CARRIAGES.
The Phaeton owes its designation to the mythological personage of that name who received permission to drive the sun-car of Helios, his father, for one day, with the result that, being overthrown, he nearly set the world on fire. The Victoria was introduced in the year that witnessed the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Victoria. The Clarence was the favourite conveyance of the Duke of Clarence, afterwards William IV. The Brougham, invented in 1839, received its name from Lord Brougham, who was the first to permanently adopt it; and the same may be said of the Stanhope, so called in compliment to Lord Stanhope. The Sociable is an appropriate name enough for an open carriage of which the facing seats afford opportunity for pleasant conversation. The Landau was first made at Landau in Germany; whereas the Tilbury perpetuates the name of a celebrated London sportsman who introduced this particular species of carriage during the early part of the present century.
The small, light, one-horse vehicle known as a Dog-cart is so called because such a one was originally constructed for sportsmen to drive their pointers and setters (which they kept in a box under the seat) to the scene of the sport. The term Buggy is a corruption of Bourgeois, a French name indicating a vehicle intended for the middle classes so denominated; while Gig is a contraction of the Italian giga, a romp, and the French gigue, a lively dance, a jig, in allusion to its jumping and rocking motion. The like derivation applies to the long, light ship’s wherry which passes under the same name. The term Sulky, as applied to a light two-wheeled conveyance, owed its origin to the fact that, when it was introduced, people hazarded the opinion that none but sulky, morose, and selfish people would ride in such a carriage, because it had only accommodation for one person. The Noddy, peculiar to Dublin, derives its title from the jolting motion which keeps its riders continually nodding; and the Jaunting Car, from the jaunts and country outings for which, on the other side of the Irish Sea, these vehicles are largely employed. The English Break bears its name because it partakes of the character of the four-wheel vehicle used by horse-breakers; indeed, it differs from the latter only in the addition of the upper portion containing the seats.
Stage-coaches were originally so called on account of the different stages at which they stopped to change horses and refresh the passengers. ’Bus is short for Omnibus, a Latin word signifying “for all.” The step at the back of an omnibus is facetiously styled the Monkey-board, in consequence of the capers usually executed thereon by the conductor. The board on either side of the roof of the vehicle, upon which theatrical and other advertisements are exhibited is known as the Knife-board, from its fancied resemblance to that article of domestic utility. So far from having derived its name from one of the northern suburbs of London, a Hackney-coach is simply an English rendering of coche-a-haquence, the literal French for a coach drawn by a hired horse. The word Coach (French, coche, the diminutive of the Italian conchula, a shell) really means a shell-like contrivance upon wheels. Cab is a contraction of the Cabriolet, from cabriole, a goat’s leap, in allusion to its lightness and springiness, first introduced in Paris. This vehicle, after undergoing sundry changes and improvements, was patented in the year 1883 as the “Safety Cab” by Joseph Aloysius Hansom, from which circumstance it has in more recent times come to be generally designated the Hansom Cab.
The term Hearse traces its origin through the German hirsch from the Gothic hersa, a sepulchral mound. At a later date it implied a temporary monument, but nowadays it denotes the funeral car. The word Funeral, by the way, is a contraction of the Latin funeralis, signifying a torchlight procession, from funis, a torch, because interments among the Romans always took place by night. Pantechnicon is a Greek word, composed of pan, all, and techne, art, indicative of the place where every kind of industrial art was exhibited or exposed for sale. In modern days the term has come to be exclusively applied to a vehicle constructed for the removal of household furniture. Lastly, the cloth that covers the box-seat of a carriage of any kind is called the Hammer-cloth, because in the old coaching days it concealed the box which contained a hammer, nails, and other implements useful for repairs in the event of a breakdown on the journey.
DANCES.
Dancing is styled the Terpsichorean Art in honour of Terpsichore, the daughter of Jupiter and Mnemosyne, whom the ancients regarded as its inventress. The Morris Dance, from which our “Jack in the Green” and his fellow May-day revellers trace their origin, was the military dance of the Moors, or Moriscoes, introduced into this country by John of Gaunt on his return from Spain in the reign of Edward III. Five men and a boy took part in it, and from the fact of the boy wearing an ill-fitting helmet called a morione, he received the name of “Mad Morion,” which was subsequently corrupted into Maid Marian. The Saraband was invented by Zarabanda, a famous dancer of Seville in the sixteenth century. The Gavotte arose among the Gavots, a people who inhabited the department of the Upper Alps and the province of Dauphiny, in France. Quadrille is the literal French for “a little square,” so called from the position taken up by the dancers; while the Lancers derived their name from a company of Lancers who originally improvised this variation of the Quadrille for their own amusement while seated in their saddles. The Polka, of Polish origin, is so designated on account of the Bohemian word pulka, a half, in allusion to the half step occurring in it; the Schottische is a variation of the Polka; the Mazourka is the national dance of Poland—all of which, with the addition of the Redowa, are native terms. The Waltz is a contraction of the German Waltzer, derived from the verb waltzen, to roll, to revolve, alluding to the revolutions made by the pairs of dancers placed vis-à-vis. The Country Dance, so far from being a peasants’ dance, is nothing more than a corruption of the French contre-danse, signifying that the parties place themselves opposite to each other during the dance. Strictly speaking, the Contre-danse and the Quadrille are one and the same. The Roger de Coverley derived its name from the great-grandfather of Roger de Coverley, or rather, to be precise, of Roger of Cowley, near Oxford, who invented it. The Minuet (Latin minutus, small) is so called wholly on account of the short steps peculiar to this dance. The Tarantella was invented in Italy out of the supposition that the profuse perspiration which it induced was a certain cure for the poisonous bite of the Tarantula Spider, named after the city of Taranto, where its baneful presence was first manifested. Cinderella Dances are those which terminate before midnight, in allusion to Cinderella of nursery renown.
The origin of the word Ball, in its application to a dancing-party, is somewhat singular. Centuries ago there was in vogue on the Continent a three-fold game, in which the players danced to the sound of their own voices while they threw to one another a ball. In all probability this arose out of the curious “Ball-Play in Church” by the Neapolitans during the Saturnalia, or “Feast of Fools,” corresponding to our Easter-tide. There is even now a statute in existence which regulated the size and character of the ball to be used on such occasions. In opening the ceremony, the Dean took the ball in his left hand, and commenced an antiphon, which the organ took up; whereupon he tossed the ball to first one and then another of the choir-boys, as they joined hands, sang, and danced around him. When, therefore, the three-fold game alluded to above divided and its three sets of dancers became independent of each other, the dance itself took the name of the article that was, as if by common consent, discarded—to wit, the ball; and the song was styled the Ballata, or, according to the modern English, a Ballad indicative of a dancing-song; while the verb ballare, to dance, gave existence to the French Ballet, signifying a dance tune. Apropos of the Ballet, the term Coryphée, as applied to a ballet-dancer, traces its origin from the Greek coryphœus, the designation of one who danced to the lute in the theatres of the ancients. En passant, the famous war dance of the Greeks, executed in very quick time and known as the Phyrric Dance, was so denominated after Pyrrichos, a celebrated Dorian flautist.
