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by C. D. KING submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of St. Andrews 1991 tý c4v A. $ST1 ACT An investigation by G.P. Cubbin into the local place- name sources of Lancashire of a time when the vernacular had a low status isolated the Whalley Coucher Book as the one that most seemed to deserve further scrutiny. That book therefore forms the basis of the present study. The Coucher Boook is a mediaeval work of monastic provenance and is a compilation of deeds received by Whalley Abbey over the period. The interest of the source lies in its representation of many place-names by writers who may be supposed to have been familiar with them. Whalley's place- name corpus affords scope for examination of variation that is of dialectal significance. A searching analysis is undertaken of the evidence that the Whalley Coucher Book offers. Questions of dating, of location of place-names, of the elements that compose them, and of the status of the text have to be examined with a view to elucidating the significance for phonology of this evidence. Such examination is carried out at length, and it is hoped that these aspects of the present work may be found to have application in linguistic and historical inquiry both for the actual results relative to the Whalley Coucher Book and for the methodological demonstration. A considerable amount of dialectal phonological information from the source is presented in this thesis. It is critically examined and collated and the attempt is made to derive actual usage in the territory and period concerned. On the whole the conclusion is that most of the evidence does reflect the dialect and that it produces a believable distribution of forms. Some of the dialectal information thus acquired appears as new. More commonly, however, this study confirms the existing picture or makes it somewhat more precise. The evidence does not escape the uneven coverage that is to be expected in place-name evidence for dialect. Although the amount of the evidence of the Whalley Coucher Book and its general consistency are comparatively good, the finding of this work is that they are not enough to establish the original suggestion that the Coucher Book might deserve reliance without reference to, and even in total defiance of, other local sources. The present study concludes that the best evidence consists of a select group of sources amongst which Whalley may be taken as pre-eminent. 111 1 ',CL PLATTONS 1.1, Christopher David King, hereby certify that this thesis, which is approximately 106,000 words in length, has been written by me, that it is the record of work carried out by me and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for a higher degree. Date: 29th July 1991 *IkIW Signature of Candidate: 2. I was admitted as a research student under Ordinance no. 12 in October 1985 and as a candidate for the degree of Ph. D. in April 1986; the higher study for which this is a record was carried out in the University of St. Andrews between 1985 and 1991. Date: 29th July 1991 *140 Signature of Candidate: 3. I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of Ph. D. in the University of St. Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree. Date: 2 9th July 1991 Signature of Supervisor: 4. In submitting this thesis to the University of St. Andrews I understand that I am giving permission for it to be made available for use in accordance with the regulations of the University Library for the time being in force, subject to any copyright vested in the work not being affected thereby. I also understand that the title and abstract will be published, and that a copy of the work may be made and supplied to any bona fide library or research worker. Date: 2M July 1991 Signature of Candidate: iv ACiCNOWLE1)fU LENTS It is a pleasant task to record the help that I have received towards the production of this thesis. And in the first place I wish to thank my parents for their contribution to the considerable funds that my thesis and I have consumed in these last few years, and for a welcome change of surroundings and routine at intervals. I am heartily grateful to the Directors and Secretary of the Newby Trust of Hampshire for a considerable charitable grant, without which this enterprise would have foundered in its early stages. I am of course