Notes and Queries, Number 51, October 19, 1850

1. This most natural form of the first numeral is the first character in the Indian, Arabic, Syriac, and Roman systems.

2. This appears to be formed from the Hebrew ב, which, in the Syriac, assumes nearly the form of our 2; the Indian character is identical, but arranged vertically instead of horizontally.

3. This is clearly derived from the Indian and Arabic forms, the position being altered, and the vertical stroke omitted.

4. This character is found as the fourth letter in the Phœnician and ancient Hebrew alphabets: the Indian is not very dissimilar.

5. and 6. These bear a great resemblance to the Syriac Heth and Vau (a hook). When erected, the Estrangelo-Syriac Vau is precisely the form of our 6.

7. This figure is derived from the Hebrew ז, zayin, which in the Estrangelo-Syriac is merely a 7 reversed.

8. This figure is merely a rounded form of the Samaritan Kheth (a travelling scrip, with a string tied round thus,

). The Estrangelo-Syriac

also much resembles it.

9. Identical with the Indian and Arabic.

0. Nothing; vacuity. It probably means the orb or boundary of the earth.—10. is the first boundary, תחום, Tekum, Δεκα, Decem, "terminus." Something more yet remains to be said, I think, on the names of the letters. Cf. "Table of Alphabets" in Gesenius, Lex., ed. Tregelles, and "NOTES AND QUERIES," Vol. i., p. 434.

    E. S. T.

Arabic Numerals.—With regard to the subject of Arabic numerals, and the instance at Castleacre (Vol. ii., pp. 27. 61.), I think I may safely say that no archæologist of the present day would allow, after seeing the original, that it was of the date 1084, even if it were not so certain that these numerals were not in use at that time. I fear "the acumen of Dr. Murray" was wasted on the occasion referred to in Mr. Bloom's work. It is a very far-fetched idea, that the visitor must cross himself to discover the meaning of the figures; not to mention the inconvenience, I might say impossibility, of reading them after he had turned his back upon them,—the position required to bring them into the order 1084. It is also extremely improbable that so obscure a part of the building should be chosen for erecting the date of the foundation; nor is it likely that so important a record would be merely impressed on the plaister, liable to destruction at any time. Read in the most natural way, it makes 1480: but I much doubt its being a date at all. The upper figure resembles a Roman I; and this, with the O beneath, may have been a mason's initials at some time when the plaister was renewed: for that the figures are at least sixty years later than the supposed date, Mr. Bloom confesses, the church not having been built until then.

    X.P.M.

CAXTON'S PRINTING-OFFICE

(Vol. ii., pp. 99. 122. 142. 187. 233.)

I confess, after having read MR. J.G. NICHOLS' critique in a recent number of the "NOTES AND QUERIES," relative to the locality of the first printing-press erected by Caxton in this country, I am not yet convinced that it was not within the Abbey of Westminster. From MR. NICHOLS' own statements, I find that Caxton himself says his books were "imprynted" by him in the Abbey; to this, however, MR. NICHOLS replies by way of objection, "that Caxton does not say in the church of the Abbey."

On the above words of Caxton "in the Abbey of Westminster," Mr. C. Knight, in his excellent biography of the old printer, observes, "they leave no doubt that beneath the actual roof of some portion of the Abbey he carried on his art." Stow says "that Caxton was the first that carried on his art in the Abbey." Dugdale, in his Monasticon, speaking of Caxton, says, "he erected his office in one of the side chapels of the Abbey." MR. NICHOLS, quoting from Stow, also informs us that printing-presses were, soon after the introduction of the art, erected in the Abbey of St. Albans, St. Augustin at Canterbury, and other monasteries; he also informs us that the scriptorium of the monasteries had ever been the manufactory of books, and these places it is well known formed a portion of the abbeys themselves, and were not in detached buildings similar to the Almonry at Westminster, which was situated some two or three hundred yards distant from the Abbey. I think it very likely, when the press was to supersede the pen in the work of book-making, that its capabilities would be first tried in the very place which had been used for the object it was designed to accomplish. This idea seems to be confirmed by the tradition that a printer's office has ever been called a chapel, a fact which is beautifully alluded to by Mr. Creevy in his poem entitled The Press:—

"Yet stands the chapel in yon Gothic shrine,
Where wrought the father of our English line,
Our art was hail'd from kingdoms far abroad,
And cherish'd in the hallow'd house of God;
From which we learn the homage it received
And how our sires its heavenly birth believed.
Each printer hence, howe'er unblest his walls,
E'en to this day, his house a chapel calls."

Mr. Nichols acknowledges that what he calls a vulgar error was current and popular, that in some part of the Abbey Caxton did erect his press, yet we are expected to submit to the almost unsupported dictum of that gentleman, and renounce altogether the old and almost universal idea. With respect to his alarm that the vulgar error is about to be further propagated by an engraving, wherein the mistaken draftsman has deliberately represented the printers at work within the consecrated walls of the church itself, I may be permitted to say, on behalf of the painter, that he has erected his press not even on the basement of one of the Abbey chapels, but in an upper story, a beautiful screen separating the workplace from the more sacred part of the building.

    JOHN CROPP.

COLD HARBOUR

(Vol. i., p. 60.; Vol. ii., p. 159.)

