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with the Gallgael, while the bulk are such as might
be found in Iceland.
In a book which has been used somewhat incautiously
by historians (The Northmen in Cumberland
and Westmorland, 1856), the late Robert Ferguson
derived many Cumbrian place-names from names and
nicknames taken at random from all sources : e.g.
Butterlip-howe, at Grasmere, he made the howe of
Buthar Lipr, Buthar the handyman ; whereas "butter,"
which elsewhere in England means a bittern (butterbump),
seems to be often used in Cumbria for "a road,"
Irish bothar, a loanword brought in by the
Gallgael, and perhaps this odd name merely means
the hill where there was a gate or a rise on the ancient
track which passes the place.
Every Guide to the Lakes gives as "Norse test-names "
beck and bowse, fell and force, guard and gill
(the form "ghyll" is a modern monstrosity), hause
and holm (though "holm" is not confined to Norse
names), lathe and lund, ness, raise (a cairn) and rake,
scale and scree, tarn and thwaite. A few notable
places are : Arklid (hillside of the ergh or shieling) ;
Armathwaite (Ermitethait, about 1230, the hermit’s
field); Askham (twelfth century Askhome, i.e. Ashholm) ;
Axle (like Öxl, in Iceland, the shoulder) ;
Barrow (the island of Barrow-in-Furness, Barray in
sixteenth century, Barr-ey, where barley grew) ; Biglands
and Biggar (Biggarth, where"bigg" grew);
Blakeholme (bleikr, pale yellow); Blawith (blá-viðr,
like Bláskógr, in Iceland, black-wood); Blowick on
Ullswater (blá-vík) ; Brathay (breið-á, broad river) ;
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