Page:A century of Birmingham life- or, A chronicle of local events, from 1741 to 1841 (IA centuryofbirming01lang).pdf/560



BIRMINGHAM.-A remark in the Atheneum of August 25th/ to the effect that Bromwycham is possibly the proper name of Birmingham, incluces me to submit the following remarks to the edlitor and the pablie. The names of two British places mentioned by Ptolemy, A.D. 120, bear a certain resemblance to the worl Birmingham -namely, Bremmium and Brameogenium. But he places the former among the Otadeni on the banks of the Tyne, and the latter among the Ordovices, in North Wales. It is, therefore, impossible that either of these can have been the original of the present Midland metro- polis,s so far as the authority of Ptolemy can be relied on. Bremenium ammong the Brigantes, but even they were north of the Humber. This verbal coincidence may, no doubt, be absolutely dliscarded. The word Birmingham is so thoroughly Saxon in its construction, that nothing short of positive historical evilence woukd warrant us in assigning any other than a Saxon origin to it. means a home or residence, and Bermingas would be a patronymie or family name, meaning the Berms (from Ferm, a man's name, and ing or iung, the young, progeny, race, or tribe). The word dissected in this manner would signify the home or residence of the Berms; and there can be little question that this is its true meaning. Hutton, the historian, who was quaint and humourous, but far from learned or profonnd, has grounded a theory on the vitlgar nickname of the place, Brummageni. Noticing that there are places adjoining named West Promwich, Castle Bromwich, Little Bromwich, and Bromford, (Brom meaning a broom, wic or wich a village, the Latin vicus), and that writers in former times have often spelh the name Bromwicham, Bromicham, &c., he pronounces this the original name of the place, and interprets it the Home in the Broom Village. But this is a gross misconception of the principles of Saxon nomenclature. frequent terminative to compound names of places in England, as are various others, such as burgh, den, field, forth, gate, hurst, stead, ton, wood, and worth, each having a well known meaning. Now, there is not a single place in England the name of which is con- structed of hamn appended to a compound wordl ending in wich, or in any other of these ordinary terminatives. No such name as Sandwichham, Fordwicham, Norwicham, Droit- wicham, &c., is to be found in the kingdom. Bromwicham is, therefore, a coined word, and may be dismissed as bad Saxon. Indeed ham almost always, if not quite, implies the Richard of Cirencester puts The final sylable ham, Il'ic or wich is a very home of some one. Bermengeham, is the name given to the town in the Doomsday Book, which is the oldest historical record in which it is mentioned, and this name, with various spellings is adopted wherever the place is spoken of in any legal or official document. We find a noble family de Bermingham, in 1154, a lawsuit connected with Byrmingeham, and numerous other eireumstances. Where the word is written Bromwicham, or Bram- wicham, it is always in doeuments not professing exactness in this particular, of a com- paratively recent date, and in which the loose spelling of the age would be sure to prevail.