The New Forest: Its History and Its SceneryWise, John R. (John Richard)
History
The New Forest: Its History and Its Scenery
Wise, John R. (John Richard)
New Forest (England : Forest)
Here in the New Forest I may mention that the form “plock” is used
instead of the common block (_bloc_), and that we have, as, perhaps,
throughout the West of England, “hob,” in the sense of potato-hob—a
place where potatoes are covered over, instead of “hog” (_hwg_), noticed
by Mr. Davies in his list of Keltic words in Lancashire. Further, we
find the terms “more” (_maur_), for a root, “mulloch,” for dirt, and
“bower-stone,” for a boundary-stone.[202] Here, too, as in other places,
the Britons have left the traces of their rule on the broader natural
features of the country—on the rivers, as the Exe (_y_ [_g_] _wysg_, the
current), and Avon (_Afon_, the river), and Avon Water, near Setthorns,
and Boldre (_y Byldwr_, the full stream), and Stour ([_G_]_wys-dwr_, the
deep water), and in the district itself, in the now almost forgotten
name of Ytene. We find their influence, too, perhaps, in such local
names of villages and fields as Penerley, Denny, Fritham, Cocketts,
Cammel Green, and Flasket’s Lane. As might be expected, the traces of
the Danes are very much less; and I hardly like even to venture on the
conjecture that the various “Nashes” along the coast are corruptions of
_næs_. Here, in the Forest, we have no Danish “thorpes” or “bys.” There
are no Carlbys, as in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, but plenty of
Old-English Charltons, and Charlmoors, and Charlmeads. No Norse “forces”
run here, as in the north of England, but only “rides.” No “denes” open
out to the sea, as in Durham, but only “chines” and “bunnies.” No Jutish
“ings” are dwelt in, as in Kent, but only “tons” and “leys.” Here, in
fact, the people of Cerdic have identified themselves with the land, and
have left their impress, now unchanged for more than thirteen centuries,
on all the towns, and hamlets, and homesteads.
Thus we find on the eastern side of the Forest, formerly in it, Eling,
the Mark of the Ealingas, Totton, the Mark of the Totingas; on the
south, Lymington and Pennington, the Marks of the Limingas and
Penningas; and on the west, Fordingbridge, the Mark of the Fordingas,
and Ellingham, that is, Adeling’s Hamlet, Adelingeham, in _Domesday_,
where some of the neighbouring woods are to this hour called Adlem’s
Plantations.
We will not press, as a proof of descent, the number of Old-English
surnames, which may easily be collected in the district. We must
remember that they were not used, in our modern sense, till long after
the Norman Conquest; and when adopted, people were more likely to choose
them from English, than from Norman or other sources. Such evidence
establishes nothing.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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