The Groundwater Diaries

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.