Fells and Fields


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Posted by Robert Dilley on December 21, 1998 at 15:49:11:

The two words appear to be of different etymology. FELL is, as Adam Quinan notes, from the Old Norse word for a hill, and is a relict of the substantial Norse settlement in the Lake District (settlers were Norwegian, rather than the Danes who were otherwise more widespread in Northern England. This lot came round the north of Scotland and settled the Isle of Man, Ireland, Pembrokeshire as well as Cumbria). FIELD, according to the OED, is from Old High German. Hope you are all taking notes.
Incidentally, the latest issue of "Conserving Lakeland", the bulletin of the Friends of the Lake District (an organisation I highly recommend to all TARS) has a "mystery picture" competition. It happens to be a view from the top of Kanchenjunga: I have an almost identical picture I took on my last visit to the UK, when I was dragged up there by TARS member Peter Truelove the day after the Rusland Ramble (I had commented at the post-Ramble dinner that I had eaten so much I needed to work it off on the big K the next day and Peter, the rat, took me at my word).



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