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ETYMOLOGY OF ARMAGH
In reply to the inquiry of "D.S.Y." (p. 158. of your 10th number), I beg to say that the name of Armagh is written, in Irish, Ardmacha, and signifies the Height (or high ground) of Macha. It is supposed to have derived this name from Macha Mong-ruadh [i.e. Macha of the red hair], who was queen of Ireland, according to the Chronology of O'Flaherty, A.M. 3603.
I.H.T.
Dublin, Jan. 5. 1850.
Sir,—There are the following authorities for different derivations of the word Armagh.
Camden, in his Britannia, says:—
"Armach ab Amarchâ reginâ; sic dictum fabulantur Hibernici; at mihi eadem esse videtur quam Dearmach vocat Beda: et Roborum Campum ex lingua Scotica sive Hibernica interpretatur, ubi circa annum salutis DLX. monaterium extruxit celeberrimum Columbanus."
Dr. Keating's Hist. of Ireland has as follows:—
"Macha the wife of Nemedius died before her son Ainnim … from her Ardmagh received its name, because she was buried in that place."
Circles of Gomer (London, 1771), contains as follows:—
"Ar, and Ararat.—The Earth, country, or upon and on the earth … Armagh on the surrounding water confines."
M. Bullet, Mémoires de la Langue Celtique, writes thus:—
"Armagh, Une des plus anciennes villes d'Irland. Ar, article. Mag, ville."—vol. i.
But the 2nd and 3rd vols. of these Mémoires, which contain the Celtic Dictionary, afford a more probable interpretation:—
"Ar or Ard signifies a height, mountain, hill, elevation, the highest, noble, chief, &c. &c., and Ar in Hebrew, Chaldean, and Armenian, has the same meaning. Magh is a field, a plain, ground, &c., as well as a town, dwelling, &c."
Now, the topographical description of the county of Armarh is that it is hilly, and the hills (not very high) are of granite rock. The town of Armagh again is described as situated on an eminence. I suggest, therefore, the high field or ground, or the field of the Hill, or the dwelling or town of the Hill, as very natural derivations.
If your correspondent prefers it, Ar bears also the signification of rock, and M. Bullet says:—
"Ce terme nous a été conservé dans la Vie de Saint Colomb."
Who knows, therefore, whether in building the monastery alluded to by Camden, he may not have given it the name of
The dwelling of the Rock?
The Celtic language affords many other possibilities, but an accurate knowledge of the locality is requisite in judging of their probablility.
HERMES.
The etymology of Armagh, in Ireland, is very simple. Ard, high, great, noble, a purely Celtic root, found in many languages. Latin, Arduus, high, &c. Welsh, hardh, fair, handsome, &c. Magh, a plain, a level tract of land, a field. Ardmugh, the great plain. Others derive it from Eamhuin-magh, from the regal residence of the kings of Ulster, that stood in its vicinity; but the former is considered by those best capable of judging as the most correct. The original name was Druim-sailech, "the hill of sallows," which was changed to Ard-sailech, "the height of sallows," and then again to Ardmagh. Although now spelt Armagh, it was formerly more correctly written Ardmagh, which is undoubtedly the proper way.
HIBERNICUS
Jan. 8. 1850.
THE OFFICE OF THE MASTER OF THE REVELS
Your esteemed correspondent, "J.G.N.," asks (p. 158.) for the meaning of the letters "C.K.M.R." and "T.S." appended to the passage he quotes from the Common-place Book of Charles, Duke of Dorset. I think I can tell him. "C.K.M.R." stands for Charles Killegrew, Master of the Revells; and "T.S." means Thomas Skipwith, one of the patentees of Drury Lane Theatre, who died in 1710. Sir Henry Herbert died in 1673; and his successor in the office was Thomas Killegrew. This person had previously been Sir Henry's deputy; and I am in possession of a curious list of MS. instructions, "the heads of what I gave to Mr. Thos. Killegrew the 29th of March, 1664," in the hand-writing of Sir Henry Herbert. Thomas Killegrew died in 1683, and was succeeded by Charles Killegrew; the degree of the relationship between the two Killegrews I do not know; and in the London Gazette, Dec. 7. 1685, there is a notice commanding all "rope-dancers, prize-players, strollers and other persons showing motions and other sights, to have licenses from Charles Killegrew, Esq., Master of the Revells."
Charles Killegrew was one of the managers of Drury Lane Theatre at the time of the union of the King's and Duke of York's servants; and Drydaen calls him, in the Dedication to his translation of Juvenal's Satires, his "ingenious friend."
