If this Richard Geering is related to the Geerings of South Denchworth, in Berkshire, I refer Y. S. M. to Clare's Hundred of Wanting, Parker, Oxford, 1824.
The Geerings bought the manor of Viscount Cullen. It was formerly in the possession of the Hydes: several of the Geering monuments are in the church. Their arms, Or, on two bars gules six mascles of the field, on a canton sable a leopard's face of the first. The Geerings were long tenants of a part of the estate which they purchased; they are extinct in the male line. A grandson, John Bockett, Esq. (by the female line), of the last heir, possessed a small farm in the parish which was sold by him some years ago. The manor now belongs to Worcester College, Oxford, who purchased it of Gregory Geering, gent., in 1758. The name is spelt Gearing and Geary in the early registers.
The books in the small study (mentioned in "N. & Q." some time ago) were given by Gregory Geering, Esq., Mr. Ralph Kedden, vicar of Denchworth, and Mr. Edward Brewster, stationer, of London, most of which are attached by long chains to the cases.
Julia R. Bockett.
Southcote Lodge.
Island (Vol. viii., p. 279.).—H. C. K. is quite right in saying that the s has been inserted in this word: not, however, as he thinks, "to assimilate
the Saxon and French terms," but from a fancied French or Latin derivation, just as rime is spelt rhyme, because it was fancied that it came from ῥυθμὸς; and as critics and editors will print cœlum instead of cælum, contrary to all authority, because they have taken it into their heads that it comes from κοῖλον. We have also spright, impregnable, and other misspelt words, for which it is difficult to assign a reason. But I think H. C. K. is altogether mistaken in connecting the A.-S. ig (pr. ee), an island, with eye. It is evidently one of the original underived nouns of the Teutonic family, being ig A.-S., ey Icel., whence ö Swed., ö or öe Dan., and which also appears in the German and Dutch eiland; while in the words for eye the g is radical, as eage A.-S., auga Icel., auge Germ., oog Dutch.
T. K.