222 Mr. George Tate on the Fame Islands. 



of the Club ; and I sincerely hope we may be able, by uniting, to 

 complete the work in a manner that may reflect credit upon the 

 Club, and prove to the world how deeply we honour and revere 

 his memory. 



The Fame Islands, with an Account of their Geology, Botany, 

 Zoology, and Ancient History. By George Tate, F.G.S. 



In this Monograph on the Fame Islands I shall give a de- 

 scription of their physical features, accompanied with notices of 

 their Archaeology, an account of their Geology, Botany, Conch- 

 ology, and Ornithology, with lists of fossils, plants, shells and 

 birds, and conclude with a brief sketch of their curious ancient 

 history. 



The Fame Islands are from one and a half to five miles 

 eastward from the Northumberland coast ; the nearest point of 

 land is Monkshouse, and Bambro Castle is two miles distant. 

 Their number is from fifteen to twenty-five, according to the 

 state of the tide ; for some are covered at full and even at half 

 tide, and others which appear only one island at low water, 

 form two or three when the tide is high. There are two groups 

 of these islets, separated from each other by the Ox Scar road, 

 which is about one mile broad and from five to eight fathoms 

 deep, and through which ships of any burden may pass, though 

 not without danger, as the Ox Scars — rocks covered by the sea 

 — lie near to the passage. 



The Fame, sometimes called the House Island, is the largest 

 and nearest, to the land, and its name is applied to the whole ; 

 but each individual islet and rock have their own distinctive 

 names, given to them long ago, from some real or imaginary 

 quality or feature. Fame has usually been derived from a 

 supposed Celtic word signifying a recess ; but I can find no 

 such root in the Celtic language ; and, moreover, according to 

 Nennius, whose History was written early in the ninth century, 

 the ancient British name was ' Medcaut/ Farne may, with 

 more probability, be referred to the German 'feiern,' to rest from 

 labour, — a term descriptive of this secluded islet when it became 

 the favourite retreat of hermits, who here in retirement sought 

 repose from the labours and struggles of the world. 



Some ancient documents printed in Raine's History of North 

 Durham show, that the old names of the various islands have, 

 for the most part, continued in use to the present time, with 

 slight modifications ; they appear in an early metrical Life of 

 St. Cuthbert; in a curious charter of the twelfth century, making 



