Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 5.djvu/56

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NOTES AND QUERIES.

s. v. JAK. 20, 1900.

Amsrica. In Canada and the United States even the stems of potatoes are potato-vines. Tennyson speaks of " briony - vine " in 'Atnphion.' M. P.

"THE GRAVE OF GREAT REPUTATIONS."

Who was the author of the saying that " South Africa is the grave of great reputations " 1

G. D.

MR. BING. A servant of this gentleman appears to have been put to the ra.ck in January, 1621/2, but disclosed nothing. What Mr. Bing was this ; and why was his servant examined ? LOBUC.

" ARGH." This curious word forms the termination of numerous place - names in Lancashire, and in the Lonsdale and Kendal portions of Westmorland. Here are some examples, given both in the modern and ancient spellings, the date of occurrence being added in the latter case : Torver, Thorwerghe (1202), Thorfergh (1246); Mansergh, Manz- serge (1066); Sedbergh, Sedberge (1066); Skelsmergh, Skelsmeresergh (1241 - 1246) ; Docker, Docherga (1170-1 184), Docarhe(1189- 1193); Sizergh, Siritisherche (1200-1230), Siheriderhe (1180-1200); Ninezergh, Niandes- hergh ; Winder, Wyndergh (1301). These are all north of the river Lune. Arkholme, pro- nounced Arram, Ergune (1066), Erghum (1 318) ; Gopsnargh, Gusansarghe (1066) ; Grimsargh, Grimesarge (1066) ; Kellamargh, Kelgrimes- arewe (1246), Kelgrimesargh (1301) ; Medlar, Midelergh (1235). These are north of the Ribble. Anlezargh, Andelevesarewe (1202), Anlauesargh (1224) ; Sholver, Solhher (1202), Shollergh, Schalwer (1246) ; Brethargh, Bre- tharwe (1250). These are south of the Ribble. Nearly all these examples are the names of townships, and represent ancient vills, not mere isolated homesteads.

In Atkinson's 'Ancient Whitby and its Abbey,' p. 113, horyr, Icelandic, "a heathen place of worship," is suggested as the deriva- tion. Mr. Anderson, in * Orkrieyingar Saga,' p. 187, considers that erg, Icelandic, "a summer stock-farm or shealing," is connected with the Gaelic airidh, having the same meaning ; and Dr. H. Colley March, in a paper printed in vol. viii. of the Transactions of the Lan- cashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society, p. 72, adopts this as the most probable deriva- tion. As, however, the combination of this word argh with many personal names, as in the instances given above, points to the site of a mil or lAn t rather than a mere sheal, or summer hut, I venture to ask for an authoritative opinion if this word is not more probably derived from the Icelandic erja, to

ugh, old English to ear, than from a Gaelic word descriptive of much less than a per- manent homestead or village. Can the form argh or ergh, with a strong guttural sound, and presumably used in the sense of a ham or tun and its arable fields, be satisfactorily deduced from the Icelandic erja, to plough ?

Marton-in-Craven.

MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS AT THE PARISH CHURCH, SCARBOROUGH. I should like to know if the inscriptions on the tombstones in Scarborough churchyard, or the small brass inscriptions in the church, have ever been published. I should also be pleased to know if the registers or extracts therefrom have been printed. The churchyard is a very large one, and contains numerous memorials of old Scarborough families, the greater number of which are now undecipherable. I am anxious to have copies of the inscriptions to the families of Nind, Sanderson, and Wharton. When I visited the church last year I was unable to read the inscriptions on the tombstones of the above families which, I believe, existed some fifty years ago. The registers of Scarborough are to be published by the Yorkshire Parish Register Society, but I do not know when. CHAS. H. CROUCH.

Nightingale Lane, Wanstead.

" BALLY " AND " BALLYRAG." Perhaps some of your readers can enlighten me regarding two words which I fail to find in the * New English Dictionary.' " Bally " I believe to be in common use among the uneducated, espe- cially in such phrases as " no bally use " and " no bally good." Is it only a mild form of "bloody"? "Ballyrag" I have recently heard in frequent use in Yorkshire, where it seems to be used to describe horseplay, especially between persons of opposite sexes who might, perhaps, be thought rather too old for a game of romps the sort of tiling the Spanish indicate in their proverb " Juego de manos es de villanos." K. B. W.

[Horseplay between schoolboys is commonly known as '''ballyragging." "Bally" Henley and Farmer derive from Bally - hooley. For "bally- rag" see .>. 'English Dialect Dictionary and Barrere and Leland's ' Dictionary of Slang, Jargon, and Cant.' For " bally " see ' English Dialect Dic- tionary,' under 'Bale/ As to this word the two authorities we mention do not agree.]

SUFFOLK NAME FOR LADYBIRD. I under- stand that in Suffolk this pretty insect is called "bishop" or "Bishop Barnaby." Is it too fanciful to suggest that, its form being somewhat like that of a bishop's mitre, it thence derives its name? The other local