—Your correspondents appear to have overlooked Offandíc, Wodnesdíc (so often mentioned in the Saxon charters), and Esendike—doubtless so named in memory of Esa, the progenitor of the kings of Bernicia—and Gugedíke, which I suspect is an old British form for Gog's dike (Fr. Yagiouge), as well as Grimanleáh (Wood of Horrors), and Grimanhyl. It is true we find the Grimsetane-gemáero in Worcestershire (Cod. Dipl., No. 561.); but we also find Wódnesbeorg (Id. No. 1035.). Allow me to give you the substance of a remark of Professor H. Léo of Halle on this subject. (Ang. Säch. Ortsnamen, p. 5.)
"Wild, dismal places are coupled with the names of grim, fabulous creatures: thus, in Charter 957, King Eadwig presented to Odo, Archbishop of Canterbury, a territorial property at 'Hel-ig' (on the Islet of Helas). A morass is cited which is called, after the ancient mythological hero, Grindles-mère; a pit, Grindles-pytt; a small islet surrounded with water—which was to an Anglo-Saxon a "locus terribilis"—was called Thorn-ei (the thorn tree being of ill omen). And thus, in order to express the ordinary associations connected with neighbourhood, recourse was had rather to mythic personages, than to abstract expressions."
I would here observe that the Ortsnamen has been for some time in course of translation, with the Professor's sanction and assistance, with a view to its publication in England.
B. WILLIAMS.
Hillingdon.
Petition respecting the Duke of Wellington (Vol. iv., pp. 233. 477.).
—E. N. W. is assured that the petition for the recall of the Duke of Wellington was presented. Being too ill to travel several miles to a public library, I can only refer to works in which a reference to it will be found. In No. XIX. of the late British and Foreign Quarterly, published by Messrs. Taylor, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street, is an extract from the admirable letter of his Grace to Lord Liverpool on the subject; and in Colonel Gurwood's edition of the Wellington Dispatches, on which the article alluded to is written, and which contains much interesting matter relating to his Grace not to be found any where else, is the whole dispatch. I asked for information relative to the petition, because I had heard that it had been destroyed, and it was too droll a document to be allowed to be lost.
ÆGROTUS.
Countess of Desmond (Vol. iv., pp. 305. 426.).
—Tour in Scotland, fourth edition of Pennant's works. Mine was Dr. Latham's copy.