Some early Middle English dialect features in the South-East Midlands: an onomastic study

Uniformitarian principles suggest that the spoken English of 1100-1300 would have displayed regional variation. The written reflections of spoken regional diversity evident in Late Middle English (1300-1500) support this assumption, but the paucity of literary texts from the earlier period has made it difficult to test. This thesis uses the more plentiful placename evidence to show the extent of areal linguistic variation in the written English of this period in six East Midland counties: Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire with Ely, Essex, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire and Middlesex.Chapter one introduces the period, geographic area and the aims of the project. It also gives an overview of the previous research into early Middle English. Chapter two reviews the use of onomastic data in Middle English dialectology. It discusses important contributions by Wyld, Ekwall, Bohman, Sundby, Kristensson and Ek and addresses some issues of methodology and ideology that arise from the study of place names for dialectal research.Chapter three discusses the tools and research methods used in this analysis. The data from five English Place-Name Society volumes, covering six counties was scanned, parsed and entered into a database. Bespoke software allowed complex searches by spelling, date and source, returning data sets in tabular or map form.Chapter four presents the data with analysis and discussion. Four variables were examined in fifty-year sub-periods: OE /a:/ data, OE /y/, OE /te:/ and voicing of initial fricatives [fj and [s]. Selected lexical items were investigated in name-initial and name non-initial position. The corresponding spellings are tabulated by county, and mapped to show geographic and temporal variation. Individual items are discussed in detail, with reference to source types in which they are recorded, and general patterns of variation are identified. Chapter five summarises the results, points out some limitations and offers suggestions for further development.There are six appendices. Appendix A: List of data identifiers (IDs) that allow crossreferencing the data in the tables, appendices and on maps. Appendix B: OE la-.l data. Appendix C: OE /y/ data. Appendix D: OE /æ:/ data. Appendix E: Voicing of initial fricatives [f] and [s] data. Appendix F: Geographical arrangement of data.The unrivalled level of detail achieved in this onomastic study, displayed on forty distribution maps, allows us to capture changes in progress, to identify archaic language strata in which pre-change forms are preserved, and to demonstrate the existence of new, post-change, layers of language in early Middle English. The data demonstrates greater variation in the selected variables than had been previously known.This work shows the value of onomastics as a source of data on early Middle English, supplementary to the documentary and literary evidence collected in projects such as the Linguistic Atlas of Early Middle English

A phytosociological survey of British arable-weed and related communities

Weed communities of British arable land have been extensively surveyed and classified using Zurich-Montpellier ("Braun-Blanquet") methods of analysis. After comparison of British results with continental literature it is concluded that most stands are referable to the class Stellarietea. A number of associations can be distinguished, classified as follows: Order: Polygono – Chenopodietalia Alliance: Fumario – Euhorbion Five associations Alliance: Spergulo – Oxalidion Seven associations Order: Eragrostietalia Alliance: Panico – Setarion One association Order: Centauretalja cyani Alliance: Arnoseridion Two associations Alliance: Aphanion Two associations Alliance: Caucalidion Three associations. Other communities of undefined rank have also been distinguished. Three new associations are provisionally described within the Spergulo-Oxalidion. Additionally, it has been found that some arable stands are referable to syntaxa of the classes Agroyretea or Plantainetea. Such stands are related to the effects of soil deterioration and selective herbicides. Limited investigation of annual communities of other disturbed ruderal habitats has shown that they are usually referable to the order Sisymbrietalia of the Stellarietea. Association between species has been investigated in some areas by chi-squared analysis. Plexus diagrams showing inter-specificassociation have been prepared for the Outer Hebrides, Dorset, the Isles of Scilly, the Brecklands, the Lower Greensand plus Bagshot Sands formations and arable bryophyte synusiae. Results from these are compared with those of the Zurich-Montpellier analysis. Factors affecting arable communities are extensively reviewed. Special consideration has been given to the floristic and ecological nature of the field boundary

