Kitabı oku: «Surnames as a Science», sayfa 5

CHAPTER V.
MEN'S NAMES IN PLACE-NAMES

We have seen in a preceding chapter that the earliest Saxon place-names in England are derived from a personal name, and that the idea contained is that of a modified form of common right. We shall find that a very large proportion of the later Anglo-Saxon place-names are also derived from the name of a man, but that the idea contained is now that of individual ownership or occupation. The extent to which English place-names are derived from ancient names of men is, in my judgment, very much greater than is generally supposed. And indeed, when we come to consider it, what can be so naturally associated with a ham as the name of the man who lived in that home, of a weorth as that of the man to whom that property belonged, of a Saxon tun or a Danish by or thorp as that of the man to whom the place owed its existence? If we turn to Kemble's list of Anglo-Saxon names of places as derived from ancient charters, in the days when the individual owner had succeeded to the community, we cannot fail to remark to how large an extent this obtains, and how many of these names are in the possessive case. Now, it must be observed that there are in Anglo-Saxon two forms of the possessive, and that when a man's name had the vowel ending in a, as noted at p. 24, it formed its possessive in an, while otherwise it formed its possessive in es. Thus we have Baddan byrig, "Badda's borough," Bennan beorh, "Benna's barrow" or grave, and in the other form we have Abbodes byrig, "Abbod's borough," Bluntes ham, "Blunt's home," and Sylces wyrth, "Silk's worth" or property. And as compound names did not take a vowel ending, such names invariably form their possessive in es, as in Haywardes ham, "Hayward's home," Cynewardes gemæro, "Cyneward's boundary," &c. I am not at all sure that ing also has not, in certain cases, the force of a possessive, and that Ælfredincgtun, for instance, may not mean simply "Alfred's town" and not Alfreding's town. But I do not think that this is at any rate the general rule, and it seems scarcely possible to draw the line. From the possessive in an I take to be most probably our present place-names Puttenham, Tottenham, and Sydenham, (respecting the last of which there has been a good deal of discussion of late in Notes and Queries), containing the Anglo-Saxon names Putta, Totta, and Sida. With regard to the last I have not fallen in with the name Sida itself. But I deduce such a name from Sydanham, C.D. 379, apparently a place in Wilts, also perhaps from Sidebirig, now Sidbury, in Devon; and there is, moreover, a corresponding O.G. Sido, the origin being probably A.S. sidu, manners, morals. Further traces of such a stem are found in Sidel deduced from Sidelesham, now Sidlesham, in Sussex, and also from the name Sydemann in a charter of Edgar, these names implying a pre-existing stem sid upon which they have been formed.

As well as with the ham or the byrig in which he resided, a man's name is often found among the Anglo-Saxons, connected with the boundary – whatever that might be – of his property, as in Abbudes mearc, Abbud's mark or boundary, and Baldrices gemæro, Baldrick's boundary. Sometimes that boundary might be a hedge, as in Leoferes haga and Danehardes hegeræw, "Leofer's hedge," and "Danehard's hedge-row." Sometimes it might be a stone, as in Sweordes stân, sometimes a ridge, as in Eppan hrycg, "Eppa's ridge," sometimes a ditch or dyke, as in Tilgares dic and Colomores sîc (North. Eng. syke, wet ditch). A tree was naturally a common boundary mark, as in Potteles treôw, Alebeardes âc (oak), Bulemæres thorn, Huttes æsc (ash), Tatmonnes apoldre (apple-tree). Sometimes, again, a man's name is found associated with the road or way that led to his abode, as in Wealdenes weg (way), Sigbrihtes anstige (stig, a footpath), Dunnes stigele (stile). Another word which seems to have something of the meaning of "stile" is hlip, found in Freobearnes hlyp and in Herewines hlipgat. In Anglo-Saxon, hlypa signified a stirrup, and a "hlipgat" must, I imagine, have been a gate furnished with some contrivance for mounting over it. Of a similar nature might be Alcherdes ford, and Brochardes ford, and also Geahes ofer, Byrhtes ora, and Æscmann's yre (ofer, contr. ore, shore or landing-place). Something more of the rights of water may be contained in Fealamares brôc (brook), Hykemeres strêm (stream), and Brihtwoldes wêre (weir); the two latter probably referring to water-power for a mill. The sense of property only seems to be that which is found in Cybles weorthig, Æscmere's weorth (land or property), Tilluces leah (lea), Rumboldes den (dene or valley), Bogeles pearruc (paddock), Ticnes feld (field). Also in Grottes grâf (grove), Sweors holt (grove), Pippenes pen (pen or fold), Willeardes hyrst (grove), Leofsiges geat (gate), Ealdermannes hæc (hatch), and Winagares stapol (stall, market, perhaps a place for the sale or interchange of produce). The site of a deserted dwelling served sometimes for a mark, as in Sceolles eald cotan (Sceolles old cot), and Dearmodes ald tun (Deormoda's old town, or inclosure, dwelling and appurtenances?).

