prædicatorum | nunc a Carolo Losi reperta imprimitur. disgust," that it meant nothing of the kind. This

250

"Windel, machine for winding; reel, windlass. Only chester. Man-cyn, "the chief place" of the district, in oleuster, windel treow, and the reason of the transla- becomes Mancun-ium, then Man-chester. A very tion not obvious. Perhaps the foreign tree had sug- large number of English place-names are thus gested an English Ligustrum, or Euonymus or Rhamnus, trees whose branches are suited for making spinsters' formed with a Celtic prefix and A.-S. suffix. In yarn-reels. In the Leechdoms there is a grass called districts more sparsely peopled, or where the inThis I take to be a tall grass whose habitants had been driven out, the Saxons and windel streaw. panicle expands in radiating whorls like the Poa trivialis. Angles had to invent names for themselves out of Such a florescence readily suggests a skeleton winding their own tongues, hence the multitude of Huytons, Lowtons, Easthams, Westons, Newtons, Aldreel. It is often said that windel-basket, but on what boroughs, &c., which at once indicate their grounds I do not know."-P. xc. parentage and meaning. Hence it also happens that we have frequently two sets of names This will apply to more than one meaning the same thing, derived from different languages. class of names, but I will only call attention to one, that borrowed from the names of trees. To illustrate my meaning let us select five-the oak, the ash, the elm, the beech, and the birch.

Bottesford Manor, Brigg.

EDWARD PEACOCK.

A. P. ALLSOpp.

Dr. Prior (Popular Names of British Plants) says that windel-straw is the A.-S. windel-streow, from windan, twist, and streow, straw, a grass whose halms are used for platting, Agrostis spica venti, L., and Cynosurus cristatus, L. The two quotations given by MR. HOOPER, one from 1. With regard to the oak. We have in pure Shelley's Alastor and the other from St. Ronan's Well, support the above definition that windlestrae Saxon a great number of Oak-leys, Oak-wood, is a kind of reed, and not "the wind-strewn leaves Oak-worth, Oak-hill, &c. But villages took their of the forest." Nuttall in his Standard Pronounc-names from the oak tree long before the arrival ing Dictionary (Warne & Co.) gives the word, and of the Saxons. The Cymric for oak is dar, deri. explains it as a reed, a stalk of grass, a small We have in Wales many Der-wens: Derwen slender straw. Webster says that the word is used Dyfanedd, Derwen Llanerch, Der-widd, Der-lwyn, Dar-owen, &c. In England there are a multitude provincially in England. of place-names with the prefix of Dar and Der, Cambridge. a number of Dar-leys and Dar-fields, Dar-enth, It can scarcely be doubted that Dar-wen, &c. the prefix in these names is a remnant of the this. original Celtic name with the A.-S. suffix attached. 2. The ash. There is no tree which enters so frequently into English place-names as The Cymric Ash-by, Ash-field, Ash-church, Ash-ford, &c., abound in most of our counties. name for the ash is on, onen, or yn (pl.). In the singular form we have On-gar, On-ley, On-brough, Oni-bury, &c., and in the plural In-gol, In-gon, In-hurst, In-worth.

THE ETYMOLOGY OF "BEDFORD": THE TOPOGRAPHICAL NOMENCLATURE OF ENGLAND (6th S. i. 173,460; ii. 249,334, 474; iii. 117).-A great deal of labour has been bestowed in the pages of "N. & Q." on the derivation of this place-name, but apparently to very little purpose. Round assertions and wild guesses seem to assume the place of analogy and analytical inquiry. It not unfrequently happens that, whilst we are gazing helplessly about in search of means to solve a difficulty, the true solution lies at our feet if we will only stoop to pick it up. I cannot help thinking that this is the case in the present instance, which also gives an opportunity for a few general remarks on the topographical nomenclature of England.

3. The elm. Names compounded with the elm are not quite so numerous as those with the ash, The Cymric but are still very frequent: Elm-ore, Elm-sall, Elm-stead, Elm-hurst, Elm-den. name is llwyf. In Wales there occur Llanllwyfni, Llwf-fannog; in England, Luf-fenham, Luf-field, Luff-incot, Luf-ton, &c.

4. The beech names are not so common. We have Beech (township), Beech-am, Beech-hill, Beech-ing. The Cymric appellation for the tree Faugh, Fow-ey, Fowis ffawydd. We have as place-names Faw-ley, Faw-field, Faw-don, berry, &c.

When the Saxons invaded Britain they found a settled, civilized country, the natural features of which and the districts and towns had already unThis nomenclature was specific names. doubtedly Celtic, of the Cymric branch, being an archaic form of the modern Welsh. The new settlers in giving names to the localities adopted the same method as the Romans in ancient, and The natural the English in modern, times. 5. Names with the prefix Birch or Birk are There are several features, the rivers, hills, and mountains, retained their old names. The towns and villages where a very common in England. name already existed usually retained it, modified townships called Birch simply, and we have Birchto a certain extent to suit the dialect of the new-wood, Birch-olt, Birch-anger, Birch-am, Birk-by, comers. Thus Llyn-din, "the fortress in the Birk-dale, Birken-shaw, Birken-head, &c. marsh," becomes with the Latin case-ending Londin-ium, afterwards the Saxon London. Gwent is changed to Venta Belgarum, afterwards Win

We now come to Bedford, to which all t above is only preliminary. The birch tree Cymric is bedw, bedwin; bedw-lwyn, a birch grve.