indebted to the University of St. Andrews for its decision to admit me to doctoral research and for financial assistance. I am grateful to the officers of the University, present and now retired, who have been concerned with these matters. I wish to thank my Supervisor, Mr. G.B. Jack, for his dependable and painstaking tutelage over the years, I am grateful to Prof. M. J. Alexander and the staff of the Department of English of the University of St. Andrews for assorted help including the Department's successful recommendation of me for an internal scholarship of this University. Dr. G.P. Cubbin of the University of Cambridge, whose idea this investigation was, has been unfailingly helpful and encouraging from the start, and my thanks go to him for this. I have been fortunate in receiving the advice of more than one specialist. My thanks go to Miss A. J. Kettle of the Department of Mediaeval History of the University of St. Andrews for her kindness in reading Chapter III for me and to Dr. Denise Kenyon of the University of Manchester for many of the derivations of place-names given in Chapter IV. I also thank Prof. M. P. Barnes of University College, London, who has long acted as my referee, and both Prof. Barnes and Dr. N. P. Brookes of the University of Birmingham for help with points in the thesis. I wish to thank Dr. J.T. Henderson of the Computing Laboratory of the University of St. Andrews for many hours devoted to equipping me technically to produce this thesis. I also wish to thank the librarians of St. Andrews University Library and archives staff at the Lancashire Record Office and at Keele University Library for effective personal attention. Finally I have been considerably helped and encouraged in non-academic ways at difficult times by various kind and able people in St. Andrews and Edinburgh. They know who they are. V 'iablc of (tontent& Abstract i Declarations iii Acknowledgments iv List of Maps vi Abbreviations vii I. Introduction Background 1 Purpose and Method 9 Key 12 II. Diplomatic Key 17 On Circumstances of Production 21 Register of Texts 31 On Extant Versions 56 Synopsis of Versions 74 III. Chronology Argument 82 Key 92 Catalogue of External Information 96 Genealogical Catalogue 107 Directory of Individuals 120 Catalogue of Title 145 Schedule of Deeds 176 IV. Toponymy and Topography Argument 210 Key 217 Gazetteer of Distances 223 Glossary of Place-Name Elements 229 Concordant Gazetteer 233 vi V. Phonology Argument 263 Key 268 Catalogue of Material 272 Analysis 283 Conclusions 322 Appendices A. Catalogue of LRO/ DDTo24,27 333 B. Pool in Historical Dialectology 339 Index to Old English Localized Texts 371 Bibliography 376 ti 5t of Etapo Key Map 209 Phonological Groups 1 (i-umlaut of Gmc x) &7 (OE psi) 330 Phonological Groups 2 (early OE x+ nasal) &3 (early OE x+ 1) 331 Phonological Group 4 (OE ä of various origins) 332 pool in OE 375 vii tbbreWation. a ante i.e. by [with dates] Ad Adam (XN) Ag Agnes (XN) Al Alan (XN) An Andrew (XN) Ank Anketil (XN) App Appendix Arg Argument [in cp. 21 Ax Alexander (XN) ball balliuus i. e. bailiff lad boundary Bil Billington (PN) BL MS London BL MS Cat British Museum: Catalogue BL Index British Museum: Index to Charters BP Birth-Penumbra c circa i.e. about [with dates] Cc Cicely (XN) Ch Cheshire ChetS Chetham Society cl clerk CL locality of composition Cli Clitheroe (PN) CS Copy Status Da David (XN) Di Diana (XN) DK MS Kenyon DN district-name do dominus (personal title) DNB Dictionary of National Biography DP Deed-Penumbra viii DPN Ekwall: Dictionary of PNs DSN Reaney: Dictionary of SNs dsp desponsavit i.e. married DXN Withycombe: Dictionary of XNs Ek Elswick (PN) el PN element EPNS English Place-Name Society ERN Ekwall: English RNs EtyRef etymological ref Ex Catalogue of External Information f filius i. e. son fra frater i. e. brother FS Formal Status Gb Gilbert (XN) Gf Geoffrey (XN) Gmc Germanic H WCB: Hulton's contributions [p. of his ed. ] hd hundred He Henry (XN) Hu Hugh (XN) imp. bibliographical impression InX Internal Chronology IS Instrumental Status IsInX IsX + InX IsX Isolative Chronology IT interpolated text Ja James (XN) Jd Jordan (XN) Jn John (XN) JPN Kenyon: EPNS Journal [issue. pagel L Ekwall: PNs of La La Lancashire LALME McIntosh et al: Linguistic Atlas LC local coefficient LocRef locative ref ix LRO MS Preston LundSE Lund Studies in English ma mater i.