Inversion compounds are nearly all found in Cumberland and Westmorland are thought to have arisen as names given by Scandinavian speakers influenced by Gaelic speech patterns. This is the consensus (Grant 2002) . There was clearly a Gaelic influence on the Scandinavians in Cumbria - the Introduction to Place Names of Cumberland gives a summary of this with a list of place-names where the normal Germanic syntax of Norse (and English) is replaced by Celtic syntax such as Gaelic (and Cumbric). Though there was much more Gaelic influence in what is today southern Scotland, these inversion compounds are not found there to such an extent, if at all (Williamson 1942). If we believe that Cumberland and parts of Westmorland retained a Cumbric speaking population, who learned English as a foreign language, why can't the inversion compounds arise from Cumbric substrate rather than Gaelic influence?
Though Place Names of Cumberland does give consideration to Cumbric or Brittonic, the Cumbrians as an ethnicity with their language have been overlooked or under-emphasised by most scholars. The consensus view is that Norsemen who had spent time among Gaels in Ireland, Scotland and Man later coined some of the place-names according to Gaelic speech habits. My suggestion, by wielding Occam's razor, is to say that Cumbrians, who learned Anglo-Norse as their own language died out, spoke the new language influenced by their native tongue. Consider Bewaldeth - apparently an inversion compound meaning Waltheof's "by" or farm, where Waltheof has an Anglo-Saxon name. There is an account dating from 1794 (Hutchinson 1794) that Waldeof first Baron of Allerdale with his seat at Cockermouth gave Bewaldeth and other land to Waldeof son of Gilmyn and this would be around 1100 (though I can't find an extact date). Given the Norse first came from Ireland after they were expelled by Brian Boru after 902. The Gaelic influence on Norse settlers's speech habits seems to be unlikely to last nearly 200 years, just appearing intermittently and it doesn’t look like Bewaldeth's name was coined by Norsemen at all, but by people with English names. The only caveat to this is that Bewaldeth is not far from Ireby and Waldeof's father Gilmyn looks like he has a Gaelic name, or possibly the Norman French Guillemin?
Though Place Names of Cumberland does give consideration to Cumbric or Brittonic, the Cumbrians as an ethnicity with their language have been overlooked or under-emphasised by most scholars. The consensus view is that Norsemen who had spent time among Gaels in Ireland, Scotland and Man later coined some of the place-names according to Gaelic speech habits. My suggestion, by wielding Occam's razor, is to say that Cumbrians, who learned Anglo-Norse as their own language died out, spoke the new language influenced by their native tongue. Consider Bewaldeth - apparently an inversion compound meaning Waltheof's "by" or farm, where Waltheof has an Anglo-Saxon name. There is an account dating from 1794 (Hutchinson 1794) that Waldeof first Baron of Allerdale with his seat at Cockermouth gave Bewaldeth and other land to Waldeof son of Gilmyn and this would be around 1100 (though I can't find an extact date). Given the Norse first came from Ireland after they were expelled by Brian Boru after 902. The Gaelic influence on Norse settlers's speech habits seems to be unlikely to last nearly 200 years, just appearing intermittently and it doesn’t look like Bewaldeth's name was coined by Norsemen at all, but by people with English names. The only caveat to this is that Bewaldeth is not far from Ireby and Waldeof's father Gilmyn looks like he has a Gaelic name, or possibly the Norman French Guillemin?
I don't think this detracts from my main point that inversion compounds are more likely to be from a Cumbric substrate than Norsemen occasionally remembering their glory days in Dublin.
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