98 MR. CARR ON COMPOSITE NAMES OF PLACES, 



II. — Observations on Oonijyosite Names of Places (chiefly in 

 Northumherland) of Anglo-Saxo7i Derivation: being a Gon- 

 trihution of Materials towards the formation of an Archaic 

 and Orthographical Chart of the County. (Part ii.) By 

 Ralph Carr, Esq. 



[Read, Thursday, April 4, 1850.] 



Hope : a short upland dale, sucli as are generally situated near the 

 head of the principal dale of a moorland stream, or diverge on 

 either side, as short branches of the principal vale, and contain 

 frequently the tributary burns. The hopes are much shorter 

 than dales, and wider than gills. They are lost in most instances, 

 ere long, in the hill-sides, but during their short extent form 

 pastoral recesses of great beauty, and dear to all the natives of 

 those wild tracts. They are most frequently watered by a rapid 

 burn, but this is not essential. The hopes give their own names 

 to the burns, and do not receive them from the latter. Thus we 

 have Thornhope burn, not Thornburn hope; Harthope burn, not 

 Hartburn hope ; and so throughout : showing that the leading 

 idea is taken from the conformation of the land, not from the 

 stream that happens to accompany it. 



I have not been able to trace the word distinctly in the Anglo- 

 Saxon, though we can scarcely doubt that it existed in that tongue, 

 nor do I despair of its yet being found. In the Old-Norse, we 

 have hop, recessus, derivatio fluminis, also the verb hopa, to recede, 

 withdraw. The leading idea seems to be that of a recess or inlet. 

 The Norsemen applied the expression to mouths of rivers, and to 

 havens into which a stream discharged itself. 



There is, in the County of Durham, at least one instance of this 

 word occurring in a maritime situation — that of Ryhope ; and at 

 no great distance, though more inland, is Tunstall hope. 



The moorland hopes, or side vales and vale heads, are spots of 

 great attraction to all who are within reach of them, from their 

 sheltered and often sunny position, their beautiful verdure, their 