The Hornpipe is an inversion of pib-gorn, the name of the old Welsh instrument consisting of a pib, or pipe, with a gorn, or horn, at each end, to which this dance was originally stepped; the Reel has reference to the whirling evolutions performed by the dancer, as of winding cotton on a reel; whereas the Jig comes from the French gigue, a lively dance, and gige, a stringed instrument, the usual accompaniment to this rough-and-ready style of pedal exhilaration. The term Breakdown is an Americanism, denoting the last boisterous dance before the breaking up of a dancing-party towards early morning. Appropriately enough, such a dance invariably constitutes the final item of a negro-minstrel entertainment.
PIGMENTS AND DYES.
The word Pigment is a contraction of the Latin pigmentum, based upon the verb pingere, to paint. Dye traces its origin to the Anglo-Saxon deag, a colour, remotely derived from the Latin tingere, to stain. Several of the pigments most generally used owe their names to the places whence they are, or were originally, brought. As examples: Umber was first obtained in the district of Umbria, in Italy, and Sienna, properly called Terra di Sienna, or Sienna Earth, from Sienna; Gamboge comes from Cambodia, formerly known as Gambogia, in Siam; Indigo, from Indicus, the ancient description of India; and Krems White, from the city of Krems, in Austria, where it is exclusively manufactured. Prussian Red, Brunswick Green, Brunswick Black, Frankfort Black, Hamburg Lake, Venetian Red, and Chinese Yellow, speak for themselves. Prussian Blue, also called Berlin Blue, was first made by a native colourman of Berlin in the year 1710; whereas Saunders Blue is merely a corruption of cendres-bleus, the French for blue ashes, this pigment being obtained from calcined bluestone. Another name for the latter is Ultramarine, because it was originally brought from ultra, beyond, and marinus, the sea.
The deep blue known as Mazarine was named after Cardinal Mazarin, the Prime Minister of France (born 1602, died 1661), in whose time it was first prepared; while the puce colour known as Pompadour received its designation from Madame le Pompadour, the mistress of Louis XV. (born 1721, died 1764), who popularized it. Cardinal is so called because it expresses the exact shade of the red habit worn by the cardinals of the Church; the term Carmine owes its origin to the Italian carminio, purple; while Carnation denotes a flesh tint, in accordance with the Latin caro, flesh. The colour which results from the combination of a vivid red with more or less white is styled Pink, owing to its resemblance to the flower so designated.
The origin of the word Purple must be sought in connection with the circumstance in which this dye, or colour, was discovered. It appears that one day a favourite dog belonging to Hercules of Tyre chanced to eat a species of fish known to the ancients as the purpura; and upon returning to his master, the latter found the lips of the animal tinged with the colour that was shortly afterwards imitated and denominated purple. The term Scarlet is a modification of sakarlat, the Persian description of a bright red colour; while Crimson traces its existence through the Old English crimosyn to garmaz, the Arabic term for the cochineal insect, from whose dried body, found upon a species of cactus, this vivid dye-stuff is obtained. The beautiful purple obtained from chloride of gold bears the name of Cassius after its inventor.
Magenta was named in commemoration of the Battle of Magenta, fought in 1859; and Vandyke Brown, from its having been so frequently used by Vandyk (born 1599, died 1641) that it forms a characteristic colour in all his portraits. Sepia is the Greek designation of the cuttle-fish, and the pigment so called is obtained from the dark juice secreted by the glands of the Indian species of this fish. Sap-Green is prepared from the juice of the ripe berries of the buckthorn; whereas Emerald Green denotes the particular shade of green that characterizes the emerald. Lamp Black is so called because it was originally obtained from the burning of resinous matter over a lamp. Ivory Black is a pigment formerly obtained from charred ivory, but nowadays from bones. The origin of Isabel, a dull brownish-yellow, with a mixture of red and grey, is as follows:—When the Duke of Austria was besieging Ostend in 1601, Isabella, his wife, the daughter of Philip II. of Spain, vowed that she would not change her linen until the town had been taken. Unfortunately for her personal comfort, the town held out for two years, at the end of which period her linen assumed the characteristic hue that was afterwards imitated by the ingenious colourman who sought to honour her by perpetuating the incident.
LONDON DISTRICTS AND SUBURBS.
At that remote period when the first rude huts were established on the banks of the Thames, the surrounding scene could have presented nothing more inviting to the eye than an extensive marsh or morass. That such was undoubtedly the case the existing names of Fenchurch Street and Finsbury, furnish ample evidence. The former marks the site of an ancient church situated among the fens, while the latter is an easy corruption of Fensbury, the Anglo-Saxon designation for “a town among the fens.” Therefore it was not surprising that the barbaric Britons, who founded what we now call London, should have given the name of Llyn-dun [see Lincoln] to their colony beside the Thames. Apropos of the Thames, the name of our noble river is merely a slight contraction of the Latin Thamesis, signifying “the broad Isis.” Isis is the Celtic for water.
Westminster was denominated after the Abbey [see Westminster Abbey]. Belgravia is the name given to the fashionable district of which Belgrave Square is the common centre. Pimlico owed its designation to an attempt on the part of the tavern-keepers of this neighbourhood to rival the celebrated nut-brown ales of one Ben Pimlico, who kept a pleasure-garden near Hoxton, the road to which was known as Pimlico Walk (still in existence), and the garden itself, first as “Pimlico’s,” and subsequently as “Pimlico.” The name of Knightsbridge carries us back to the time when two knights, on their way to receive a blessing from the Bishop of London at Fulham, engaged in a deadly combat on the bridge that spanned the Westbourne, exactly on the spot where Albert Gate now stands. Prior to this incident the bridge had borne the name of Fulham Bridge. Mayfair occupies the site of an annual six days’ fair held in May, originally at the instance of Edward I., for the benefit of the leper hospital of St. James the Less, Bishop of Jerusalem, now St. James’s Palace. The district of Soho was known by its present name as long ago as the sixteenth century; “So ho!” being the cry of the huntsmen when calling off their harriers in the days when the whole of London west of Drury Lane was open country. Bloomsbury is a corruption of “Lomesbury Village,” of which the Manor House stood on the site of Bloomsbury Square. Smithfield is a modern perversion of “Smoothfield,” an extensive tract of meadow land where horses were sold and tournaments were held as far back as the twelfth century. The first recorded English horse-race was witnessed in Smoothfield in the year 1154. Clerkenwell derived its name from an ancient well (now marked by an iron pump let into the wall at the south-east end of Ray Street) beside which the parish clerks performed their Miracle Plays. Spa Fields, now built over, owed their designation to a medicinal well, or Spa, discovered in 1206, and subsequently known as “The London Spa.” The proper description of Bunhill Fields is Bonhill, i.e., “good hill” Fields, so styled because the victims of the Great Plague were buried here in 1665. Moorfields was formerly a bleak moor skirting the northern portion of the marshy land known as Fensbury, now Finsbury, already referred to.