But it is with a man's last resting-place that his name will be found in Anglo-Saxon times to be most especially associated. The principal words used to denote a grave are beorh (barrow), byrgels, and hlœw (low), in all of which the idea seems to be that of a mound raised over the spot. We have Weardes beorh, "Weard's barrow," also Lulles, Cartes, Hornes, Lidgeardes, and many others. We have Scottan byrgels, "Scotta's barrow," also Hôces, Wures, and Strenges. And we have Lortan hlæw, "Lorta's low," also Ceorles, Wintres, Hwittuces, and others. There is another word hô, which seems to be the same as the O.N. haugr, North. Eng, how, a grave-mound. It is found in Healdenes hô, Piccedes hô, Scotehô Tilmundes hô, Cægeshô, and Fingringahô. It would hardly seem, from the location of four of them, Worcester, Essex, Beds, Sussex, that they can be of Scandinavian origin. Can the two words, haugr and hlau (how, and hlow), be from the same origin, the one assuming, or the other dropping an l?

I take the names of persons thus to be deduced from Anglo-Saxon place-names, and which are in general correspondence with the earlier names in the preceding chapter, though containing some new forms and a greater number of compound names, to give as faithful a representation as we can have of the every-day names of Anglo-Saxons. And as I have before compared the names of those primitive settlers with our existing surnames, so now I propose to extend the comparison to the names of more settled Anglo-Saxon times.

¹ Cf. also Diormod, moneyer on Anglo-Saxon coins, minted at Canterbury. There is, however, an Irish Diarmaid which might in certain cases intermix, and whence we must take McDermott.

² I take Ealdermann to be, as elsewhere noted, a corruption of Ealdmann.

³ Mr. Kemble, in default of finding Hygelac as a man's name in Anglo-Saxon times, has taken the above place-name to be from the legendary hero of that name. The fact is, however, that Hygelac occurs no fewer than four times as an early man's-name in the Liber Vitæ, so that there does not seem to be any reason whatever for looking upon it as anything else than the every-day name of an Anglo-Saxon.

⁴ From a similar origin is probably Shooter's Hill, near London.

⁵ There is also an A.S. Sæbriht, from sæ, sea, whence Seabright might be derived.

⁶ Upon the whole I am inclined to think that Woden is here an Anglo-Saxon man's name, though the traces of it in such use are but slight. There is a Richard Wodan in the Lib. Vit. about the 15th century. And Wotan occurs once as a man's name in the Altdeutsches Namenbuch.

