DELAFIELD'S MANUSCRIPT NOTES ON For writing a history of Buckinghamshire, important treasures are deposited in the Bodleian. A mine of information is contained in the voluminous manuscripts of Browne Willis which have never been patiently investigated, but besides these there are also manuscripts relating to the County to which we wish to call the reader's attention. They They are by Thomas Delafield, who styles himself "Curate of Fingest and Schoolmaster of Stokenchurch, County Oxon." His Curacy of Fingest commenced in 1726. His manuscripts now in the Bodleian, confining ourselves to this County, are comprised in three volumes, viz., one on the parish of Fingest, one on the parish of Chilton, and the third is a collection of historical matter relating to Bucks generally. We shall now give our attention to the volume relating to Fingest. The history of the parish is carefully prepared, and with it is included a list of the Kings, when this was, as it would appear, a Royal Demesne, and the lives of the Abbots of St. Albans and the Bishops of Lincoln during their respective tenures of the Manor and Church of Fingest, with illustrations of their coats of arms attached to each brief biography. Delafield entitles his volume "An essay toward the account of Fingherst in the County of Bucks, both with respect to its ancient and present state, whether civil or ecclesiastical." He gives the different names of the parish as known at different times and found in various documents, as follows:-Fingest, Thengest, Vengest, Tingehearst, Tynghurst, Tyinghurst, Tvinghurst, Tyngehurst, Thinghurst, or Tinghurste. His derivation of the name of the parish may be questioned, as the investigation of place names had not in his day been so critically undertaken as it has at the present time. He suggests that the name is an application of Saxon terms, and may signify either a habitation or a valley in the woods, "ing" being habitation or abode, so that Thinghurst may be conceived to be Th'inghurst or the dwelling in the wood. Matthew Paris gives the name as Tynhurst. It is conjectured by Mr. E. J. Payne that the name should be spelt Thing-hurst, hing equivalent to the Saxon word hangen, and the name fully interpreted meaning at-the-hanging-wood.* The situation of the woods at Fingest certainly corresponds with a descriptive name of this kind. Tingwick in this County would, according to a like interpretation, signify the hanging village. The situation of the Church of Tingwick and the hill suggest the descriptive name, so Stonehenge is the hanging stone. Whilst upon the source of place names we may interpose Delafield's derivation of the name of Desborough the name of the Hundred in which Fingest is situate. He conjectured that the name Desborough, the place of the meeting of the people, signified Deys or Days-borough, that is, the place or borough of judgment. He then refers to the meaning of the word Daysman, which signifies an umpire or judge, and connects this with the word Desborough as a place where the Court of Judicatory was held, or where the Aldermen, subsequently the Hundredaries or Chief Constables, together with the Barons or Freeholders, were judges. He gives another interpretation, viz., the name might be derived from the characteristics of the earthwork which has a double ditch and bank, and he conjectures that it might be called Dwysborough from its double entrenchment. Then he hazards another derivation might not the name have a religious significance, and be derived from the British Diw or Dyw? or, again, it might be from Dis, the first fabulous people of this island, so that Desborough in this sense would be the consecrated fortification. Leaving Delafield's comments for the moment, other interpretations of the name of Desborough have been conjectured: for instance, it was in the midst of the Chiltern forests: it might therefore have been the burgh in the dark forest, Dewsborough or Duborough, Duo being the Celtic verb to blacken or darken. It is of the first importance to remember, in seeking the origin of such a name, that Domesday should be consulted, and we find that the name is always known in Domesday as Dustinburgh. Dustin is evidently a *Hangen to hang-hangian-Bosworth. word indicating some distinctive meaning which cannot well be associated with either of the derivations of the name as hitherto attempted. The Saxon word Dust has the same signification as the modern word. Might it not be fairly conjectured, therefore, that this was a ruined Burgh at the date of Domesday, and was designated at the time of the Survey? SO Langley, we should mention, to complete the various suggestions as to the origin of the name, considered it probable that it took its rise from the two towns, Wycombe and Marlow, Duo burgi, but, as we have before suggested, the word Duo might as well be referred to the Celtic verb to blacken or darken. We have dwelt rather at length on the derivation. of Desborough, the name of the Hundred, taken from that of the ancient fortress, and so at least of special local interest. The earthwork is a remarkable one, indicating a strongly fortified post, and from its double entrenchment affording evidences of a formidable position of defence as a means of checking an invading force in primitive warfare. Here it will be appropriate to introduce a few extracts from Delafield on this Desborough entrenchment "The Hundred takes its denomination from a depopulated and demolished place of that name, in the Parish of West Wycombe, belonging to Mrs. Hughes. It is situated about a mile from West Wycombe to the east, and a small distance from the London Road on the right hand. The remains of it still apparent is a place on the hill, called Desborough Castle. It is an oval double entrenchment with a high bank to the inside, and a graff outwardly of a considerable depth. Before the western entrance is a half-moon with two apertures for greater security, as there is also