Shoreditch did not receive its name from Jane Shore, neither is the word a corruption of “Sewer Ditch,” as some writers have suggested. This district really comprised the manor of Sir John Soerditch, a wealthy London citizen and a valiant knight who fought by the side of Edward the Black Prince at Crecy and Poictiers. Whitechapel was designated after the White Chapel of St. Mary, built in 1673. Goodman’s Fields perpetuated the name of the owner of the land now known as the Minories, upon which a Priory of the Nuns of St. Clare was afterwards built. Shadwell is a corruption of St. Chad’s Well, discovered in this neighbourhood in ancient times. The once-notorious Ratcliffe Highway derived its name from the Manor of Ratcliffe, belonging to the adjoining parish of Stepney. The title has now been changed to St. George’s Street. Stepney was anciently described as Stebenhithe, signifying that it contained a wharf or haven belonging to one Steben or Steven. Spitalfields marks the site of the ancient Priory of St. Mary of the Spittle, dissolved in 1534. The French refugees established the silk manufacture here in 1685. Bethnal Green recalls the existence of the old family of the Bathons, whose history is first recorded in connection with their property situated in this neighbourhood during the reign of Edward I. Hoxton is a corruption of Hogsdon, meaning hog’s town. In proof of this statement we may add that Hog Lane still exists in the vicinity. De Beauvoir Town preserves the family name of the De Beauvoirs, whose original ancestor, Richard de Beauvoir, of Guernsey, resided here in princely style. Copenhagen Fields were so called after a tea-house opened by a Dane, about the time when the King of Denmark paid a visit to James I. Haggerstone is a corruption of “Hergotestan,” the literal Saxon for “Our God’s Town.” Hackney was originally described as Hackoneye, signifying an ey, or portion of well-watered pasture land, appropriated by a Danish chief named Hacon [see Chelsea, &c.].
Dalston is properly Daleston, or Vale-town. This was a quiet suburban village situated in a valley during the days when the northern districts of the Metropolis were more or less wooded—as witness Stoke Newington, or the new town in the meadow by the wood. The word Stoke comes from the Anglo-Saxon stoc, a wood or stockade; ton is the Old English for town, and ing the Anglo-Saxon for a meadow, also a family settlement. Southgate is expressive of the southern entrance to the enclosure, anciently known as Enfield Chase; and Kingsland the royal domain adjacent to it. Abney Park owes its name to Abney House, recently converted into a Conservative Club, but originally the residence of Sir Thomas Abney (born 1639, died 1722), Lord Mayor and a distinguished Nonconformist, knighted by William III. Dr. Isaac Watts died at Abney House in 1748. Green Lanes indicates the rural character of this neighbourhood in bygone times. Edmonton is properly Edmond’s-town. The name of Ball’s Pond is all that remains to remind us of the one-time existence of “The Salutation” house of call which had a pond for dog and duck sports, kept by John Ball. Mildmay Park is so called after Mildmay House, the family seat of Sir Henry Mildmay, who came into possession of the estate by his marriage with the daughter of William Halliday, an Alderman of the City in the time of Charles I. Muswell Hill is a slight corruption of Mustwell Hill, derived from the Latin mustus, new, fresh; because on this hill there was anciently discovered a well of clear, fresh water by the friars of St. John’s Priory, Clerkenwell, who had a dairy hereabouts. That portion of the hill which has been cut through for the construction of the line of railway to Enfield, Barnet, and the north, bears the name of The Hog’s Back, in allusion to its shape. The name of Wood Green is self-explanatory. Hornsey is a corruption of “Harringe,” or meadow of hares. Canonbury received its title from the residence of the Prior of the Canons of St. Bartholomew, built in this neighbourhood soon after the Conquest. Bury is Saxon for a town or enclosed habitation, equivalent to the Celtic don, and Old English ton. In days of old, Highbury contained a Priory of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, built in 1271. The establishment was called High-bury, because it stood upon higher ground than their previous residence which had borne the name of Tolentone, or lower town. Holloway reminds us that this was once a miry hollow between Highgate and Islington. Barnsbury is a corruption of Berners-bury, originally a manor belonging to Lady Juliana Berners, Abbess of St. Albans. Islington has always been a favourite suburb in modern times, and even our mediæval ancestors must have been delighted with its situation, lying high and dry beyond the fens and the sloughy neighbourhood of the “old bourne.” Its name signifies “the settlement of the Islings.”
King’s Cross derived its name from a wretched statue of George IV., set up in honour of his accession in 1820, and demolished to make way for the London terminus of the Great Northern Railway in 1842. The parish of St. Pancras is so called after the church dedicated to the boy-saint who was martyred by Diocletian in the early days of Christianity. Agar Town, now entirely swept away by modern improvements, was designated after William Agar, a miserly lawyer who acquired the lease of the land for building purposes in 1840. Somers Town is the property of Lord Somers, and Camden Town, of the Earl of Camden. Kentish Town was formerly written “Kestestown”; but even that was a corruption of “Kantelowes Town,” erected upon the Manor of Kantelowes. The modern spelling of this family name is Cantlowes. Primrose Hill is still a pleasant eminence whereon primroses grow, despite the encroachments of bricks and mortar all around. Highgate is a title expressive of the elevated situation of the village that sprang up around the toll-gate established on the common highway from Barnet to Gray’s Inn Road about the year 1400. Holly Village, Highgate, was so called by its foundress, the Baroness Burdett-Coutts-Bartlett, after her residence, Holly Lodge, hard by. Hampstead signifies a farmhouse or homestead. The word is Saxon: ham, a home, and stede, a place. In its wider sense, ham denotes a town. The western slope of Hampstead bears the name of Frognal, after Frognal Priory, an ambitious edifice built here by Memory-Corner Thompson (born 1757, died 1843), in imitation of Horace Walpole’s toy village on Strawberry Hill. Bishop’s Wood, Hampstead, comprised the private estate of the Bishop of London, at the time when that ecclesiastic resided at Highgate. Gospel Oak received its designation from the oak that marked the boundaries of Hampstead and St. Pancras, and under which, in accordance with an ancient custom, the Gospel was read once a year. John Whitfield is said to have preached under this oak. Chalk Farm is a corruption of “Chalcot Farm,” a picturesque farmhouse in whose vicinity duels were usually fought during the century gone by. St. John’s Wood was anciently a thickly wooded district sheltering an “Abbey of the Holy Virgins of St. John the Baptist.” Kilburn owes its name to the Kil, the Celtic word for a cell, occupied by “one Godwyne, a holy hermit,” beside the bourne, or brook. Maida Vale was so called in commemoration of the Battle of Maida, in which the English defeated the French, July 4, 1806. Marylebone does not signify “Mary the Good,” as the majority of Londoners imagine, but “St. Mary of the Bourne,” alluding to the church of St. Mary within sight of the bourne that ran from the hermit’s cell at Kilbourne down to Tyburn, or rather Twa-burne; so called because two different bournes, or streams, met in the neighbourhood where the Marble Arch now stands.
