WHO AND WHAT WERE THEY?

AN INQUIRY

Serving to elucidate the Traditional History of the Early Britons, by means of Recent Excavations, Etymology, Remnants of Religious Worship, Inscriptions, Craniology, and Fragmentary Collateral History.

BY THE

REV. SAMUEL LYSONS, M.A., F.S.A.,

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66

RECTOR OF RODMARTON AND PERPETUAL CURATE OF ST. LUKE'S, GLOUCESTER; AUTHOR OF CONJECTURES ON JOB;" THE ROMANS IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE;" THE MODEL MERCHANT OF THE MIDDLE AGES;" "ÆSOp's fables chrISTIANIZED;" "GLOUCESTERSHIRE ACHIEVEMENTS, " &c.; MEMBER OF THE ARCHEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE, AND THE COTTESWOLD NATURALISTS' SOCIETY.

Oxford and London:
JOHN HENRY AND JAMES PARKER.
GLOUCESTER: J. HEADLAND.

1865.

"The one nedeth of the other ys helpe."

"The lame whyche lacketh for to goo
Is borne upon the blinde is back,
So mutually between theme twoo
The one supplieth the others lack :
The blinde to laime doth lend his might,

The layme to blynde dothe yeld his sight."

Verses on the Panels at Place House, Fowey, Cornwall

Buckingham.-"Upon record, my gracious Lord.

Prince." But say, my Lord, it were not register'd,
Methinks, the truth should live from age to age.

As 'twere retail'd to all posterity;

Even to the general all-ending day."

SHAKSPEARE, Richard III., Act iii. sc. I.

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION

OUR BRITISH ANCESTORS: WHO AND WHAT WERE THEY?
THE TUMULUS OF WINDMILL TUMP AT RODMARTON, Glou-

CESTERSHIRE

APPENDIX I.-The Identification of Local Names of Places
in Britain with the Mythology of the Celto-Britons
APPENDIX II.—A List of Rivers in Britain, apparently ex-
hibiting in their names their connection with the My-
thology of the Celtic Britons
APPENDIX III.-The Identification of the Names of the

Mountains in Britain with the Mythology of the Celto-
Britons

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i.

1

137

229

321

Names of the Sun

Names of the Moon

Hebræo-Celtic origin

APPENDIX IV.-Terminals of Places in Britain having an

APPENDIX V.-British Customs derived from the East, still,
or until recently, observed in this Country :-Gavel Kind
and Borough English-Throwing the Shoe at Wed-
ings-April Fools-The May-pole-The Wassail Bowl
-Passing the Bottle to the Left Hand-The Origin of
the Honeymoon-Bowing to the New Moon-Strewing
the Graves with Flowers-Bowing and Worshipping
towards the East-Burying towards the East-Cocayne
-Children passing through the Fire to Moloch-Join-
ing the Right Hands in Marriage, and giving of a Ring
-Wedding Cake-Tanism-Decking the Churches and
Houses with Evergreens at Christmas

332

334

338

341

349-537

APPENDIX VI.-A Glossary of English Words apparently
-judging by sound and sense-derived from the He-
brew, Chaldee, or Syriac

350