I beg leave to inform you that Yorkshire has its "Cold Harbour," and for the origin of the term, I subjoin a communication sent me by my father:—

"When a youngster, I was a great seeker for etymologies. A solitary farm-house and demesne were pointed out to me, the locality of which was termed Căd, or Cŭdhāber, or Cŭdhārber. Conjectures, near akin to those now presented, occurred to me. I was invited to inspect the locality. I dined with the old yeoman (aged about eighty) who occupied the farm. He gave me the etymology. In his earlier days he had come to this farm; a house was not built, yet he was compelled by circumstances to bring over part of his farming implements, &c. He, with his men-servants, had no other shelter at the time than a dilapidated barn. When they assembled to eat their cold provisions, the farmer cried out, 'Hegh lads, but there's cauld (or caud) harbour here.' The spot had no name previously. The rustics were amused by the farmer's saying. Hence the locality was termed by them Cold Harbour, corrupted, Cădhārber, and the etymon remains to this day. This information put an end to my enquiries about Cold Harbour."

    C.M.J.

Cold Harbour.—The goldfinches which have remained among the valleys of the Brighton Downs during the winter are called, says Mr. Knox, by the catchers, "harbour birds, meaning that they have sojourned or harboured, as the local expression is, here during the season." Does not this, with the fact of a place in Pembroke being called Cold Blow, added to the many places with the prefix Cold, tend to confirm the supposition that the numerous cold harbours were places of protection against the winter winds?

    A.C.

With regard to Cold Harbour (supposed "Coluber," which is by no means satisfactory), it may be worth observing that Cold is a common prefix: thus there is Cold Ashton, Cold Coats, Cold or Little Higham, Cold Norton, Cold Overton, Cold Waltham, Cold St. Aldwins, —coats, —meere, —well, —stream, and several cole, &c. Cold peak is a hill near Kendall. The latter suggests to me a Query to genealogists. Was the old baronial name of Peche, Pecche, of Norman origin as in the Battle Roll? From the fact of the Peak of Derby having been Pech-e antè 1200, I think this surname must have been local, though it soon became soft, as appears from the rebus of the Lullingstone family, a peach with the letter é on it. I do not think that k is formed to similar words in Domesday record.

Caldecote, a name of several places, may require explanation.

    AUG. CAMB.

I beg to give you the localities of two "Cold Harbours:" one on the road from Uxbridge to Amersham, 19½ miles from London (see Ordnance Map 7.); the other on the road from Chelmsford to Epping, 13½ miles from the former place (see Ordnance Map No. 1. N.W.).

    DISS.

There are several Cold Harbours in Sussex, in Dallington, Chiddingly, Wivelsfield, one or two in Worth, one S.W. of Bignor, one N.E. of Hurst Green, and there may be more.

In Surrey there is one in the parish of Bletchingley.

    WILLIAM FIGG.

There is a farm called Cold Harbour, near St. Albans, Herts.

    S.A.

After the numerous and almost tedious theories concerning Cold Harbours, particularly the "forlorn hope" of the Coal Depôts in London and elsewhere, permit me to suggest one of almost universal application. Respecting here-burh, an inland station for an army, in the same sense as a "harbour" for ships on the sea-coast, a word still sufficiently familiar and intelligible, the question seems to be settled; and the French "auberge" for an inn has been used as an illustration, though the first syllable may be doubtful. The principal difficulty appears to consist in the prefix "Cold;" for why, it may be asked, should a bleak and "cold" situation be selected as a "harbour"? The fact probably is that this spelling, however common, is a corruption for "COL.". Colerna, in Wiltshire, fortunately retains the original orthography, and in Anglo-Saxon literally signifies the habitation or settlement of a colony; though in some topographical works we are told that it was formerly written "Cold Horne," and that it derives its name from its bleak situation. This, however, is a mere coincidence; for some of these harbours are in warm sheltered situations. Sir R.C. Hoare was right when he observed, that these "harbours" were generally near some Roman road or Roman settlement. It is therefore wonderful that it should not at once occur to every one conversant with the Roman occupation of this island, that all these "COL-harbours" mark the settlements, farms, outposts, or garrisons of the Roman colonies planted here.

    J.I.

Oxford.

Cold Harbour.—Your correspondent asks whether there is a "Cold Harbour" in every county, &c. I think it probable, though it may take some time to catalogue them all. There are so many in some counties, that ten on an average for each would in all likelihood fall infinitely short of the number. The Roman colonists must have formed settlements in all directions during their long occupation of so favourite a spot as Britain. "Cold Harbour Farm" is a very frequent denomination of insulated spots cultivated from time immemorial. These are not always found in cold situations. Nothing is more common than to add a final d, unnecessarily, to a word or syllable, particularly in compound words. Instances will occur to every reader, which it would be tedious to enumerate.

    J.I.

After reading the foregoing communications on the subject of the much-disputed etymology of COLD HARBOUR, our readers will probably agree with us in thinking the following note, from a very distinguished Saxon scholar, offers a most satisfactory solution of the question:—

With reference to the note of G.B.H. (Vol. i, p. 60.) as well as to the very elaborate letter in the "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries" (the paper in the Archæologia I have not seen), I would humbly suggest the possibility, that the word Cold or Cole may originally have been the Anglo-Saxon Cōl, and the entire expression have designated a cool summer residence by a river's side or on an eminence; such localities, in short, as are described in the "Proceedings" as bearing the name of Cold Harbour.

The denomination appears to me evidently the modern English for the A.-S. Cōl Hereberg. Colburn, Colebrook, Coldstream, are, no doubt, analagous denominations.

    Φ.