TOPOGRAPHICAL ETYMOLOGY. 87 
Gwlad-yr-Hav is a contraction of GwLAD-YR-HAVREN. 
The county of Somerset to the Welsh population of the 
principality, even now, is not known by any other name 
than Gwlad-yr-hav. But in Welsh this word Hav (which 
in Havren is doubtless identical with Av, the root of Avon, 
ariver) likewise means SUMMER : and Gwlad-yr-hav, there- 
fore, admits of being translated—either the “land on the 
shores of the Havren ;” or, “the SumMER-LAnD.” The 
early Saxons, who named the county, would seem to have 
chosen the more obvious but less correct translation, and 
hence the county bears the name of SOMERSET. 
Camden, in his Britannia, abandons the commonly 
received derivation of “the Summer-land,” assigning a 
reason which was sufficient even in his time, and must 
have had greater force during the period in which the 
name is supposed to have had its origin. His words are, 
“some thinke it was so called, for that the aire there, is so 
mild and summer-like : and in that sense the Welch 
Britans at this day terme it GLADERHAF, borrowing that 
name from our English tongue. And verily, howsoever in 
Summer-time it is a right summer-like country, yet surely, 
in winter it may worthily be called, a winterish region, so 
wet and weely, so miry and moorish it is, to the exceeding 
great trouble and encombrance of those that travell in it.” 
Immediately after, the old antiquarian adds, that the 
name of the County, “without all question grew out of 
Somerton, a famous town in ancient times,” etc. etc. 
The town of Somerton is, undoubtedly, very ancient ; 
occurring early in the Saxon chronicles. At the same 
time, seeing that the feelings cherished at this early period, 
by the Cymri towards the Saxon invaders were not such 
as to induce them to “borrow a name from the English 
tongue;” and seeing, likewise, that Gwlad-yr-Hav, is 