State of Tennessee Treasurer\u27s Report Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2010

https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/govpubs-tn-dept-treasury-treasurer-report/1012/thumbnail.jp

State of Tennessee Treasurer\u27s Report Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2009

https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/govpubs-tn-dept-treasury-treasurer-report/1013/thumbnail.jp

BGS Karst Report Series : C3. Karst in the Chalk of East Anglia

This report documents the evidence for karst and rapid groundwater flow in the Chalk of East Anglia. It is part of the BGS karst report series on those karst aquifers in England in which cave development is limited – principally the Upper Cretaceous Chalk and the Jurassic and Permian limestones. This report shows that there is a surprising amount of evidence for karst in East Anglia, despite the extensive and often thick superficial deposits that cover much of the Chalk following the Anglian glaciation. Paleokarstic features provide evidence of karstification prior to the Anglian glaciation, and post Anglian karst development is also occurring. Although there are only a few studies of karst specifically, considering the different strands of evidence, it is clear that karst processes impact the Chalk throughout the area. A small karst cave is present in the Chalk at one location on the north coast, and other small caves may be present beneath the superficial cover. Karst networks in the area are likely to comprise fissures and conduits, and the extent to which some of these are enlarged to form small caves is difficult to assess given the limited outcrops and exposures. Dissolution pipes are common, many are large, and some provide evidence of paleokarst that pre-dates the Anglian glaciation. Extremely high densities of surface depressions occur, and it is often difficult to determine if they are of periglacial, anthropogenic, or karstic origin. However, it is clear that many are anthropogenic and that some are likely to be karst dolines. Stream sinks occur, with some classic chalk karst stream sinks in the south of the area associated with the Chalk-Paleogene boundary. Many stream sinks are associated with the Chalk-glacial till boundary, and although these are small scale features, collectively they may be important for recharge in some areas. Some streams on the Chalk (and where there is thin permeable cover) have losing sections and/or exhibit bourne behaviour. Karstic recharge is unlikely over large parts of East Anglia where there are thick deposits of glacial till overlying the Chalk. Nevertheless, there are areas where some karstic flow in the unsaturated zone is likely. This is most likely where there are stream sinks or river losses to the Chalk, and may also occur in a more limited way in association with dissolution pipes/dolines where there is thin cover, and also in areas of outcrop Chalk if there are vertical solutional fissures with no surface expression. Further assessment of surface karst features and consideration of water quality indicators of rapid flow at springs and abstractions would provide insights into unsaturated zone karst in East Anglia. There is more widespread evidence for saturated zone karst. A small number of tracer tests from monitoring boreholes to abstraction boreholes or springs have demonstrated rapid groundwater flows of 14 to >3800 m/day over distances of 44 to 1650 m. Extensive networks of solutional fissures and conduits are also indicated by the many groundwater abstraction sites with high transmissivity (> 1000 m2/day) which are distributed throughout East Anglia. There are also many springs, some of which are reported to be (or have been) large, including some with measured discharges of > 200 l/s. Saturated zone karst networks may occur due to mixing corrosion or due to the development of current/past stream sink to spring connections. Whilst the exact locations and extent of the saturated zone solutional networks are difficult to determine, karstic solutional development in this area appears to occur more in river valleys than interfluves; and there is often a strong geological control, with flows focused on inception horizons (that in this area include the Totternhoe Stone, the Plenus Marls, the Chalk Rock and the Top Rock). Although there is evidence for karst throughout East Anglia, there is more evidence for karst in the south and west of the area, and in river valleys and where superficial cover is thin. Some areas with particular evidence for karst include: the Beane and Upper Cam catchments, the Gipping valley, the Cambridge-Newmarket area, the Thetford area, and the Burn and Bure catchments in the north. Karst is clearly an important aspect of the hydrogeology of East Anglia. Further work would be useful to improve datasets on dissolution pipes, dolines, stream sinks and springs which are generally very incomplete in this area; and further studies of these features would also be useful to determine their characteristics and their hydrogeological role. Further tracer testing and further consideration of pumping test data in the context of karst would also be useful

