178 TEESDAIE PLACE-NAMES. 



In his " Catalogue of JSTorth. Country Words" he has the fol- 

 lowing curious notice : — " A Swang, locus paludosus, or part of 

 a pasture overflow'd with water, not much unlike a Tarn or 

 Lough, whence the grass, by the superfluity of an oleaginous 

 moisture, degenerates into course piles, which in summer (most 

 of the water being exhaled) is so interwoven with thick mud 

 and slime, and the piles so long and top-heavy, that they em- 

 brace the surface of the mud, and compose a verdure like that of 

 a meadow." 



"The TL&m.es flash, swang, bog, and wass indicate wet land, 

 and are kindred terms to a certain extent." 



For an interesting page on these words reference is made to 

 "Weardale N'ames of Field and Fell," by William Morley 

 Egglestone, Stanhope, 1886. 



SwmDALE. 



Is most likely a localism for a dale which does not extend at 

 a right angle to a hill or mountain side, but runs up obliquely 

 to one side or the other. 



To swin, in the dialects of Upper Teesdale and of Weardale, 

 means to go or cut obliquely, and that direction is even said to 

 be swindicular, which is equivalent to the vulgar or cant word 

 slantindicular ; in the language of northern seamstresses to swin 

 means to cut cloth, &c., slantwise or obliquely. 



To swin is not in "The Teesdale Glossary," 



Mr. Egglestone, in his "Weardale ISTames," p. 55, says, "The 

 local word aswin, obliquely, Wei. asswyn, does not apply to this 

 place name. A far more probable etymology is the Celtic swyn, 

 holy." In Spurrell's Wei. Diet, assign, is absence, asswyno, to 

 absent, and aswyno, to beg, implore, crave, &c.), {Swyn, in 

 Spurrell, is swyn-ion, n. preservative, charm, magic.) 



Examples : — 



Swindale — north of Duf ton Pike. The oblique or slanting dale. 



Swinhope — Slanting Hope, in Weardale. 



"Brough, under Stainmoor, is on a Swindale beck that runs 

 down obliquely from the Pennine escarpment," Howse, 



