This word, and Ydōr or Hudōr (Greek), and Tschur (Armenian), “Water,” have an obvious affinity. These forms may be traced in the names of Celtic Localities.
“Dour” occurs in the following names of Rivers: Dur, (Hibernia,) Dur-ia Major, “The Doria,” and Duria Minor, (Gallia Cisalpina,) Dur-ius, “The Douro,” and “Dero,” (Hispania,) Dur-anius, “The Dordogne,” (Gallia). In Bucharian Deriâ means “The Sea.”
Ydōr or Hudōr (Greek), Awethur (Welsh), occur in the [pg 068] Rivers “The Adour,”[59] Atur-is (Gallia), “The Adder” (Britain), “The Adare” (Ireland.)
“Tschur” (Armenian), occurs in “Stura,” (Gallia Cis.), “The Stour” (Britain), “The Suir” (Britain & Ireland), “The Souro” (Spain, a branch of the Tagus.)
From the frequent recurrence of all these different forms in several Celtic countries thus widely separated, it is plain that they were used conjointly by the early Celts, and represent various transitions of the same word. Thus “Stura” (in Gal. Cis.), flows between the neighbouring streams Duria Major and Duria Minor, &c.
This word “Dour” enters very largely into the names of tribes; it forms singly a natural clue to a great number of names that hitherto have been referred to a complication of Roots. Thus the Roman name for the people of Dorsetshire, Duro-trig-es, i.e. The dwellers on the Water or the Ocean, has been noticed by Camden.
In the preceding, and in several of the following, it will be apparent that the old Celts applied this term to the “Sea or Ocean,” as the Bucharians do, and also to a “River.” At present the Welsh apply the term to Water only, in a restricted sense.
In the South-east of England names abound (applied to places on Rivers or the Sea) in which the two slight variations of Dur and Du-v-r (or Do-v-ar, Irish), still preserved in Welsh, are apparent. Duro-vern-um, “Canterbury,” from Duro, Water, and Vern or Veryn, a Hill. (Compare the name of the “Ar-vern-i,” under Beryn, at p. 78.) The Town was on a Hill by the Stour.
Portus Du-b-r-is or Dub-r-œ, i.e. “Sea Port,” the modern [pg 069] “Do-v-or,” a word which is an echo of the Irish Dovar and the Welsh Du-v-r.
Duro-brivæ, Rochester on the Medway, (Briva or Brivis, the ancient Celtic for a Town.) Duro-levum, Milton on the Thames.