Notes and Queries, Number 14, February 2, 1850

The latest account of these footsteps, previous to their being built over, with which I am acquainted, is the following, extracted from one of Joseph Moser's Common-place Books in my possession:—

"June 16. 1800.—Went into the fields at the back of Montague House, and there saw, for the last time, the forty footsteps; the building materials are there ready to cover them from the sight of man. I counted more than forty, but they might be the foot-prints of the workmen."

This extract is valuable, as it establishes the period of the final demolition of the footsteps, and also confirms the legend that forty was the original number.

    EDWARD F. RIMBAULT.

QUERIES ANSWERED, NO. 4.—"POKERSHIP", BY BOLTON CORNEY

A query made by so experienced a writer as the noble historian of Audley End, cannot admit of an easy solution; and instead of professing to answer the two-fold query on pokership, it might more become me to style this note an attempt to answer it.

In the Historical collections of the noble families of Cavendishe, etc. the passage which contains the doubtful word is printed thus:—

"He [Sir Robert Harley, of Bramton, Herefordshire] was in the next year [1604], on the 16th of July, made forester of Boringwood, alias Bringwood forest, in com. Hereford, with the office of pokership, and custody of the forest or chace of Prestwood, for life."

Are we to read parkership or pokership? If pokership, what is its meaning?

Skelton, the rhymer, has parker for park-keeper, so that parkership is an admissable word; but I reject it on this occasion, as inapplicable to a forest or chace. I incline to believe that pokership is the true lection. Poke denoted a purse; witness Chaucer:—

"Gerveis answered; Certes, were it gold,
Or in a poke nobles all untold,
Thou shuldest it have."—C.T. v. 3777.

We do not find poker in Barret or Cotgrave; but if poke denoted a purse, poker might denote a purse-bearer or treasurer, and pokership, the office of purse-bearer. So we have BURSA, [Glossarivm manvale, 1772. I. 849.] bursar, bursarship, etc.

    BOLTON CORNEY.

MERTENS, MARTINS, OR MARTINI, THE PRINTER

A correspondent, "W.," in No. 12. p. 185., wishes to learn "the real surname of Theodoric Mertens, Martins, or Martini, the printer of Louvain."

In Latin the name is written Theodoricus Martinus; in French, Thierri Martin; in Flemish, Diedrych Meertens, and occasionally, but I think incorrectly, Dierix Martens.

In a side chapel of the chancel of the church at Alost, midway between Brussels and Ghent, is the printer's tomb, and a double inscription, in Latin and in Flemish, commemorates his celebrity and the dates of his birth and death; in the Latin inscription the name is Theodoricus Martinus; in the Flemish, which is very old and nearly effaced, it is Diedrych Meertens.

The name of Meertens, as a surname, is as common in Brabant and Flanders as that of Martin with us.

    A.B.

I beg to say that, in Peignot's Dictionnaire raisonné de Bibliologie, the name of the printer Mertens is given as "Martens, Mertens, ou Martin d'Alost (Thierry), en Latin Theodoricus Martinus." The article is too long for insertion in your pages, but it contains an account of the title-page of one of his editions, in 4to., in which the name is spelt Mertens:—"Theo. Mertens impressore." Two other title-pages have "Apud Theod. Martinum." So it appears that the printer himself used different modes of spelling his own name. Erasmus wrote a Latin epitaph on his friend, in which a graceful allusion is made to his printer's mark, the anchor:—

"Hic Theodoricus jaceo, prognatus Alosto:
Ars erat impressis scripta referre typis.
Fratribus, uxori, soboli, notisque superstes
Octavam vegetus præterii decadem.
Anchora sacra manet, gratæ notissima pubi:
Christe! precor nunc sis anchora sacra mihi."

    HERMES.

ETYMOLOGY OF ARMAGH

In reply to the inquiry of "D.S.Y." (p. 158. of your 10th number), I beg to say that the name of Armagh is written, in Irish, Ardmacha, and signifies the Height (or high ground) of Macha. It is supposed to have derived this name from Macha Mong-ruadh [i.e. Macha of the red hair], who was queen of Ireland, according to the Chronology of O'Flaherty, A.M. 3603.

    I.H.T.

Dublin, Jan. 5. 1850.

Sir,—There are the following authorities for different derivations of the word Armagh.

Camden, in his Britannia, says:—

"Armach ab Amarchâ reginâ; sic dictum fabulantur Hibernici; at mihi eadem esse videtur quam Dearmach vocat Beda: et Roborum Campum ex lingua Scotica sive Hibernica interpretatur, ubi circa annum salutis DLX. monaterium extruxit celeberrimum Columbanus."

Dr. Keating's Hist. of Ireland has as follows:—

"Macha the wife of Nemedius died before her son Ainnim … from her Ardmagh received its name, because she was buried in that place."

Circles of Gomer (London, 1771), contains as follows:—

"Ar, and Ararat.—The Earth, country, or upon and on the earth … Armagh on the surrounding water confines."

M. Bullet, Mémoires de la Langue Celtique, writes thus:—

"Armagh, Une des plus anciennes villes d'Irland. Ar, article. Mag, ville."—vol. i.

But the 2nd and 3rd vols. of these Mémoires, which contain the Celtic Dictionary, afford a more probable interpretation:—

"Ar or Ard signifies a height, mountain, hill, elevation, the highest, noble, chief, &c. &c., and Ar in Hebrew, Chaldean, and Armenian, has the same meaning. Magh is a field, a plain, ground, &c., as well as a town, dwelling, &c."

Now, the topographical description of the county of Armarh is that it is hilly, and the hills (not very high) are of granite rock. The town of Armagh again is described as situated on an eminence. I suggest, therefore, the high field or ground, or the field of the Hill, or the dwelling or town of the Hill, as very natural derivations.

If your correspondent prefers it, Ar bears also the signification of rock, and M. Bullet says:—

"Ce terme nous a été conservé dans la Vie de Saint Colomb."

Who knows, therefore, whether in building the monastery alluded to by Camden, he may not have given it the name of

The dwelling of the Rock?

The Celtic language affords many other possibilities, but an accurate knowledge of the locality is requisite in judging of their probablility.

    HERMES.

The etymology of Armagh, in Ireland, is very simple. Ard, high, great, noble, a purely Celtic root, found in many languages. Latin, Arduus, high, &c. Welsh, hardh, fair, handsome, &c. Magh, a plain, a level tract of land, a field. Ardmugh, the great plain. Others derive it from Eamhuin-magh, from the regal residence of the kings of Ulster, that stood in its vicinity; but the former is considered by those best capable of judging as the most correct. The original name was Druim-sailech, "the hill of sallows," which was changed to Ard-sailech, "the height of sallows," and then again to Ardmagh. Although now spelt Armagh, it was formerly more correctly written Ardmagh, which is undoubtedly the proper way.

    HIBERNICUS