by Tim Bradford
But Colonel Prideaux isn’t going to take this lying down…
‘Prof. Skeat’s statement that the w in tw cannot be lost unless the sound of o or u follows, is, of course, conclusive, and it is therefore hardly worthwhile to discuss the pronunciation of the word Tyburn…It must be remembered that Tyburn is only a book word and that it fell out of common speech…considerably more than a hundred years ago. Prof. Skeat, in suggesting the derivation from Anglo-Saxon “tigan”, does not explicitly say that the earliest spelling of the word that we know of, namely, “Teoburna”, is another form of “Tig-burna” but I presume that that is his meaning. Of course, if the compound could signify a “tye”, or piece of land enclosed between two burns, it would suit my main hypothesis as well as the derivation I originally suggested.” (W.F. Prideaux 13 February 1909)
‘But “de Tyburne” appears to be genitive, not ablative (the “e” being for œI and therefore to the real “of Tyburne” not “from” Tyburn. I…would interpret Tyburn as originally the general name for the many streams that issued from the Hampstead springs. In the far-off Saxon days when “Teoburna” was invented, we can imagine a great tract of forest and swamp percolated by these numerous and undistinguishable rivulets, which the natives on their small clearances knew only as “the divided burn”.
Ty in Tyburn may have its simplets equivalent in tye – a word in use for an enclosure, or even for its antithesis, a common, and thus a tract…and when we are led to a root-verb “teohan”, we seem to have the evolution from Teoburna to Tyburn. May we then “rest and be thankful” in the solution, the tye-burn, or the ‘burn of the tye’? And thus have we not the name of the burn rather than the name of the tye?’ (W.L. Rutton 13 February 1909)
Brilliant.
‘Since Domesday the name has been indeclinable, and Tyburne is not the genitive form, even if we can conceive of the preposition de governing the genitive. Can Prof. Skeet or some other authority say what is the exact force of the termination “born” in the German place-name Paderborn?
‘In conclusion – and the Editor and readers of N.&Q. will be glad to learn that I really intend on the present occasion to conclude my remarks on this thorny subject – I may point out with reference to Mr H.A. Harben’s question (10/x. 431) as to the existence of Tyburn in the Bayswater district, that in a pedigree given in Mr F.A. Crisp’s Visitations vol. XV., Lord William Murray, third son of the third Duke of Atholl, who died 31 Dec. 1796, is stated to have been buried on “St. George’s Cemetery, Tyburn, co. Middlesex.” …the title-deeds of this burying-ground as well as of the older buildings in the neighbourhood would, I feel no doubt, corroborate my view that originally the manor of Tyburn extended as far as the Westbourne.
‘In reply to the query of Col. Prideaux, I may say that “Born” is the Low-German form of the High-German “Brunnen”, cognate, of course, with metathesis of r, with Eng. “bourn”. (H.P.L 24 April 1908)
‘… although “Tyburne” is not ablative, I will not further claim it as genitive (“Tyburne” for “Tyburnae”), being assured on trustworthy authority that invariably de commands the ablative … I may add that my classic authority, unaware of the argument, thought “Tyburne” to be vernacular, not declined Latin.” (W.L. Rutton 24 April 1909)
[This correspondence continues for several more volumes …]
Further reading
If you’ve become obsessed by underground rivers and want more in the way of real facts, here’s a selection of source material which will provide a good starting point for your own explorations.
The Lost Rivers of London Nicholas Barton (London, Historical Publications Ltd, 1993)
Up there with the 1972 Topical Times Football Book as one of the great texts of the twentieth century. Concentrates more on the bigger streams. Particularly good on industrial uses for the rivers. Some great old illustrations.
London Under London Trench and Hillman (London, John Murray, 1984)
Similar book to the above but takes a wider view – sewers, tubes lines etc – so less detail about the streams.
Some Lost Rivers of London Alan Ivimey (London, Fleetway House, 1926)
A chapter in the Wonderful London series of books. Short (but to the point) romantic view of the lost rivers, with some nice diagrams. Probably hard to find – I’d lend you my copy but I’m always lending my favourite books to people and not getting them back. So get your own.
Springs, Streams and Spas of London A.S. Foord (London, Unwin, 1910)
Wide-ranging survey and history of London’s wells. It’s an early twentieth-century volume so long out of print, although most history libraries seem to have a copy. Would be worth updating or someone writing a more contemporary version. But not me.
