LLONGBORTH Or LLYWARCH HEN'S ELEGY. 51 



expanse of waters, which during tlie floocis of last winter 

 covered tbe flats for many miles, could easily reallze to them- 

 selves the aspect of the country at the time to which we refer; 

 and could not fall to recognize in the earthy matter brought 

 down by Inland floods, combined witb drift-sand and tbe 

 silt and mud deposited by the tidal waters of the Severn, 

 causes fully adequate, in the course of centuries, to produce 

 the elevation which has taken place. 



Even the Saxon names of some of the places in the 

 district are evldence of the same physical characteristics, 

 and serve as a permanent record of the physical history of 

 that part of the county. Thus we have Weston-Zoy/awc?, 

 ChedzoT/, jSIiddlezoy,* occupying those sligbtly elevated 

 patches of marl before referred to, and all implying the 

 presence of an expanse of water surrounding those locali- 

 ties at the time. 



The few British names which have survived, afford a 

 striking confirmation of the views we have advanced. 

 Considering the Poldon as a promontory, standing out 

 between two sestuaries, tbe one extending to Glastonbury, 

 the other to Langport, no more descriptive name coidd be 

 given to it than that it bears. Moel-y-don, or y Voel-don, 

 easily changed into Poldon. Moel, in Celtic, signifies bare, 

 hold; hence, applied, in Welsh, to high exposed points of 

 land ; and in Gaelic, to promontories. It forms an dement 

 in the name of many mountains in Wales ; for example, 

 Moel y Famau, Moel Hebog, y Voel Goch, y Voel Las, 

 &c. In Scotland the same word appears in the Mull of 

 Kantyre, the Mull of Galloway, &c. Here, in combina- 

 tion with don, a wave, Voel-don, or Poldon, would signify 

 the promontory, or elevated land among the waves. Thus 

 were the Poldon-hills called by the ancient inhabitants of 



* Pronounced, Chedzee, Middlezee. 



