Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 5.djvu/235

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ii s. v. MAR. 9, 1912.] NOTES AND QUERIES.


191


his death will produce unspeakable benefit to the public. Even Sodor and Man will be better than nothing."

WM. H. PEET.

See 4 S. iv. 332 and 10 S. xi. 306. 'The Creevey Papers ' ; Christian Ployen's .' Reminiscences of a Voyage to Shetland. Orkney, and Scotland' (1839); and Albert Smith's ' Mr. Led bury ' and ' Christopher Tadpole,' all contain short accounts of rail- way travel in its early days.

RHYS JENKINS.


LOTSTDRES : LONDON : LONDINIUM (11 S. v. 129). The r in Londres represents the Latin n. The formation is normal, and is explained in Toynbee's ' Historical French "Grammar ' at p. 135. Thus the Latin pampinum gave F. pampre ; ordinem gave ordre (E. order) ; diaconum gave diacre ; cophinum gave cofre (E. coffer, a doublet of coffin) ; tympanum gave timbre (whence E. timbrel) ; and Londinium gave Londre(s). The final * in Londres is the usual O.F. suffix found in words derived from the second Latin declension, used to mark the " subject " case, i.e. the Latin nominative. In O. French ami was only used in the

  • ' object " case ; the " subject " case was

amis (L. amicus). So also in neuter nouns, by analogy. WALTER W. SKEAT.

The usual form of " London " in Old English was Lunden, generally with an addition, cp. Lundentun, Lundemvic, Lunden- burh, Lundenceaster. The representation of Lunden (or Lundena) by the form Londres in French is just what one would expect. In a number of words " demi -savants " n "supported" is changed into r: pam- pinum, pampre ; ordinem, ordre ; diaconum, diacre. ; cophinum, coffre ; tympanum, timbre. The same change is common in Spanish : hominem, hombre ; femina, hembra ; nomine, nombre ; glandinem, landre ; hirundinem, golondra ; sanguinem, sangre ; also Fr. famine, Sp. hambre. A. L. MAYHEW.

Oxford.

The name by which the French know London exemplifies their strongly marked tendency to present the names of their towns and districts in a plural form. In very many cases this tendency operates correctly : e.g., Caux, Meaux, Reims, Amiens, Chalons. Orleans, represent the Latin Caleti, Meldi, Remi, Ambiani. Cata- launi, Aureliani. But it has not always been regulated : Constanlia has become " Cou- tances," and the O.E. Lundene and Dojere


are now " Londres " and " Douvres." (" Dubrae," the form in the ' Notitia Digni- tatum,' cannot, I imagine, be the ancestor of Dofras [ace. pi.] in the eleventh-century Canterbury bi-lingual Chronicle, ann. 1052.) " Chartres," " Langres," " Londres," repre- sent *Cartnes (i.e., *Cartunes, by metathesis for Carnutes), *Lengnes (i.e., Lengones), and

  • Londnes (from a supposed form Londones).

ALFRED ANSCOMBE.

[MR. VV. NOKTHCOTT BOLDERSTOX also thanked /or reply.]

HONE'S 'ANCIENT MYSTERIES' (11 S. v. 109). Probably the paragraph quoted from Hone's ' Ancient Mysteries Described ' refers to customs that used to be carried out in connexion with Baud's Buck. The two processions in connexion with this originated in 1275. and were continued annually till the time of Queen Elizabeth.

In ' Machyn's Diary,' p. 141, under 1557, this account of one of these processions appears :

" The last day of June, St. Paul's Day. was a goodly procession at St. Paul's. There was a priest of every parryche of the dyosses of Londun with a cope, and the bishop of London wayreng ys niyter ; and after cam a fat buck, and ys bed with the homes borne a-pone a baner-pole, and 40 homes blohyng afor the boke and behynd."

The following account of the origin of these curious customs is from Stow's ' Survey of London,' 1720 edition, vol. i. book iii. pp. 164-5 :

" Sir William Baud, Kt. the 3d of Edward 1. in the Year 1274, on Candlemas-day, granted to Harvy de Borham, Dean of Pauls, and to the Chapter there, that in consideration of twenty two Acres of Ground or Land, by them granted, within their Manor of Westley in Essex, to be inclosed into his Park at Curingham ; he would (for ever) upon the Feast day of the Conversion of Paul, in Winter, give unto them a good Doe, seasonable and sweet : And upon the Feast of the Commemoration of St. Paul, in Summer, a good Buck, and offer the same at the high Altar ; the same to be sp'ent amongst the Canons Residents. The Doe to be brought by one Man, at the Hour of Procession, and through the Pro- cession to the high Altar ; and the Bringer to have nothing. The Buck to be brought by all his Meyney in like manner ; and they to have paid unto them by the Church, 12 Pence only, and no more to be required.

" This Grant he made, and for performance, bound the Lands of him and his Heirs to be dis- trained on : And if the Lands should be evicted, that yet he and his Heirs should accomplish the Gift. Witnesses, Richard Tilbery, William de Wockendon, Richard de Harlotoe, Knights, Peter of Stanford, Thomas of Waldon and some others."

This deed was confirmed by Sir Walter Baude, William's son, in the thirtieth year of. Edward I. Stow describes the