Scandinavian-Britain

CUMBERLAND AND WESTMORLAND 213with the Gallgael, while the bulk are such as mightbe found inIceland.In a book which hasbeen used somewhat incautiouslyby historians (The Northmen in Cumberlandand Westmorland, 1856), the late Robert Fergusonderived many Cumbrian place-names from names andnicknames taken at random from all sources :e.g.Butterlip-howe, at Grasmere, he made the howe ofButhar Lipr, Buthar the handyman whereas " ;butter,"which elsewhere in England means a bittern (butterbump),seems to be often used in Cumbria for "aroad," Irish bothar, a loanword brought in by theGallgael, and perhaps this odd name merely meansthe hill where there was a gate or a rise on the ancienttrack which passes the place.Every Guide to the Lakes gives as "Norse testnames" beck and bowse, fell and force, guard and gill(the form "ghyll" is a modern monstrosity), hauseand holm " (though holm " is not confined to Norsenames), lathe and lund, ness, raise (a cairn) and rake,scale and scree, tarn and thwaite. A few notableplaces are : Arklid (hillside of the ergh or shieling) ;Armathwaite (Ennitethait, about 1230, the hermit'sfield); Askham (twelfth century Askhome,i.e. Ashholm);Axle (like 6x1, in Iceland, the shoulder) ;Barrow (the island of Barrow-in-Furness, Barray insixteenth century, Barr-ey, where barley grew) ; Biglandsand Biggar (Biggarth, where": " bigg " grew);Blakeholme (bleikr, pale yellow); Blawith (bld-vftr,like Blask6gr, in Iceland, black-wood); Blowick onUllswater (bld-vik} ; Brathay (brei^-d, broad river) ;