a proper outlet at the east end. In the innermost part there seem to have been some material buildings of strength and account; many foundations with broken tiles, bricks, mortar, and rubbish being now to be found. And in the year 1743, the wood that grew on it being cut down, there was dug up an entire stone window frame of the fashion (according to the information given me) of those in ancient church buildings. Its round form and double fortifications would induce one to think it is a work of the Saxons. And its situation near the grand road to London might design it as a check to the inroads and devastations of the Danes, who more than once made their excursions this way. "From thence (perhaps) it might get the name of Danesborough, Densborough, now shortened to Desborough, as being a fortress on a hill designed to put a stop to the ravages of that barbarous people. For I can hardly allow myself to imagine that it got its name from them as being their work. "King Edward the elder about 915 lodged a considerable time at Buckingham, which he fortified to prevent the incursions of the Danes. And might not this small fortress be erected about the same time, and on the same consideration? for we find that the Danes took their route in 1009 through the Chiltern country to Oxford, which they plundered and burnt, and we have other accounts of their ravaging these parts. "This very place might be designed as a folkmote, ie., a place for the meeting of the folk or people, to consult about their mutual defence in a more than ordinary danger, upon the apprehension of the invasion of an enemy; whose approach being discovered from the watch-mount in it, they gave the alarm to the next folkmote (in the nature of beacons): which notice they gave to others, till the whole country was advised to be upon their guard against the common enemy. It is observable that there are two considerable hills at no great distance from this, to which on such occasions notice might be given at once, viz.: one above High Wycombe, and the other that on which West Wycombe church is built. It was from this orginal design we may presume, that this place upon the setting out of Hundreds was continued to be the place of the meeting of the people. And the district over which its power did extend was called the Hundred. Finding one of the great masters of our English antiquities, Mr. Camden, calling the surviving wife of Ina, king of the West Saxons, by the name of Desburga, I was for some time pleased with the thought that that lady might either give her name to, or receive it from, this our place of Desborough, especially as she was a woman of martial and adventurous spirit. search it appears that the whole stream of our historians call her Ethelburga, Edelburh (though doubtless Mr. Camden had sufficient authority for calling her Desburga.) 66 But upon But after all that has been said, what if I should suppose this Desborough or Disborough to have been a fortified place of residence of the ancient Britons? Cæsar's well-known and often quoted description of such places might countenance us in it. Oppidum Britanni vocant quum sylvas impeditas vallo atque fossâ munierunt, quo incursionis hostium vitando causâ convenire consueverunt.' As will also the account of this matter by Strabo-'Woods are their cities; for, having cut down the trees, they inclose a great circle, and therein erect cots for themselves, and temporary stalls for their cattle. The entrenchment here exactly answers these descriptions."" Browne Willis considered Fingest to be the Dilehurst in Domesday which is described as lying in Burnham *Castle Hill." The Castle which stood here was probably erected in the reign of Stephen. De bello Gallico, lib. v., c. 21. Hundred, and held by Gilbert Bishop of Liseux of Odo Bishop of Baieux.* The suffix to the name of Dilehurst must have influenced Willis in his derivation of the word, but, although Dilehurst was in one of the three Chiltern Hundreds, it was, as we have seen, in that of Burnham. There is very little doubt that Lyson is right in saying that Fingest does not appear in Domesday. It probably formed the north part of Hambleden parish. Hambleden, at the time of the survey, belonged to Queen Matilda. Dilehurst, according to the survey, had one mill "worth three shillings," but there does not appear to have been any mill in Fingest parish. Langley prefers the account of Delafield that this manor remained part of the ancient demesnes of Edward the Confessor, and was not again alienated until the reign of Henry I. "In the grants of the monastery of St. Albans mention is made of a place called Tinghurst with the Church and all the tithes belonging to it which was given to the Abbey of St. Albans, and the benefaction confirmed by King Henry I., but in what year is not ascertained."‡ The accession of this manor to the Abbey appears to have been made during the presidency of Richard, the 15th Abbot. The Lords of the Manor of Fingest are divided into four sections-1st, the Kings of England as ancient demesne, according to Delafield; 2ndly, the Abbots of St. Albans; 3rdly, the Bishops of Lincoln, and 4thly, the Prebends of Dutting Court in the Cathedral of Wells. Delafield says that the first hint of this being *Gilbert Bishop of Liseux holds Dilherst of the bishop of Baieux for which he is taxed at ten hides of land. There is land for ten ploughs. There are two in demesne and a third might be added. There are 14 villeins with one bordar who have six plough lands and another plough might be added. There is one servant and a mill worth three shillings two carucates of pasture land and wood for pannage of 300 hogs. For all dues it is worth six pounds when he received it 40 shillings. In King Edward the Confessors time six pounds when Earl Lewin held this Manor in demesne. Langley's History of quoting Salm: Hert: 62. 46 The Hundred of Desborough," p. 211, +See Lysons Buckinghamshire, p.p. 562–563. |