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Registers of our Parish Churcli— more than 300 years ago — and how much 

 farther back we cannot tell for unfortunately our Registers go no farther 

 back. jNIore than 300 years ago, there were families residing in the parish 

 bearing the still familiar names of Thwaite ; Braithwaite (i.e. Broad- 

 thwaite,) Thornthwaite, Dowthwaite, (I take this to be dark or gloomy 

 thwaite), Birkhead (now Birkett,) Borrowdale, Threlkeld, Yewdale (which 

 I believe was the Ancient name of Borrowdale,) Howe, Gillbanks, Banks, 

 Gasgarth, Brownrigg and Leathes, all of Avhich names are still living and 

 I trust will long continue to live and thrive in our midst. But these 

 Registers also furnish us with some interesting names which are now 

 extinct, or extinct as far as I can learn to the contrary. We find the 

 name, Smaithwaite (which I think means Small Thwaite) Langstrath (we 

 find this family settled at Watendlath from 1565 till 1612,) Cowdale, 

 which in these latter times has become corrupted into Coledale, and in 

 1607 the name of one Thomas Buttermere appears. The surname, 

 Derwentwater, has long been extinct, but the personal name Wastwater 

 only died out so lately as in the present century, for in our Parish 

 Churchyard I find a tombstone inscribed to the Memory of Robert West- 

 water (Wastwafer) who died in 1814 and of Isabella his wife, 1816 ; our 

 venerable sexton — and no doubt others still living in Keswick — remember 

 the old couple. 



It would be impossible in the limited time at my disposal to do more 

 than take a hasty survey of this part of my subject, but as to leave it here 

 would be to leave it in a very improper state, I will furnish you Avith a 

 list of Saxon roots of Place-names which occur most frequently in the 

 composition of Modern Local Surnames, and then those who feel sufiicient 

 interest or curiosity in the matter may interpret for themselves : — 



The Thwaite was a forest clearing, or land enclosed and cleared of 

 timber. The Roi/d or Rod was the ridded land, or clearing in the thickly 

 wooded districts, compare Acroyd (oak), Holroyd (holly), Huntroyd, the 

 clearing for the purposes of the chase, &c. 



Greave, Grove and Grave, a woodland avenue cut or graved out of 

 the forest — compare our locally common names of Grave, Grove and 



