6 A HISTORY OF GARDENING IN ENGLAND 



some of the German names of plants which resemble Old 

 English are not cognates, but were derived from words used 

 by the Saxon missionaries, who first brought with them the 

 knowledge of the virtues of those plants.^ 



The old word for garden was " wyrt5erd," a plant yard, 

 or " wyrttun," a plant enclosure ; also the form " ort3erd," 

 or " orceard," which is the same as our word orchard, though 

 the meaning is now confined to an enclosure planted with fruit- 

 trees. " Wyrt," or " wurt," was used for any sort of vegetable 

 or herb, and is the same as the modern word " wort," suffixed 

 to so many names of plants, as " St. John's Wort," or " herb 

 John." Sometimes a special plant filled most of the enclosure ; 

 thus the kitchen garden was occasionally called the " leac tun," 

 or leek enclosure. We still speak of an appleyard, the old 

 " appultun," or " appul5erd," but we say a cherry-orchard, 

 while the old word was equally simply " cherry^erd."^ A 

 part of the monastery garden laid down in grass, where no 

 flowers were grown, was called the " gras3erd," and in like 

 manner the space surrounded by the cloisters was the 

 " cloyster':;erd." The modern word garden is another form of 

 this word " 5erd," garth, or yard ; all are derived from an 

 Aryan root meaning an enclosure. 



At this early period, and for many centuries later, gardens 

 were planted chiefl}^ for their practical use, and vegetables and 

 herbs were grown for physic or ordinary diet. Flowering plants 

 were but rarely admitted solely on account of their beauty. 

 But it does not necessarily follow that bright and pretty flowers 

 found no place within the garden walls. Roses, lilies, violets, 

 peonies, poppies, and such-like, all had medicinal uses, and 

 therefore would not be excluded. 



The beauty of flowers appeals to nearly everyone, and even in 

 the most disorderly periods of our early history they may have 

 exercised some softening influence. A pretty story is told of 

 William Rufus, which shows that monarch, as it were for a 

 moment, in a more gentle light than perhaps any other incident 

 during his turbulent reign. Eadgyth, or Matilda, afterwards 



^ The German for Plantago is " Wegbreit," the A.S. " Waegbroede." 

 The old German for Camomile was " meghede," the A.S. " magede." 

 * MSS. Gardeners' Accounts, Norwich Priory. 



