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. FOOTNOTES: [35] 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_. [36] I take Ealdermann to be, as elsewhere noted, a corruption of Ealdmann. [37] 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. [38] From a similar origin is probably Shooter's Hill, near London. [39] There is also an A.S. Sæbriht, from _sæ_, sea, whence _Seabright_ might be derived. [40] 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_. [41] Or Cyneburg; see p. 71. [42] 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. CHAPTER VI. CORRUPTIONS AND CONTRACTIONS.