100 COUNT RUMFORD. 



ours fell thick upon him, Bumford was made a Count 

 of the Holy Boman Empire. He chose for his title 

 Count Bumford, in memory of his early association with 

 Concord. 



" When Benjamin Thompson went to Concord as a 

 teacher, he was in the glory of his youth, not having 

 yet reached manhood. His friend Baldwin describes 



your interesting paper upon Count Rumford. My apology for so 

 doing is that I am a Romford man, and that I think you may 

 care for the mere crumb of information I possess bearing upon 

 the spelling and pronunciation of the name of my native place. 



"Romford is always pronounced Rwmford by Essex folk. 

 When I was a boy it was spelled almost indifferently, Romford 

 and Rumford. I remember that the post-mark in my school- 

 days (some forty years ago) was Rwmford. Norden's map of 

 Essex (1599) has Rumforde; and on Bowen's map (1775) the 

 spelling is the same Rumford. The registers in the vestry 

 book, from 1665 until some fifty years ago, give Rumford. So 

 that I think it safe to say that the traditional spelling and pro- 

 nunciation with the Essex settlers at Concord must have been 

 Rumford. I must, however, add but I fear I am hardly justi- 

 fied in troubling you with so long a note that the o occurs in 

 two Latin entries in the Register : 



" ' 1564, Baptizata fuit Anna Baylie filia Hugonis Cissor, 



Romford. ' 



" And in the same year there is an entry of a burial with ' Rom- 

 fordiae.' I believe it was the Latinising of Rumford that modi- 

 fied the vowel, the alteration being prompted by the mistaken 

 notion that the etymology of the place was Roman-ford. That 

 the Rum is English (= broad) is, I think, hardly open to ques- 

 tion. The nearest ford town is Hford, with which the roomy 

 ford contrasts. Of late the sluggish little river has come to be 

 called the river Rom. This is quite a novel 'notion,' and is 

 quite local. 



"Thanking you for the pleasure and profit I have derived 

 from reading your article, 



"I remain, dear Sir, 



"Yours very faithfully, 



"HENRY ATTWELL. 



"Professor Tyndall, F. R. S., &c., &c., &c." 