The Growth of Stoke Newington Jack Whitehead (London, Jack Whitehead, 1985)
Mostly of interest to locals, nevertheless an interesting way of approaching local history (ie. bung in loads of old maps and charts).
The Fleet: Its River, Prisons and Marriages J.E. Ashton (London, Unwin, 1890)
Victorian era study of the Fleet’s history. Lots of stuff about conditions in the prisons. Beautiful old map in the front.
Address to the Auctioneers Institute of the United Kingdom
J.G. Head (London, Guildhall Library, 1907)
A short pamphlet published in 1907 – a time of peace and prosperity when lots of people were interested in mad stuff like underground streams. It concentrates on the problems of building above lost rivers.
Glimpses of Ancient Hackney and Stoke Newington Benjamin Clarke (London, Hackney Society, 1986)
Mid nineteenth-century East End bloke talks about how great London was in the good old days.
The Romance of the New River Metropolitan Water Board (London, Metropolitan Water Board, 1926)
Big book with lots of black and white pictures of water. Probably only of interest to obsessive types, except for mention of The New River: A Romance of the Time of Hugh Myddleton by Edmund Fitzgerald. When I saw this I nearly fell off my chair. Shit, I thought, there’s nothing new to say, is there. So much for my great film ideas.
The Water Supply of the County of London from Underground Sources Buchan
Well, I must have looked at this because I took some notes but I don’t really remember it. Another Haringey History Library classic.
Prehistoric London: Its Mounds & Circles E.O. Gordon
A 1925 study of London’s ancient ritual places. A must for all Druids of the inter-war period.
Other useful books and journals:
The History of Musuwell Hill Ken Gray (London, Hornsey Historical Society, 1999)
People and Places: Lost Estates in Highgate, Hornsey and Wood Green Joan Schwitzer (London, Hornsey Historical Society, 1996)
Notes & Queries Various
The Effra: Lambeth’s Underground River Ken Dixon (London, Brixton Society, 1993)
A History of Brixton Alan Piper (London, Brixton Society, 1996)
Lights Out for the Territory Iain Sinclair (London, Granta, 1997)
The Pickwick Papers Charles Dickens
The Oxford Dictionary of London Placenames A.D. Mills (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2000)
The London Encyclopedia Ben Weinreb & Christopher Hibbert (London, Macmillan, 1983)
The London Scene Lewis Melville & Aubrey Hammond (London, Faber & Gwyer, 1926)
Clissold Park Abney Park Cemetery Trust
Ley Lines: A Comprehensive Guide to Alignment Danny Sullivan
The Geology of Islington Islington Council
Prehistoric London: It’s Mounds and Circles E.O. Gordon (London, Covenant, 1925)
Fictional books
Perambulations Along the Watercourses of Our Great Metropolis C. F. Talgutt
Shitting My Way Around London’s Rivers Samuel Johnson
Useful websites for the underground river walker
http://www.platformlondon.org-platform
http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/leisure_heritage/libraries_a
rchives_museums galleries/guildhall_art_gallery/ – Guildhall Art Gallery
http://www.hertsdirect.org/infoadvice/comvol/enviro2y/envnaturereserve/70214? view=Heritage – New River Action Group
http://www.leyman.demon.co.uk/dowsing.htm – dowsing
http://www.isleofavalon.co.uk/edu/archive/ndlstone/02dowse.html – dowsing and archeology
http://www.greatdreams.com/penlearn.htm – dowsing with a pendulum
http://www.goddessmound.com/ – the goddess mound experience
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/english/victorian/dickens/marsh/page4.htm
http://www.braincourse.com/dreama.html – lucid dreams
http://www.cix.co.uk/~joc/hhs/index.htm – hornsey Historical Society
http://www.leyman.demon.co.uk/polter.htm – underground streams and poltergeists
http://www.nl6.com/paper3/fourteen.htm – the Growth of Stoke Newington by Rab McWilliam
http://www.muswell-hill.com/muswell/history/woodland/ – Haringey’s ancient woodland
http://www.thames.org.uk/guide4.htm – the Swiftstone Trust
http://www.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/dead/otherworld.html-The Tibetan Book of the Dead
