132 TEESDA.LE PLACE-NAMES. 



I'ltalien marese et le Fran9ais marais ; cette derivation s'appuie 

 encore sur le Provencal marese, marin, qui vient de mare ou 

 mara. Mais comme marais a donne marese^ marescage, maraisoher, 

 il est probable qu 'il y a eu intervention du Germanique ; Anc, 

 Flam, maerasch; Holl. maras; AUem. marsch.''^ Littre. 



The following passage from a grant, by Alexander de Balliol, 

 kept in the Barnard Castle chest, is curious at the present day, 

 as giving the barbarous Latin names in use in the thirteenth 

 century for mere, moor, moss, &c. : — 



" Habendum et tenendum de meet herebs meis libere et quiete 

 et integre in viis, in semitis, in moris, in mariscis, in turhariis, 

 in petariis, in planis, in pascuis, introitibs et exitibs, et omibs 

 comunibs et libertatibs et aisimentis ad villam de Castro Bernardi 

 p'tinentibs, &c." Longstaffe's Richmond. 



" Morishe et muddy groundes, pudelles or donghilles." Caius 

 on Sweating Sickness. 1551. 



'' Mire, probably the same, or nearly the same, as Dan. mere, 

 myre. Mir, a marsh or bog." Halliwell. 



" Mere, the sea, an arm of the sea, a small pool." Jamieson. 



Mere, a lake, a marsh, a large pool. 



" Mire, a marsh, a boggy place or expanse." Atkinson's Hist, 

 of Cleveland. 



Kna/oesmire, of York, where races, &c., are held, a damp place. 



These terms mere, mire, myre, &c., are ancient and widespread 

 — Northern and Southern — and have been used indifferently the 

 one or the other. 



Examples : — 



Flushiemere Beck — ? beck liable to be flushed or flooded from 

 the mere. In Egglestone's " Weardale Names," it is Flushy 

 Mea. See Mea. 



Long Mere. Mere Beck — beck flowing into or from a mere. 



White Mere — from its colour. There was before railways 

 begun in this district a ' White-mare-pool ' on the road from 

 Newcastle to Sunderland, which ought to have been called 

 White-mere-pool, or simply White Mere. It was abolished on 

 the construction of the Brandling Junction Railway. 



Lady Mires — ? of our Lady. 