Upon the death of the latter, in 1725, Charles Henry Lee succeeded to the vacant office; who, dying in 1744, Solomon Dayrolle was appointed in his room. I do not know the date of the decease of the last-named gentleman; but with him, I believe, died the office of the Master of the Revells. The ancient jurisdiction of the Master of the Revells has been transferred, by 1737, by legal authority, to a "licenser of the stage," who, in conjunction with a deputy licenser, performed all the functions of the ancient office.
EDWARD F. RIMBAULT.
REPLIES TO MINOR QUERIES
The Red Maids of Bristol.—The answer to the query of "MR. A. GRIFFENHOOF" (No. 12. p. 184.), why the "Red Maids" in Bristol are so called, is, because they are dressed in bright scarlet gowns. They are the incumbents of a benevolent school, founded in 1627, by one of Bristol's great benefactors, Alderman Whitson, of pious memory, for the maintenance and education of 40 girls, which number has now increased to 120. Your correspondent's curiousity respecting their name might be fully satisfied, and his interest increased, if he should happen to be in Bristol on some sunny afternoon in the later part of May, or the beginning of June, by a sight of this bright "regiment of women"—the gay colour of their gowns subdued by the quaintness of their fashion, and the clean whiteness of their aprons, collars, &c.—proceeding, in double file, towards the downs, for air and recreation. An account of their foundation may be found in Barret's Hist. of Bristol, p. 415. "Blue-Boys," so called for a similar reason, are a parallel case of much more general occurance. Yours, &c.
RUFA.
Poetical Symbolism.—In answer to the question of your correspondent, "STEPHEN BEAUCHAMP" (No. 11. p. 173.), I beg leave to mention a work, which answers in some degree to the description which he gives; namely, De Symbolica Ægyptiorum Sapientia, and Polyhistor Symbolicus, electarum Symbolarum et Parabolarum Historicurum Stromata XII. Libris complectens, by Nicolas Caussin, 8vo. Col. Agr. 1631. There were other editions, I believe, in the same century. The former work treats of Egyptian symbols; the titles of the twelve books of the latter are: I. Mundus et Elementa. II. Dii Gentium. III. Hominis Bona. IV. Hominis Mala. V. Ritus Gentium. VI. Aves. VII. Quadrupedes. VIII. Pisces. IX. Serpentes et Insecta. X. Plantæ. XI. Lapilli. XII. Manufacta.
M.
Oxford.
Fraternitye of Vagabondes.—It does not appear very clearly from the wording of the query at p. 184. of your 12th number, whether the object of your correspondent, "A. GRIFFINHOOF, JUN.," be to ascertain the fact of the reprint in question having been published by Stace, or (having ascertained that fact) to procure further information as to the publisher. I cannot find any allusion to the work in the Censura Literuria, (2nd ed. 1815), another instance of the absolute necessity for exact references, the want of which you would do well in making a ground of exclusion from your columns. However, on the chance of being useful I send you an exact copy of the rubricated title-page of the reprint, which is as follows:
"The Fraternitye of Vacabondes; As wel of ruflyng Vacabondes, as of beggerley, of Women as of Men, of Gyrles as of Boyes, With Their proper Names and Qualities. With a Description of the Crafty Company of Cousoners and Shifters. Whereunto also is adioined The XXV orders of Knaues, Otherwyse called A Quartern of Knaues. Confirmed for euer by Cocke Lorell.—¶ The Vprightman speaketh.
¶ Our Brotherhood of Vacabondes,
If you would know where dwell:
In grauesend Barge which syldome standes,
The talke wyll shew ryght well.
¶ Cocke Lorell answereth.
¶ Some orders of my knaues also
In that Barge shall ye fynde:
for no where shall ye walke I trow,
But ye shall see their knynde.
¶ Imprinted at London by John Awdely, dwellyng in little Britayne Streete without Aldersgate. 1575.
Westminster: Reprinted for Machell Stace, No. 12, Little Queen-Street, and R. Triphook, St. James's Street. 1813."
Those who are curious about Mr. Stace may consult Boaden on the Shakespeare Portraits, p. 141., Wivell on do., p. 189., and Chaleographimania, p. 16. 32. 95.
J.F.M.
Anonymous Ravennas.—In answer to the query of "W.C.," in No. 8., p. 124., I beg to state that Gronovius published the Cosmography of Ravennas, with other ancient scraps of geography, annexed to a neat edition of Pomponius Mela, printed at Leyden, in 1696. Gronovius refers the anonymous author to the seventh century. His Chorography of Britain forms a part of the work; but it is printed from one MS., and wretchedly obscure.
