Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/132

Chap. IV. OF MANCHESTER. 103 common nature of their fite. The Carnabii of Cornwall and the Carnabii of Cathnefs obvioufly inhabited a region exactly fimilar in this great particular, that, open upon one fide, it narrowed gradually upon the other, and (hot out in a promontory into the lea. Such a promontory the Britons exprefled by the word J£eren-av, the horn of the fea. And from this the common the fignificative chara&eriftic of the two countries the two tribes that pofleffed them muft have been undoubtedly denominated. The Carnabii therefore who inhabited the whole of Staffordshire Shropftiire and Cheftiire, and feveral parts of Warwickftiire Lei- cefterfliire and Flintihire, muft have equally received their de- nomination from the nature of their fea-coaft. And as all their pofleffions in the other counties are entirely removed from the fea, this neceffarily carries us into Cheftiire. There, in the neighbourhood of ~ the Dee, the Carnabii are exprefsly declared by Richard to have been originally fituated ?. And there we have a region fimilar to thofe of Cornwall and Cathnefs, a region open on one fide, narrowing on the other, and (hooting out into the lea. The county is contracted on the weft into the peninfula of Wirrall, and puflies out in that long promontory betwixt the aeftuariesof the Dee and the Meyfey. Thus confidered, do the fame three names all refult from one and the fame circumftance. . And the uniformity of the etymology is a fufficient proof of its . propriety *• Within this peninfula then, and along the contiguous parts of the county, the Carnabii originally refided. From this pen- infula and the contiguous parts of the county the original Car* nabii muft have fallied out, and fpread their dominions over the reft of the county, over the whole counties of Shrewfbury and Stafford, and over the neighbouring parts of Warwickftiire Leicefterfhke and Flintihire. While they were confined within the precinfts of Weft-Cheihire, they feeox to have had only the towns of Deva and Condate. And of thefe Condate appears from its name to have been the capital, being compofed of the words Conda T«, and Signifying the principal abode % Thus