Camera systematics and three-point correlations in modern photometric galaxy surveys

The goal of modern cosmology, broadly speaking, is to understand the behavior of the Universe at large scales, including the evolution of dark matter and dark energy over cosmic time. In the context of the modern paradigm of a universe dominated by dark energy and cold dark matter (LCDM), the goal is to detect deviations from LCDM predictions (new physics), and in the absence of those, to infer the value of the LCDM parameters. Advances this endeavor will require both improved constraints on systematic errors in raw astronomical data as well as improved statistical methods for extracting cosmological information from galaxy catalogs. Toward these ends, the first half of this thesis discusses methods for improving our ability to make precise and accurate measurements of galaxies in the universe using astronomical CCD imaging cameras. The second half of this thesis discusses a novel application of a statistical probe of the cosmic web of dark matter, the galaxy three-point correlation function, to photometric galaxy surveys, that allows us to extract more information of cosmological interest from the observed galaxy distribution. Both lines of research discussed in this thesis will be useful in future analyses of data from upcoming optical galaxy surveys, including the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope

Weapons, warfare and society in Britain 1250-750 BC.

This research project was designed as a large scale detailed study of British swords and spearheads, of the period from approximately 1250-750BC. 202 small metallurgical samples and 4 large sword cross sections were examined metallographically. Chemical compositions were ascertained. Sections of 'sword edge' were prepared and impacted experimentally to reproduce combat damage and the results used to help assess the 499 swords and 485 spearheads, which were measured and examined visually. The results were analysed statistically according to regional and typological groupings. The distribution of manufacturing characteristics showed significant regional and typological variations and indicate a hierarchy of technical proficiency. Metallographic examinations also revealed a number of weapons which had been burnt. The compositional analyses showed metal being recycled and mixed, although alloys used were similar. Aspects of typological classification were quantified and regional patterns of distribution were assessed. Patterns of damage confirmed that that the majority of the weapons had probably been used in combat before deposition. There were significant regional and chronological differences in the proportions so used. Patterns of non-combat damage, breakage and depositional context showed that despite evident similarities some highly significant regional, chronological and typological differences existed. The weapons indicate that warfare was endemic but probably sporadic and low level. Communities appear to have exercised some form of social sanctioning over warriors, in part by incorporating weapons and the concept of war symbolically within their ceremonials. Deposition practices varied with time and locality but many do appear to have been ritual. There were also distinct regional and chronological traditions in the design, manufacturing and pre-depositional combat use of weapons. The evidence points to an escalation in long distance travel and exchange of goods and ideas, increasing contacts between regions, where people adapted the new to their own society

The Impact of Agricultural Depression and Land Ownership Change on the County of Hertfordshire, c.1870-1914

The focus of this research has been on how the county of Hertfordshire negotiated the economic, social and political changes of the late nineteenth century. A rural county sitting within just twenty miles of the nation’s capital, Hertfordshire experienced agricultural depression and a falling rural population, whilst at the same time seeing the arrival of growing numbers of wealthy, professional people whose economic focus was on London but who sought their own little patch of the rural experience. The question of just what constituted that rural experience was played out in the local newspapers and these give a valuable insight into how the farmers of the county sought to establish their own claim to be at the heart of the rural, in the face of an alternative interpretation which was grounded in urban assumptions of the social value of the countryside as the stable heart of the nation. The widening of the franchise, increased levels of food imports and fears over the depopulation of the villages reduced the influence of farmers in directing the debate over the future of the countryside. This study is unusual in that it builds a comprehensive picture of how agricultural depression was experienced in one farming community, before considering how farmers’ attempts to claim ownership of the ‘special’ place of the rural were unsuccessful economically, socially and politically. Hertfordshire had a long tradition of attracting the newly wealthy looking to own a country estate. Historians have suggested that in the late nineteenth century there was a shift in how such men understood ownership of these estates, showing little enthusiasm for the traditional paternalistic responsibilities; in the face of a declining political and social premium attached to landownership, their interest lay purely in the leisure and sporting opportunities of the rural. However, as this research will show, the newly wealthy were not immune to that wider concern with social stability, and they engaged with their local environment in meaningful ways, using their energies and wealth to fund a range of social improvements. This research extends our understanding of just how the rhetoric of the rural was experienced by the residents of a county which so many saw as incorporating the best of the ‘south country’. In so doing, it makes a significant contribution to our knowledge of how this period of agricultural depression was interpreted by the wider nation, and the impact on social and cultural understanding of the place of the countryside within the national identity

