o me, the locality of which was
termed Cad, or Cudhaber, or Cudharber. Conjectures, near akin to those now
presented, occurred to me. I was invited to inspect the locality. I dined
with the old yeoman (aged about eighty) who occupied the farm. He gave me
the etymology. In his earlier days he had come to this farm; a house was
not built, yet he was compelled by circumstances to bring over part of his
farming implements, &c. He, with his men-servants, had no other shelter at
the time than a dilapidated barn. When they assembled to eat their cold
provisions, the farmer cried out, 'Hegh lads, but there's cauld (or caud)
harbour here.' The spot had no name previously. The rustics were amused by
the farmer's saying. Hence the locality was termed by them Cold Harbour,
corrupted, Cadharber, and the etymon remains to this day. This information
put an end to my enquiries about Cold Harbour."
C.M.J.
_Cold Harbour._--The goldfinches which have remained among the valleys of
the Brighton Downs during the winter are called, says Mr. {341} Knox, by
the catchers, "harbour birds, meaning that they have sojourned or
harboured, as the local expression is, here during the season." Does not
this, with the fact of a place in Pembroke being called Cold Blow, added to
the many places with the prefix Cold, tend to confirm the supposition that
the numerous cold harbours were places of protection against the winter
winds?
A.C.
With regard to Cold Harbour (supposed "Coluber," which is by no means
satisfactory), it may be worth observing that Cold is a common prefix: thus
there is Cold Ashton, Cold Coats, Cold or Little Higham, Cold Norton, Cold
Overton, Cold Waltham, Cold St. Aldwins, --coats, --meere, --well,
--stream, and several _cole_, &c. Cold peak is a hill near Kendall. The
latter suggests to me a _Query_ to genealogists. Was the old baronial name
of Peche, Pecche, of Norman origin as in the Battle Roll? From the fact of
the Peak of Derby having been Pech-e _ante_ 1200, I think this surname must
have been local, though it soon became soft, as appears from the rebus of
the Lullingstone family, a peach with the letter e on it. I do not think
that _k_ is formed to similar words in Domesday record.
Caldecote, a name of several places, may require explanation.
AUG. CAMB.
I beg to give you the localities of two "Cold Harbours:" one on the road
from Uxbridge to Amersham, 191/2 miles from London (see Ordnance Map 7.); the
other on the
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