http://www.moonstonerp.com/assistant/comp.html#tea – English Tea Gardens
http://www.shu.ac.uk/schools/cs/fineart/research/jordan/jordan.htm – Still Waters project
http://www.thames-online.co.uk/ – Thames Online
http://www.ukrivers.net/ – UK Rivers Network
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Cabana/9424/ – London Alleyways by Ivor Hoole
http://www.buchwald.dircon.co.uk/planam.html – London place names
http://www.krysstal.com/londname.html – London place names
http://www.flamemag.dircon.co.uk/herne_the_hunter.htm – celtic London
http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/lcc.html – civic heraldry
http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/ – Guinness book of records
http://www.greenchannel.com/slt/substant.htm – creating a sustainable London
http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy/strange_fruit.html – Strange Fruit (Alchemy, Religion and Magical Foods)
http://www.deadbeat.dk/ – Deabeat Magazine
http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/greenwood/lplaces.html – Greenwood’s 1827 map of London with place names
http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/artist04.html – William Blake
http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/engplnam.html – History of English place names
http://www.motco.com/Map/81005/imageonea.asp?Picno=81005000 – Horwood’s London Map 1792–9
http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/contactingmp.htm – How To Contact Your MP
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~genmaps/genfiles/COU_files/ENG/L ON/Norden_london_1593–small.pg.jpg – Norden’s 1593 Map of London
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~genmaps/genfiles/COU_files/ ENG/LON/Rocque/rocque_index.htm – John Rocque’s 1746 London map
http://www.unpopular.demon.co.uk/lpa/organisations/lsc.html – London Street Commune
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=005Ryr – source of the East End Bear story
http://www.red4.co.uk/Folklore/trevelyan/welshfolklore/chapt7.htm – plants, herbs and flowers
http://www.geocities.com/greenwitchcraft/WitchesBrew.html – witches brew
http://www.geocities.com/lavenderwater37/red.htm – red magick
http://www.keru.freeserve.co.uk/FH/Middlesex%20Text.html – History of Middlesex
http://www.wandleindustrialmuseum.freeserve.co.uk/common.htg/frame.htm – the Wandle trail
http://www.fdavidpeat.com/bibliography/essays/artenv.htm – Art and the Environment
http://www.nbtsc.org/~julieclipse/instar_proposal.html – Environmental Art
http://www.vauxhallpark.org.uk/Detail-3URL.html – Vauxhall Park History
http://www.brixtonsociety.org.uk/trailsix.htm – Effra walk
http://www.bbc.co.uk/otr/intext93–94/Reynolds7.11.93.html – BBC Interview with Albert Reynolds
http://www.fantompowa.net/Flame/issue_ten_contents.htm – Flame Mag Online
http://www.tanton.ndirect.co.uk/crossness/ – the Crossness Pumping Station
http://www.theplumber.com/eng.html – the history of plumbing
http://www.politicalcompass.org/ – the political compass
http://www.davidric.dircon.co.uk/1832chol.html – the 1832 cholera epidemic
http://www.chinatown – online.co.uk/pages/guide/history.html – London’s Chinatown
http://www.leevalley.co.uk/EastEndFestival/history/chinese.html – Chinese Limehouse
http://www.lbp.org.uk/hathamesl.htm – London biodiversity Partnership
http://www.urban75.net/ – London forum
http://www.londonancestor.com/misc-hist.htm – history of Bermondsey
http://www.mike – stevens.co.uk/maps/1860/index1860.htm – waterways of Englandand Wales
http://www.xrefer.com/entry/249447 – John Ruskin
http://www.guardian.co.uk/weather/ – the Weather
http://www.londonlandscape.gre.ac.uk/ – London landscape
http://www.landscapeplanning.gre.ac.uk/rivers.htm – river restoration
http://www.wildtrout.org/WTT/library/features/lostLondon.asp – the Wild Trout Trust
http://wwwsul.stanford.edu/depts/hasrg/ablit/britlit/brcatalog.html – London sanitary reform
http://www.london-lodges.org/ – London freemasonry
http://www.britannia.com/travel/london/cockney/cable.html – the Battle of Cable Street
http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/meektxt.htm – Joe Meek
