leesdale place-names. 195 



"Wemmeegul, 



Formerly "Wormergill. Icel. gil, of the Dan. orm, or snake ; 

 or possibly from Icel. hvammr-gil, a grassy gill or ravine. It is 

 on the left bank of the Lune. See Gill. 



Westholme. 



An old three-gabled Manor house, now a farm house, near 

 Winston Station, on the Darlington and Barnard Castle Eaihvay. 

 See Holm. 



"Wham. 



Many of the Whams are low-lying grounds, as Wham Bottoms, 

 in Yorkshire, suggests. There is only one example in Weardale, 

 and one in Teesdale. 



Most likely, as Mr. Egglestone, in " Weardale IS'ames, " p. 114, 

 says, "from Icel. hvammr, a grassy slope or vale, which is a 

 frequent local appellative in Iceland, as hvammr-dalr, &c." 

 Possibly the origin of Wemmergill, q.v, 



"Wheel. 



Icel. vella, v. to well over, to boil ; n. boiling, ebullition. 



A.-S. weallan, to spring up, boil, flow; w(d, weal, well, whirl- 

 pool. Same as well. 



Ger. wallen, to boil. Dan. malstrom, whirlpool, Sw. vatienh- 

 virfvel. Ger. strudel. Dut. and Flem. draaiholh, 



Wei. trolwl, whirlpool. Gael, cuairtlinn. ib. Manx Ihingey- 

 cassee. ib. 



Lat. vortex, gurges ; hulUo, to boil. It. vortiec ; holUre. Sp. 

 vortice ; lullir, hervir. Port, voragem, vortice ; lolhar. Fr. tour- 

 hillon ; houilUr, to boil. 



In Icelandic and A.-S., also in Ger. 



"^ weel, Lancash., a whirlpool, ab A.-S. wcbI, vortex aqua- 

 rum." Ray. 



" Wele, 1. a whirlpool, an eddy. Lancash. weal; A.-S. wcel ; 

 Teut. weel, wiel, vortex aquarum. These terms might seem to 



