“When a youngster, I was a great seeker for etymologies.  A solitary farm-house and demesne were pointed out to me, the locality of which was termed Cad, or Cudhaber, or Cudharber.  Conjectures, near akin to those now presented, occurred to me.  I was invited to inspect the locality.  I dined with the old yeoman (aged about eighty) who occupied the farm.  He gave me the etymology.  In his earlier days he had come to this farm; a house was not built, yet he was compelled by circumstances to bring over part of his farming implements, &c.  He, with his men-servants, had no other shelter at the time than a dilapidated barn.  When they assembled to eat their cold provisions, the farmer cried out, ’Hegh lads, but there’s cauld (or caud) harbour here.’  The spot had no name previously.  The rustics were amused by the farmer’s saying.  Hence the locality was termed by them Cold Harbour, corrupted, Cadharber, and the etymon remains to this day.  This information put an end to my enquiries about Cold Harbour.”

C.M.J.

Cold Harbour.—­The goldfinches which have remained among the valleys of the Brighton Downs during the winter are called, says Mr. {341} Knox, by the catchers, “harbour birds, meaning that they have sojourned or harboured, as the local expression is, here during the season.”  Does not this, with the fact of a place in Pembroke being called Cold Blow, added to the many places with the prefix Cold, tend to confirm the supposition that the numerous cold harbours were places of protection against the winter winds?

A.C.

With regard to Cold Harbour (supposed “Coluber,” which is by no means satisfactory), it may be worth observing that Cold is a common prefix:  thus there is Cold Ashton, Cold Coats, Cold or Little Higham, Cold Norton, Cold Overton, Cold Waltham, Cold St. Aldwins, —­coats, —­meere, —­well, —­stream, and several cole, &c.  Cold peak is a hill near Kendall.  The latter suggests to me a Query to genealogists.  Was the old baronial name of Peche, Pecche, of Norman origin as in the Battle Roll?  From the fact of the Peak of Derby having been Pech-e ante 1200, I think this surname must have been local, though it soon became soft, as appears from the rebus of the Lullingstone family, a peach with the letter e on it.  I do not think that k is formed to similar words in Domesday record.

Caldecote, a name of several places, may require explanation.

AUG.  CAMB.

I beg to give you the localities of two “Cold Harbours:”  one on the road from Uxbridge to Amersham, 191/2 miles from London (see Ordnance Map 7.); the other on the road from Chelmsford to Epping, 131/2 miles from the former place (see Ordnance Map No. 1.  N.W.).

DISS.

There are several Cold Harbours in Sussex, in Dallington, Chiddingly, Wivelsfield, one or two in Worth, one S.W. of Bignor, one N.E. of Hurst Green, and there may be more.