Asalter is a structure that enabled deer to leap into an enclosed area but prevented them from leaving. From the Latinsaltare, "to jump." Now the word provides understanding in the study oftoponymic surnames, andtoponymy, or the study of place names.
Salters were used to populate privatedeer parks. "Salter" may be preferred over "deer-leap", which is ambiguous and does not convey its "one-way" nature.[1] It is a shortening of the termsaltatorium.
Historically, salters were prized and highly regulated as gifts from the monarchy.[1] For example, in 1358, Edward III granted "for the king's special affection forMary de Sancto Paulo, Countess of Pembroke, that for her life she shall have two deer-leaps in her parkFodryngeye."[2]
A salter consists of a short ditch, with one side higher than the other. The high side is topped by a picket-style fence orpalisade, while the low side is planted to attract deer. Natural features were sometimes used, such as rock walls or ledges from which deer leapt, but were unable to leap back.[3]
In toponymy, the concern is that the root "salt" contained in the word resulted in misleadingfolk etymologies, particularly in place names with questionable connection to salt or individuals named Salter. Historian and toponymist Mary C. Higham provides evidence that such places as Salter Street, London, Saltley, Salterford, and even Salt Hill, UK derive their names from these salters, rather than salt or the surname Salter.[4][5] In America, it brings into question the toponymy ofSalter Path, NC, and three Salter Islands in Canada.