The name of Bayswater has undergone considerable change from the original. Not so very long ago the whole of this district was known as Bayswater Fields; during the last century it bore the name of “Bear’s Watering,” and previously that of Baynard’s Watering. By the last was meant the land dotted with pools held from the Manor of Westminster, by Ralph Baynard, the favourite of William the Conqueror, who resided at Baynard’s Castle, at Blackfriars, on the north bank of the Thames. These pools, together with the Tyburn were converted into what is now styled the Serpentine, owing to its form, in 1733. Paddington, originally written Padynton, was the settlement or town of the Pædings, a branch of the family who originally established themselves at, and gave their name to, Padendene, in Surrey. Westbourne Park derived its name from the west bourne, or stream, that wended its way from the hermit’s cell at “Kilbourne,” in the direction of the “Baynard’s Watering,” and thence, after passing under Fulham (or Knights’) Bridge, emptied itself into the Thames. Notting Hill is a corruption of Knolton Barn (Hill), a manor held by the De Veres, and subsequently by Robert Fenroper, an Alderman of the City, in the reign of Henry VIII. The name of Shepherd’s Bush once more puts us in mind of the pastoral character of the environs of London in the days gone by. Acton is an Anglo-Saxon name for “Oak town,” signifying the town built in the vicinity of the large Oak Forest. Gunnersbury denotes the town, or enclosed habitation, named after Gunylda, the niece of King Canute, who resided here during the Danish occupation of England. Kew was anciently described in documents as Kay-hoo, meaning a quay situated on a hoo, or hoe, the Scandinavian for a spit of land. Brentford signifies the ford over the Brent, a tributary of the Thames that takes its rise near Hendon. Isleworth means a manor beside the water. The first portion of the word comes from the Celtic, Isis, water; the second is Anglo-Saxon for a manor. Staines owes its name to the boundary stone (Saxon stane, a stone) by the river, which displays the words “God preserve the City of London.” The date of this stone is 1280. Kingston was designated after the King’s stone, now preserved within railings near the Town Hall, upon which the Saxon monarchs sat to be anointed. Shepperton is Old English for Shepherd’s Town, or the abode of shepherds. The name of Twickenham denotes a hamlet situated between two tributaries of the Thames. Richmond was anciently known as Sheen, a Saxon term for “resplendent,” in allusion to the palace erected by Edward I. When Henry VII. rebuilt the palace, after its destruction by fire in 1479, he changed the name of the village to Richmond, in perpetuation of his title of Earl of Richmond prior to ascending the throne. This king died here in 1509.
Chiswick is a corruption of “Cheoselwick,” derived from the Anglo-Saxon ceosel, sand, gravel, and the Teutonic wick, a reach, from the root waes, a moist meadow. Hammersmith was originally Hammersmeide, a Saxon village distinguished for the number of its smithies. The forename, Hammer, is Scandinavian for a village or small town. Kensington derived its name, or rather that of Kynsington, the Saxon for King’s meadow, with the Old English suffix ton, a town, from a royal residence erected here in very early times. Brompton was so called from the broom-trees that grew in the neighbourhood of this healthy ton or town. Chelsea is described in old documents as “Chevelsey,” meaning shingle island. The first portion of the word claims the same etymology as Chiswick, viz., ceosel, sand, gravel; while the suffix ey, or ea, is also Anglo-Saxon, derived from oe, the Scandinavian for running water. These terminals always indicate water, and not unfrequently an island, properly so called; as, for example, Anglesey, the Isle of the Angles. In the case of Hackney the terminal is expressive of a well-watered pasture, as has already been seen; whereas in the cases of Chelsea and Battersea the allusion is not merely to their proximity to the Thames, but to their partial isolation in ancient times from the adjacent land on account of the creeks and inlets of the river. Battersea, we may here remark, is described in Domesday Book as “the Manor of Patricesy”; but even this early name was a corruption of Petersey, or St. Peter’s-ey, because it had belonged to the Abbey of St. Peter’s, Westminster, from time out of mind. To return: Walham Green denotes a settlement of foreigners; wal, being a modification of wahl, the Celtic for foreign, and ham, the Old English for a home. Fulham was formerly written “Fullenhame,” the Anglo-Saxon for a habitation of water-fowl. Parson’s Green received its name from the parsonage in connection with Fulham Church that stood here previous to 1740. Percy Cross, Fulham, is a corruption of “Parson’s Cross,” referring to a cross on the roof of the parsonage on Parson’s Green. Putney was originally “Puttaney,” the Saxon for Putta’s Isle; whereas Wimbledon was Wibbandun, a Celtic term signifying the dun, or hill-fort, belonging to one Wibba. The name of Wandsworth denotes a manor watered by the Wandle. Lambeth is a corruption of “Loamhithe,” the Anglo-Saxon for haven of the loamy soil. Vauxhall is described in a document dated 1282 as the Manor of Faukeshall. As, however, this manor was originally held by Fulke de Breante soon after the Conquest, it is highly probable that the designation was more correctly Fulke’s Hall, afterwards corrupted into Faukeshall. The present spelling of the name may be traced back to the year 1615, when the Hall, or Manor House, was occupied by Jane Vaux.
Southwark is a modification of the Anglo-Saxon “Suthwerk,” and the Danish Sydrike, literally the south fortification. During the Danish occupation of England this was a very strong position. Bermondsey was anciently written Beormundsey, signifying that the ey, or strip of land intersected by creeks [see Chelsea, &c.], belonged to Beormund, a prominent Anglo-Saxon lord. Horselydown is properly Horsadown, so called because this district was originally a down used for grazing horses. Walworth was named in honour of Sir William Walworth, Lord Mayor in 1380, who resided here. The Borough recalls the fact that the inhabitants of London south of the Thames were Burghers, and, therefore, entitled to the rights and privileges of Corporation.
