What country was inhabited by the Angles before they occupied Britain? Adam
of Bremen (_Hist. Eccl._ c. 3.) says:
"Igitur Saxones primo circa Rhenum sedes habitant et vocati sunt Angli
quorum pars inde veniens in Britanniam, etc."
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Notwithstanding the opinion of Turner, and most other historians, I venture
to offer a few facts in confirmation of the monk's testimony. 1. The names
of places on the Lower Rhine, and more especially in Guelderland, point to
an _Anglian_ origin for instance, _Engelanderholt_, _Engelenburg_ and
_Engelenberg_, _Angerlo_ olim _Angelerlo_. _Engeland_, near Beekbergen, is
mentioned in a charter[3] dated 801 as _villa Englandi_. Several other
places bear the same name: two near Hardenberg, one in the land of Putten,
another in our parish; which also contains _Henschoten_ olim
_Hengestschoten_, and owes its own name to _Woden_. Near Nimwegen, we have
_Horssen_. 2. Many local names in the same district, which can only be
explained by reference to the A.-S. _Hulkestein_ on the Zuyder Sea,
_Hulkestein_ near Arnhem, from A.-S. _hulc_, a dwelling: thus, stone
buildings, castles. _Thri_, A.-S., three, is mentioned in a charter dated
855 as the name of a villa, now the hamlet _Drie_, near Ermelo. _Hierd_ and
_Heerd_, from A.-S. _hierde_, perhaps also _Hardewick_ or _Harderwyk_ from
the same. _Braclog_, a wood near Engelanderholt, from _brac_, enemy, and
_locen_, an enclosure, is mentioned in a charter (801). _Luntern_ and
_Lunhorst_, from A.-S. _Lun_, poor. _Wigmond_, from _wig_, war; and _mund_,
defence. _Culenburg_, from _ciol_ or _ceol_, a ship. _Klingelbeck_, near
Arnhem, from _clingan_, to shrink up. _Ysseloord_ from _ord_, a point; and
thus confluence of two rivers, as we see also on the Rhine, _Roerort_ and
_Angerort._ _Herwynen_, _Herveld_, _Hernen_, _Herwaarden_, _Winden
Delwynen_, _Sennewyn_, can be explained[4] by A.-S. _here_ and _win_. 3.
The agreement between the names of places here, and those of every part of
England occupied by the Angles. Out of a great number of instances
collected by Mr. Molhuysen (see Nyhoff's _Bijdragen_, vol. iii.) I will
take a few. In Kent we have Appledore, Appleton, Appleby; here _Appeldorn_,
_Appel_, _Appeltern_, _Appelenburg_ on the Wahal. Ashe and Ash; _Asch_,
near Buren, and others. Barne; _Bern_ near Heusden, and _Baarn_ near
Amersfoort. Barnefield; _Barneveld_. Bonington, _Boningen_. Dover;
_Doveren_. Gillingham; _Gellinchem_. Hearne; _Hiern_, near Waardenburg.
Herne; _Hernen_. Leisdon; _Leusden_. Lone; _Loenen_. Sandwich; _Sandwyk_,
near Tiel. Watchorne; _Waghorn_, in the Velume. In Yorkshire: Beel; _De
Beele_, near Voorst. Byland; _Byland_. Campe; _Campen_. Catwich; _Katwyk_.
Dodworth; _Dodewaard_. Ecope; _Heicop_. Grimestone; _Grimmestein_, on the
Eem. Heck; _Eck_. Hampall; _Empel_, near Engelen. Herfield; _Herveld_.
Hewick; _Ewyk_, &c. &c.--The evident similarity of names in this list,
which might be extended through several pages, affords at least a strong
presumption that a part of the land of our fathers is to be sought here. I
will just add that there is a MS. containing copies of charters, registers,
&c., collected by Opstraeten van der Moelen, a genealogist, who died in the
early part of the seventeenth century, now in the possession of Mr. Van
Asch van Wyck. In this is an article entitled "De Nobili et Antiqua Familia
dicta Amersfoort seu potius Heemsfurt vel Hemefurt a vado Heeme seu Hemi
fluvii." The writer makes mention of the well-known grant of Charlemagne to
the cathedral of Utrecht, by which Lisidunum (Leusden) and four forests on
the banks of the Eem were ceded to this church: _Hengestschoten_,
_Fornese_, _Mocoroth_, and _Widoc_. The writer considers the last-named
forest to be that of _Wede_ or _Woden_; and derives thence the family-name
_Weede_. Concerning _Hengestschoten_ is remarked:
"_Hengist_, qui circum annum 450 Britanniam insulam cum suis Frisonibus
et Saxonibus occupat." And further: "Weede nomen adhunc retinere
videtur a _Woden_, qui fuit avus avi _Hengesti_, sicut
_Hengestschoten_, nune praedium dominorum Oestbroek, ab _Hengisto_
nominatur."
Henschoten was ceded to the abbey of Oestbroek in 1130, and sold at the
breaking up of the monasteries; and is now the property of Mr. Van Asch van
Wyck. Since, therefore, the above extract must have been written before the
Reformation, the belief that our forefathers proceeded from this country is
by no means new; and the evidence in its support is, I think, stronger than
that adduced by Turner and Lappenberg in favour of an immigration from
Sleswig; indeed it seems not improbable that the first settlers, with
_Hengist_ at their head, sailed from the mouth of the Eem. I have more to
add in a future Number, if "NOTES AND QUERIES" can afford me space.