From: Alex Ferguson (abf@interzone.ucc.ie)
Date: Mon 09 Feb 1998 - 05:45:30 EET
Nick:
> BTW, Marcher probably means "on the Marches" -- i.e. the borderlands --
> and has nothing to do with "Market", "Merchant", etc. despite the sound.
I agree that that's the (very) likely sense of "marcher"; however,
I confess I haven't followed half the nuances of the competing theories
there's another, slightly different possible shade to the phrase
"Marcher Baron" than the "Warden of the Marches" type connotation (that
is, on the border, defending them from the nasties). To wit, the sense
of "marcher lord", the recipient of the (notorious) practice of a
"speculative" grant of land. ("It's yours, just as soon as you've
ejected those various tribes of Gaels/Cornishmen/Praxians from it.")
in this thread, but I'm sure that must be grist to _someone's_ mill...
Slainte,
Alex.
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