Q1:
The French- named Beaulieu River once had a very
different name: River Exe. Do you know
the origins of the name Exe, where the river starts
and how long it is?
Answer:
According to Wikipedia:
The Beaulieu
River,
formerly known as the River
Exe, is a small river flowing south through the New
Forest in
the county of Hampshire in southern England.
The name "Beaulieu" is French,
meaning "beautiful place".
The earlier name, "Exe", is Brythonic,
deriving from an original Ancient British word '*Iska',
which is also at the root of other Exe and Esk
river-names in England, and also the Usk in Wales (Wysg
in Welsh). Its root meaning may be "fish" or
"fish-place", as it seems to be cognate with the Latin "pisces" and Greek "ichthus", as well as English "fish".
The Beaulieu River rises near Lyndhurst in
the centre of the New Forest, and flows
south-easterly across the forest heaths to the
village of Beaulieu. The river is some 12 miles (19 km) long, of which the
last 4 miles (6.4 km) are tidal. Unusually, the
entire river, including its bed, is owned by Lord
Montagu of Beaulieu.
Q2.
Where are you likely to see The Maid of the
Mill performed, what with and by whom?
Answer:
This is a traditional Cotswold dance performed by a
team of Morris Dancers so you are particularly
likely to see them at Bampton on Whit Mondays
clutching handkerchiefs which are tied together or
linked.
(I have yet to
establish what connection it has with mills, but
knowing Morris dances probably means a lot of
milling about - whilst showing off to a miller’s
daughter what intricate wheels can be made with a
lot of handkerchiefs tied together! – Ed.)
Q3.
There are several types of thimbles. Why
would you find a thimble on a sailing boat?
Answer:
Sailing
boats’ sail ropes have shaped metal bands
helping to take the strain. They are called
Thimble
Eye Splice. With
the introduction of the more advanced sailing ships,
reliable sails became necessary and these types of
thimbles were designed specifically for help in
creating these sails.