Rotherhithe is Saxon for red haven, alluding to the colour of the soil. The name of Deptford indicates the deep ford over the Ravensbourne, which is now spanned by a bridge. Greenwich means the green town, or, more precisely, the verdant settlement beside the wick, or reach of the river [see Chiswick]; whereas Woolwich was originally Hylwich, i.e., hill town. The Isle of Dogs is a corruption of “Isle of Ducks,” so described in ancient documents on account of the number of wild-fowl always to be found there. New Cross derived its name from “The Golden Cross,” a famous old coaching-house, rebuilt and renamed “The New Cross.” Lewisham is properly Leawreham, or meadow-home. Blackheath is a corruption of Bleakheath. Eltham was formerly written “Ealdham,” the Anglo-Saxon for the old home or dwelling, referring to the palace occupied by the English kings down to the time of James I. Catford is a contraction of Cattleford, signifying a shallow portion of the Ravensbourne easily forded by cattle. [The University town on the Isis received its present name of Oxford for a similar reason.] Beckenham denotes a home beside the beck or brook. Here again the Ravensbourne comes into notice. Sydenham means the home or habitation in the south. The names of Forest Hill, Norwood, a contraction of Northwood, and Westwood remind us that the whole of this district was formerly a large tract of wooded land. Dulwich is a corruption of Dalewich, the town in the dale. Honor Oak owes its designation to the boundary oak, under whose umbrageous shade Queen Elizabeth is said to have dined. Nunhead derived its name from “The Nuns’ Head,” a place of holiday resort for Londoners, dating back more than two hundred years. Peckham was originally Beckham, a home distinguished for its becks or brooks. Brixton is a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon “Brigestan,” the bridge of stone. Camberwell derived its name from a miraculous well discovered close by the parish church dedicated to St. Giles, the patron of cripples. Cam is Celtic for crooked. In this instance the word applies to the cripples, or rather to their patron saint. [On the other hand, the University town of Cambridge was so called from the bridge over the Cam, a river distinguished for its winding course.] Stockwell is in allusion to the well found in the stoc, or wooded place, in Anglo-Saxon times. Kennington means a settlement in the King’s meadow. One of the palaces of Henry VIII. stood here. Newington denotes the new town in the meadow. Finally, the name of St. George’s Fields was derived from the neighbouring church of St. George the Martyr.
BATTLES.
The Tearless Victory was the name given by Plutarch to the victory won by Archimadus, King of Sparta, over the Argives and Arcadians in the year 367 B.C. without the loss of a single Spartan soldier. The Thundering Legion is the historical designation given to the Roman legion that overthrew the Alemanni in the year 179 A.D., during a thunderstorm, which was supposed to have been sent in answer to the prayers offered up by the Christians. Not only did the storm strike terror into the minds of their enemies, but it also enabled the Romans to relieve their long-protracted thirst. The Hallelujah Victory received its name from the battle-cry of the newly-baptized Bretons, who were led to the attack by Germanus, Bishop of Auxerre, in the year 429.
The Battle of the Standard, fought between the English and the Scots at Northallerton, August 29, 1138, was so called because the standard of the former consisted of a tall crucifix borne upon a wagon. From the crucifix itself there was suspended the Consecrated Host enclosed in a pyx, while floating beneath were the bannerets of SS. Peter, Wilfrid, and John of Beverley. The Battle of the Herrings (February 12, 1429) obtained its title from the defeat suffered by the Duc de Bourbon when attempting to intercept a convoy of salted herrings on their way to the English besieging Orleans. The Battle of Spurs is the more familiar designation of the Battle of Guinnegate, in which Henry VIII. defeated the Duc de Longueville (August 16, 1513), because the French were said to have used their spurs more than their swords. This event, however, must not be confounded with The Battle of the Spurs of Gold, which took place between the French and the Flemish at Courtray, in Belgium, July 11, 1302. In this engagement the French were completely routed, and the spurs of upwards of eight thousand of the vanquished knights were left upon the field. These were collected and preserved as trophies of war in the Church of Notre Dame de Courtray.
The Battle of Marignano (September 13, 1515) also bears the name of The Battle of the Giants, owing to the defeat by Francis I., King of France, of 1,200 Swiss Guards, the allies of the Milanese. The Battle of Leipsic (October 16-18, 1813) is known as The Battle of All the Nations, because, in addition to signalizing the overthrow of Napoleon and the deliverance of Germany, it was the champion battle of the nations of Europe.
NOTABLE DAYS AND FESTIVALS.
That New Year’s Day is the first day of the recurring year goes without saying. Previous to 1752, when the year commenced on the 25th of March, its four recognized quarters were Whitsuntide, Lammastide, Martinmastide, and Candlemastide; at the present time they are Lady Day, Midsummer, Michaelmas, and Christmas. Let us at once consider the meaning of these terms.
Whitsuntide is the season ushered in by Whit Sunday, a corruption of White Sunday, because, during the primitive ages of the Church, all newly-baptized persons were required to attend Mass in white garments on this day. As every one knows, Whit Sunday commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the form of fiery tongues. It is highly probable, therefore, that the true meaning of Whit, or White, Sunday remains to be sought in connection with the wisdom symbolized by these fiery tongues. After all, the original spelling of this festival-name may have been Witan Sunday, the Anglo-Saxon for Wisdom Sunday; just as the earliest English parliaments were styled Witanagemotes, or “meetings of the wise men.” But to proceed. Lammastide literally signified the season of First Fruits; since on Lammas Day, a term compounded out of the Anglo-Saxon hlaf, a loaf, and mœsse, a feast, (Aug. 1st), it was formerly the custom to offer bread made of new wheat in the churches. Martinmas Day (Nov. 4th), latterly corrupted into Martlemas Day, denotes the Feast of St. Martin, Bishop of Tours in the fourth century. Candlemas Day, or the Feast of the Purification (Feb. 2nd), which commemorates the presentation of the Infant in the Temple in accordance with the Jewish Law instituted 1490 B.C., because the early Christians walked in procession to Mass with lighted candles in their hands on this day. This religious observance was introduced by Pope Gelasius in the fifth century, as a literal bearing out of the words spoken by Holy Simeon when he took the child Jesus in his arms: “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word; For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people: A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel” (Luke ii. 29-32). It is still the practice in the Roman Catholic Church to make offerings of candles for the use of the altar on this day. Lady Day (Mar. 25th) is but another name for the Feast of the Annunciation, or the day upon which “the angel of the Lord appeared unto Mary,” and announced that she was to become the Mother of the Son of God. Midsummer Day (June 24th) expresses the midday of the year; while Michaelmas Day (Sept. 29th) is the Feast of St. Michael, the patron saint of the Roman Catholic Church. As the latter feast falls upon the first day of autumn, the hiring of labourers and domestics in the rural districts takes place at this time. Christmas Day is, to put it literally, the Feast Day of Christ, being the anniversary of the Nativity of the Blessed Redeemer.
