80 The Neiv Forest : its History and its Scenery. 



New Forest, with a quaint, simple inscription on his gravestone 

 written by himself. In the church are tablets both to him 

 and Bromfield, the botanist, a man like him in many ways, 

 but who, dying abroad, was not allowed to rest beside him in 

 this quiet graveyard. 



The south aisle is the oldest part, with its three Norman 

 arches rising from square piers, whilst the north aisle is divided 

 from the nave by a row of Early-English arches springing from 

 plain black Purbeck marble shafts. In the east window of this 

 aisle were once painted the arms of the Dauphin of France the 

 fleurs de lis blazoned, as they were formerly, over the whole 

 field, telling us the story of Lewis having been invited to 

 England and crowned king by John's barons, and whose 

 traditional flight at Leap has been mentioned. 



Down below, in the valley of the Brockenhurst Water, lies 

 Boldre, the Bovre of Domesday, with its meadows and corn- 

 fields. It is worth while to pause for a moment, and notice the 

 corruption of Boldre into Bovre by the Norman clerks. The 

 word is from the Keltic, and signifies the full stream 

 (" y Byldwr "), and has nothing to do with oxen. We must, 

 too, bear in mind that the various Oxenfords and Oxfords are 

 themselves corruptions, and really come not from oxen at all, 

 but Usk, literally meaning the stream-ford or stream-road, and 

 are in no way connected with the various Old-English Eodfords 

 to be found in different parts of the kingdom. This corruption 

 of language we see daily going on in our own Colonies, but 

 it is well to pause and remember that the same process has 

 taken place in our own country. 



Passing over the bridge, and up the village, and under the 

 railway arch, we once more reach the Forest at Shirley Holms, 

 coming out on Shirley and Sway Commons. Here again, as on 



