---- Keith Briggs <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I quote from J. G. Crow, Housesteads Roman Fort (English Heritage 1989)
> page 50:
>
> ... Barcombe, a name which seems to preserve part of Vercovicium, the
> Roman name of Housesteads.
>
> Barcombe seems to be the valley with its mouth at Bardon Mill (NY 779
> 646), and is about 5km from Housesteads. Neither Bar- name is in
> Mawer's PN Northumberland. Nearby is Birkshaw, which suggests that we
> may have to do with a 'birch' name. Is Crow's suggestion really
> plausible? (Even Vercovicium is only a guess, based on substituting
> VER- from a single inscription for Bor- in Notitia Dignitatum's
> Borcovicus.)
Vercovicio distilled from the RC's Velurtion, Ai's Borcovicio and the inscribed VER seems reasonable. If Ver is taken as 'over' and we look below the fort we find Cowey Sike. Other instances of this usage may be seen in RC Verteuia (read Vertauia, North Tawton) and AI Verlucio (Sandy Lane) above RC Leucomago (Heddington Wick). iIn these instances Ver seems to denote position in relation to a watercourse, rather than "very" or "great".
--
Tom Ikins
The Roman Map of Britain
http://www.romanmap.com
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