Note 102 — Chapter II · THE MARK.

These local denominations are for the most part irregular compositions, of which the former portion is a patronymic in -ing or -ling, declined in the genitive plural. The second portion is a mere definition of the locality, as -geat, -hyrst, -hám, -wíc, -tún, -stede, and the like. In a few cases the patronymic stands alone in the nominative plural, as Tótingas, Tooting, Surrey; Wócingas, Woking, Surrey; Meallingas, Malling, Kent; Weðeringas, Wittering, Sussex. In a still smaller number, the name of the eponymus replaces that of his descendants, as Finnes burh, Finsbury; Wælses hám, Walsham, in Norfolk; in which last name, as well as in Wælses eafora (Beówulf, l. 1787), we have a record of the progenitor of the Wælsings, who is alike unknown to the Scandinavian and the German legends of that noble race. In dealing, however, with these names, some amount of caution is necessary: it is by no means enough that a word should end in -ing, to convert it into a genuine patronymic. On the contrary it is a power of that termination to denote the genitive or possessive, which is also the generative, case: and in some local names we do find it so used: thus Æðelwulfing lond (Cod. Dipl. No. 179, a. 801) is exactly equivalent to Æðelwulfes lond, the estate of a duke Æðelwulf, not of a family called Æðelwulfings. So again, ðæt Folcwining lond (Cod. Dipl. No. 195, a. 811), ðæt Wynhearding lond (Cod. Dipl. No. 195, a. 811), imply the land of Folcwine, of Wynheard, not of marks or families called Folcwinings and Wynheardings. Woolbedington, Wool Lavington, Barlavington, are respectively Wulfbæding tún, Wulfláfing tún, Beórláfing tún, the tún or dwelling of Wulfláf, Wulfbæd and Beórláf. Between such words and genuine patronymics the line must carefully be drawn, a task which requires both skill and experience: the best security is, where we find the patronymic in the genitive plural: but one can very generally judge whether the name is such as to have arisen in the way described above, from a genitive singular. Changes for the sake of euphony must also be guarded against, as sources of error: thus Abingdon in Berks would impel us strongly to assume a family of Abingas; the Saxon name Æbban dún convinces us that it was named from an Æbba (m.) or Æbbe (f). Dunnington is not Duninga tún, but Dunnan, that is Dunna’s tún.