[20.] THE KELTIC ELEMENT.—The words given to the English language by the Kelts are of two kinds:
(i) Names of mountains, rivers, lakes, and other natural features;
(ii) Names of common things, which the English picked up in their daily intercourse with the British or Welsh.
(i) The Keltic name for a mountain is Pen—a word which we find in Pennine and Apennine. The Gaelic or Scotch Keltic form of the word is Ben. Thus we have Ben More—which means the Big Mountain—Ben Nevis, and many others. The commonest Keltic word for a river is Avon. There are fourteen Avons in Great Britain. Esk is another common Keltic name for a river; and there are eight Esks in Scotland alone. In England the name takes the form of Ex or Exe (the consonants having changed places, Ex = Eks). The name appears as Ex in Exeter (the old form was Exanceaster)—that is, the camp on the Ex; as Ax in Axminster; as Ox in Oxford; as Ux in Uxbridge; as Usk, in Wales; and even as Ouse, in Yorkshire and other counties.—Aber is a Keltic word which means the mouth of a river; and we find it in Aberdeen (the town at the mouth of the Dee); Arbroath, which is = Aberbrothock; Aberystwith; Berwick—the old form of which was Aberwick. Berwick accordingly means the wick or town at the mouth of the Tweed. Car or Caer is the Keltic word for castle or stronghold; and we find this name in Carlisle, Cardiff, Caernarvon, and others.
(ii) The names of common things which we have received from the Kelts are—basket, bran, cradle, crockery, clout, cuts (= lots), darn. Such words as button, ribbon, barrel, car, and cart, are also Keltic, but have come into the English language through the Norman-French, who received them from the descendants of the ancient Gauls. Some Keltic words have come to us from Scotland—such as pony, clan, whisky, claymore (a kind of sword), pibroch, and plaid; and it is chiefly to Sir Walter Scott’s writings that we owe the common use of these words. Ireland has also sent us a few Keltic words, such as Tory, brogue, and shamrock.
[21.] THE LATIN ELEMENT OF THE FIRST PERIOD (i).—The Roman power, as is generally known, was settled in Britain from the year 43 till the year 410. In the beginning of the year 410, the very existence of the Roman Empire was threatened by the Goths and other warlike peoples; and the Roman forces were withdrawn to defend the very heart of the empire. The Romans, though conquerors, were true benefactors. They gave the Britons good laws; cut roads for them through the island; established camps; built forts and strongholds; dug harbours or ports; and planted military settlements—which they called colonies—here and there among the conquered people. When the Romans went away, they left these important benefits behind them; and, with the things themselves, the words also remained. But they left only six words behind them, and all of these have combined themselves, or gone into composition, with words that are purely English. The following are the six words: Castra, a camp; Strata (via), a paved road; Vallum, a rampart; Fossa, a ditch; Colonia, a settlement; and Portus, a harbour.
[22.] THE LATIN ELEMENT OF THE FIRST PERIOD (ii).—(a) The Latin word Castra has become chester, caster, cester, and even ter (in Exeter). We generally find it in the form of chester in the south and west; cester in the middle; and caster in the north and east of England. Thus we have Chester, Manchester, and Winchester in the west and south; Leicester and Towcester in mid-England; and Tadcaster, Doncaster, and Lancaster in the north.
(b) Strata.—The Romans drove a strongly-built military road from the south-east to the north-west of the island—from Richborough, near Dover, up to the standing camp on the river Dee, which is now called Chester. This was the Strata or Street. It was afterwards carried farther north, and even into Scotland. It went right over the crest of a hill in Westmoreland, which is called High Street to this day. We can trace the path of this great military road by the names of the towns and villages that are strung upon it. Thus there are Streatham (near London), Stretton, Stratford-on-Avon, Stony Stratford, Stretford (near Manchester), Stradbroke, and many others.
(c) Vallum is found in wall.