101 



The next hill in the chain is Great Hill, which forms a part 

 of Hapten High Park, and bears a name which requires no expla- 

 nation. The same applies to the adjoining one, to a great extent, 

 viz, Nutshaw Hill. Under the surface-soil of this hill, great 

 numbers of hazel-nut shells are still found, showing that it was 

 at one time the site of an abundance of Hazel-nut-trees, and that 

 its present name. Nutwood Hill, was then no misnomer. 



Next comes Horehnv Hill, which is corrupted into Whorlaw 

 and Woolaw Hill. This name is derived from the Saxon har, 

 white, and the Anglo-Saxon hlaw, " a mound, a rising ground, 

 and hence a hill." Horelaw, more con'ectly Harlaw, is the White 

 Hill. This hill stands at the beginning of a range bounding the 

 Forest on the North, and is succeeded, towards the East, by a 

 number of places, the names of which include the word white, 

 or a cognate word. In connection with this range the following 

 names occur, viz., Horelaw, Horelaw Brook, Horelaw Head, 

 Whitehill Pastures, or Fields, Whitehill, The stream Whitewell, 

 The Whitewell Valley, Whitewell Bottom, (a small hamlet), and 

 the Erewell, the soiu'ce of the river Irwell. In addition to these, 

 we have the subordinate or derived names Horelaw Farm, two 

 Horelaw Nooks, Horelaw CoUiery, Whiteley Farm and Whiteley 

 House. In Horelaw, Horelaw Brook and Horelaw Head, we 

 retain the old Saxon hor or liar, while in the remainder we have 

 by translation directly or indirectly, its English equivalent ichite. 

 This remark applies specially to Whitehill Pastures, which lie on 

 the declivity of Horelaw, and to the stream Whitewell, which, 

 being an old river name, would most likely be the Horewell. 

 The derived names are evidently more modern, and have, 

 probably, always had their present form. But why should the 

 word white or har be so prevalent in this locality ? We reply, 

 that our forefathers only followed a custom which obtains, not only 

 throughout the British Isles, but in all lands, in giving the appel- 

 lation ivhite, or its equivalent, to elevated places, which are, either 

 permanently or frequently covered with snow or hoarfrost. 



Next to Horelaw Hill, comes Crown Point, which is so-called 

 from the Farm House being placed on the Crown or Point of the 

 hill. 



Succeeding Whitehill, comes Durplay, Derplay, or Dirplay 

 Hill , which has been transformed into Deerplay Hill, indicating 

 an etymology which has been strongly disputed. We would 

 suggest the following as to the etymology of this obscure place- 

 name. The Gaelic or Ii-ish dur, often der, in composition, and 

 the Welsh dwr, are both river-root-words, meaning water, and 

 form the chief part of many river-names ; and play or lay, 

 means, primarily, " to send or throw, act or operate, as the easy 

 effect of nature," as water springs, or gently wells up from the 

 earth. In our own, and in many other countries, the name of 



