The Method of Formation of Old English Place-Names in "-haeme," "-saetan," "-tūningas"Author(s): G. H. WheelerSource: The Modern Language Review, Vol. 11, No. 2 (Apr., 1916), pp. 218-219Published by: Modern Humanities Research AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3712980 .

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Miscellaneous Notes

THE METHOD OF FORMATION OF OLD ENGLISH PLACE-NAMES

IN '-HAEME,' '-SAETAN,' '-TUTNINGAS.'

It is well known that the Anglo-Saxon Land Charters collected by Kemble and Birch include a good many descriptions of boundaries written in Anglo-Saxon. These descriptions have a special interest when the names of modern parishes appear in them in a form which is obviously more nearly original than any that we can obtain from

Doomsday Book, or from other Anglo-Norman and Plantagenet sources. Often the place-name appears in a form which denotes, not the area which has since become a parish, but the inhabitants of that area: for example, while Beohhahammes mearc (Birch, vol. 3, p. 609) means 'the boundary of Beckenham,' the meaning of Biohahhema mearc (Birch, vol. 2, p. 113) and of its variant Biohhaema rmearc (Kemble, No. 657) is 'the boundary of the people of Beckenham.' The spellings Biohahhema and Biohhaema long puzzled me and I was tempted to correct them to Biohhahaema on the analogy of Beohhahammes; but I have recently made a discovery which gives me reason to believe that the form Biohhaema is correct.

A similar formation puzzled Mr W. H. Stevenson in 1902. Writing on the subject of 'Dr Guest and the English Conquest of South Britain,' Mr Stevenson (English Historical Review, vol. 17, p. 629 note) alluded to the fact that Grimsaetan means the inhabitants of Grimanleah (i.e. Grimley, Wore.), and he suggested that the personal name implied in this place-name has two forms, Grimma (with a genitive Grimma,) and Grim (with a genitive Grimes), the former being used in Grimanleah and the latter in Grimsaetan. Accordingly, Mr Stevenson suggested that Grimsaetan was miscopied for Grimessaetan. It now appears, however, that the omission of the genitive suffix both in Biohhaeme and in Grimsaetan is a regular feature of the process of word-formation. The key to the solution of the difficulty is afforded by the name of

Kingston Bagpuize (Berks.), which happens to occur in the Abingdon Charters in three different forms. The place itself is Cingestun (Birch, vol. 3, p. 545), but its inhabitants are Cinghaeme (Birch, vol. 3, p. 228), or Cingtuningas (Birch, vol. 3, p. 258). These forms suggest that where use is made of the suffixes (such as -hiaeme, -ingas, -tiningas, -leagingas, -sae-te, -sctetan, -ware) which denote the inhabitants of a

place, the place-name, to which the suffix is added, may reject, before receiving the suffix, not only such terminations as -ham (-hamm), -tun, -land, -lea(g), -den, -ig, -burh, -beorh, -heall, -wiell, but also the genitive

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Miscellaneous Notes Miscellaneous Notes

suffix (if any) which precedes any one of these terminations: for

example, Billestun (Bilston, Staffs.) offers us the form Bilsaetan (Kemble, No. 650); Loccesleag (Loxley, Warw.) Locsaetan (Kemble, No. 651); Omberesleag (Ombersley, Worc.) Ombersaetan (Birch, vol. 1, p. 502); Baddesig (Badsey, Worc.) Badsaetan (Birch, vol. 2, p. 83); Lillesheall (Lilleshall, Salop) Lilsaetan (Birch, vol. 3, p. 355); and Doddahamm

(Doddenham, Worc.) Dodhaeme (Birch, vol. 1, p. 326). There are, of course, a number of instances where a rejection of

the place-suffix occurs without there being any genitive suffix preceding it and capable of being dropped: for example, Drayton in Daventry (Northants.) offers us the form Draeghaeme, while Igtun (near Worthy, Hants.) gives Igsaetan; Crohlea (Crowle, Worc.) has Crohhaeme, but

Elmley Lovett (Worc.) Elmesaetan and Moseley (Worc.) Mossaetan; Ashton, Bourton, Milton, Netherton, Uppington and Steventon all offer us names in -haenme-Aeschaeme, Burghaeme, Middelhaeme, Neothere- haeme, Uppinghaeme, and Stifingehaeme; similarly, Bampton Aston