http://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/snow/watermap1856/watermap_1856a4.html – old Hackney Brook map
http://www.unpopular.demon.co.uk/lpa/words/british.html – British
http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/taoism/ttcstan2.htm – Ta Te Ching
http://www.morrissociety.org/statement.html – William Morris Society
http://www.aocarchaeology.com/blackf.html – Archaeology in Blackfriars
http://www.storyoflondon.com/article1007.html – bathing in London
http://www.fidnet.com/~dap1955/dickens/dickens_london_map.html – Dickens London map
http://www.shcarter.freeserve.co.uk/talons/4s4.htm – Dr Who and London rivers
http://www.fountain-international.org/colin/chapterl.htm – Dowsing the Dragon by Colin Bloy
http://homepage2.nifty.com/~k2/cv/holl_rep.html – Fleet Prison
http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/u/uglow-hogarth.html – Hogarth
http://www.curriculumvisions.com/place/LondonTour/ 000TimeLine.html – London Time Line
http://www.cf.ac.uk/encap/skilton/nonfic/town/townint.html – 19thC London and Literature
http://www.bath.ac.uk/lispring/sourcearchive/fsl/fslcpl.htm – The River of Wells by Chesca Potter
http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/templates/index.cfm – London Borough of Tower Hamlets
http://www.lordmayorsshow.org/hist/gogmagog.shtml – Gog and Magog
http://www.findagrave.com/pictures/5634.html – Anton Walbrook’s grave
http://www.eng – h.gov.uk/ArchRev/rev95_6/poultry.htm – excavations at No. 1 Poultry
http://www.chr.org.uk/anddidthosefeet.htm – The Celts
http://www.museum – london.org.uk/ – Museum of London
http://www.well.com/user/davidu/mithras.html – Mithras Mysteries
http://www.ukpaganlinks.co.uk/links/druid.shtml – UK Pagan Links
http://elvispelvis.com/epicsoundtracks.htm – Epic Soundtracks
http://www.buzzcocks.com/SecretPublic/SP_main/newsindx/SP_16/body_sp_16. html – The Buzzcocks
http://www.marcus-beale.co.uk/pages/merton.html – Merton Abbey
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/ – Environment Agency
http://www.sutton.gov.uk/lfl/heritage/wandle/index.htm – the River Wandle
http://www.lbwf.gov.uk/wmg/ – William Morris Gallery
http
://www.lbhf.gov.uk/external/thamesstrategy/ – Thames Strategy
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/terrace/kam82/merton/WandleTrail.html – The Wandle Trail
http://www.sutton.gov.uk/council/magazines/LBSMag/summer2002/wandle.htm – The Wandle Group
http://www.keith.emmerson.btinternet.co.uk/guide.html – East London Pub Guide
http://www.southwark.gov.uk/discovering/ – Discovering Southwark
http://www.swarming.org.uk/recl/recl.htm – reclaim the beach
http://www.bookstore – cool.com/A_CainN1.html – how to write a non – fiction book
http://www.angelfire.com/al/thewritesite/block.html – Writer’s Block Guildhall Art Gallery – London
Credits
The author and publishers would like to express their gratitude to the following for permission to reproduce material: Universal Music for permission to quote from ‘1977’, ‘London Calling’ and ‘White Man (In Hammersmith Palais)’ by the Clash, written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones; Minder Music Ltd for ‘Leave The Capitol’ by The Fall, written by Mark E. Smith, Marc Riley, Craig Scanlon, Paul Hanley; Crass for ‘Do They Owe Us A Living?’; Kassner Associated Publishers for permission to quote from ‘So Long’ by Ray Davies; Dabe Music Ltd for ‘Let Me Be’; by Dave Davies; Carlin Music Corp for permission to quote from ‘Muswell Hillbilly’ by Ray Davies © 1971 Davray Music Ltd; Carlin Music Corp for permission to quote from ‘London Song’ by Ray Davies © 1998 Davray Music Ltd; Carlin Music Corp for permission to quote from ‘Sitting by the Riverside’ by Ray Davies © 1968 Davray Music Ltd; And Son Music Ltd, London WC2H OQY for permission to quote from ‘London Traffic’ words and music by Bruce Foxton (1977); Spike Milligan Productions for ‘Rain’ by Spike Milligan from Silly Verse for Kids; Rykomusic/Warlock Music for permission to quote from ‘The Riverman’ by Nick Drake; Complete Music for permission to quote from ‘Down in the Sewer’ by the Stranglers.