In Wales there are several Bedw-as (a birch meadow or plain), several Bedw-ellty (birch-tree cottage). In England Bed as a prefix is very common. We have Bed-win (the fair birch), Bed-worth (the birch enclosure), Bed-mont, Bedfont, Bed-field, Bed-minster. There are several Bed-fords besides the capital of Bedfordshire one in Devon, one in Lancashire; and there is little doubt but that Bid-ford in Warwickshire and Bideford in Devon belong to the same category. The combinations in all these names readily lend themselves to the conclusion that the prefix Bed means a birch tree, retained from the original Celtic name with an A.-S. suffix. A birch tree growing near the river would be a natural mark to indicate the ford. This is confirmed by the allusions in the Saxon Chronicle. Under the date of A.D. 571 the name is given as Bedicanforða; in 919 it is called Bedan-forda. Bedican is the Cymric Bedw-can, the white birch tree. In the interval between the two dates the appellative had disappeared as meaningless in English.

the case.

This explanation appears to me simple and natural, and consistent with all the analogies of The English place-names contain a large infusion of the Cymric element which is well worth studying. I could pursue the subject much further, but this may suffice for the present. J. A. PICTON. Sandyknowe, Wavertree.

PROMISES TO APPEAR AFTER DEATH (6th S. ii. 501).-Did it ever occur to the minds of those who arrange these post-mortem interviews that, apart from their affection for each other in the flesh and an apparent unity of spirit, there might, in the spiritual change of the conditions of existence which we call death, also take place a change in the spiritual motive of the departed, arising out of a clearer perception and understanding of the true relations of the natural and spiritual life to each other? Undoubtedly such engagements could only be valid when they have been made solemnly, and with a view to an undeniable proof to the survivor of the continued existence in the spirit of the one first called away. If, then, the latter perceived, or was so instructed as to be convinced, that his appearance to the still living friend would not be calculated to impress him as each supposed must be the case when the engagement was made, it is clear that the departed friend might reasonably consider his promise cancelled. DR. CHANCE states in the first note to his statement that the compact made by himself and his friend looked upon almost as a joke." Ought not this, then, to be regarded as a possible flaw in the contract, as viewed from the serious side?

to our perceptions.

66

was

It is not difficult to suppose, even when the contracting parties are in earnest, that a change of sentiment might have taken place in the mind of the survivor, of which he himself might not be very distinctly conscious, and yet the change MR. BLENKINSOPP states that there is a "Bedford might be distinctly perceived by his departed Leigh" in Lancashire. This is not correct. There friend. We all know how easy it is to slip into a is a Bedford. The modern town of Leigh is prac-state of negation on subjects not actually proved tically made up of three townships (Bedford, Thus even the appearance Westleigh, and Pennington) and part of a fourth itself, if not in exact accordance with the pre(Atherton). The name of "Bedford Leigh" was conceived notions of the surviving friend, might the ingenious invention of the railway company, lead to further doubt, and the usual physical who so called their station, since changed to arguments of "mental expectation," nervous "Leigh and Bedford." The township of Bedford disturbance and excitement," derangement of is either in or near Leigh, in Lancashire. A Simon the digestive organs," irregular action of that arch de Bedford is mentioned in 1201/2; but after the sinner" the liver," &c., be brought in to account fourteenth century the family name is lost. Of for the fulfilment of the engagement, to the serious course this correction of a very common mistake injury of the true spiritual life of the survivor. as to the name of "Bedford Leigh" in no way affects the value of MR. BLENKINSOPP's contribution to the discussion on the etymology of the place-name. The more common spelling of the Lancashire Bedford in old deeds is "Bedeford," which might mean the "way to or by the chapel." In a critique of your Christmas number which But there is no record of any religious house to appeared in a Dublin paper a reference is made to which the township was nigh except the name DR. CHANCE's story of a ghost which ought to Abbey Lane" in the adjoining township of have appeared, but did not, and it is said of DR. Culcheth. It is a disputed point whether two CHANCE that he believes that the story which he great synods of the Church in the eighth and ninth has narrated is the first recorded instance of a centuries were or were not held in this neighbour-failure on the part of a ghost to keep this kind of hood; and also whether the palace of the sainted obligation. With your permission I will record Oswald, King of the Northumbrians, was or was another, and rather important, instance. not close by.

Leigh, Lancashire.

J. R.

Seriously, one would rather expect to find that the non-appearances were more numerous than the appearances, taking into consideration the fact that "order reigns in heaven." G. W.