J.I.
Dick Shore.—Your correspondent, J.T. HAMMACK, is not quite correct in stating, No. 9., p. 141., that the modern maps present no trace of the locality of "Dick Shoare," mentioned in the Pepysian Diary. In one of Smith's maps, now before me, of the date of 1806, I find "Duke Shore Stairs," not far from the great turn of the river southward, opposite to the Isle of Dogs. Whether the proper spelling to be Dick, Dyke, Dock, Dog, or Duke, I leave to your readers to determine; but I presume there can be no doubt as to the identity of the place. As the origin of the name of "Isle of Doggs," according to the Pepysian orthography, is said to be still underdetermined; may it not be connected with the modern term DOCKS? We are daily familiarised to worse corruptions. Docks are excavations, large or small, formed by the operation of digging, in Dutch called Dóken.
J.I.
[DICK'S SHORE, Fore Street, Limehouse, and DICK'S SHORE ALLEY, by Dick's Shore, are both mentioned in London and its Environs, vol. ii. p. 233.]
Travelling in England.—Mr. Steven's quotation (No. 11., p. 167.) of Bernard Calvert's rapid journey, as from an anonymous History of England written in the early part of the reign of George I., is to be found in more detail in Stow (1032.), and is transcribed in Mr. Croker's Notes on Bassompière's Embassy, 1819.
Sanuto.—The Ragguagli sulla Vita e sulle Opere di Maria Sanuto, referred to in No. 5., p. 75., were edited by Mr. Rawdon Browne, an English gentleman long resident at Venice, and a most accomplished Italian scholar. The Diary of Sanuto could hardly be printed, filling, as it does, some twenty or thirty thick large folio volumes.
R.M.M.
Darnley's Birth-place.—In answer to the inquiry in No. 8., p. 123., as to the birth-place of Henry Lord Darnley, I believe he was born at Temple-Newsom, near Leeds, the seat of the Lords Irvine, and now of Meynell Ingram, Esq. A noble room is there shown as the traditional scene of his birth.
R.M.M.
History of Edward II.—The compilers of the British Museum Catalogue attribute the History of Edward II. (referred to in No. 4., p. 59.) to Edward Fannant, who also published a Narration of the Memorable Parliament of 1386, which has been several times printed.
J.R.S.
Lord Chatham's Speech on the American Stamp Act.—When I read the question of your correspondent (in No. 1. p. 12.) on this subject, I saw at once its importance; for, if my Lord Brougham's statements were correct, our historians must forthwith re-write a somewhat important chapter in our history. I felt assured, however, that it was not correct; and the result of a somewhat tedious search is as I had anticipated. His lordship had made an error in a date and 1764 should be 1766. The authority, not acknowledged by his lordship, was, no doubt, the Parliamentary History of 1766 (vol. xvi. p. 96.), where your correspondent will find the statement, which of course, the date being correctly given, contains nothing that is not consistent with known facts.
C.
Bone-houses.—The number of skulls at Rothewell (No. 11., p. 171.) is greatly exaggerated, nor is the tradition of their being gathered from Naseby battle-field more than a modern invention, the discovery of the bones being within the memory of living persons. Their existence there is most puzzling. The vault, which is very small, is probably coeval with the church, and seems to have been made for the very purpose to which it is applied. When this vast building was erected in the 12th century, may not this vault have been made for the bones disturbed in the old churchyard by so extensive a foundation?
T.
Queen's Messengers.—In answer to the query of your correspondent "J.U.G.G.," in No. 12., p. 186., I beg to call his attention to the authority quoted in the passage respecting the "Knightes caligate of Armes," to which he alludes, in Mr. C. Knight's London. He will find that he is referred to Legh's Accedens of Armory, and Upton, De Studio Militari. The latter wrote in the early part of the fifteenth century. We are at present, I believe, without earlier information on such subjects.
Whilst I am writing to you, may I ask you to correct a printer's error in my query in the same number, where "trepon" appears instead of "jupon"? It may save a query as to what I could mean by the former.
J.R. PLANCHÉ.
May-day.—In reply to MELANION (No. 12. p. 187.), I would observe that in a collection of Vues des Villes de Londres, &c., published by Pierre Vander at Leyden (without date, but about the time of William III., or early in Anne's reign), there is a representation of "La Laitière de May à Londres," with an enormous head-dress of silver dishes, tankards, and cups, intermixed with flowers. There is no letter-press explanation; but it is evident that the practice of the milk-maids, in carrying their mail-pails balanced on their heads, suggested the idea of carrying this more precious burthen in gala on May-day.
C.
