[§ 695]. Taking the counties in detail, we have—
Northumberland.—Northern frontier, East Scotland; the direction of the influence being from South to North, rather than from North to South, i. e., Berwickshire and the Lothians being Northumbrian and English, rather than Northumberland Scotch.
West frontier Celtic—the Cumberland and Westmoreland Britons having been encroached upon by the Northumbrians of Northumberland.
Present dialect.—Believed to be nearly uniform over the counties of Northumberland and Durham; but changing in character in North Yorkshire, and in Cumberland and Westmoreland.
The Anglo-Saxon immigration considered to have been Angle (so-called) rather than Saxon.
Danish admixture—Very great. Possibly, as far as the marks that it has left on the language, greater than in any other part of England.[[79]]—See [§ 152].
Cumberland, Westmoreland, North Lancashire.—Anglo-Saxon elements introduced from portions of Northumbria rather than directly from the Continent.
Celtic language persistent until a comparatively late though undetermined period.
Northern frontier, West-Scotland—the direction of the influence being from Scotland to England, rather than vice versâ; Carlisle being more of a Scotch town than Berwick.
Specimens of the dialects in the older stages, few and doubtful.