The above names are deduced entirely from the names of places found by Mr. Kemble in ancient charters. The list is not by any means an exhaustive one, as I have not included a number of names taken into account in Chap. IV., and as also the same personal name enters frequently into several place-names. With very few exceptions these names may be gathered to the roll of Teutonic name-stems, notwithstanding a little disguise in some of their forms, and a great, sometimes a rather confusing, diversity of spelling. I take names such as the above to be the representatives of the every-day names of men in Anglo-Saxon times, rather than the names which come before us in history and in historical documents. For it seems to me that a kind of fashion prevailed, and that while a set of names of a longer and more dignified character were in favour among the great, the mass of the people still, to a great extent, adhered to the shorter and more simple names which their fathers had borne before them. Thus, when we find an Æthelwold who was also called Mol, an Æthelmer who was also called Dodda, and a Queen Hrothwaru who was also called Bucge, I am disposed to take the simple names, which are such as the earlier settlers brought over with them, to have been the original names, and superseded by names more in accordance with the prevailing fashion. Valuable then as is the Liber Vitæ of Durham, as a continuous record of English names for many centuries, yet I am inclined to think that inasmuch as that the persons who come before us as benefactors to the shrine of St. Cuthbert may be taken to be as a general rule of the upper ranks of life, they do not afford so faithful a representation of the every-day names of Anglo-Saxons as do the little freeholders who lived and died in their country homes. And, moreover, these are, as it will be seen, more especially the kind of names which have been handed down from Anglo-Saxon times to the present day.

In connection with this subject, it may be of interest to present a list of existing names of places formed from an Anglo-Saxon personal name, as derived from the same ancient charters dealt with in the previous list. And in so doing I confine myself exclusively to the places of which the present names have been positively identified by Mr. Kemble. And in the first place I will take the place-names which consist simply of the name of a tribe or family unqualified by any local term whatever.

I will now take the places which in a later and more settled time have been derived from the name of a single man, as representing his dwelling, his domain, or in not a few cases his grave.

1. Or Cyneburg; see p. 71.

2. It seems clear from the names collated by German writers that ramn, remn, and ram in ancient names are contractions of raven. Compare the names of the ports, Soderhamn, Nyhamn, and Sandhamn, for, no doubt, Soderhaven, Nyhaven, and Sandhaven.

The last name, Windsor, is an amusing instance of the older attempts at local etymology. First it was supposed, as being an exposed spot, to have taken its name from the "wind is sore;" then it was presumed that it must have been a ferry, and that the name arose from the constant cry of "wind us o'er" from those waiting to be ferried across. It was a great step in advance when the next etymologist referred to the ancient name and found it to be Windelsora, from ora, shore, (a contraction of ofer?) Still, the etymon he deduced therefrom of "winding shore" is one that could not be adopted without doing great violence to the word; whereas, without the change of a letter, we have Windels ore, "Windel's shore," most probably in the sense of landing-place. The name Windel forms several other place-names; it was common in ancient times, and it has been taken to mean Vandal. I refer to this more especially to illustrate the importance of taking men's names into account in considering the origin of a place-name.

The above names are confined entirely, as I have before mentioned, to the places that have been positively identified by Mr. Kemble. And as these constitute but a small proportion of the whole number, the comparison will serve to give an idea of the very great extent to which place-names are formed from men's names.

CHAPTER VI.
CORRUPTIONS AND CONTRACTIONS

Corruptions may be divided broadly into two kinds, those which proceed from a desire to improve the sound of a name, and those which proceed from a desire to make some kind of sense out of it. The former, which we may call phonetic, generally consists in the introduction of a letter, either to give more of what we may call "backbone" to a word, or else to make it run more smoothly. For the former purpose b or p is often used – thus we have, even in Anglo-Saxon times, trum made into trump, sem into semp, and emas into embas. So among our names we have Dumplin, no doubt for Dumlin (O.G. Domlin), Gamble for Gamel, and Ambler for Ameler, though in these names something of both the two principles may apply. In a similar manner we have glas made into glast in Glæstingabyrig, now Glastonbury (p. 88). So d seems sometimes to be brought in to strengthen the end of a word, and this, it appears to me, may be the origin of our names Field, Fielding, Fielder. The forms seem to show an ancient stem, but as the word stands, it is difficult to make anything out of it, whereas, as Fiell, Fielling, &c., the names would fall in with a regular stem, as at p. 50. So also our name Hind may perhaps be the same, assuming a final d, as another name, Hine, which, presuming the h not to be organic, may be from the unexplained stem in or ine, as in the name of Ina, King of Wessex. In which case Hyndman might be the same name as Inman. Upon the same principle it may be that we have the name Nield formed upon the Celtic Niel. So also f appears to be sometimes changed for a similar purpose into p, as in Asprey and Lamprey for Asfrid (or Osfrid) and Landfrid. The ending frid commonly becomes frey (as in Godfrey, Humphrey, Geoffrey), and when we have got Asfrey and Lanfrey (and we have Lanfrei in the Liber Vitæ), the rest is easy.

