By the Rev. Canon W. H. Jones. 303 



perished. This is the case with such words as " Moten-e* " and " Ciolt-a»," 

 the italicised termination being in each case the form of the possessive case. 

 Of course the well-nigh thousand years, that have since passed, have still 

 further corrupted the original forms, and the few that remain are but very 

 fragments at best. 



To two derivations suggested by your correspondent I must be bold enough 

 at once to demur altogether. It is a well-known rule, that, in proportion to 

 its apparent ingenuity, any interpretation is to be doubted. Even supposing 

 that the corrupt form " Cats-Brain," — which, by the way, is a name also given 

 to a place near Stanton Pitz-Warren — could possibly be in its former portion 

 a corruption of " castra," the word would in English become " Chester," and 

 appear in composition, at the end, and not at the heginning of the name, e.g., 

 Win-chester ; Man-chester ; Il-chester, &c. Moreover the fabulous " Brennus," 

 seems, like Vespasian, near Amesbury, to have been extemporised for \h& 

 nonce, to account for a name. 



Then again, the name of " Bohun " was given to Manningford from one 

 of the Bohuns, Earls of Hereford. It is no slight anachronism to suppose 

 that it can account for the name " Botan-wylle," found in a charter dated 

 some four hundi'ed years before they had the least connection with the place. 



Very faithfully yours, 



W. H. Jones. 



The Editor of the Wiltshire Archceol. Mag. 



There are two charters relating to North Newnton printed by 

 Kemble in the Codex Diplomaticus. The first, which simply has 

 reference to what may be called North Newnton proper, is dated 

 A.D. 892, and is No. 320 ; the second, which is dated A.D. 933, 

 and is No. 1109, embraces a grant, not only of North Newnton, 

 but of an estate described as " ^t Sam oran " or " iEt Moten-es 

 oran." 



I first give the earlier charter, and the corresponding portion 

 of the second : — 



Charter of Alfred A° 892. 



iErest hi ^Efene stsede on Stin- First by Avon-stead to Stintes- 

 tes-ford; Sonne on Risc-slsed ^ ; ford; thence to Rushali; thence 

 ■Sonne on Cioltan^-ford ; Sonne to Ciolt-ford ; thence to Witsford) 



' That is, literally, the " Rushy-plain," or open tract of cormtry. 

 ^ I believe this to be a coi-ruption for Ceoeltan (^Charlton), and that the 

 " Teo^to»-ford " of the second charter is a clerical error for " Ceorltan-iovA.." 



