140 Mr. Tate on Stature, fyc, of Northumbrians. 



what different, being broader, and free from the peculiar 

 Northumbrian burr which seldom passes north of the 

 Tweed, but which extends a little southward of the Tyne. 

 No doubt different races have contributed to form the pre- 

 sent population ; chiefly, however, the Angles, who, in the 

 middle of the sixth century, conquered the Celtic race, and 

 spread over the north-east part of Britain as far as the 

 Firth of Forth. From these Angles have come the tall 

 and powerful forms, and the fair and . ruddy complexion, 

 and light eyes of the Eastern Borderers. It is not pro- 

 bable that the original inhabitants would be exterminated ; 

 many of them would be spared, as servants and wives ; and 

 possibly to this source we may attribute the shorter forms 

 and darker complexions, which, in some districts appear. 

 Less effect has resulted than has been generally supposed 

 from the Norse-men or Danes, who ravaged Northum- 

 berland in the ninth century. Though they attained the 

 mastery of England, and settled in considerable numbers in 

 some counties, yet, judging from the impress of race, left 

 in local nomenclature, the evidences of their settlement in 

 Northumberland, as now restricted between Tweed and Tyne, 

 are very slight ; for taking the termination by, the Danish 

 name of a town or village, as a test, we find that the Danish 

 population was chiefly located in Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, 

 Westmoreland, and Cumberland ; and that, as we recede 

 northward on the eastern side of the island, the traces of the 

 Danes become fainter ; in Lincolnshire there are 212 names 

 of places ending in by, in Yorkshire 167, in Durham only 7, 

 and in Northumberland not one. Additional information, as 

 to race, may be gained by a critical examination of the head- 

 forms of the Border population ; and when more measure- 

 ments of their crania have been obtained, we may arrive at 

 more definite conclusions. It is hoped that this will be 

 achieved ; and also that some of our Roxburghshire members 

 will gather materials to illustrate the physical characters of 

 the people of that Border county. 



The subjoined instructive notes written, at my request, by 

 Mr. Carr of Hedgeley, will be read with interest, because 

 coming from one who, while possessing a special knowledge 

 of the linguistic peculiarities of the North, has also been a 

 careful observer of the characteristics of our native popula- 

 tion. 



