Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 7.djvu/310

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [12 s. vii. SEPT. 25, 1020

Aug. 25, 1640, bore him two sons, Henry, baptized Oct. 12, 1632, and buried Oct. 17, 1632, and Henry, baptized Mar. 21, 1634, ^nd buried Dec. 4, .1634, besides five other children who all died young. Could the Isaac mentioned by A. D. T be one of these five ? Is there evidence that the angler or another Isaak Walton was connected with Banbury ? A correspondent at 11 S iv. 11 refers to "a fairly full and very interesting account " of Isaak Walton's first wife contributed by Henry Hucks Gibbs (the late Lord Aldenham) at 4 S. xii. 382-4.

EDWARD BENSLY.

ETYMOLOGY OF "LIVERPOOL " (12 S. vii. 68, 96, 188). MR. ROBERT GLADSTONE is, I fear, somewhat too sanguine. To begin with, .he has forced the meaning " shelter " on the Old Norse hlifft. Both Cleasby-Vigfusson and Zoega, whose Dictionaries he quotes,

five "protection," "defence," as the signi- cation, and the quotations in the lexicons show that the word was used purely in connexion with military matters : thus, Tilifftar-vdpn, " weapon oi defence," hlif^ar). <skiold-r, "shield of defence," hlifQar-lauss " coverless," "uncovered." And there is nothing in the Scandinavian Old Norse dictionaries, such as Haegstad's and Torp's foog over det gamle norske Sprog, ' that lends the slightest support to his theory. The lexicons give plenty of illustrations of O.N. hlfiS (genit. hliftar), "a slope," being used in local nomenclature, but only one of hlifft, viz., hlijt5ar-stafi-r, and that is in the military sense of "a stronghold." We cannot separate on of the ancient (post- Conquest) forms, Litherpol, from the name of the neighbouring Litherland ; and I think that the matter still rests where I left it in my ' Place-Names of the Liverpool District ' and 'Surnames of the United Kingdom.' Taking word? from dictionaries, regardless of their history or context, and giving them forced meanings, will not help us. What we want to settle beyond doubt a problem of this kind is a pre-Conquest spelling ; and this we are not likely to get in the case of in Domesday Book.
 * Gamal-Norsk Ordbog,' and Fritzner's ' Ord-
 * Liverpool," which is not even mentioned

Apart from philological grounds, " Shelter- Pool " is improbable in itself. Every creek is more or less of a shelter. Besides, are there not other pools on the Mersey ? What of Wallasey Pool and Otterspool ? HY. HARRISON. Bournemouth,

Early references are sufficiently un- common to make this one perhaps worth recording, and also because it illustrates an interesting old English custom which died out long since, so far as Liverpool is con- cerned. The notice occurs in a most useful little book by Arthur Hopton, entitled : "Concordancy of yeares. .. .small octavo, twice issued, 1612, and 1615, within Shakes- peare's lifetime, by the ancient and worshipful Companie of Stationers. ' ' In the section headed "A brief e remembrance of the principall faires for July " comes " Liver- poole " [p. 175].

Stratford-uponAvon fair is quoted as held in May and September, whereas now the annual fair is always held on Oct. 12.

W. JAGGARD, Capt.

I agree with MR. ROBERT GLADSTONE that the name Livtherpool, meaning "Shelter Pool," is of Scandinavian origin, and to quote the late Sir J. A. Pic ton (see 6 S. ix. 350), the association of the liver bird with it is "a foolish invention to account for the name." Possibly the Herald's College when granting the Arms made a pun on the name by emblazoning this fabulous bird on the shield.

Preston. ALBERT WADE.

" CRUTCHES FOR LAME DUCKS" (12 S. vii. 209). The writer of the article in The Times of Aug. 25 was correct in assuming that the phrase might have had its origin in one of the mediaeval English plays. It is met with in the ' Peace Egg ' in the combat between St. George and Slasher. The latter being wounded, a call is made by one of the other players for a "doctor." An old man with a blackened face and a hump back (effected by placing a brick under his coat, and tying a cord round his middle) steps forward and recites some of hitj qualifications in medicine and surgery :

"I can cure [he says] the itch, the pitch, the palsy and the gout. . . .1 have travelled in Italy, Titaly, France and Spain....! have relieved a man of a hang-nail, forty-five yards long.... I have in my bag, paniers for cockroaches, ....

spectacles for blind hummer bees and crutches

for lame ducks."

M. N.

My mother, who was born more than a hundred years ago, was wont to rebuke, and at the same time excite the curiosity of her children when, for instance, they made inquiries as to the constituents of some coming repast, by saying " Shimshams