What a wealth of treasures to unpack there! Crikey - where to start?

Quiet amazing that Pepys should give as a Cornish folk charm something clearly derived from Woden's Nine Herb Charm. That looks like genuine folk tradition rather than antiquarian manipulation. Wonder if anyone other than ourselves has ever made the connection?

As regards Colchester and hazel nuts - even Ekwall is baffled. Colchester comes from the river Colne and that has an unexplained origin, but its clearly a British (OK - Celtic if you insist) river name identical to Calne in Wiltshire. I do feel certain that hazel nuts would have been equally important as a staple food to all people wherever they grew. Obviously, magical associations, stories and votive offerings in wells etc would have varied.

The word "hazel" is from the proto-Germanic "hasalaz". Latin "corulus" is from Indo-European "Kosolos" which gives Old Irish and Welsh "coll".. I suppose it is possible that the river Colne could be named from a place where hazels grew.. Who can say?