Anglo-Saxon Chartas as names of places.

But besides the simple form in -_ing_ (Anglo-Saxon -_ing-as_) there is a series of compounds in -_wic_, -_ham_, -_weor_, -_tun_, -_hurst_, &c., as Bill-_ing_, Billing-_ham_, Billing-_hay_, Billing-_borough_, Billing-_ford_, Billing-_ton_, Billing-_ley_, Billings-_gate_, Billing-_hurst_, &c., most of which it is safe to say mean the -_hurst_, the -_town_, &c., of the _Billings_. Now--

1. The distribution of these forms, either simple or compound, over the counties of England is as follows. There are in--

York, 127; Norfolk, 97; Lincolns.h.i.+re, 76; Suss.e.x, 68; Kent, 60; Suffolk, 56; Ess.e.x, 48; Northumberland, 48; Gloucester, 46; Somerset, 45; Northampton, 35; Shrops.h.i.+re, 34; Hants, 33; Oxford, 31; Warwick, 31; Lancas.h.i.+re, 26; Ches.h.i.+re, 25; Wilts, 25; Devon, 24; Bedford, 22; Berks, 22; Nottingham, 22; Cambridge, 21; Leicester, 19; Durham, 19; Stafford, 19; Surrey, 18; Bucks, 17; Huntingdon, 16; Hereford, 15; Derby, 14; Worcester, 13; Middles.e.x, 12; Hertford, 10; c.u.mberland, 6; Rutland, 4; Westmoreland, 2; Cornwall, 2; Monmouth, 0.

In valuing this list the size of the county must be borne in mind.

Subject to this qualification, the proportion of the forms in -_ing_, is a measure of the Germanism of the population. It is at the _maximum_ in Kent and Norfolk, and at the _minimum_ in Cornwall and Monmouth.

2. The simple forms (_e.g._, _Billings_) as opposed to the compounds (Billing-_hay_) bear the following proportions:--

In Ess.e.x as 21 to 48 In Northumberl. as 4 to 35 " Kent 25 -- 60 " Nottinghamsh. 3 -- 22 " Middles.e.x 4 -- 12 " Northamptonsh. 3 -- 48 " Hertford 3 -- 10 " Derbys.h.i.+re 2 -- 14 " Suss.e.x 24 -- 68 " Dorsets.h.i.+re 2 -- 21 " Surrey 5 -- 18 " Cambridges.h.i.+re 2 -- 21 " Berks 5 -- 22 " Oxfords.h.i.+re 2 -- 31 " Norfolk 24 -- 96 " Gloucestersh. 2 -- 46 " Suffolk 15 -- 56 " Bucks 1 -- 17 " Hants 3 -- 16 " Leicesters.h.i.+re 1 -- 19 " Hunts 6 -- 33 " Devons.h.i.+re 1 -- 24 " Lincolns.h.i.+re 7 -- 76 " Wilts 1 -- 25 " Yorks.h.i.+re 13 -- 127 " Warwicks.h.i.+re 1 -- 31 " Bedfords.h.i.+re 4 -- 22 " Shrops.h.i.+re 1 -- 34 " Lancas.h.i.+re 4 -- 26 " Somersets.h.i.+re 1 -- 34

Now the simple forms Mr. Kemble considers to have been the names of the older and more original settlements with the "further possibility of the settlements distinguished by the addition of -_ham_, -_wic_, and so forth, to the original names, having being filial settlements, or, as it were, colonies, from them."--_Saxons in England_, i. 479.

3. The same names appear in different localities, _e.g._:

aescings in Ess.e.x, Somerset, Suss.e.x.

Alings " Kent, Dorset, Devon, Lincoln.

Ardings " Suss.e.x, Berks, Norths.

Arlings " Devon, Gloucester, Suss.e.x.

Banings " Herts, Kent, Lincoln, Salop.

Beadings " Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey, Suss.e.x, Isle of Wight, &c.

This leads to the doctrine that either one community was deduced from another, or that both were deduced from a third; this being more especially the case when--

4. The name is found in Germany as well as in Britain. This happens with--

The _Walsingas_ inferred from _Walsing_-ham, " _Harlingas_ " _Harling_, " _Brentingas_ " _Brenting_-by, " _Scyldingas_ " _Skelding_, " _Scylfingas_ " _s.h.i.+lving_-ton " _Ardingas_ " _Arding_-worth " _Heardingas_ " _Harding_-ham " _Baningas_ " _Banning_-ham " _Thyringas_ " _Thoring_-ton, &c.