Innocents’ Day, formerly known as Childermas Day (Dec. 28th), commemorates the Massacre of the Innocents by Herod. Twelfth Day (Jan. 6th), signifying the twelfth day after Christmas Day, bears the ecclesiastical name of the Epiphany, from the Greek Epiphaneia, a showing or appearance, because on this day the Infant manifested Himself to the Three Wise Men from the East who came to adore Him. In olden times the Feast of the Epiphany was kept with great solemnity in the churches during the day, followed by a festival of a more social character in the evening, thus accounting for the old-fashioned appellation of Twelfth Night. The 7th of January was formerly called Distaff’s Day, because the Christmas festivities having come to an end with Twelfth Night, the women were expected to return to their distaffs and other regular occupations on this day. Another name for the same occasion was Rock Day, rock being the Anglo-Saxon term for a distaff. Similarly, the first Monday after the Epiphany bore the designation of Plough Monday, on account of the men returning to the plough and the ordinary labours of the field on this day. Handsel Monday, the first Monday in the New Year, was so called by the Anglo-Saxons because then it was that handsels, or presents, were bestowed upon domestics and children. To the best of our knowledge the custom no longer exists in any portion of this country; or perhaps it may be more correct to say that its observance has been universally transferred to Boxing Day (Dec. 26th), originally so styled from the opening of the various alms-boxes in the churches, and the distribution of their contents, which bore the name of a Christmas Dole, to the poor by the clergy on this day. Moreover, since heads of families usually gave their children and domestics small sums of money to drop into the boxes for the latter purpose on Christmas morning, we here trace the origin of the term Christmas Box, which nowadays applies to a present received by servants and others during the Christmas season.
The word Lent is a contraction of the Old English lenten, and the Anglo-Saxon lencten, the spring, both derived from lencgan, to lengthen, because the long fast of the Christian Church occurs when the days begin to lengthen. Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Tuesday, derived its name from the shriving or confessing imposed upon the faithful on this day. The custom of eating pancakes originated from the fact that this species of food afforded a stay to the appetite during the long hours of waiting in church to be shrived. The distribution of ashes on Ash Wednesday commemorates the passage in the third chapter of Genesis, where the Lord curses Adam in these words: “In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread till thou return to the ground; for dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return.” Passion Sunday, which precedes Palm Sunday, is devoted to a general commemoration of the subject of Christ’s Passion. Palm Sunday owes its name to the distribution of palms in the Roman Catholic Church, in allusion to the palms borne by the populace who accompanied the Redeemer into Jerusalem shortly before His betrayal by Judas. The week following Palm Sunday is called Passion Week, and also Holy Week, because it contains the days upon which the incidents of Christ’s Passion are particularly commemorated. Maunday Thursday is the first, not at all on account of the maund, the Saxon term for an alms-basket, formerly presented to the poor by the Lord (or rather by the Lady, “the loaf-giver”) of the Manor, but from the ancient ceremony of washing the feet of poor persons, in imitation of Christ at the Last Supper, when He said, “Mandatum novum do vobis,” &c., the French for Mandatum being Maundé. The ecclesiastical designation of this day is Holy Thursday, in commemoration of the Agony and Bloody Sweat of the Saviour in the Garden of Gethsemane. Good Friday, the anniversary of the Crucifixion, was originally known as “God’s Friday.” The Anglo-Saxons usually called this day Long Friday, in consequence of the length of the Church service. Holy Saturday is the day upon which the Church commemorates the Burial of Christ.
The word Easter bears in itself no Christian significance whatever, having been derived from Eoster, the goddess of light, or spring, in whose honour a festival was anciently held in the month of April. The Jewish festival corresponding to our Easter is called the Passover, in commemoration of the Destroying Angel having passed over the houses of the Israelites whose door-posts were marked with the blood of a lamb killed the previous night in accordance with the Divine command, when He smote the firstborn of the Egyptians in the year 1491 B.C. Returning to the Christian Church, the Sunday after Easter is called Low Sunday, because it stands at the bottom of the Lenten Calendar; being the last day upon which Roman Catholics may fulfil their Easter obligation of receiving the Holy Communion. Sexagesima Sunday, Quinquagesima Sunday, and Quadragesima Sunday are situated in the Calendar respectively sixty, fifty, and forty days before Easter; the terms expressing the Latin for those round numbers.
The Feast of Whitsuntide, which we have already discussed, also bears the name of Pentecost, from the Greek pentekoste, the fiftieth day, in commemoration of the gift of the Law to the Israelites fifty days after their deliverance out of Egypt. Trinity Sunday, so called from the Latin trinitas, three, is the Festival of the Holy Trinity, i.e., the unity of the three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, under one Godhead. Corpus Christi expresses the Latin for the Body of Christ, especially alluding to the Last Supper. As the Church considered it out of keeping with the solemnity peculiar to Holy Week, the celebration of this High Festival has been transferred to the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. The Sunday preceding Ascension Day is called Rogation Sunday because it ushers in the three Rogation Days, or days of preparation, conformably to the Latin rogare, to beseech, for the Feast of the Ascension. We may conveniently add here that Ember Days are those days of especial fasting and prayers that occur in each of the four seasons of the year, viz., the Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday after the first Sunday in Lent, and the corresponding three days after the Feast of Whitsuntide, the 14th of September, and the 13th of December. The weeks in which these days occur are styled Ember Weeks; the allusion to embers (Anglo-Saxon, ämyrie, hot ashes) being commemorative of the ancient custom of doing penance by the wearing of sackcloth and ashes.
On Ascension Day the Church celebrates the Ascension of our Saviour; while the Feast of the Assumption similarly reminds Roman Catholics of the consummation of the Virgin’s mission upon earth by being assumed into Heaven. Holy Cross Day, Holy Rood Day, and the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross are one and the same, the term Rood being Old English, derived from the Anglo-Saxon rôd, for cross. This festival, which occurs on the 14th of September, celebrates the restoration of the Holy Cross of Calvary to Jerusalem in the year 628. All Saints’ Day (Nov. 1st), is the day dedicated to those whose sanctification during life merited their canonization by the Church after death; while All Souls’ Day (Nov. 2nd) is the day set apart for special prayers, having for their object the liberation of the suffering souls in Purgatory. The older designation of the first-named was Allhallowes Day, in accordance with the Anglo-Saxon word haligan, holy. Allhallowe’en denoted the evening before, generally attended with sundry amusements in the social circle; conspicuous among which was the cracking of nuts in large quantities in the fire, whence it received the name of Cracknut Night.
St. Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14th) is sacred to the memory of Bishop Valentine, a Christian martyr beheaded at Rome on this day in the year 278. The custom among young people of sending poetical souvenirs to their sweethearts on the birthday of St. Valentine originated from the old notion that birds commenced to couple on this day: hence, a sweetheart chosen on the 14th of February anciently bore the name of a Valentine. Nowadays, alas! the paper Valentines are all that remain to remind us of the fact. St. Swithin’s Day (July 15th) perpetuates the memory of St. Swithin, the preceptor of King Ethelwulf and Bishop of Winchester, who died July 2, 862. The vulgar belief that if it rains on this day it will continue to rain for forty successive days is attributed to the tradition that when, despite the saint’s dying request to be buried in the churchyard, the clergy took steps to disinter his body in order to remove it within the cathedral, a heavy downpour of rain necessitated a postponement of their efforts on thirty-nine successive days, whereupon, after the fortieth attempt, they determined to allow the saint to remain where he lay. St. David’s Day (Mar. 1st) commemorates the victory won by the Welsh over the Saxons on the birthday of their Archbishop (born 490, died 554), in the year 540. It was in consequence of the Archbishop having ordered them on this occasion to place a leek in their caps, so as to distinguish one another from the invaders, that the Welsh afterwards adopted the leek as their national emblem in his honour. Comb’s Mass, which in the north of Scotland, and Caithness more particularly, takes the place of our Whitsuntide, is the colloquial term for the Feast of St. Columba, Abbot of Iona (born 521, died 597).
Primrose Day (April 19th) is the anniversary of the death of Lord Beaconsfield (born 1804, died 1881). The abundant display of primroses on this day, particularly on the part of the members of the Primrose League, established in 1884 in his honour, originated in the Queen’s primrose wreath sent to the funeral of the great statesman, thus inscribed—“His favourite flower.” The custom of displaying a sprig of oak on Royal Oak Day (May 29th) perpetuates the manner in which the Royalists welcomed the return to England of Charles II. on his birthday, May 29, 1651, in allusion to his concealment in the oak at Boscobel, after the Battle of Worcester, on the 3rd of September previous. Guy Fawkes’ Day keeps alive the incident of the Gunpowder Plot, by the timely discovery of which, November 5, 1605, the wholesale destruction of King James’s Parliament was averted. The name of the chief conspirator was not Guy, but Guido Fawkes; his execution took place January 13, 1606.
Arbor Day is an expression scarcely understood in this country, except, perhaps, at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where the Transatlantic ceremony of planting trees, shrubs, and flowers within the school precincts, was publicly performed for the first time by the Mayor, June 11, 1888. This annual observance prevails not only throughout the United States and Canada, but also in certain portions of British Columbia, where the trees have to be coaxed into growing. Forefathers’ Day (Dec. 20th) is kept as a high holiday in New England, commemorative of the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers at New Plymouth in the year 1620. Independence Day (July 4th), perpetuates the memory of the American Declaration of Independence, 1776; and Evacuation Day (Nov. 25th), the date of the evacuation of New York City by the British army, at the conclusion of the American War of Independence, 1783.
The Sunday in Mid-Lent when the Pope blesses the Golden Rose, and children and domestics out at service visit their mothers to feast upon Mothering Cakes, really owes its name of Mothering Sunday to the ancient custom of making offerings to “Mother Church” on the afternoon of this day. St. Grouse’s Day is a popular nickname given to the 12th of August (Grouse Day), when grouse shooting commences; and St. Partridge’s Day, to the 1st of September (Partridge Day), which opens the season for partridge shooting; while Sprat Day (Nov. 9th) is the first day for selling sprats in London. The expression Red Letter Day, signifying a past event generally referred to with pleasure, found its origin in the old almanacks, where the Festivals and Saints’ Days were printed in red ink and the rest in black. This arrangement still obtains in Roman Catholic countries.
Holiday is a corruption of Holy Day, or a day originally set apart by the Roman Catholic Church for the celebration of some feast in commemoration of an important event, or in honour of a particular saint. The word Almanac, also written Almanack, is derived from the Arabic al manah, to count; whereas Calendar is a contraction of the Latin calendarium, an account-book.
TEXTILES, EMBROIDERIES, AND LACE.
Several of our textile fabrics are indebted for their names to the places where they were first manufactured. As examples: Damask Linens and Silks originally came from Damascus; Muslin from Moosul, in Mesopotamia; Nankeen from Nankin, in China; Calico from Calicut, on the Malabar Coast; Cashmere from the valley of Cashmere, in India; Dimity from Damietta, in Egypt; Valence from Valencia, in Spain; and Holland from the Netherlands. Cambric was first made at Cambray; Shalloon at Chalons; and Tarlatan at Tarare: each of these towns being situated in France. Worsted formerly comprised the staple industry of a town of that name in Norfolk; Cobourg is brought from Cobourg, in Germany; while Angola comes from the Portuguese territory so called on the West Coast of Africa. The coarse woollen cloth known as Frieze was originally imported from Friesland.
The name of Cotton is a modification of the Arabic qoton; Silk is derived from the Latin sericus, soft; and Satin from the Italian seta, a species of silk distinguished for its gloss and close texture. Variegated silk or other stuff bears the name of Brocade in accordance with the Italian verb broccare, to prick, to stitch, to figure; Damassin is a damask cloth interwoven with flowers, or silver, or gold; Sarsanet is a fine silk, originally made by the Saracens; Mohair is properly Moorhair, or the hair of the Angola goat introduced into Spain by the Moors; whereas Moire Antique is the French description of a watered silk worked up in the manner of that worn in the olden time. Chintz is a Persian word signifying spotted or stained; Taffety, or Taffeta, is a modification of the Persian tâftah, derived from taftan, to spin; Linen is an Anglo-Saxon rendering of the Latin linum, flax; and Lawn is simply fine linen bleached upon a lawn instead of the customary drying-ground. Pompadour received its name from Madame le Pompadour, the mistress of Louis XV. of France (born 1721, died 1764), who was the first to introduce it.
Swansdown is, of course, made from the down of swans; Moleskin is not the skin of the mole, but a strong cotton fabric or fustain having a smooth surface like the mole-skin; Merino is manufactured from the wool of the Merino sheep; and Alpaca from that of the alpaca, a species of llama found in Peru. Kersey is a corruption of Jersey, indicative of the place where this favourite woollen material was first produced. The dyed cotton stuff known as Gingham, out of which umbrellas were formerly made—hence the slang term for those articles—is so called after the native Javanese name pronounced ginggang. We may also conveniently add here that Blankets received their designation from Thomas Blanket, who first made them at Bristol as long ago as the year 1340.
