_Ergh, Er, or Argh_.--In Dr. Whitaker's _History of Whalley_, p. 37.,
ed. 1818, are the following observations on the above word:--
"This is a singular word, which occurs, however both to the
north and south of the Ribble, though much more frequently
to the north. To the south, I know not that it occurs, but
in Angles-ark and Brettargh. To the north are Battarghes,
Ergh-holme, Stras-ergh, Sir-ergh, Feiz-er, Goosen-ergh. In
all the Teutonic dialects I meet with nothing resembling this
word, _excepting the Swedish_ Arf, _terra_ (_vide_ Ihre _in
voce_), which, if the last letter be pronounced gutturally, is
precisely the same with _argh_."
Can any of your readers give a more satisfactory explanation of this
local term?