If all these names are to be found not only in Germany but in the _Angle_ part of it, the current opinion as to the h.o.m.ogeneous character of the Anglo-Saxon population stands undisturbed. Each, however, is found _beyond_ the Angle area, and so far as this is the case, we have an argument in favour of our early population having been slightly heterogeneous.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE SCANDINAVIANS.--FORMS IN -BY: THEIR IMPORT AND DISTRIBUTION.-- DANES OF LINCOLNs.h.i.+RE, ETC.; OF EAST ANGLIA; OF SCOTLAND; OF THE ISLE OF MAN; OF LANCAs.h.i.+RE AND CHEs.h.i.+RE; OF PEMBROKEs.h.i.+RE.-- NORWEGIANS OF NORTHUMBERLAND, SCOTLAND, AND IRELAND, AND ISLE OF MAN.--FRISIAN FORMS IN YORKs.h.i.+RE.--BOGY.--OLD SCRATCH.--THE PICTS POSSIBLY SCANDINAVIAN.--THE NORMANS.

[Sidenote: A.D. 787.]

In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle we find the following notices:--"This year King Beorhtric took to wife Eadburg, King Offa's daughter; and in his days first came three s.h.i.+ps of Northmen, out of Haeretha-land. And then the reeve rode to the place, and would have driven them to the king's town, because he knew not who they were; and they there slew him. These were the first s.h.i.+ps of Danish-men which sought the land of the English race." Again:--

[Sidenote: A.D. 793.]

"This year dire forewarnings came over the land of the North-humbrians, and miserably terrified the people; these were excessive whirlwinds, and lightnings; and fiery dragons were seen flying in the air. A great famine soon followed these tokens: and a little after that, in the same year, on the 6th of the Ides of January, the ravaging of heathen men lamentably destroyed G.o.d's church at Lindisfarn, through rapine and slaughter. And Siega died on the 8th of the Kalends of March."

After this the notices of the formidable Danes become numerous and important. But it is not in the pages of history that the influence of their invasions is to be found. The provincial dialects of the British Isles, the local names in the map of Europe, the traditions and (in some cases) the pedigrees of the older families are the best sources.

If we study the local names of Germany and Scandinavia, we shall find that when we get North of the Eyder a change takes place. In Sleswick the compound names of places begin to end in -_gaard_, -_skov_, and -_by_; in -_by_ most especially, as Oster-_by_, Wis-_by_, Gammel-_by_, Nor-_by_, &c. In Jutland the forms in -_by_ attain their _maximum_. They prevail in the islands. They prevail in Sweden. They are rare (a fact of great importance) in Norway. In Germany they are either non-existent or accidental. In respect to its meaning, _by_=_town_, _village_, _settlement_; and _By-en_=_the town_, is a term by which Christiania or Copenhagen--the metropoles of Norway and Denmark--are designated. Such forms as Kir-_ton_, Nor-_ton_, and New-_ton_ in German would, in Danish, be Kir-_by_, Nor-_by_, New-_by_.

Now the distribution of the forms in -_by_ over the British Isles has the same import as its distribution in Germany and Scandinavia. It indicates a Danish as opposed to a German occupancy. Again--the Anglo-Saxon forms are _Church_ and _s.h.i.+p_, as in Dun-_church_ and _s.h.i.+p_-ton; whereas the Danish are _Kirk_ and _Skip_, as in Orms-_kirk_ and _Skip_-ton. The distribution of these forms over the British Isles closely coincides with that of the compounds in -_by_.

With these preliminaries we will follow the lines which are marked out by the occurrence of the places in -_by_; beginning at a point on the coast of Lincolns.h.i.+re, about half-way between the entrance to the Wash and the mouth of the Humber; the direction being south and south-west.

Ander-_by_ Creek, Willough-_by_ Hills, Mum-_by_, Or-_by_, Ir-_by_, Firs-_by_, Reves-_by_, Conings-_by_, Ewer-_by_, Asgar-_by_,[27]

Span-_by_, Dows-_by_, Duns-_by_, Hacon-_by_,[27] Thurl-_by_, Carl-_by_[27] take us into Rutlands.h.i.+re, where we find only Grun-_by_ and Hoo-_by_. Neither are they numerous in Northamptons.h.i.+re; Canons'

