88 PAPERS, ETC. 
applicable to a country—gwlad—only ; Somerton would 
seem more likely to have been itself derived from, rather 
than to have given origin to, the name of the county 
of Somerset. 
These observations on the Topographical Etymology of 
Somerset I now lay before the Society with great diffidence. 
Most of the derivations, I believe, are safe and satisfactory ; 
some may be open to objection. I have endeavoured to 
give not only the conclusion to which I have been led, but 
also the grounds on which they are founded. Such as 
they are, Inow leave them, as a contribution towards a 
more complete classification of the names of places in the 
county, according to their origin. 
Before I conclude, however, I would beg further to direct 
attention to the application of Philology to another 
department of the archzology of the county, which is 
deserving of noticee—the dialeets of Somersetshire. 
The vernacular dialects of our rural distriets are now, 
very properly, regarded as remains of the ancient language 
of the land, rather than as vulgarisms. The only Glossary 
of Somerset that has appeared in print, is that by Mr. 
James Jennings, published in 1825. In the Observations 
etc. prefixed, he states that his glossary relates especially to 
the distriets east of the river Parret, “the pronunciation 
and many of the words in the distriet west of that river, 
being very different indeed, so as to designate strongly the 
people that use them.” This statement I have more than 
once heard confirmed by our late esteemed Secretary, Mr. 
W. Baker, who, if his life had been spared, might have 
added his accurate observations on this subject to his 
many other valuable contributions to the Arch&ology and 
Natural History of the county. It is very desirable that 