The most common phonetic intrusion is that of r, and one of the ways in which it most frequently occurs is exhibited in the following group of names: Pendgast, Pendegast, Prendergast, Prendergrass. Pendgast is, I take it, an ancient compound, from the stem bend (p. 44), with gast, hospes. It first takes a medial vowel between the two words of the compound, and becomes Pend-e-gast. Then e naturally becomes er, passing the very slight barrier which English pronunciation affords, and the name, having become Pendergast, finds the need of a second r to balance the first, and becomes Prendergast. In the last name, Prendergrass, the other principle comes in, and a slight effort is made to give a shade of meaning to the word.³⁰ One of the features in men's names, it will be seen, is that as they have (differently to what is the case with regard to the words of the language) become crystallised in all stages, one is sometimes permitted to see the various steps of a process.

Now it is in such a way as that described above that the Anglo-Saxon name Ealdermann (whence our name Alderman) has, according to my opinion, been formed. There is another Anglo-Saxon name, Ealdmann, an ancient compound. Now if you, as in the previous case, introduce a medial vowel, and make it Eald-e-mann, there is virtually nothing left between that and Ealdermann. Such a name, as derived from the office, would be impossible as a regular Anglo-Saxon name. The only other alternative would be that he had been so called as a sobriquet by his office till it had superseded his regular name. And there does appear to have been such a case, viz., that of a man called Preost who was a priest, but the way which I have suggested seems to me to account more easily for the name. From a similar origin I take to be our name Ackerman, and the present German Ackermann. There is an Anglo-Saxon Æcemann (p. 96), from which, on the principle described above, they might be derived. So also Sigournay may be formed in a similar manner from an old German name Siginiu (niu, "new," perhaps in the sense of "young"), and Alderdice from an old Frankish Aldadeus (deus, servant).

I have taken Prendergast for Pendgast as an illustration of the intrusion of r, and there is even in Anglo-Saxon times an example of the very same word as so treated. This is the name Prentsa (p. 101), (whence our Prentiss), and which I take to be properly Pentsa. This would bring it in as a regular Anglo-Saxon stem (Cf. Penda, Pender, Penduald, Pendwine), whereas otherwise it is difficult to know what to make of it. Among English surnames thus treated we have Bellringer for Bellinger, Sternhold for Stonhold (p. 63), Proudfoot for Puddefoot (bud, messenger), and possibly Cardwell for the Anglo-Saxon Cadweal.³¹ On the same principle I think that Wordsworth, a name of local origin, may be, with an intrusive r, the same as Wodsworth or Wadsworth (Wad's property or estate). There is certainly a stem wurd (supposed to mean fate, destiny), in ancient names, but it is of rare occurrence, and I do not know of it in English names, though we have Orde, which I take to be from the Scandinavian form of it. On the other hand we have an instance in Anglo-Saxon times of the reverse process, viz., the elision of r, in the case of Wihtbrord, Minister of Edward the Elder, who, though he spells his names both ways, spells it more frequently Wihtbrod, the other being no doubt etymologically the correct form (brord, sword), though euphony is certainly promoted by the elision. This may probably be the origin of our name Whitbread, with the variation Wheatbread.

The intrusion of d has had the effect of changing a man's name into a woman's in two cases, Mildred and Kindred. The former should be properly Milred, answering to an Anglo-Saxon Milred, and the latter should be Kenred, answering to the German Conrad; Mildryd and Cynedryd were, and could only be, Anglo-Saxon women's names.