Ash-_by_, Cates-_by_, and Bad-_by_ giving us the outline of the South-eastern parts of their area. For Huntingdon, Cambridge, and Beds, nothing ends in -_by_, whilst the other forms are in _sh_, and _ch_--as _Charlton_, _Shelton_, _Chesterton_ rather than _Carlton_, _Skelton_, _Casterton_. Leicesters.h.i.+re is full of the form, as may be seen by looking at the parts about Melton, along the valleys of the Wreak and Soar; but as we approach Warwicks.h.i.+re they decrease, and there is none south of Rug-_by_. More than this, the form changes suddenly, and three miles below the last named town we have Dun-_ch_ur_ch_ and Coa_ch_-bat_ch_. Tradition, too, indicates the existence of an old March or Debateable Land; for south of Rug-_by_ begins the scene of the deeds of Guy Earl of Warwick, the slayer of the _Dun_ Cow. Probably, too, the Bevis of Hampton was a similar[28] North-_amp_-_ton_-s.h.i.+re hero, notwithstanding the claim of the town of Southampton.

The line now takes a direction northwards and pa.s.ses through Bretby (on the Trent) to Derby, Leicesters.h.i.+re being wholly included. And here the frontier of the forest which originally covered the coal-district seems to have been the western limit to the Danish encroachments, Rotherham, Sheffield, and Leeds lying beyond, but with the greater part of Nottinghams.h.i.+re and a large part of Derby within, it. In Yorks.h.i.+re the East Riding is Danish, and the North to a great extent; indeed the western feeders of the Ouse seem to have been followed up to their head-waters, and the watershed of England to have been crossed. This gives the numerous -_bys_ in c.u.mberland and Westmoreland[29]--Kirk-_by_, Apple-_by_, &c.

So much for the very irregular and remarkable outline of the area of the forms in -_by_ on its southern and western sides. In the north-east it nearly coincides with the valley of the Tees--nearly but not quite; since, in Durham, we have Ra-_by_, Sela-_by_, and Rum-_by_. The derivatives of _castra_, on the other hand, are in -_ch_-; _e.g._, Eb_ch_ester, _Ch_ester-le-street, Lan_ch_ester (Lan-_c_aster). In Northumberland there are none.

I look upon this as the one large main Danish area of Great Britain, its occupants having been deduced from a series of primary settlements on the Humber. It coincides chiefly with the water-system of the Trent, makes Lincolns.h.i.+re, and the East Riding of Yorks.h.i.+re the mother-countries, and suggests the notions that, as compared with the Humber, the rivers of the Wash, and the river Tees were unimportant. The oldest and most thoroughly Danish town was Grimsby. The settlements were generally small. I infer this from the extent to which the names are compounded of -_by_ and a noun in the genitive case _singular_ (Candel-_s_-_by_, Grim-_s_-_by_, &c.). Danish names such as Thorold, Thurkill, Orme, &c., are eminently common in Lincolns.h.i.+re; and, at Grimsby, a vestige of the famous Danish hero Havelok is still preserved in _Havelok-street_. On the other hand, the number of Danish idioms in the provincial dialects is by no means proportionate to the preponderance of the forms in -_by_. In Lincolns.h.i.+re it is but small, though larger in Yorks.h.i.+re and c.u.mberland.

The extent to which the rivers which fall in the Wash are _not_ characterized by the presence of forms in -_by_ is remarkable. The Witham and Welland alone (and they but partially) have -_bys_ on their banks. Again--

Just above Yarmouth, between the Yare, the North River and the sea, is a remarkable congregation of forms in -_by_. These are more numerous in this little tract than the rest of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Ess.e.x together--Mault-_by_, Orms-_by_[30] (doubly Danish), Hemes-_by_, &c.

This may indicate either a settlement direct from Scandinavia, or a secondary settlement from Lincolns.h.i.+re.

However doubtful this may be, it is safe to attribute the -_bys_ on the West of England, to the Danes of c.u.mberland and Westmoreland, the Danes of the Valley of the Eden. These spread--

A. Northwards, following either the coast of Galloway or the water-system of the Annan, Locker-_bie_, &c.--

B. Westwards into the Isle of Man--

C. Southwards into--

_a._ Ches.h.i.+re, Lancas.h.i.+re, and Carnarvons.h.i.+re (_Orms_-head), always, however, within a moderate distance of the sea--Horn-_by_, Orms-_kirk_,[31] Whit-_by_, Ire-_by_, Hels-_by_, &c.--

_b._ Pembrokes.h.i.+re; where in Haver-_ford_ and Mil-_ford_ the element _ford_ is equivalent to the Danish _Fiord_, and the Scotch _Firth_, and translates the Latin word _sinus_--not _vadum_. _Guard_- in Fish-_guard_ is Danish also; as are Ten-_by_ and _Harold_-stone.