Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 10.djvu/31

 9* B.X. JULY 12, 1902.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

Bremengham, Bremincham, Bremyncham's country, Bremyngeam, Bermingham, Bre- mingham, Bryrnyngham, and Bremyngham. Queen Elizabeth, in an autograph letter on Irish affairs, dated 6 November, 1599, writes the name Bremingham. In 1657 the name appears as Bermigham, Bremigham, and Bremmingham. From these examples it is clear that in the majority of instances in Ireland the r preceded the vowel and the g was soft. The name is unquestionably Anglo-Saxon, and it is impossible to make any sense of Bern*- in that language ; it was neither a personal name nor a word ; but, if assumed to have been originally Brem-, the meaning is plain, as Breme was a personal name ; it is recorded in Domesday. A Breme fell at the battle of Hastings, a,nd Bromsgrove was originally Bremesgraf = Breme's grove. The meaning of the word is illustrious, glorious, famous.

Now all languages are subject to meta- thesis, or shifting of letters, ana it is common in connexion with r: third was originally thrid (we still say three), bird was Irid, thirst was thrist, dirt was drit, &c. The Domesday form is plain Berm- ; but Domesday, it must be remembered, was compiled by Norman clerks and Norman commissioners, from the evidence of Anglo-Saxons transcribed into Latin. Twelfth-century records, especially if local, are better authorities as to spelling than Domesday, and here, in them, the Brem- prevails. It is not, however, necessary to allege error in Domesday. Metathesis is as old as Homer, and in this instance may well have commenced before Domesday; centuries frequently elapse before a change is generally accepted, and meantime the spelling oscillates. To ask is a case of metathesis. That is the old form ; then for centuries we said axe, and for the last 300 years we have gradually returned to ask ; but how many millions still say axe !

Assuming the original form to have been Bremingaham (dative plural), the meaning is clearly "the home of the sons (or descend- ants) of Breme," ing in Anglo-Saxon being equivalent to the Scotch Mac or the Irish 0'. As a rule in place-names the a in -inga- drops out, but is frequently for a time represented by e, as here in the Domesday and many subsequent forms. When this is the case, although the g was originally hard (as it certainly was in Bremingaham), it became soft, and hence the various terminals in -cham, -sham, and ultimately -gem-. Examples of the e softening a preceding g, which without it would be hard, may be found in hinge, swinge, singe, change, &c.

Many places which, like Bermingeham, once had a medial ge, but have dropped the vowel still retain the ancient pronunciation Attingham, near Shrewsbury, in Domesday is Atingeham, and is now commonly called and written Atcham. Pattingham, near Wolverhampton (Domesday Patingham), probably once had a medial e, for it is, and always has been, pronounced Pattinjem. Lockinge, in Berkshire, has a soft g. Abinger, in Surrey, is pronounced Abenjer, though its old form was Abing worth (g hard) ; then falling to Abingerth, and finally to Abinger, the g softens.

No etymology of Birmingham could be satisfactory which did not account for " Brumagem." That form is no vulgarism, as commonly supposed, but represents, better than Birmingham, the archaic pronunciation of Bremingenam. W. H. DUIGNAN.

Walsall.

ME. THOMS. ' N. & Q.' ought to record the fact that by an error in the text and index of a volume on ' Westminster ' in " The Fascination of London" series, by the late Sir Walter Besant and Mr. G. E. Mitton, we have the name of Thome for our founder, whose connexion with the House of Lords is not named, but who is called only " antiquary and originator of Nptes & Queries." D.

"WYK" AND "WiCK." (See 'St. Clement Danes.' 9 th S. vii. 64, et seq.)In connexion with the late controversy as to the meaning of the word Wick, I may mention that the United Service Magazine for June, p. 303, in " Pages from the Diary of a Boer Officer, by Another of Them," part iv., uses the word in a very curious sense :

"The bulk of the Boer forces the burgher commandos was organized after a territorial system of election, the outline of which may be given in a few words. Territorially, the two Republics were divided into districts, which in their turn were subdivided into wyks. At the head of every wylc was a field-cornet, or semi-civil, semi-military ^paid official, who was elected for a certain period of time by the burghers of the wyk, and M'ho could be re-elected at the expiration of his term of office. Besides being a justice of the peace, a chief, constable, and a military official, the field- cornet was very often an Assistant Native Com- missioner. The combined wyks of a district formed a commando under the leadership of a commandant, a non-paid military official, without any civil capacities, elected by the burghers of the district. This was the peace establishment. In time of war .the different groups of burghers, immediately upon coming together, chose their corporals and fore men ; an impromptu commissariat staff was appointed ; and the Government or Council of War. nominated vecht - generals (literally fighting - generals, anglice, major - generals), who, as lieutenants of the