hearts of Yorkshiremen, so that, during the reign of Oswald, paganism finally perished. But it was not only the preaching of Aidan, and Cuthbert, and other such men, but the saintly life of Oswald, which told upon the people. He was regarded as a saint after his death, and eleven churches in the diocese of York are dedicated to St. Oswald, besides many in Ripon, Durham, and Newcastle, showing the estimation in which he was held. Amongst these is the church of Flamborough. It is probable, therefore, that it was in or about Oswald's time that the Flamborough fisher-folk received the Gospel. Perhaps Oswald had come to review his ships in Bridlington Bay, had been taken to see the caves at Flamborough, had been struck with the bravery of the fishermen, who dared all the perils of the sea; or it may be that some bold captains and sailors for his fleet had come from Flamborough, and had aroused his interest in the place, so that he sent thither Aidan, or one of his companions, to win the people to Christ. Oswald perished in battle against the fierce Penda as Edwin had done, and his tragic fate increased the love people had already for him. We may imagine, therefore, that the people of Flamborough, in their devotion to the warrior-king, who touched their hearts both by his bravery and his piety, named their first wooden church after him, and the name has ever since clung to the church. Bede gives us a number of instances of the piety of Oswald, and it may be interesting to Flamborough people to read some of them. We read that by reason of his constant habit of praying, he was wont to sit with his hands upturned upon his knees. Once, when

feasting, with Bishop Aidan by his side, he was told that a number of poor beggars were at the gate. Oswald ordered all the good things upon the table to be given to them, and the silver dish to be cut up and divided amongst them, whilst he went dinnerless. Aidan took the King's hand and blessed it, saying, "May this hand. never grow old." After the King's death, though the body perished, the hand remained incorruptible. Bede gives him this character whilst living:--"He was very benevolent, humble in his habits, and virtuous in all things."

After the death of Oswald, events tended to the unification of all the land into one kingdom. The great battle of Brunnanburh, fought probably at Little Weighton, A.D. 937, brought all England finally under the rule of Athelstan.

And now begins another chapter in the history of Flamborough. The Danes from Jutland, accompanied by Norsemen from Norway, ravaged the coasts of England for 200 years, and succeeded in settling upon the Eastern coasts in such large numbers as to change the character of the population. All names of places ending in by or thorpe are Danish, and shew that the Danes made settlements there. All around Flamborough are such names as Sewerby, Bessingby, Carnaby, Hunmanby, Scalby, Willerby; with Pockthorpe, Fraisthorpe, Lowthorpe, Helperthorpe, Weaverthorpe. The Danes, too, called a church, a kirk, and a yard or enclosure, a garth. Hence we find such names as Kirby Grindalythe, Kirby Underdale, Kirkburn, whilst the churchyard is still called in East Riding speech the kirk garth. Vik or Wic is Danish for a small bay, hence Thornwick Bay. The

Norse sea-rovers were called Vikings, or bay-men, coming from the numerous inlets on the coast of Norway and Denmark. The Scandinavians also affix the definite article to the end of a word, instead of using it independently, as we do. Now I think that the constant disuse of the definite article in East Riding speech is a proof of Danish influence. People used the Danish form, and when it fell into disuse they continued to use nouns without articles, as for instance "Is tha goin' i' toon (town) ti morn ?" There are also such words as beck, midden, rafter, mysen, all proofs of Danish influence.

Very savage, bloodthirsty men were these Vikings. An old Anglo-Saxon poem, the "Battle of Maldon," gives us a vivid picture of their landing and fighting. There were two types of them, as to physical appearance, owing to their having absorbed some other races whom they had conquered and mingled with. One type was possessed of long fair hair, blue eyes, and a tall, bony frame, whilst the other was darker, with hair black and curly, and frame more thick-set. We may trace both types at Flamborough. They did not, however, have to fight so furiously with the Engle, as with the Saxons. They were more closely akin, in race and speech, to the Engle, and were received by them in a less hostile manner. Undoubtedly the process of colonising England was much the same as all other processes of colonisation. Just as the tide of immigration into America and Australia ebbs and flows with prosperity at home, so it was with our Teutonic forefathers. And just as some of our Australian colonies are closing their doors, saying that they have enough people now, and need no more mouths to consume

the fruit of the land, so our Engle ancestors, after coming over in successive waves, began to think the country was full enough. But those on the continent were not of the same opinion. The Saxon wave had spent itself, but there were Frisians, Danes, and Norsemen, all closely related to the Engle, ready to come, and ready to fight for possession if refused admission. The Danish invasion therefore was the last of a long series of immigrations, which had been going on ever since Ida landed at the North Landing at Flamborough. The new-comers were resisted by the Saxons, but either welcomed or only partly resisted by their English kinsfolk. So whilst Rolf the Ganger went up the Seine and conquered Normandy, such leaders as Gudrun and Anlaf effected settlements in England. Gudrun cut off all England east of the great road, the Watling Street; and East Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, with parts of Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire, became for a while a Danish kingdom. A powerful leader was Anlaf, who gave his name to Anlaby. Possibly the villages of Sewerby, Bessingby, and other such, may have been named from similar leaders. That the power of the Danes was felt and left its mark is seen by the transference of their name to the Old Dike at Flamborough, and by the existence of the Danes' graves at Pockthorpe.

Here then I leave Flamborough, with its population of English, overlaid with a thin stratum of Danish, giving a happy combination of blood which has produced during all succeeding centuries the noble race of bold fisher-folk for which it is so famed.

W. H. ABRAHAM, M.A.

THE CHURCH.

The keys are kept at Mrs. Langton's, D. 1. in the street west of the church. Vicar, Rev. H. W. Rigby, M.A.

A

S the visitor approaches the Church along the road from Bridlington, he may notice about the middle of the churchyard wall, a stone with the inscription, "J. D. and J. W., 1846." In that year, John Danby and John Walmsley being the Churchwardens, this wall was rebuilt; the lower part of it with stones of the fallen Church Tower, which were at that time still remaining in the churchyard. These stones of the old tower reached nearly halfway across the churchyard, and most of them were deeply embedded in the soil.*

They had been there for over 200 years, for

in the Correction Book of the Archdeacon of the East Riding it is recorded that, in 1663, John Ogle and Robert Maltby, the Churchwardens, were presented for "the Church's steeple being fallen downe," and again in 1665 that "the steeple was downe, and had been

* The following is an extract from the Churchwarden's books for the year 1846:

"Labour for the Church, Langton and others,

£ s. d.

7 10

5 12

7

6

6

O

3 6"