On the other hand, the loss of an r has had such a disastrous effect in the case of an American Bedbug as to compel him to apply, like his English namesake, for a change of name. For while, in America, all insects of the beetle tribe are called by the name of "bug," the "bedbug" is that particular insect which is a "terror by night," so that the name was pointedly disagreeable. It ought properly to be, I doubt not, Bedburg, a name of local origin, and the same as Bedborough.

Before going on to deal with the corruptions which originate in the desire to make some kind of sense out of a name, I propose to refer briefly to some of the changes and contractions which are more strictly in accordance with regular phonetic principles. I have referred at p. 9 to a final g as opposed to the English ear, and to two different ways in which it is got rid of, viz., by changing it into dg, and by dropping it altogether. There is yet a third way, that of changing it into f, as in Anglo-Saxon genug, English enough. And we can show examples of all these in the same name, from the ancient stem wag, probably signifying to wave, brandish, as in the name Wagbrand ("wave-sword"), in the genealogy of the Northumbrian kings. For we have the name in all four forms, Wagg, Way, Wadge, Waugh (Waff). The common ending in Teutonic names of wig, war, often, anciently even, softened into wi, most commonly in such case becomes in our names way. Thus we have Alloway from an ancient Alewih, Chattoway from Ceatewe, Dalloway from Daliweh, Galloway from Geilwih, Garroway from Gerwi, Hathaway from Hathuwi, Kennaway from Kenewi, Lanoway from Lantwih, Reddoway from Redwi, and Ridgway from Ricwi. I cite this as a case in which a number of coincidences prove a principle, which the reader, if he confined his attention to one particular case, might be disposed to question. We also generally drop the g in the middle of a word in such names as Payne, from A.S. Pagen,³² Wain from A.S. Wahgen, Gain from A.S. Gagen, Nail from A.S. Negle. So also in Sibbald for Sigebald, Sibert for Sigebert, Seymore for Sigimar, Wyatt for Wighad, &c. There is also a frequent dropping of d, though I think that in this case the names have more frequently come down to us from ancient times in such contracted form, the practice being more specially common among the Franks, from whom I think that most of the names in question have been derived. Thus we have Cobbold for Codbald or Godbold, Cobbett for Godbet or Codbet, Lucas (Lucas, Lib. Vit.), from a Frankish Liucoz for Liudgoz, Boggis from a Boggis for Bodgis, Lewis for Leodgis, Rabbit for Radbod, Chabot for Chadbod. So also Ralph and Rolfe for Radulf and Hrodulf (though also for Ragulf and Hrogulf), Roland for Rodland, Roman for Rodman, &c. So f is often dropped when it is followed by m or n, as in A.S. Leomman for Leofmann, whence our Lemon. It is probable that our Limmer is a similar contraction of A.S. Leofmer.

As a case of transposition I may note Falstaff from, as supposed, the O.G. name Fastulf. It may be a question whether this is not an Old Frankish name come to us through the Normans, for at Gambetta's funeral the French Bar was represented by M. Falsteuf.