There lived in Belfast a few years ago a young man who was for years an intimate friend of mine.

He had a literary turn of mind; was the author of some short poems which appeared in some of the London periodicals, and an essayist on, and devout believer in, spiritualism. He considered that I should make an excellent spiritualistic medium, and frequently endeavoured to induce me to go with him to séances somewhere in the neighbourhood of Belfast. I always refused to go, coupling with my refusal an expression of my entire disbelief in spiritualism, and of my opinion that séances were all humbug.

Upon the last occasion on which my friend asked me to go with him, I offered the same objection, when he very seriously and emphatically said that if he happened to die before I did he would most assuredly come back to me in the spirit, in order to show me that spiritualism was not a humbug. In an equally serious and emphatic manner I on my part promised to visit him if I died before he did. We were both perfectly serious in making this vow, which we did in as solemn a manner as its seriousness deserved.

glimpses of the moon" by asking my friend to
fulfil his vow.
VICTOR L. HUMPHREYS.

"POURING OIL ON TROUBLED WATERS (6th S.
iii. 69).-Plutarch says of oil ("De Primo Frigido,”
Opp. Mor., p. 950 B., fol.): IIoue dè kai Tv
γαλήνην ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ τοῖς κύμασιν ἐπιρ-
pavouevov. He then discusses the reason which
Aristotle gave for this result. Compare with this
66 Quæst. Natural."
statement the similar one in
(ib. p. 914 E.), where there is a further reference to
the practice of divers, who take oil in their mouths
St. Basil mentions this practice (In Hexaëm.,
to eject in the water, to make it smooth and clear.
Hom. ii. § 7, tom. i. p. 19, ed. Par.), and St.
Ambrose (Hexaem., lib. i. c. ix. § 33). A question
MR. BARDWELL WORKARD, asking whether the
was inserted in "N. & Q.," 2nd S. xii. 189, from
phrase in common use was to be traced to a
there was no reply. Plutarch (u.s.) follows Pliny (Nat.
miraculous story in Bede's Eccl. Hist., iii. 19; but
Hist.), and Plautus (Pon., v. iv. 66) has, "Canem
faciam tibi oleo tranquilliorem," from which "oleo
The opinion, therefore, that oil poured or sprinkled
"became a proverb (Erasm., Adag.).
tranquillior"
on troubled waves produced a calm was a very
ancient one, and in all probability was the source
of the proverb.
ED. MARSHALL.

When I next met him, he reminded me of the vow, and handed me a pamphlet containing what were supposed to be communications from spirit-land, alleged to have been made by several distinguished men to the publisher of the pamphlet, who was a tradesman living, at the date of publication, in May Street, Belfast. I The question of W. E. H., "Whence is this was to have given him my opinion of the pam-expression derived?" may be answered briefly by phlet on the following evening, when he was to have mention of the fact that troubled waters cease to met me at six o'clock. But, poor fellow! he trouble when oil is poured upon them. Franklin never kept the engagement. When riding into turned the fact to account to obtain a steady light town on the following evening his horse took in the cabin of the ship that carried the philofright, threw him, and kicked him on the forehead, sopher to Madeira, and a paper on his experiment killing him almost instantaneously. I was horror- was read before the Royal Society, June 2, 1774. stricken when, on going to meet him, I heard the Pennant relates that the seal catchers look for dreadful news and saw his body. The vow we had calm spots on the sea as marking the places where made immediately recurred to me, and remained the seals are feasting on oily fish. The value of on my mind for the remainder of the evening and the fact is infinitesimal as compared with its for many days afterwards. I went to bed that apparent promise of immense usefulness. Many night in mortal fear. The thought that he might a ship might be saved from wreck, no doubt, were appear to me had worked me up to a terrible pitch it possible at a certain moment, and at a certain of excitement. So far as my nerves were con- distance from the ship, to pour oil on the water to cerned, I was in that highly impressionable state windward of her. As a rule, this cannot be done, when ghostly visitants are supposed to find it and so, perhaps, we may account for the small easiest to communicate, but, need I say, no spirit attention the subject has hitherto obtained. There visited me during the whole of that livelong and is a capital article upon it in the Saturday Magamiserable night. I heard no noises, was sensible zine, May 18, 1844. SHIRLEY Hibberd. of no signs of the presence of the spirit of my departed friend any more than I should have been had we never made the vow. On the following night and for several nights afterwards, and frequently still, I felt, and have felt, anxious in the extreme that some manifestation should come from beyond the grave, but, up to the present, none has

The popular novelist Jules Verne, in Dick Sands, has the following:

"Dick had the forethought also to order about a dozen

barrels of their cargo to be brought to the front, so that when the Pilgrim struck, the oil, escaping and floating on the waves, would temporarily lull their fury, and make smoother water for the passage of the ship......The negroes poured out the oil, and the raging waters were stilled as if by magic."

W. H. CUMMINGS.

It has long been known as a physical fact that