Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 2.djvu/93

 9 th S. II. JULY 30, '98.]

NOTES AND QUERIES.

85

forms. In Domesday ledge becomes lege or lage, and even lac, while led is represented by lei, lie, leie, or lai. When we find leigh in the modern name it is always from ledge. Thus Leigh-upon-Mendip, Somerset, is Leage in a charter, and Farleigh, Hants, is Fearnleage ; Bickleigh, Devon, is A.-S. Bicanleage ; But- leigh, Somerset, is A.-S. Buddecleighe ; and Leigh, Dorset, is Lege in Domesday.

On the other hand, from led we have -ley. Berkeley, Gloucestershire, is the A.-S. Beorc- lea ; Wembley, Middlesex, is from Wembalea ; Beckley, Sussex, is A.-S. Beccanlea ; Bradley, Hants, is Bradanlea ; and Oakley, Stafford- shire, is Aclea. In the North ledge may become laugh, as at Healaugh, which is Domesday Hailaga, or even lac. Thus in Domesday, Pockley is Pochelac, Helmsley is Elmeslac, Osmotherley is Asmundrelac, Filey is Fivelac, and Beverley was once Beverlac forms which have caused these names to be wrongly referred to the A.-S. lacu, a "pool," or to lagu, a "stream." It may be noted that Waterloo is from the Flemish word loo, the phonetic equivalent of the A.-S. ledh and of the O.H.G. I6h, a " woodland pasture," which is seen in Venloo, Be verloo, Hengloo, Westerloo, Tongerloo, and many other names.

ISAAC TAYLOR.

P.S. This explains Hamlake= Helmsley (ante, p. 67).

REGENT SQUARE, ST. PANCRAS, AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. The following accountmay be interesting as showing the manner in which it was once possible for a landowner to erect barriers across streets, and to create an imperium in imperio in the midst of London. It is to be hoped that a similar course of action would not be tolerated at the present time, it having been held by high judicial authority that a landlord in laying out streets must have regard to the interests of the public, and must not merely consult his own interests and advantage.

In 1810 a local and personal Act of Parlia- ment (50 Geo. III. chap. 170) was obtained for laying out Regent Square and enclosure and the adjacent streets. The Act is entitled " An Act for paving and otherwise improving

certain streets on ground belonging to

Thomas Harrison, Esq., in the parish of St. Pancras, in the County of Middlesex (9 June, 1810)."

The Act recites that Thomas Harrison, of Kentish Town (whose name is commemorated in Harrison Street, Gray's Inn Road), is the owner of thirteen acres of land on the west side of Gray's Inn Road, near St. George the Martyr Burial-Ground; that a square and

several streets have been formed, and it is desired to enclose the square and provide for its maintenance, &c. To carry out this inten- tion commissioners are appointed,-forty-eight in number, including the Rev. Welden Champness, Michael Heathcote (after whom Heathcote Street appears to have been named), Woodbine Parish (afterwards Sir Woodbine Parish), and Thomas Poynder. In the case of the decease of any of the commis- sioners the survivors have power to fill the vacancy, provided the persons so appointed have an annual income from rental of 501. or 2,0001. personal estate. The commissioners are empowered to enclose and embellish the enclosure (afterwards called Regent Square), to pave and repair the streets on the estate, to erect gates and lodges, and prevent the passage of carts, waggons, drays, or cattle through the streets.

Lamps are to be set up and the streets named and numbered. Occupiers of houses on the estate are required to scrape the foot- way in front of their houses every day before 10 o'clock in the morning under a penalty of 5s. for each offence. The commissioners have power to water streets. Ashes may not be removed from houses except by the commis- sioners' contractors. The commissioners were empowered to appoint watchmen, and to levy a rate not exceeding two shillings in the pound for paving, sixpence in the pound for watering the roads, and one shilling in the pound for the maintenance of the square, empty houses being charged half rates. There is a curious provision that in the event of any house being let to a foreign ambassador the rates are to be paid by the landlord. The commissioners were further authorized to raise a sum not exceeding 20,000/. by way of loan or mortgage. Although introduced as a local and personal Act, it is enacted that it shall be deemed to be a public Act.

JOHN HEBB.

Canonburv Mansions, N.

' LOVE'S LABOUR 's LOST.' In the report of the books at the Kean sale the Athenaeum states that a copy of ' Love's Labour Lost' (it should be ' Love's Labour 's Lost '), which sold for 17/. 10s., was imperfect. This statement is not correct. It was not what is termed a fine copy, but on collating it carefully page for page I found it quite perfect. This copy is now in my possession amongst other Snake- sperian treasures. MAURICE JONAS.

"PiGGiN." This word has caused some difficulty ; but it is now well known that the various Gaelic, Irish, and Welsh forms that resemble it are all alike borrowed from Eng