The name of Velvet traces its origin from the Latin villus, shaggy hair; and Plush from pilus, a hair. Velveteen is a cotton velvet or a cloth in imitation of velvet. Fustian, derived from the Spanish fustan, is a generic term for the twilled cotton stuffs of which velvet, corduroy, &c., are the chief. Grogram is a corruption of the French gros-grain, meaning coarse-grained; whereas Corduroy is properly Cord du roy, King’s Cord, so called because, owing to its ribbed or corded surface, it was at one time considered superior to any other kind of cloth intended for masculine wear. Pina-cloth, a material much used for ladies’ dresses, is manufactured from the fibres of the pine-apple leaf; just as Grass-cloth is extensively worked up into light jackets for Indian wear from the Grass Cloth plant which abounds in China, Assam, and Sumatra. T-cloth comprises a special kind of cloth expressly manufactured in this country for exportation to India, and distinguished by a T marked upon it; while Broadcloth simply bears its name on account of its unusual width. The name of Twill is a modification of the German Zwillich, signifying trellis-work, and founded upon twillen, to separate in two, since this cloth presents the appearance of diagonal lines or ribs upon its surface. Tweed is a cloth made in the neighbourhood of the river Tweed; but it did not always bear this name. The cloth is really twill, and the altered designation arose out of the word being blotted in an invoice sent to James Locke, of London, who, conceiving it to look like “Tweed,” suggested that it might as well stand for the name of the cloth as any other. Plaid owes its name to the Gaelic peallaid, a sheepskin out of which the over-garments of the Highlanders were originally made. Check is but another name for Plaid, meaning checkered, i.e., marked with variegated or crossed lines; as, for example, a draught-board, of which the counters are, on account of their cross movements, called Checkers or Chequers.
The word Embroidery is a modern substantive evolved out of the old verb “Embordering,” by which was meant the adornment of any material with a border. Tapestry is derived, through the French tapisserie, from the Latin tapes, a carpet. The celebrated Bayeaux Tapestry, supposed to have been the work of Matilda, queen of William the Conqueror, and her maidens, took its name from the Norman town where it was discovered in 1728. Gobelin Tapestry preserves the memory of the Brothers Gobelin, the great French dyers (flourished 1470) whose house in Paris was acquired in 1662 by Louis XIV. for the production of tapestry and other works of ornamental design suitable for the adornment of palaces under the direction of M. Colbert. The more ancient name for Tapestry was that of Arras, in allusion to the town situated in the French Netherlands whence it chiefly came.
Having regard to Lace, it will suffice to observe that Lisle, Chantilly, Brussells, Honiton, &c., severally identify the Lace with the local centres where its manufacture is principally carried on; that Valenciennes is made at Valenciennes, in France; and that Colbertine derives its name from M. Colbert, the superintendent of the French Royal Lace Factories established by Louis XIV. in the seventeenth century. Lace is styled Point-lace when it is worked with the point of a needle; and Pillow-lace when produced by twisted threads around a series of pins arranged on a cushion. The latter, which has so greatly superseded the more costly point-lace, is said to have been the invention of Barbara Uttmann, of St. Annaberg, in the year 1561. The word Lace itself comes from the Latin laques, a noose or snare. Tulle, a species of network or lace, is indebted for its designation to the French town of that name where it was first made.
LITERARY PSEUDONYMS.
So far from being chosen at random these are frequently the result of much premeditation. Voltaire (born 1694, died 1778), whose proper name was Arovet, composed out of this and the initials L. I. (le jeune) the anagram by which all his writings are identified. Again, Barry Cornwall is an imperfect anagram founded upon Bryan Waller Procter (born 1790, died 1874), the poet’s real name; whereas Yendys, the signature of Sydney Dobell (born 1824, died 1874), was merely the Christian name reversed. To cite an instance of another class: Charles James Apperley, of Denbighshire, author of “The Chase, the Turf, and the Road,” and a regular contributor to The Quarterly Review could scarcely have hit upon a more fitting pseudonym than that of Nimrod, who “was a mighty hunter before the Lord,” alluded to in Genesis x. 9. Such a choice will be the better understood, perhaps, when it is mentioned that out of regard for the sporting tastes of his esteemed contributor, Mr. Pittman, the proprietor of the Quarterly kept a stud of hunters for his especial use. Equally appropriate was the pseudonym Zadkiel, denoting the angel of the planet Jupiter, adopted by Lieutenant Richard James Morrison, author of “The Prophetic Almanack,” which still survives as an annual publication.
Washington Irving selected the nom de plume of Knickerbocker for his “History of New York,” in allusion to the wide breeches worn by the original settlers of that city. The true account of how Charles Lamb (born 1775, died 1834) adopted the name of Elia for his “Essays” is as follows:—His first contribution to the “London Magazine” being a description of the Old South Sea House, in which he had spent several months of his noviciate as a clerk, he at the very moment of appending his signature, bethought himself of a gay, light-hearted foreigner who used to flutter about there; and, as a mere matter of whim, he wrote down the name of that individual instead of his own. Boz, the early nom de plume of Charles Dickens (born 1812, died 1870), arose out of the nickname of Moses conferred by him upon a younger pet brother in honour of Moses Primrose in the “Vicar of Wakefield.” The other children of the family, however, found it impossible to utter a nearer pronunciation to the name than “Bozes,” which presently became shortened in “Boz”; and the latter hit the fancy of our young author sufficiently to lead him to its adoption at that period of his literary career when he lacked the confidence to appear before the world under his own name. Out of an analogous incident sprang Ouida, the pseudonym of one of the most widely-read lady novelists of the present day. Her actual name is Louise de la Ramée (born in 1840); but remarking the infantile conversion of Louise into “Ouida,” she was struck by the novelty of such a nom de plume, and immediately adopted it. Another lady novelist of probably higher attainments assumed the name of George Sand (born 1804, died 1876) as the outcome of her attachment to a young student named Jules Sand, or rather Sandeau, with whom she collaborated in the production of “Rose et Blanche,” her first novel. The real name of this lady was Mdlle. Dupin, afterwards changed by marriage to Madame Dudevant.
It may be deemed interesting to learn also that Artemus Ward was an actual name borne by an eccentric showman with whom Charles Farrar Browne, the American humorist (born 1834, died 1867) often came into personal contact; and, further, that Samuel Langhorne Clemens (born in 1835) owes his singular pseudonym to the fact of having been employed in early life as a pilot on one of the Mississippi River steamboats. The nautical phrase for taking soundings, Mark Twain, or, in other words, “mark two fathoms,” suggested the name under which the works of the latter have become widely popular on both sides of the Atlantic.
Finally, not every one is aware that F. M. Allen, the pseudonym of Mr. Edmund Downey, author of “The Voyage of the Ark,” “Through Green Glasses,” and some other books of Irish humour, was his wife’s maiden name.