38 



(D'Acre), Mountjoy, Jordan ; Beamish doubtless comes from Bohemia, 

 Brett from Bretagne, Burgoyne from Burgundy ; and with these 

 latter, we may compare such names as Phinn, Holland, France, Ireland, 

 Gaskin, Wallis, &c. But by far the greater number of these local 

 names are English. Of these some are derived from prominent fea- 

 tm-es of the country : such as Hill, Dale, Wood, Mountain, Heath, 

 Pool, Lake, Ford, Bridge, Brook, Moore, Bank. Others take their 

 rise from the original county of their owner : such are Cheshire, Der- 

 byshire, Kent, Essex, Oxford, Buckingham ; and we have a surname 

 corresponding to almost every county in England. The Eeformer 

 Wycliffe took his name from Wycliffe in Yorkshire, where he was born. 

 Two or three generations after the Norman conquest, the commonalty 

 were generally called after their place of abode. Thus in old deeds we 

 constantly find names such as " John over the water," " Peter at the 

 willows," "William at the hall," "Thomas at the oak." These after a 

 time usually suffered some corruption. Thus, that well known litigious 

 personage, Mr. John Nokes, was originally "John atten oak," as his 

 constant antagonist was "John at style." In like manner x\lten-asli 

 became Nash, Alteu-eye or at the island, Nye,=- At the riU Trill, At 

 the rigg [i.e. ridge or hill), Trigg ; and that elegant surname Shuffle- 

 bottom was originally nothing more than Shaw-field-bottom. Sometimes 

 the At is retained in this class of names, as in Atmore, Atwood. It is 

 easy to see the origin of these names. If a man lived near a hill he 

 would style himself At-hill ; if on a moor, by a wood, or near a lake, 

 church, or wall, he would be called Atmore, Atwood or Underwood, 

 Atmere, Atchurch, or AtwaU. Sometimes " By" takes the place of "At," 

 as in Bywater, Bytheway, Byfield, Bygate, and others ; and sometimes 

 some other prefix is used, as in Underwood, Underdown, and Surtees, 

 a Durham family whose possessions lay on the river Tees. One of the 

 most common endings of these local names is "Ton"or "Town." Thus 

 we have Upperton, Huyton, Houghton, Hilton and Lowton, Norton, 

 Sutton, Aston and Weston, Middleton, Newton (a name given to many 

 of the oldest places in England), Alton, Milton (Muhlhausen), Clayton 

 and Leighton. This last name is derived from ley, a field or meadow, 

 a word used by Gray in that well-known line of his — 



" The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea ;" 



And a word which itself forms the termination of a numerous class of 

 names. As we have Norton and Sutton, so we have Norley, Astley, 

 and Westley, Stanley, Oxley, and Horsley, Oakley, Ashley, Bromley. 



* N is often transferred in this manner from the end of one word to the beginning of 

 .mother, as newt was originallv " an ewt," and an adder became " nadder." 



