Sir,—Mr. Watkins invites us to pursue the study of local antiquity, and I have accordingly read his book on “Early Trackways” and also enjoyed immensely his lecture on the subject the other evening at the Town Hall.
Now, if Mr. Watkins is really serious, in inviting us to interest ourselves in a subject he has given so much thought and attention to, he might at least be a little more considerate to his humble followers. For instance, when reading the report of his discovery re Trackways in the Hereford Times some months ago, I instinctively felt that his explanation of the derivation of the place named Bobblestock as being from a “Stock of Baubles” was rather a poor one. I sent a sheet of suggestions which appeared to me quite as likely as Mr. Watkins’s conjecture, and he did not even acknowledge my letter, so this time I am addressing my letter to the Press. Perhaps he thought it was impudence for an amateur even to suggest an alternative to an expert. If so, why whet our appetite and invite us to interest ourselves. Talking of whet, reminds me of my question to Mr. Watkins at the Town Hall re the Whetstone on Hargest Ridge. He replied that he had found a whet stone for sharpening knives in the immediate vicinity; therefore it was a stone where the natives used to gather to barter these whet stones—hence the name. It is refreshing to hear an expert give one such an unqualified and ready answer.
Again, I feel that his conclusion rests on slender foundations.
In absence of more authentic data I would ascribe it as a mark stone, as it is close on an undoubted trackway leading from Kington Church straight up Hargest Ridge. It is also on the circle at the top, known as the Race Course, which I expect is something far more ancient, although it may have been used for such a purpose in later times. Or, again, it may be a white stone on a salt lay or a wheat stone to mark a place for the barter of grain. My uncle, a native of “Auld Kyedon,” told me many years ago that it was called the wet stone because every morning when the cock crew it rolled down to the brook at the bottom to have a drink (a wet), then rolled back again. I don’t say this explanation is more likely than Mr. Watkins’s, as I was never on Hargest Ridge early enough for the first cock crow.
As a lecturer Mr. Watkins is quite refreshing, as usually experts are so modest and refrain from hasty conclusions or concrete assertions, but he tells us frankly how places got their names. For instance, Hogs Mount is on the salt lay line or track, salt is used for salting hogs, therefore Hogs Mount.
I don’t say Mr. Watkins’s conclusion is wrong, but it opens a wide gate to place-name research methods. Mr. Watkins told us that the alley behind the Saracen’s Head was on a lay and that the late Mr. Pilley said the name of it was the Got.
In Canon Bannister’s book on place names, Scutte is referred to as a dam or weir. There was in 1722 a Cutt Mill at Goodrich. On the Tan Brook section of the Yazor Brook in Ledbury Road there is a Scutt Mill.
Higher up on the same brook in Canal Road there is Monkmoor Mill. As a boy I always heard this part known as The Cut. Down to 70 years ago Catherine Street was known as Cats Lane. Is there any connection between scutte, scutt, cutt, cut, cat, and got, as they are all close to a brook or river? Mr. Watkins in his book says that he never liked the derivation of Bewell Street as coming from “Behind the Wall Street.” He mentions that a year ago a well was discovered in Bewell Street dated 1724, and also found it was on a lay with Bewdley Pitch. There you have Bew and Well, i.e., Bewell Street.
The difficulty, however, is that this street was known as Behind the Walle Street as far back as 1314. In 1383 Bewalstrete—on Speed’s map, 1610—Bewall Strete, and it was only altered to Bewell Street somewhere between 1610 and 1800. Therefore all old references are to the Wall and not to the Well. Then, again, if Athelstan built the first wall in the 10th century, say 1,000 years ago, Bewell Street cannot be older than this; yet we are told the trackways go back 4,000 years, so I cannot see how the explanation fits.
Then about the lays. Here he is undoubtedly on safe ground as regards the main principles. The idea appeals to our intellect as common sense. Mr. Watkins tells us to get pins and straight edge and a map or go out of doors and track out lays. The trouble is that he is so enthusiastic that he seems to have used up all the mountains, hills, tumps, mounds, trees, moats, castles, and churches, so that there is not much left for us amateurs to experiment with. Well, I bethought myself that white was usually on a white salt lay, red a red clay pottery lay, and black a smiths’ lay. As everything else seemed to be used up, I had an inspiration, and said to myself what about the historic houses of cheer and refreshment—the White Lion, the Red Lion, and the Black Lion. I said lion, line, lane, lay, and there you are. Red lay or Red Lion, white lay or lion, and so on. So I started with the Red Lion, drew a line through the red lay cottage on the Hay Road and arrived at Whitney, where the red clay pottery was made. My straight edge must have been a bit crooked (which is an Irishism), for Mr. Watkins says the line should pass through the red cottage by Hatton’s tannery.
So I tried again from the Black Lion, but drew a blank. Then I tried the White Lion—here I thought I had struck oil. I walked down Gomond Street and found it narrow. An ancient trackway, says I. Then I look for sighting points, and get an ancient landmark at each end. To the north-west the electricity works chimney and to the south-east the flag staff on the Town Hall.
At home I tried the pins and straight edge, and found my line arrived at a pond on the Racecourse. Here was a find, indeed! The other way the line passed over the west end of St. Peter’s Church, over Hogs Mount and St. James’s Church. Then I thought of the salt and salting the hogs, and remembered that Packwood, the great bacon curer, used to have his hog salting works abutting on to Gomond Street. So there! This was a retail salt lay from Hogs Mount to Packwood’s bacon works. It is so very interesting and exciting, but I’m afraid my dates are rather muddled. Perhaps the explanation is that I, being a teetotaller, am ill-suited to start an investigation with one of these ancient hostelries as a base.
However, it’s hats off to Mr. Watkins. He sets us exploring our beautiful county and interesting city, and makes us do a little thinking. We cannot all be lucky and stumble on to great discoveries, so let us honour the man who can.
In conclusion, even if I have had a joke or two about the subject, I tender my earnest thanks to Mr. Watkins for a
reawakened interest in our local history and geography, and especially for his most excellent photographs.—Yours
truly,
SID WRIGHT.
Hereford, April 10th, 1922.
Source info: Hereford Times named in letter 31b.