43 



^ #ote on Brougt) antr Bati^umgate. 



By S. O. Addy. 



N the sixteenth century the whole of the Roman road 



between Brough and Buxton was paved. Writing 



in 1572 Dr. Jones says: — " Betweene Burghe and 



it there is an high way forced ouer the moores, all 



paued, of such antiquity as none can expresse, called 



Bathgate. "'^ 



It is interesting to see that the author speaks of Burghe, 

 not Brough. To the inhabitants of the neighbourhood the 

 place is known as " th' Brough" (pronounced " Bruff "), i.e., 

 the fortified town. The pavement of the road cannot now be 

 seen on the moors, but, owing to disuse, the turf may have 

 grown over it. In the eastern, or opposite direction of the 

 road, there is a very straight piece about half a mile from 

 Brough. Beyond Stanage Pole, in the direction of Sheffield, 

 the road is called the Long Causey, i.e., the long paved way. 



The road which Jones calls Bathgate is popularly known as 

 Bathumgate, the first " a " being sounded like that in " came." 

 It is better to write Bathum, rather than Batham, in order to 

 preserve the dative plural " um," which forms the concluding 

 element of the word. The dative plural is not unfrequent in 

 the place-names of this neighbourhood. Thus Eyum, as it 

 is spelt in the thirteenth century, is the dative plural of "ey," 

 an island, and Leam, written Leyun in 1308,2 stands for 



^ TAe Benefit of the auncient Bathes of Buckstones, 1572, p. i. 



2 See the article by Mr. Bowles in vol. xxiii., p. 85, of this Journal. 

 In Domesday Eyam is Aiune, where ai represents the French scribe's way 

 of representing the sound of the English «y.— Hallam (Halum, nooks) is 

 Hallun in Domesday. 



