Dorothy and William Wordsworth’s Lake District
Excerpts from a naming of things and places glossary project
“The very nature which we behold with the bodily eye is in some sense the creation of our own minds”
- Joseph Warren Beach, “Wordsworth’s Naturalism”, The Concept of Nature in Nineteenth-Century English Poetry, 1956 (p. 123)
weltering, v.
a. “The rolling and tossing (of waves); the surging (of water, the sea). Also figurative” (OED).
Cited as early as 1423 with Middle English origins, weltering was used throughout the 1800s and the word is now considered “rare” and “obsolete” by the Oxford English Dictionary.
b. The action of turning or twisting the body about (on the ground), rolling (in the mire), wallowing (in sin), etc. (OED).
“I knew not why dull and melancholy, the weltering on the shores seemed a heavy sound” (D. Wordsworth, Grasmere Journal, 14 May 1800, p. 1)
“Surpassing Life, which out of space and time, Nor touch'd by welterings of passion” (W. Wordsworth, Prelude, 1807, vi. 182)
Catkin,. n.
a. “A unisexual inflorescence, consisting of rows of apetalous flowers ranged in circles along a slender stalk; the whole forming a cylindrical, downy-looking, and generally pendant part, which falls off in a single piece after flowering or ripening; as in the willow, birch, poplar, pine, hazel, etc.; a deciduous spike; an amentum. (Called by Turner 1568 tagge, and by various 16–17th century writers aglet.)” (OED).
Found on the following trees in the United Kingdom: Alder (Alnus glutinosa), White Willow (Salix alba), Pedunculate oak (Quercus robur), and Silver birch (Betula pendula).
First used in 1578 with Dutch roots.
“Taken by Lyte from Dutch katteken ‘kitten’ and ‘catkin’ of hazel, willow, etc., diminutive of katte cat. Latin catulus, French chaton, and German kätzchen, have the same two senses; the catkin being named from its soft downy appearance” (OED).
“Catkins are coming out palm trees budding—the alder with its plumb coloured buds” (D. Wordsworth, Grasmere Journal, Tuesday, November 24th, 1801, p. 40)
Hepatica, n.
a. “A subgenus or section of the genus Anemone; esp. the common spring-flowering Anemone ( Hepatica) triloba, a native of continental Europe, cultivated in Britain, the three-lobed leaves of which were fancied to resemble the liver” (OED).
Medieval Latin roots, a feminine word dating back to 1548.
Latin name: Hepatica nobilis. Flowers in early spring but produces foliage year-round.
“There are some little snowdrops that are afraid to pop their white heads quite out, & a few blossoms of Hepatica that are half starved” (D. Wordsworth, Grasmere Journal, Sunday, 14th of February, 1802, p. 68).
dale, n.
a. “A valley. In the northern counties, the usual name of a river-valley between its enclosing ranges of hills or high land. In geographical names, e.g. Clydesdale, Annandale, Borrowdale, Dovedale, it extends from Lanarkshire to Derbyshire, and even farther south, but as an appellative it is more or less confined to the district from Cumbria to Yorkshire. In literary English chiefly poetical, and in the phrases hill and dale, dale and down” (OED).
Dates back to a800, from Old English, Middle English roots.
Other forms include “dale-head n., dale-land n., to mean the top and bottom of a dale, and dale-man n., to refer to a man who lives within a dale.
“Wm met Stoddart at the Bridge at the foot of Legberthwaite dale—he returned with him & they surprised us by their arrival at 4 o’clock in the afternoon” (D. Wordsworth, Grasmere Journal, Saturday 30th of October, 1802, p. 133).
