01-20-2007, 05:22 PM
Hi Harry,
Hmmm. Yes, 'wal' can also mean 'Wall' in Old English. :lol:
In fact, nobody is sure exactly what Hadrian's Wall was known as
in Latin, either. However, we do know that the frontier was called
the 'Vallum' - I think previous generations had assumed this referred
only to the ditch running behind the Wall, but is is now thought
that Vallum referred to the frontier overall. If so, then 'Vallum
Hadrianus', or even 'Vallum Aelianus' in Latin could easily have
become 'Hadrian's Wall' in Old English. Just an observation. :wink:
But to come to your original point about 'wal' having the alternative meaning of 'Wall' in OE, that's true. However, I think that would be
the wrong connotation in the context of Walton Castle. Most other
Roman forts - either on Hadrian's Wall or the Saxon Shore, or even
walled-towns, like Silchester, Chichester, Rochester, Alchester, etc -
are given the borrowed Latin suffix caster/chester (from Castra)
to denote a walled settlement. This is so when we look at other
forts of the Saxon Shore: Brancaster, Caistor, Portchester. So I
think it rather unlikely that Walton Castle would be the odd-one-out
in being called: *Walled-settlement, when all the others which were
given OE names relating to their being walled strongholds actually
have the caster/chester suffix. So I think that Walton, here, is
actually referring to the ethnicity of the fort's garrison. Otherwise,
why not just call it *Caistor (like the one in Norfolk) or *Chester,
rather than Walton. I think that the other locations named 'Walton'
across the country were not, actually, late-forts or walled-towns.
Cheers,
Ambrosius/ Mike
Quote:[/quote]ambrosius Wrote:As you know, the placename 'Walton' is an Old English one meaning 'Welsh settlement'. Interestingly, there is a Walton Castle which is the Saxon Shore Fort near to Felixtowe in Suffolk.
Care has to be taken with 'wal' names because germanic also uses the same for wall. A 'Walton' may be a settlement with a wall or even a settlement in a forest 'w(e)ald'. Harry Amphlett
Hmmm. Yes, 'wal' can also mean 'Wall' in Old English. :lol:
In fact, nobody is sure exactly what Hadrian's Wall was known as
in Latin, either. However, we do know that the frontier was called
the 'Vallum' - I think previous generations had assumed this referred
only to the ditch running behind the Wall, but is is now thought
that Vallum referred to the frontier overall. If so, then 'Vallum
Hadrianus', or even 'Vallum Aelianus' in Latin could easily have
become 'Hadrian's Wall' in Old English. Just an observation. :wink:
But to come to your original point about 'wal' having the alternative meaning of 'Wall' in OE, that's true. However, I think that would be
the wrong connotation in the context of Walton Castle. Most other
Roman forts - either on Hadrian's Wall or the Saxon Shore, or even
walled-towns, like Silchester, Chichester, Rochester, Alchester, etc -
are given the borrowed Latin suffix caster/chester (from Castra)
to denote a walled settlement. This is so when we look at other
forts of the Saxon Shore: Brancaster, Caistor, Portchester. So I
think it rather unlikely that Walton Castle would be the odd-one-out
in being called: *Walled-settlement, when all the others which were
given OE names relating to their being walled strongholds actually
have the caster/chester suffix. So I think that Walton, here, is
actually referring to the ethnicity of the fort's garrison. Otherwise,
why not just call it *Caistor (like the one in Norfolk) or *Chester,
rather than Walton. I think that the other locations named 'Walton'
across the country were not, actually, late-forts or walled-towns.
Cheers,
Ambrosius/ Mike
"Feel the fire in your bones."
