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settlement in the lower ground adjoining some part of Box 

 Brook, afterwards deserted for the higher ground. In my own 

 parish is the hamlet of Oldland. The name is a puzzle, and one 

 of the many suggestions I have received is that it is Alder-land. 

 This is rendered rather probable by the fact that it is sometimes 

 written Aide-land But against it must be set the fact that there 

 are other Oldlands, all like this in the neighbourhood of an 

 ancient forest, and the name is said (but I cannot recollect the 

 authority) to denote land recovered from the forest, and not 

 subject to the laws of the forest manor. 



The mention of Box Brook may at once take us to the Box. 

 There is no doubt that the village of Box is not named from the 

 tree. It is one of those numberless places which are named 

 from the streams, and which appear in every direction under the 

 different forms of Axe, Exe, Ix, Ox, Ux, with all sorts of 

 different initials and terminals— the same word appears in the 

 centre of Shoe/Berwick in the same parish.* But if Box is not 

 named from the tree, we may almost (though not quite) certainly 

 claim it for Boxwell. ^lany of you will know that remarkable 

 valley sloping from the Cotteswold, near Dursley, covered with a 

 wonderful growth of old Box trees. Any who have not seen it 

 may be recommended to visit it, for it is within easy reach of 

 Bath, and it is one of the most remarkable woods I know. 



The Lime or Lind may give its name to Lincombe, but though 

 I have made some little search for the origin of the name, I have 

 not been able to meet with any that would be decisive. 



Before quite leaving the forest trees I would just mention that 

 the reason more places are not named from the trees is that many 

 of the most common trees are modern. The Plane has not been 

 much more than 300 years in England. The Spanish Chestnut 

 is older, but is a complete foreigner. The Horse Chestnut, now 

 so common, is an eastern tree, unknown in England 200 years 



• On the upper part of the same stream is 0/.-eford. 