The history of Newport (Essex) grammar school 1588 - 1938

Newport (Essex) Grammar School was founded in 1588 by Mrs. Joyce Frankland, a wealthy patroness of learning, who endowed the school with tithes at Banstead and property in London and .Hoddesdon. The history of the school shows the changes in its function within the local community and in the developments which took place in the curriculum, organisation and social composition of the school as a result of policies laid down by the Trustees, Charity Commissioners, Governors, and by legislation both local and national. As an important support of civil and ecclesiastical policy the school flourished, providing a narrow, ' linguistic curriculum for local boys, the sons of clerics and of the gentry of Essex and neighbouring counties, many of whom proceeded to Cambridge. With the growth of industry and commerce during the 18th century, new forms of secondary education came into being and private academies offered a vocational or commercial curriculum. As a result, grammar schools declined. At Newport however, in 1779 a successful boarding side was developed by James Buck, with many able boys proceeding to Cambridge. With his departure, boarding was discontinued and the trustees authorised an elementary curriculum. In 1828 the Charity commissioners encouraged a revival in boarding in order to establish a classics side and a new building was authorised. A small Latin class was developed while, with the coming of the railway and the growth of business in neighbouring towns, "merchants' accounts was introduced-into the curriculum. Three masters followed in quick succession an4, while the Schools Inquiry CoJrtmission deliberated on its future, the school was placed under the charge of the usher with the result . that numbers declined sharply. The new scheme of 187 4 envisaged a Second Grade School at Newport and under Mr Waterhouse a new building was opened to provide a practical education for boys up to fifteen. Boarding was again successfully introduced and, with the provision of a swimming bath, gymnasium, and several acres of playing fields, sport was fostered laboratory was added in 1896 and a strong science side developed, while the increasing number of boys entering the universities and professions indicated that the school had grown beyond its second grade status. Thus when, in 1910, financial difficulties forced the Governors to apply for secondary status under the 1902 Act, this was readily granted. During his: period of office, Dr. Wyeth faced the problem of rising numbers and overcrowding and also. engaged in a struggle to lengthen school life and develop advanced work; these problems were aggravated by war. and the . subsequent economic depression. After 1916 the school experienced a rapid expansion that was so marked a feature of secondary education during and after the war. In 1937, two further laboratories and classrooms were built. Advanced work developed slowly and it was in. the 1920's, with the reorganisation of school leaving examinations and the incentive of financial inducements by the Board, that a. small sixth form was established. Since reorganisation in 1910, the school had been supported by direct grant and also aided by the local authority. In 1922 the Board's grant regulations were changed and as the introduction of the Burnham scale of salaries had increased the deficit and the Essex Education Committee's contribution now exceeded all other sources of income, the school was classified as a deficiency grant school. From then on, the school' s financial dependence on the L.E.A. increased. To accord with the L.E.A's policy in its own secondary schools, all places were made special places from September 1935, when all boys had to pass the General Admission Examination, and the school lost control over its admissions. After some 'initial friction the school governors and the L.E.A. worked closely together until the end of the arrangements in 1947

Test pit excavation within occupied settlements in East Anglia in 2005

This paper introduces a new project which is focussing on the archaeological investigation of medieval rural settlements which arc still inhabited, and summarises the results of work of four sites in the first year of the projec