I now come to corruptions which arise from the attempt to give to a name something of an apparent meaning in English. Let me observe that, almost as an invariable rule, corruptions are made towards a meaning and not away from it; the ancient name Irminger might be corrupted into Ironmonger, but Ironmonger could not be corrupted into Irminger. It is natural to men to try to get some semblance of meaning out of a name, and all the more that it approaches to something which has a familiar sound to their ears. Thus H.M. ship, the Bellerophon, was called by the sailors the "Billy Ruffian," and a vessel owned by a fore-elder of mine, and which he christened the Agomemnon, invariably went among the sailors by the name of the "Mahogany Tom." Thus the Anglo-Saxon Trumbald has first become Trumbull and then Tremble, and as suggested by Mr. Charnock, Turnbull. So we have the Old Norse name Thorgautr (Turgot, Domesday) variously made into Target and into Thoroughgood.³³ In some cases a very slight change suffices to give a new complexion to the name, thus the Old Frankish Godenulf, (ulf, wolf), through a Norman Godeneuf, is scarcely changed in our Goodenough. Similarly we might have had Badenough (O.G. Badanulf), and Richenough (A.S. Ricnulf). We have Birchenough (reminding us of Dr. Busby) no doubt from a name of similar formation not yet turned up. Then we have several names as Garment, Rayment, Argument, Element, Merriment, Monument, from ancient names ending in mund or munt, supposed to mean protection, with only the change of a letter. I have referred in an earlier part of this chapter to the name Pendgast, and to the phonetic corruptions to which it has been subjected. But it seems also to have been subjected to a corruption of the other kind, for I take it that our name Pentecost is properly Pentecast, as another or High German form of Pendegast. Another case of a corruption easily made is that of our name Whitethread which seems obviously the Anglo-Saxon name Wihtræd, of which also we have another obvious corruption in Whiterod. So also the Anglo-Saxon name Weogern, p. 111 (more properly Wiggern, wig, war, and gern, eager), by an easy transition becomes Waghorn. And in this way also the paradoxical-looking name Fairfoul, by a slight change of spelling, may be explained as Farefowl, "wandering bird," as a name probably given by the Saxon or Danish sea-rovers.

Let us take a name of a different kind, Starbuck, no doubt of local origin, from the place called Starbeck in Yorkshire. Now beck is a Northern word signifying brook; it is probably of Danish origin, inasmuch as its use precisely corresponds with the limits of the Danish occupation. So long then as Starbeck lived in the north among his own people, to whom beck is a familiar word, there would be no fear of his name being corrupted. But when he migrated to a part of England where beck has no meaning, then by and by the natural craving for some kind of a meaning would assert itself, and, as the best it could do, change beck into buck. But the name of the place itself affords an illustration of the same principle. For star is in all probability the same word as stour, so common as a river-name (Arm. ster, water, river), made into star in the craving for some kind of a meaning.

Let us take another name with the same ending, Clutterbuck, also, I doubt not, a name of local origin, though I am unable in this case to identify the place. But clutter seems evidently to be from the Anglo-Saxon, hluttor, clear, pure, limpid, and the word must have been hluttorbeck, "clear brook," so that this is another case of a similar corruption. The Anglo-Saxons, no doubt, strongly aspirated the initial h, so that the name has become Clutterbuck.

Another name which may be taken to be of the same kind is Honeybun, no doubt a corruption of another name Honeyburn, from burn, a brook, honey being apparently used by the Anglo-Saxons as an epithet to describe sweet waters. But to the modern ear Honeybun is a much more natural association than Honeyburn, particularly since the Anglo-Saxon burn for brook has passed out of use in England.

Among the Germans, corruptions towards a meaning are also common, as in such names as Guttwein for Godwine or Gotwine, Warmbadt for Warinbod, Leutenant for Liutnand (liud, people, nant, daring). There is a curious-looking and seemingly profane name Heiliggheist, as if from the third person of the Trinity, which may, however, be a corruption of an ancient name, perhaps of the name Haldegast.

The odd-looking names Oyster and Oysterman in Suffolk Surnames are probably the German names Oster and Ostermann (oster, orientalis) in an anglicised form, the marvellous power of assimilation possessed by the great Republic evincing itself, among other things, in the way in which it anglicises foreign names. Thus the name Crumpecker, placed by Bowditch among names from birds, is, we can hardly doubt, a corruption of a German Krumbacher, i. e. "a native of Krumbach," of which name there are several places in Germany. So also the ending thaler in German names, from thal, valley, is changed into "dollar" as its supposed equivalent. Hence the Americans have Milldolar, Barndollar, and Cashdollar, corruptions of some such German names as Mühlthaler, Bernthaler, and Käsenthaler, signifying an inhabitant respectively of Mühlthal, of Bernthal, and of Käsenthal. It would seem as if a man coming to this new world, where everything around him is changed – presumably for the better – accepts it as, among other things, a part of the new dispensation, that whereas his name has hitherto been, say Käsenthaler, he shall henceforth answer to the name – perhaps not an inauspicious one – of Cashdollar.