Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 1.djvu/378

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NOTES AND QUERIES.

[9 th S. I. MAY 7, 93.

century tomb to Cardinal Forteguerra (1473). Many damaged portions of it have been found in other parts of the church, and lately replaced by Signor Dom. Gnoli, who has written eloquently about it in the Archivio Storico dell 1 Arte. The cardinal had served under his illustrious fellow - citizen Pius II. (Piccolomini), and the Venetian Paul II. (Barbo), in several undertakings of great moment. ST. CLAIE BADDELEY.

The siege of Siena in question was that conducted by the Marchese di Marignano on behalf of Cosmo de' Medici in 1554-55. The defence was in the hands of the famous Blaise de Montluc, afterwards Marshal of France, and the inhabitants exhibited through- out the greatest heroism. F. B. will find a full account of it in Montluc's ' Commentaires,' which Henry IV. called J' la Bible du soldat." F. B. has secured a very interesting relic: the only others I know are to be found in the walls of the castle of Belcaro, about three miles from Siena, where Marignano had his headquarters, in the shape of some cannon balls embedded in, the ramparts. As to the Fortiguerri family, the lady to whom the knife and fork belonged is called by Montluc " La Signora Fortaguerra." I give the quo- tation :

" Au commencement de la belle resolution que ce peuple fit de deiendre sa Iibert6, toutes les dames de la ville de Sienne se departirent en trois bandes; la premiere^taitconduitepar la signora Fortaguerra, qui e'tait v6tue de violet, et toutes celles qui la suivaient aussi, ayant son accoutrement en facon d'une nymphe, court et montrant le brodequin;' la seconde e'tait la signora Piccolomini," &c.

the name so well known in connexion with Siena. This happened before Montluc arrived to take charge of the arrangements, but he gives it on the best authority, and had seen the standards carried by the ladies. I may add that there is an interesting study of Montluc in Sainte-Beuve's 'Causeries,'

Vol. xi. W. B. DUFFIELD.

SWANSEA (9 th S. i. 43, 98, 148, 194). The last communication on this subject does not in the least help us to elucidate the origin of the above place-name: it merely reiterates the old phonological tneory of Sweyn and ey without in any way accounting for the pre- sence of Sweyn in the name, and as to the explanation that ey means an island, it is not applicable to Swansea at all, as there is no island at that place. Welsh place -names generally embrace the physical characteristics of the spot they represent, as Ynispenllwch, from ynys, island; pen, head; llwch, a lake; signifying a place at the head of a lake. Or

bhey may be personal names, as Llandeilo- Talybont, from llan, a church ; Deilo-Teilo, a British saint ; tal, the end of; y, the; lont- pont, a bridge Teilo's church at the end of the bridge.

Col. Morgan, in his pamphlet, gives a list of the various forms of Swansea as appearing in ancient charters and other old documents ; but, as he says, it depends entirely upon the accuracy of the transcripts whether these names are correct or not, viz.: In 1188, Sweynsei; in 1208, Sweinesey; in 1215, Sweynehe, Sweynesche, and Sweynelhe; in 1234, Sweinesheie; in 1278, Sweynesher and Sweynesheie; in 1281, Swanese; in 1283, Sweyneshheye, Sweynesse, and Swoinesea; in 1313, Sweyneseye; in 1385, Sweynes ; in 1433, Sweynesey ; in 1463, Swaynesey ; in 1553, Swannessey; in 1569, Swansey; in 1585, Swanzey; and in 1738 Swansea, its present name.

Col. Morgan also indisputably proves the geographical identity of Sein Henyd and Sweynehe, Sweynesche, or Sweynelhe, the names of Swansea mentioned respectively in 'Bruty Tywysogion,' and in King John's charter to the men of Gower in 1215.

Senghenydd in East Glamorgan appears in 'Liber Landavensis' as Seigunid, Seghenid, and Seyghenyth; but as to Sein Henyd (Swansea), in West Glamorgan, Col. Morgan gives the various forms of it as they appear in Welsh histories and other authorities: Sant Cenydd (pronounced Kennith, with soft th), Lan Cinith (in 'Liber Landav.'), Llangenei, Llangeriey, Sengenny, Sein Henyd, and Sancti Keneth, according to William of Worcester, who says Sant Cenydd was buried "apud ecclesiam Villse Sancti Keneth " in Gowerland.

The presence of the vocable Sein in Sein Henyd means Saint or Sant, and this is fully explained in 'Specimens of Early English,' by Rev. R. Morris and Rev. W. W Skeat (circa 1240-1300) ; but we have earlier instances of this form of this word in the Welsh language in Gwynfardd Brycheiniog's poem to St. David (circa 1160-1220), in which he writ saints under four varieties, viz., Saint, Sev Sein, Seinhyen, the last form bearing a strik" resemblance to Sweynehe, the Norman ni of Swansea in 1215. We have numerous instances in the Welsh language of the elision of the final t, as in the modern word anan, silver, for old Welsh ariant; ugain, twenty, for ugaint, and so on ; and it is very probable that Cenyd changed into Henyd under the influences of the Anglo-Saxon language, for in many Welsh words with an initial c the English have an initial h, as in corn, horn ; cantref, hundred ; caffael, have, &c..