Grasmere, n.
a. “Grasmere We [Ceresmere 1203 Cur, Gresemere 1246, Gressemer 1254 Kendale]. ‘Grass mere’, referring to grassy shores or to vegetation in the lake. The first el. is OScand gres ‘grass’. The examples above refer to Grasmere vil. The :ake is Grysemere 1374 Kendale. The early forms of Gresemere &c. very likely indicate that the original name was OScand Gressaer (Gressior), to which OE mere was added” (The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names, p. 203).
b. “Grasmere, village, Ambleside and Grasmere ward, South Lakeland district, administrative county of Cumbria, historic county of Westmorland, northwestern England. The village, surrounded by craggy mountains, lies near the head of Lake Grasmere on the main north-south road that traverses Lake District National Park” (Britannica).
The title of and location in which Dorothy Wordsworth penned her Grasmere Journal from 1800-1803.
hop grounds, n. & hop-garden, n.
a. “A field or piece of land devoted to the cultivation of hops” (OED). and in the journal of Dorothy Wordsworth, “ground suited to the cultivation of hops” (OED).
Originally used in 1573
“Hop grounds on each side of the road some miles from Canterbury, and then we came to a common, the race ground, an elevated plain, villages among trees in the bed of a valley at our right…” (D. Wordsworth, Grasmere Journal, Tuesday 26th [27th] of July, 1802, p. 123).
hop, n.
a. “The ripened cones of the female hop-plant used for giving a bitter flavour to malt liquors, and as a tonic and soporific” (OED).
c1440, Etymology dates back to 15th century “hoppe”
Frequently referred to in the journals of Dorothy Wordsworth, hops began to be cultivated in England around the 15th century, but the “golden age” of the English hop history occurred in the 19th century, when the “hop acreage continued to increase until it reached its peak with 77,000 acres” (British Hop Association).
wolds, n.
a. “Used in the specific designations of certain hilly tracts in England, viz. the hill country of North Yorkshire and Humberside ( Yorkshire Wolds, †York(e)swold, †York-wolds), the Cotswold district, the hilly districts of Leicestershire and Lincolnshire” (OED).
b. Obsolete definitions: “Forest, forest land; wooded upland” & “A hill, down” (OED).
The word dates back to 786 and was inherited from Germanic.
In the Grasmere Journal, Dorothy Wordsworth is most likely referring to the first definition, as she says they are riding “over” the wolds, to suggest it is a stretch of land that would be hilly and require a change in level.
“We had an interesting Ride over the Wolds, though it rained all the way” (D. Wordsworth, Grasmere Journal, Friday Evening 15th of July [16th], 1802, p. 122).
grovelets, n.
“These hillocks were scattered over with grovelets of wild roses & other shrubs, & covered with wild flowers—I could have stayed in this solem quiet spot till Evening without a thought of moving but William was waiting or me…” (D. Wordsworth, Grasmere Journal, 14th of July [15th], 1802, p. 121).
Ulswater (Ullswater), n.
a. “Lake in the administrative county of Cumbria, on the border between the historic counties of Cumberland and Westmorland in the Lake District of England. It is the Lake District’s second largest lake, about 7.5 miles long and 0.5 mile wide with an area of about 3 square miles and a maximum depth of 205 feet” (Britannica).
b. “Ullswater, lake, Cu We [Ulneswater 1292 QW, Ulveswatre 1323]. ‘Ulf’s lake.’” (The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names, p. 486).
“Wm & I parted with him in sight of Ulswater. It was a fine day, showery but with sunshine & fine clouds…” (D. Wordsworth, Grasmere Journal, Monday 29th, October, 1800, p. 23).
vale, n.
a. “A more or less extensive tract of land lying between two ranges of hills, or stretches of high ground, and usually traversed by a river or stream; a dale or valley, esp. one which is comparatively wide and flat.
In later use chiefly poetic, but employed as an ordinary prose word by American writers in the second half of the 18th century.” (OED).
b. “Without article, occasionally contrasted with hill, mountain, etc.” (OED).
c. “The world regarded as a place of trouble, sorrow, misery, or weeping. Usually with this” (OED).
Dates back to a1300 with Middle English roots.
Dorothy Wordsworth uses this word frequently throughout her journals, and most likely intends the first definition; although the way she writes of nature is in direct contrast with the third definition, as though the “vale” to her represents the opposite of its possible definition.