(Oxon.) and Hinton on the Green (Glouc.) have Easthaeme and Hinhaeme, though Hinton Waldrist (Berks.) has Heantunningas; Spetchley (Worc.) has Spaechaeme, Campden Campsaetan, Chidden Citware, Buckland (Devon) Bocsaetan Buckland (Dorset) Buchaeme, Sedgeberrow Secghaeme, Inkberrow Incsaetan, Crudwell Cruddesaetan, and Bexhill Baexware.

G. H. WHEELER. SURBITON.

QUELQUES EXEMPLES ANGLO-NORMANDS D'UNE NfGATION IRRATIONNELLE DANS DES PHRASES CONCESSIVES.

On lit dans le Roman de philosophie de Simund de Freine (6d. Matzke), v. 499-502:

Ewe ad mernes la man6re: Ja ne seit si bele o cldre, Ki de rien la truble u muet Parfund veer ne la puet;

(C'est a dire: 'L'eau a la mnme nature: quelque belle et claire qu'elle soit, on ne peut y regarder jusqu'au fond, pour peu qu'on la trouble.')

v. 523-4: Chescun i ad ovel dreit Ja si pauvres horn ne seit;

v. 848-50: N'est si pussant homme en vie(,) Ki de meinte rien n'eit faute, Ja n' eit dignite si haute;

suffix (if any) which precedes any one of these terminations: for

example, Billestun (Bilston, Staffs.) offers us the form Bilsaetan (Kemble, No. 650); Loccesleag (Loxley, Warw.) Locsaetan (Kemble, No. 651); Omberesleag (Ombersley, Worc.) Ombersaetan (Birch, vol. 1, p. 502); Baddesig (Badsey, Worc.) Badsaetan (Birch, vol. 2, p. 83); Lillesheall (Lilleshall, Salop) Lilsaetan (Birch, vol. 3, p. 355); and Doddahamm

(Doddenham, Worc.) Dodhaeme (Birch, vol. 1, p. 326). There are, of course, a number of instances where a rejection of

the place-suffix occurs without there being any genitive suffix preceding it and capable of being dropped: for example, Drayton in Daventry (Northants.) offers us the form Draeghaeme, while Igtun (near Worthy, Hants.) gives Igsaetan; Crohlea (Crowle, Worc.) has Crohhaeme, but

Elmley Lovett (Worc.) Elmesaetan and Moseley (Worc.) Mossaetan; Ashton, Bourton, Milton, Netherton, Uppington and Steventon all offer us names in -haenme-Aeschaeme, Burghaeme, Middelhaeme, Neothere- haeme, Uppinghaeme, and Stifingehaeme; similarly, Bampton Aston

(Oxon.) and Hinton on the Green (Glouc.) have Easthaeme and Hinhaeme, though Hinton Waldrist (Berks.) has Heantunningas; Spetchley (Worc.) has Spaechaeme, Campden Campsaetan, Chidden Citware, Buckland (Devon) Bocsaetan Buckland (Dorset) Buchaeme, Sedgeberrow Secghaeme, Inkberrow Incsaetan, Crudwell Cruddesaetan, and Bexhill Baexware.

G. H. WHEELER. SURBITON.

QUELQUES EXEMPLES ANGLO-NORMANDS D'UNE NfGATION IRRATIONNELLE DANS DES PHRASES CONCESSIVES.

On lit dans le Roman de philosophie de Simund de Freine (6d. Matzke), v. 499-502:

Ewe ad mernes la man6re: Ja ne seit si bele o cldre, Ki de rien la truble u muet Parfund veer ne la puet;

(C'est a dire: 'L'eau a la mnme nature: quelque belle et claire qu'elle soit, on ne peut y regarder jusqu'au fond, pour peu qu'on la trouble.')

v. 523-4: Chescun i ad ovel dreit Ja si pauvres horn ne seit;

v. 848-50: N'est si pussant homme en vie(,) Ki de meinte rien n'eit faute, Ja n' eit dignite si haute;

219 219

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