have been immensely great. Coexistent with the slow retirement of the waters, would be the raising of the temperature, until the glacial epoch being passed, ice action would cease to operate; and the top of the rock at length appearing as an island, it would be subjected afterwards only to the milder action of atmospheric influences.

The blocks of Limestone left by stranded floes on the Outwood and Needwood Hills, would probably sink to a much lower level than that at which they were first deposited, owing to the washing away, by the slowly retiring sea, of the softer strata of marl on which they repose. Hence we find ice action on the line of rocks of Breedon and Breedon Cloud Hills, at a height of 420 feet, and blocks of ice-carried limestone on the Outwood Hills at a height of only 310 feet.

There is no more curious fact in the teaching of Geology, than that there was a time, comparatively recently, when the temperature of this country was of an arctic character: that this glacial period followed earlier spaces of time, during which the climate was warmer, if not almost tropical: and that the frigid temperature of the glacial epoch in turn yielded to a more genial degree of heat, before the final withdrawing of the waters from the surface of our island.

NOTES ON SURNAMES.

BY THOMAS BRUSHFIELD, ESQ., J. P.

THE very interesting article "On the Family of the Greatrakes," in the last number of the " RELIQUARY," has suggested to my mind some points connected with the subject of Surnames, which I consider well worthy of consideration. As to the particular case mentioned in that article, I may venture to state, that the proper name of the valley called "Gretrex Dale," I was always told to be "Great Rocks Dale," and the very appearance of the place seems to me to justify that conclusion; this view of the case is strengthened by certain inscriptions on headstones, &c., in the churchyard at Wormhill. However, it is not for the purpose of raising a discussion on this particular name, that I have ventured a few remarks on the subject, but to call attention to the question of surnames generally; and to express a conviction that every locality has furnished somewhat to the long list which now exists. I, of course, can only point out those circumstances which lie within the range of my own memory and knowledge, in illustration of the view I take, and leave your readers to form their own conclusions on the subject. Ashford-in-the-Water is my locality, the time is limited to sixty years, and the illustrations, culled as they are from the tablet of my own memory, I now venture to introduce. man called, and, as far as my knowledge serves me, known as

An old

66

Owd

Tummy Taddington," was in the habit of visiting the village once or twice a week, amusing the inhabitants by fiddling old ditties, and existing chiefly, if not entirely, on the voluntary gifts of oatcake or ha'pence which were doled out to him by his kind-hearted listeners; however, poor Tummy's fiddling came to an end-he died—and I was then first informed, to my great surprise, that his real name was Thomas Higginbotham. This is illustration number one.

About the same period in the world's history, a poor half-witted man was in the habit of visiting the village occasionally, regularly during some portion of the time, when Christmas smiles her festive plenteousness, and obtained trifling gifts from the inhabitants, in return for singing an old Christmas Ballad, of which my memory furnishes me with the following lines

"When Adam was took in a slumber,

He lost a part of his side;

When he awoke-in great wonder,

He beheld a most beautiful Bride."*

This man's real name, I found out afterwards, was Shimwell or Shinford, but I never knew him, while he lived, by any other name than Jack o' Stanton. Illustration, No. 2.

Another case-a rag-gatherer who was in the habit of frequently visiting the village, to carry out his business, always went by the name of Middleton Will-I forget his real name, but I think it was Dicken. This is No. 3 illustration.

An old woman attended the village with sweetmeats, &c., regularly at the wakes time, whose name was Betty Barton, though she was generally known as Betty Rowland.

who was

Another was the case of a poor simple-minded creature, in the habit of paying occasional visits to the village, for the purpose of soliciting alms, and was known as Will o' Wardlow, his real name being Garlick.

Now these five cases show pretty clearly that at a very early period the names by which these persons were familiarly known would have been fixed upon them, and would have become their surnames, arising from the circumstance, that the name of the village from which they came was the name they each were known by—

But another phase of the subject is worth noticing-a person came to settle in the village as a stocking-weaver, he was a native of Scotland, and spoke his native tongue very broadly; the name he was universally known by was John Scotchman. He married while resi

*Some of the readers of the "RELIQUARY" may be able to furnish us with the whole of this ancient piece of poetry.

dent in the village, and up to that time it was not generally known that his real name was Gilchrist; notwithstanding the discovery, he was ever afterwards known as John Scotchman. Now, if these illustrations can be furnished from the remembered circumstances of a small village like Ashford-in-the-Water, the large number of surnames that exist, and the origin of a considerable portion of them, will not excite much wonder. The subject is one that has not been considered unworthy the thoughts of superior minds at various periods, and to me appears both curious and interesting. About the origin of some surnames, as the Jacksons, Johnsons, Robertsons, Wilsons, Nelsons, &c., there can be neither doubt or difficulty; and a little consideration and reflection will dispel the mists and darkness which may be said to hang over the origin of others.

