56 Transactions. 
somewhat uncertain—long enough, however, to leave their mark 
in our local nomenclature, as we are reminded of by the names 
Thor, Wald, Wick, Fell, Dal, &c. This short sketch has been 
given for the purpose of pointing out the firm hold these various 
Teutonic races had upon the north-east of England, and what is 
now called the lowlands of Scotland. The conquering races 
having utterly exterminated the former inhabitants, the Britons, 
their language was entirely freed from any chance of inter- 
mixture from the conquered race, and it is to the remains of this 
old language I intend, very shortly, to direct your attention. Of 
course, it was to have been expected that the two districts 
deriving from the same source, although kept in a great measure 
apart for now nearly 900 years, should have a good deal in 
common, but I was not prepared to find that after a lapse of so 
long a time the two dialects should in so remarkable a manner 
resemble each other, and that so many hundreds of words should 
be in common use in both dialects, although quite obsolete in 
other parts of the country ; and not only words, but the idioms, 
modes, and turns of expression, proverbial sayings and phrases, 
and the use of a number of words found in our current literature, 
but which have lost their original meaning in a great degree, are 
still in use, retaining in a great measure their primary significa- 
tion. My attention was called more particularly to the subject 
by seeing an admirable and exhaustive work lately published, 
“A Glossary of the Cleveland Dialect,” by the Rev. J. C. 
Atkinson, LL.D. On going through the Glossary I find, on a 
rough estimate, upwards of 1500 words obsolete in most other 
parts of the kingdom, including words above referred to as 
retaining their primary meanings, common to both districts. A 
few of these words, phrases, idioms, &c., may be given as examples. 
The changes in our language between the times of Chaucer and 
Spencer are very marked, and between the latter and our own 
time nearly as great. I, of course, refer to the current literature 
of the different periods. But the two districts I have in view— 
the Lowlands of Scotland and Yorkshire—have been much more 
conservative in this matter than any other parts of the country ; 
many words used by Chaucer have a lively existence at the 
present day in these districts. I need only refer to one or two 
instances out of many that might be adduced. “ Brat,” now 
signifying a child’s pinafore, is used by writers about Chaucer's 
ple’ 
igi Dh Bo wd 
