Remark on Yevering by Mr. James Hardy. 245 



cremation (Brynan, cremare ; Byman, ardere) ; and this 

 is the more likely as bcel is in Saxon a funeral pyre. Bcel 

 was not the word for a mere beacon. Gefrin looks very like 

 a variant form from gefiran, to fire. I learn from Canon 

 Greenwell that the Heathen Saxons always, if possible, 

 burned their dead in time of peace. He thinks they even 

 did so with the fallen in battle ; but manifestly this must 

 generally have been impracticable, because much fuel is 

 needed to consume even one human body completely. To 

 do it incompletely would be too revolting to be practised. 

 For our purpose, however, of the meaning of Gebryn, Gebyrn, 

 Gefyrn or Gevyrn, Yebryng, Yevryng, it is enough to know 

 that in the time of peace the Heathen Saxons burned their 

 dead and then buried the ashes in urns, probably often in 

 the vicinity of the same spot, or at no great distance. One 

 can easily infer that hill-tops would be selected for such 

 combustion, to carry off the offensive odour. I do quite 

 believe that Yevering Bell (or Bale) was a place for burning 

 of the dead in Heathen-Saxon times. I used to refer the 

 name of Bell to the form of a bell. But Saxon bells were of 

 a very different shape from ours, being like quadrangular 

 boxes, rounded on two sides only at top — not at all resem- 

 bling a conical hill. 



Remark on Yevering. By James Hakdy. 



While agreeing with Mr. Carr-Ellison that Yevering is a 

 Saxon word, the above being a reply to my suggestion as to 

 its likelihood, I think the town of Yevering communicated 

 its name to the hill, and not the hill to the town. Jamieson, 

 the Scottish lexicographer, supplies an etymon, which is 

 applicable to any hill-top or rising ground designated Bell. 

 " Bell of the Brae," he says, " is the highest part of the slope 

 of a hill." " Cambro-British bul denotes a prominence, or 

 that which juts out." In the immediate vicinity stands 

 Heathpool Bell, deriving its name from the ancient territory 

 to which it appertains. Newton Torr, Humbleton Heugh, 

 and AJkeld Hill are cases of similar appropriation. The 

 signification of Yevering remains unaffected, detached from 

 its hill, on which the Saxons have no claim. We must not 



