75 



argument turns chiefly on certain alleged Indian parallels. But 

 even if his examples proved the point for India, which is har lly. 

 the case, there is in Britain certainly no evidence for Mr. 

 Gomme's contention. If the terrace-cultivation is to be assigned 

 to a prehistoric people, the archaeological data would apparently 

 place it in the Bronze period — an age long subsequent to the 

 Celtic immigration.' " 



Atkinson thoroughly enjoyed a Jaugh at the expense of the 

 rash persons who guess at the derivation of place-names instead 

 of working them out. He lamented the production of Canon 

 Taylor's " Words and Places," though he gave him credit for 

 being a very able scholar Writing on February 8rd, 1897, he 

 says : '■ Mr. Henry Bradley says he only knows of two or three 

 sane derivationists." In a letter dated December 12th, 1889, he 

 speaks of " the learned gentleman, who one day gravely told me 

 this was a most interesting country to travel in, from an ethno- 

 logical point of view, for he had noted three stations between 

 Grosmont and Picton (the latter included), which by their names 

 testified to the former occupation of the district by the Danes, 

 the English and the Picts ! ! I was like the Psalmist, ' I held 

 my tongue and spake nothing.' " 



He greatly regretted that no sound work on the derivation 

 of place names yet exists, and insisted that the significance of 

 each name should be worked out on historical principles. 

 Referring to Canon Taylor and the numerous tribe of guessers 

 he says, " It would be a good ' task ' for such transgressors to 

 set them to write out so many articles from the new Great 

 Dictionary for each offence." 



Dr. Atkinson himself was a most cautious and painstaking 

 worker at derivations. In a communication of the date of 

 November 23rd, 1889, he says, "I never work less than six hours 



a day at my desk, either in writing or study I 



corrected a long proof yesterday of a pajser touching the derivation 

 of the place name of Seamer. This is in the forthcoming Somer- 

 setshire and Dorsetshire iVotes and Queries. Professor Earle 

 entirely agrees with me in the line I have taken, and the con- 

 clusion I have come to." 



About the same date I was in correspondence with him 

 regarding the name Aireyholme at the foot of Rosebury Topping. 

 He identified the name with the old Herguin, from which name 

 he inferred that the horg or blot-sten — the sacrificial open air 

 stone or stone structure used in the old worship of the Danes^ 

 stood at the foot of Rosebury, " most likely not far from where 



