32 USE AND ORIGIN OF SURNAMES. 
leys throughout the country, were distinguished 
and known by appropriate names. Those names 
were of such a character, as to show that in the 
first instance they were used of places, and could 
have no significance as proper names of men. 
They were derived from various circumstances 
which appeared peculiar to each, and by which, 
as particular localities, they were obviously ob- 
served to be characterized. Some of these char- 
acteristics are the following :—situation, produce, 
the animals pastured on or frequenting them, the 
peculiar qualities of the leys, the size and position 
of them, and other circumstances not easy to be 
classed. It is also to be observed that the num- 
ber of surnames belonging to this class is very 
great—not fewer, I think, than five hundred ; 
but the origin and import of a large proportion of 
them I have not been able to discover. 
The followmg imply a reference to situation : 
Bottomley, Topley, Medley or Meadley [perhaps 
middleley, meadowley]Hdgeley, Bleakley, Knows- 
ley [i.e. Knolls’ley] Hedley, Morley [1. e. near 
a moor] Mosley [i.e. near a moss] Overs/ley, 
Westley, Hiley, Underley, &c. 
The following refer to produce :—From this 