“There was a most lovely combination at the head of the vale—of the yellow autumnal hills wrapped in sunshine, & overhund with partial mists, the green & yellow trees & the distant snow-topped mountains” (D. Wordsworth, Grasmere Journal, Friday 10th October, 1800, p. 25).
foxglove, n.
a. The popular name of Digitalis purpurea, a common ornamental flowering plant. (OED).
According to the UK Woodland Trust, the foxglove has a flowering season of June to September, so Dorothy’s sighting of a bloom in October would be considered rather late in the year. The foxglove is found in heathland, woodland edges, and gardens. “As a plant that is poisonous but also has curative properties, it’s said that foxgloves can both ‘raise the dead and kill the living’ (Woodland Trust).
“Wytheburn looked very wintry but yet there was a foxglove blossoming by the road-side” (D. Wordsworth, Grasmere Journal, Wednesday 15th, October, 1800, p. 27).
Crags, n.
a. “A steep or precipitous rugged rock” (OED).
First used in a1375, crag has Middle-English roots.
b. “The neck. (Chiefly Scottish, but also English regional (northern).)” (OED). Obsolete
While Dorothy Wordsworth uses crags to indicate a rugged rock on which she sees Birch trees growing, the second definition is quite interesting if you consider the implications of the natural world being a living form, and the “crag” being a neck from which the Birches grow.
“The Birches on the Crags beautiful, Red brown & glittering—the ashes glittering spears with their upright stems—the hips very beautiful, & so good!!” (D. Wordsworth, Grasmere Journal, Saturday 12th of December, 1801, p. 48).
turnpike road, n.
a. “A road on which turnpikes are or were erected for the collection of tolls; hence, a main road or highway, formerly maintained by a toll levied on cattle and wheeled vehicles” (OED).
Originally used in 1745, and the definition was first published in 1916.
This is an interesting definition as Dorothy describes the patch of daffodils she observes as being as wide as a turnpike road, something that is man made. The definition using the phrase “erected for the collection of tolls” indicates human labor, creation, and economy, while the daffodils that Dorothy writes of are naturally occurring, having taken over the land on their own.
“we fancied that the lake had floated the seeds ashore & that the little colony had so sprung up—But as we went along there we saw that there was a long belt of them along the shore, about the breadth of a country turnpike road” (D. Wordsworth, Grasmere Journal, Thursday 15th, April 1802, p. 85).
Laburnums, n.
“Either of two small trees having trifoliolate leaves and pendulous racemes of bright yellow flowers followed by long seed pods, Laburnum anagyroides and Laburnum alpinum (family Leguminosae ( Papilionoideae)), native to central and southern Europe but widely cultivated elsewhere (sometimes as hybrids between the two species); (in form Laburnum) the genus comprising these trees. Also: the hard dark wood of these trees, used esp. in joinery. (OED).
First used in 1567, the origin is borrowed from Latin. The tree was introduced in the UK in 1560 and was often planted in parks and gardens. (Wildlife Trust UK).
The common name of Laburnums is “Golden Rain”
“The Laburnums blossom freely at the Island & in the shrubberies on the shore—they are blighted everywhere else” (Dorothy Wordsworth, Grasmere Journal, Tuesday 8th, June 1802, p. 107).
Works Cited
Beach, Joseph Warren, “Wordsworth’s Naturalism”, The Concept of Nature in Nineteenth-Century English Poetry, 1956
Ekwall, Eilert. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names. 1960.
OED Online. Oxford University Press, December 2021. Web. 22 February 2022.
Wordsworth, Dorothy. The Grasmere and Alfoxden Journals. Oxford World’s Classics. 2008.
Works Consulted
https://www.britannica.com/place/Ullswater
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/8645/hepatica-nobilis/details
https://archive.org/details/conciseoxforddic0000ekwa/page/n7/mode/2up
https://www.britishhops.org.uk/hops/history/
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants/wild-flowers/foxglove/