HUSBANDRY.
The influence of the Norse has been felt in terms connected with land.
"God speed the plough" has been the toast of many a cup at many a
merry meeting for many a century past in this realm. Yet we seem not
generally to know by whom the name of the plough was introduced amongst
us. The Anglo-Saxon knew nothing of such an implement and its uses ere
they settled in the land. This is apparent from their not having a term
for it in their own tongue. Even when they were accustomed to the use
of the so-called plough of the Romans, which they found in the hands
of the British at their settlement in the country, they so confounded
the terms of husbandry that they gave the name of "syl" or "suhl" to
the Roman-British implement, from the furrow "sulcus," which it drew,
without attending in the least to the Roman-British name. The work
of one such plough during a season they have called a "sulling" or
furrowing.
This so-called plough, from the figures left of it in the Anglo-Saxon
MSS., seems to have been but a sorry kind of an article, not fit to
be brought into comparison with the worst form of our plough in the
neglected districts of England. We owe both the framework and the
origin of the modern plough to the Northerners. We meet with the word
in the old Norse "plogr." In Swedish it is "plog"; while in Danish it
occurs both as "plov" and "ploug," as in English, and it was in all
probability introduced by that people during the eleventh century,
at the latter part of their dynasty within the island. There is no
root either in the Teutonic or Scandinavian tongues from which it is
deducible. The British name for their plough was "aradr," their mode of
pronouncing the Latin "aratum," the word for the Roman plough. The sort
of agriculture which was known in the very early times must have been
extremely simple, if we are to judge it by the terms which have reached
our times.
Ulphilas, in his translation of the Greek Testament construes the word
for plough with the Gothic word "hôha," the origin of our modern term
"hoe." We may therefore surmise that in these primitive times natives
hoed the ground for their crops for want of better implements to turn
up the soil.
While we owe to the Norse the name for plough, we are also indebted to
them for the term "husbandry." Among the Scandinavians, the common name
for the peasantry was "bondi," the abstract form of "buondi," dwelling
in, or inhabiting a country. As intercourse with more civilised nations
began to civilise the inhabitants of these northern climes, certain
favoured "bondi" had houses assigned to them, with plots of ground
adjoining for the use of their families. As the culture of such private
plots was distinct from the common culture of other land, the person
so favoured, separated from the general herd, obtained the name of
"husbondi," and the culture of their grounds "husbondri." When such
families obtained settlements in England, they brought over with
them the habits and names of the North; and from mingling with the
Anglo-Saxon natives, with whom adjuncts to introduced terms and titles
were common, the suffix of "man" was applied to the name of "husbondi,"
who thus became "husbandmen," a term still kept up in the northern
counties for labourers on farms, who are styled husbandmen to this day.
Names from trades and handicrafts were given to persons employed
therein both by Danes and Anglo-Saxons. Such names keep up their
distinction to the present day. The general name of artizans of every
kind was Smith. Simple "Smiths" are Anglo-Saxon, "Smithies" are Norse.
"Millars," from the trade of millers, are Anglo-Saxon. "Milners" for
the same reason are Norse. "Ulls," "Woolley" is Anglo-Saxon, "Woolner"
is Norse; "Fullers" and "Towers" are Anglo-Saxon; "Kilners" and
"Gardners," Norse. Some names derived from offices as "Gotts" from
"Gopr," a priest, or one who had charge of a "hof," or heathen temple
in the north. "Goods" comes from "Gopa," and "barge" from "bargr."
As further instances we may notice the names of buildings. "Bigging,"
applied to a building, shows it to be Norse, as in "Newbiggin" and
"Dearsbiggin." Such buildings were built of timber, and had an opening
for the door and an eyelet for a window. In the Norse this opening
was called "vindanga," or windeye, which term we have adopted, and
modernised it into our word "window." We have also chosen several
Norse names for our domesticated animals. "Bull" we have formed from
the Norse "bole." "Gommer," or "Gimmer" we retain in the northern
dialect for ewe lamb, from the Norse "Gimber." "Stegg," the name for
a gander, is in Norse "Stegger." In the north nicknames were general,
and every man had his nickname, particularly if there was aught
remarkable in his appearance or character. Some obtained such names
from their complexions, as the "Greys," "Whites," "Blacks," "Browns,"
"Blakes." Short and dwarfish persons took the nicknames of "Stutts,"
nowadays called "Stotts." Before Christianity found its way among the
natives, some bore fanciful names, as may be instanced in "Bjorn," a
bear, now "Burns." Prefixes to such fanciful names were also common,
as in "Ashbjorn," the bear of the Osir or gods, in modern times spelt
"Ashburns"; and "Thorbjorn," the bear of Thor, whence came "Thornber"
and "Thorburn." The name of "Mather" is Norse for Man, and as Norse
names are general, we may produce the following: "Agur" from "Ager";
"Rigg" from "Rig"; "Grime" from "Grimr"; "Foster" from "Fostr";
"Harland" from "Arlant"; "Grundy" from "Grunrd"; "Hawkes" from "Hawkr";
and "Frost" from "Frosti," which are of frequent occurrence in the old
Norse Sagas.
In the Vale of the Lune the Danes have left numerous traces. North of
Lancaster is Halton, properly "Haughton," named from the tumulus or
Danish "haugh," within the village. These are the names of the "bojais"
or farms belonging to "byes," or residences of their greatmen. Near
Hornby we find such places at "Whaitber," "Stainderber," "Threaber,"
"Scalaber." Within the manor of Hornby are "Santerfell," "Romsfell,"
"Litherell," or fell of the hillside. The name of fell for mountain
bespeaks Norse or Danish influence.
The Raven was the national symbol of the Danes. We have Ravenstonedale
and Ravenshore, and we also find the name in Rivington Pike, from
Raven-dun-pike. Pike is a common name for a hill or spur standing away
from the mountain range, and is derived from the Picts. The derivation
of our common pronoun "same" is to be traced through the old Norse
"samt," "sama," and "som," and has been selected into our tongue from
the definite form "sama," the same. While we might expect to meet
with this word, in the Lowland Scotch, where the Norse influence was
greater, the people use the Anglo-Saxon "ilia" or "ylea," while in
the general English, where the influence of the Northmen was less, we
have adopted the Norse word "same," to the exclusion of the word we
might expect to consider as our own. Many a good word do we owe to the
Norsmen, whatever we may think about their deeds.
Stone Crosses