There are no doubt persons in the world who pride themselves in believing that dignity, honour, aye, virtue itself, exists like a charm in some ancestral surname! a comfortable and pleasing delusion! To such persons, it will not be at all palatable to be told that the name to which they attach so much importance, might probably owe its origin to circumstances of the most humble character, and that their forefathers-like the forefathers of the Sheldons, Buxtons, Blackwells, Brushfields, Littons, and the like-might have obtained surnames from itinerant fiddlers, singing beggars, wandering pedlars, or collectors of rags. But as Shakspeare has it

"What's in a name?

"That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet." And as another mighty mind has expressed it

"The rank is but the guinea's stamp,

A man's the gowd for a' that."

In connection with this subject, I may here mention that a few weeks ago, on my visiting Tideswell Church, a very ancient slab of stone, bearing an inscription, was pointed out by the clerk who accompanied me, as belonging to the Litton family; and he informed me that one of the Lyttons-I understood Sir Bulwer-had lately visited the spot, had examined this monumental stone, and made inquiries in the neighbourhood about the family of Lyttons, which he (Sir B.) stated originally came from Litton (called Lytton in old documents), and every particular connected therewith he was most anxious to find out. *

London, December 20th, 1863.

[* The Lyttons, represented in the person of the Right Hon. Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, were originally of Litton, in the High Peak, and Notes on this family will, I hope, one day appear in these pages. ED. RELIQ.]

Obverse-ROB. THORNHILL. IN. CASSLTON HALF within the inner circle.

PENY

Reverse-A Bull standing beneath a Thorn tree, filling the entire field of the coin.

The family of Thornhill is of considerable antiquity in the County of Derby, the name being derived from the Manor of Thornhill, in the Parish of Hope, in the High Peak. The present representative of the main line, is William Pole Thornhill, Esq., M.P., of Stanton in the Peak.

Probably the issuer of this token was an innkeeper, the Bull being the sign of his hostelry, and the Thorn-tree in allusion to his name." The following extracts from the Parish Registers, relating to the issuer of this token and his family, have been kindly made for me by the Vicar of Castleton, the Rev. Hugh Ford Bacon:

The Registers of the Parish go no further back than 1664. The name of Thornhill appears not unfrequently about that date, and disappears entirely after 1752.

In the Church are some pews with carved oak doors. In the panels are the names of the then occcupiers, or supposed owners, in raised letters. On one panel, the letters have been planed down to the level, but there can still be read very plainly the name ROBERT THORNHILL, 1676, which was undoubtedly the issuer of this interesting token. There is no trace or tradition of these Thornhills floating now in the parish, except that one old person remembers hearing it said that a family of Thornhills lived in a particular house, which is one of the best in the place. The person who is now owner and occupier of the house in which the Thornhills are reputed to have lived, is also occupier of the pew on which is Robert Thornhill's name; and rather singularly, is churchwarden this year (1863), an office which, it appears from the Parish Books, was held by this Robert Thornhill in 1676 and 1677. His name also occurs in the former year, in a list of contributors to a brief for the town of Northampton, burnt by fire, as giver of ls.; and the whole collection, £2 13s. 8d., was left in the hands of Robert Thornhill.

Obverse-NICHOLAS. SMITH= Within the inner circle an anvil between

the date 1671.

HIS

Reverse-IN. CHAPPELL FRITH N. S Within the inner circle.

=

14

With reference to this token, I am favoured by the following note, in reply to my inquiry, by Mr. William Bennett, of Chapel-en-le-Frith, whose name has already graced the pages of the "RELIQUARY" on more than one occasion:

"I cannot learn any thing about the Nicholas Smith of 1671; but there is a family of that name now resident at Chapel-en-le-Frith, who carry on the business of nailmakers, and have done so to my knowledge for the last forty years. They are people of respectability in their way, and of some property; and I should have believed, from the circumstance related below, that they are lineal descendants of the Nicholas Smith the issuer of the token in 1671, if they had not informed me that the family came to this place out of Yorkshire at a more recent period. The fact may however be, as is frequently the case with the people of the High Peak, that the family may have migrated into Yorkshire from Chapel-en-le-Frith, and returned at the time of their last coming here to reside, which was about fifty years ago. The circumstances before adverted to, and from which I should have drawn the inference of the present Smiths being descendants of your Nicholas Smith is, that they are possessors of an antique caudle-cup, of porcelain or China-ware, bearing the same device as the token mentioned in your note, namely an anvil, accompanied by the other insignia of the Blacksmiths Arms, the sledge-hammer and tongs; together with the name of (I suppose), the first proprietor of the cup, Thomas Smith, and the date 1798. Thomas Smith was the grandfather of the present nailmaker, Mr. John Smith; and his sons, John and Jonathan Smith, came to Chapel-en-le-Frith about half-a-century ago, possibly, as 1 said before, returning more Incolarum' to the abode of their ancestors, though there is no evidence or family tradition that such was the ease."

6

R.

A

Reverse-ANGELL IN CHESTERFEILD = Filling the field within the inner

circle, a front figure of a robed angel standing, hands clasped in prayer on the breast, wings expanded.