Page:White - The natural history of Selborne, and the naturalist's calendar, 1879.djvu/315

Rh denarios." Here we see that Selborne was a royal manor: and that Editha, the queen of Edward the Confessor, had been lady of that manor, and was succeeded in it by the Conqueror, and that it had a church. Besides these, many circumstances concur to prove it to have been a Saxon village; such as the name of the place itself,* the names of many fields, and some families,t with a variety of words in husbandry and common life, still subsisting among the country people.

What probably first drew the attention of the Saxons to this spot was the beautiful spring or fountain called Well Head,‡ which induced them to build by the banks of that perennial


 * Selesburne, Seleburne, Selburn, Selbourn, Selborne, and Selborn, as it has been variously spelt at different periods, is of Saxon derivation; for Sel signifies great, and burn torrens, a brook or rivulet: so that the name seems to be derived from the great perennial stream that breaks out at the upper end of the village.—Sel also signifies bonus, item fœcundus, fertilis. "Sel goepr-run: fœcunda graminis clausura; fertile pascuum: a meadow in the parish of Godelming is still called Sal-gars-ton" L Saxon Dictionary ', in the Supplement, by Mr. Manning.

† Thus, the name of Aldred signifies all-reverend, and that of Kemp means a soldier. Thus we have a church-litton, or enclosure for dead bodies, and not a church-yard; there is also a Culver-croft near the Grange-farm, being the enclosure where the priory pigeon-house stood, from culver a pigeon. Again there are three steep pastures in this parish called the Lithe, from Hlithe, clivus. The wicker-work that binds and fastens down a hedge on the top is called ether, from ether, a hedge. When the good women call their hogs they cry sic, sic,1 not knowing that sic is Saxon, or rather Celtic, for a hog. Coppice or brushwood our countrymen call rise, from hris, frondes and talk of a load of rise. Within the author's memory the Saxon plurals, housen and peason, were in common use. But it would be endless to instance in every circumstance: he that wishes for more specimens must frequent a farmer's kitchen. I have therefore selected some words to show how familiar the Saxon dialect was to this district, since in more than seven hundred years is far from being obliterated.

‡ Well-head signifies spring-head, and not a deep pit from whence we draw water. For particulars about which see Letter I. to Mr. Pennant.