61 



k same "fka^ftames nm ^alme$krg, mtbf 



JjNCIENT "Place-Names" in England may, for the most 

 part, be classed under one of tkree general heads. 



(1) Those derived from the language of the races, which, as far as 

 we know, were the primitive inhabitants of this country ; — these 

 we call Celtic. 



(^) Those imported by the Romans, who, for well nigh five 

 hundred years, occupied Britain, — these are Latin words. 



(3) Those which we have from the English settlers, who first 

 entering the country shortly after the departure of the Romans 

 in the middle of the fifth century, finally became its conquerors,^ 

 these we call Teutonic. 



Of course there are a number of place-names which belong, partly 

 to one, and partly to another of these classes. For example, in the 

 word Feampton, which means the town (=tun) or village on the 

 river Frame, we have, the former part Celtic and the latter 

 Teutonic; — in that of Stratton, the former portion is from the 

 Latin stratum (=street) which denoted one of the great Roman, 

 roads, and so the whole name means the " village " near such a road. 



Now Malmesbury and its neighbourhood happens to be an 

 especially good quarry in which to dig for specimens of local 

 nomenclature : as a noble lord who did me the honor of listening to 

 a similar story about place-names near Salisbury, some twenty years 

 ago, tersely expressed it, a fine field for " verbal engineering.''' 

 So wh^i my very good friend our Secretary, for about the twenty- 

 ffth time^ asked for a paper for our annual meetings and was 



