STRATHCLYDE AND GALLOWAY CHARTERS. 235 
parently alluded to as in the past, in days when Thore, father 
of Thorfynn, was a partaker. So at least I understand the 
charter—rights which Gospatrik continues and confirms to 
Thore’s son. 
Cumberland had a mixture of English and Danes (Ang\o- 
Danes), Scandinavians from Norway, possibly, as well as 
from the Hebrides and Ireland, and Cymric peoples. A local 
language in such circumstances loses inflexions or has them 
confused; words of similar sound in the original separate 
tongues acquire even a changed meaning, and spelling may 
become, as it did in later days in England, a matter in which 
variety delighted, and vowel and consonantal sounds show 
change. These characteristics one might expect to find, and 
when they occur, together with misreadingss or mistakes in a 
ce 
copy made by a scribe ‘‘ who imitated what he imperfectly 
understood,’”’ the results needs careful analysis to make sure 
how far the substance is representative of the lost deed. But 
mistakes and misreadings in such a case are limited ; for copies 
of deeds were only made in those times for necessary legal 
purposes, to ensure inheritance or safety in acquisition. It 
was not till long afterwards that they were made for anti- 
quarian interest. A flaw ina document could prevent its being 
valid in court. And when a copy was made, sufficient attesta- 
tion—as instances yet existing show—was also given to 
warrant that it was an exact copy.® Not that this eliminated 
all errors, but that it kept errors within bounds. 
One result of my experience has been that the copy, not 
seldom retaining the shape of the original—I do not say the 
size—was made line by line to correspond with it. _Emenda- 
tions therefore to be probable are limited to misreadings of 
letters and conjectures of faded portions made by him who 
copied, and omissions of words which take up little space—or 
else of whole lines. For some difficulties there are sometimes, 
fortunately, aids in parallel phrases and formulas in other 
deeds. 
7 Mr Plummer’s comment. 
8 This 1s only literally true in the cases of the smaller private 
possessions. Powerful bodies or corporations could contest where 
these.could not. 
