Horovitz's The Place-Names of Staffordshire A-F

A
B
C
D
E
F

Back | Top

In 2005 David Horovitz, a local historian, and independent etymology scholar from
Brewood published the hardback THE PLACE-NAMES OF STAFFORDSHIRE detailing
over 3,000 Staffordshire place name derivations. It thoroughly revises WH Duignan’s
book (1902), the first and only scholarly survey on the subject, as well as bringing
together unpublished research by the late JP Oakden and latest thinking on place
names. Below Tim Cockin attempts to give concise interpretations of some of David’s
derivations. Browsers should be mindful of this, and consult (or preferably purchase) THE
PLACE-NAMES OF STAFFORDSHIRE for David’s full analysis.

THE PLACE-NAMES OF STAFFORDSHIRE
David Horovitz, Kiddemore Cottage, Brewood, Staffordshire, ST19 9BH. Tel: (01902) 851419. E-mail:- DavidHorovitz@tiscali.co.uk
ISBN 0-9550309-0-0
COST £45.00 including UK postage.
Printed on acid-free paper. The book cover (see above) shows an extract from a late
eleventh century copy of a charter of Æthelred II dated 1004, confirming the will of Wulfric
Spot, a Mercian magnate who endowed Burton Abbey. The original will, which mentions
at least 14 Staffordshire place-names, dates from between 1002-1004.

A

ABBEY HULTON from Old English meaning high tun.
ACTON TRUSSELL from Old English meaning oak tun; the Trussells were local lords.
ADBASTON from Old English meaning Eadbald’s tun.
ADMASTON from Old English meaning Eadmund’s or Eadmod’s tun.
AGARDSLEY from Old English meaning Eadgar’s open land.
ALDRIDGE from Old English meaning The alder farm.
ALREWAS from Old English meaning The plain liable to sudden flooding and draining,
with alders.
ALSTONEFIELD from Old English meaning Æfstan’s open land.
ALTON from Old English meaning Æfa’s tun.
AMBLECOTE from Old English meaning caterpillar cottage, or Æmela’s cottage.
ANSLOW from Old English meaning Eanswip’s open land (there was an Eanswip female
saint).
APEDALE from Old English meaning perhaps apple valley, or Api’s valley.
AQUALATE from Old English meaning difficult passage over water or wet ground, by the
oak trees.
ARMITAGE from Old French meaning The hermitage.
AUDLEY from Old English meaning Aldgyp’s open land (Aldgyp was a female name).
AUDNAM from Old English meaning (at) the old village, estate, manor, homestead, or (at)
the old meadow.

---

B

BAGGERIDGE from Old English meaning perhaps ridge resembling a bag-like animal.
BAGNALL from Old English meaning Badeca’s or Bacga’s hollow or wood.
BALDWIN’S GATE from William Baldwin, the parker who had a gate into the southern
end of Madeley old deer park.
BALTERLEY from Old English meaning Baldpryp’s open land (Baldpryp was a female
name).
BARLASTON from Old English meaning Beornwulf’s tun.
BANTOCK PARK from Thomas Bantock, who purchased Merridale Farm in 1854, on
which the park was laid out.
BASWICH from Old English meaning Beorcol’s farm, or the birch tree farm.
BATCHACRE from Old English meaning Bad(d)ing’s plot of arable or cultivated land.
BEAMHURST from Old English meaning perhaps the wooded hill near the foot-bridge.
BEAUDESERT from Old French meaning Beautiful wilderness.
BEDNALL from Old English meaning Beda’s valley or hollow.
BEECH from Old English meaning stream, stream valley.
BEFFCOTE from Old English meaning Beffa’s cottage.
BEIGHTERTON from Old English meaning Beorhthere’s tun, or possibly berry thorn tun.
BEMERSLEY GREEN from Old English meaning the open land of the trumpeter.
BENTILEE from Old English meaning open land growing with rushes and coarse grass.
BENTLEY from Old English meaning open land growing with bent-grass.
BERRY HILL Berry is from Old English meaning fortified place.
BESCOT from Old English meaning Beorhtmund’s cottage.
BETLEY from Old English meaning Betta’s open land.
BIDDULPH from Old English meaning (the place) by the mine or quarry.
BIGNALL HILL END from Old English meaning hill-spur with a point, or Bica’s hill-spur.
BILBROOK from Old English meaning brook of the billers or bilders, a dialect name for
several water-plants.
BILLINGTON from Old English meaning hill place tun, or possibly Bill’s or Billa’s tun.
BILSTON from Old English meaning The dwellers at Bil.
BIRCHALL from Old English meaning the end of a ridge where the ground falls away
sharply.
BIRCHILLS from Old English meaning little birch trees.
BISHTON from Old English meaning bishop’s tun.
BLACK COUNTRY the name first occurs in 1834.
BLITHE, RIVER from Old English meaning gentle, quiet; cheerful, merry.
BLITHFIELD from Old English meaning the open land on the River Blithe.
BLORE from Old English meaning blister, swelling, or Middle English meaning a violent
gust or gale, or dialectally to roar. RAY from Old English at the river, or Old Norse
meaning corner.
BLOXWICH from Old English meaning Blocc’s farm.
BLYMHILL from Old English meaning the bloomery hill.
BOBBINGTON from Old English meaning Bubba’s tun.
BRADLEY from Old English meaning broad or wide open land.
BRADNOP from Old English meaning the broad plot of enclosed land in the marsh.
BRADWELL from Old English and Mercian Old English meaning broad spring or stream.
BRAMSHALL from Old English meaning broom-covered shelf.
BRANSTON from Old English meaning Brant’s tun.
BRAZENHILL from Old English meaning the hill with the breach or landslip.
BREWOOD from Welsh and Old English meaning the wood at the hill called Bre.
BRIERLEY HILL from Old English meaning the thorny open land.
BRINSFORD from Old English meaning Brun’s ford.
BROCTON from Old English meaning settlement on a brook.
BROUGHTON from Old English meaning Hereburh’s tun (Hereburh is a female name).
BROWN EDGE from Old English meaning the edge of the brow called Brun.
BROWNHILLS perhaps from the colour of the soil or vegatation, possibly bracken.
BRUND from Middle English (place, land) cleared by burning.
BUCKNALL from Old English meaning Bucca’s or buck, he-goat’s hollow.
BURNTWOOD from Middle English meaning the burnt wood.
BURSLEM from Old English meaning estate in the district called Lyme belonging to a
fort-guardian (Burgweard).
BURSTON from Old English meaning the fortification at the west tun (perhaps here
meaning west of Sandon).
BURTON from Old English meaning the farmstead by the fortification, the fortified manor,
or tun by or belonging to a burh.
BUSHBURY from Old English meaning perhaps the bishop’s fortification., or possibly
Biscop’s fortification.
BUTTERTON (Moorlands) from Old English meaning hill which gave rich grazing for
cows.
BUTTERTON (Newcastle) from Old English meaning hill or tun which gave rich grazing
for cows.

---

C

CALDMORE from Old English meaning cold marsh.
CALTON from Old English meaning the cold or bleak hill.
CALWICH from Old English meaning possibly farm where calves were kept.
CANNOCK from Welsh meaning a hill, a lump, a hillock, or Old English meaning hill or
hillock. A reference to Shoal Hill?
CANWELL from Old and Middle English meaning Canna’s spring, or stream.
CARROWAY HEAD possibly from the Caraway plant, or if of ancient origin from Old
Welsh meaning rocks.
CASTERN from Old English meaning Catt’s thorn bush.
CAULDON from Old English meaning Calf hill.
CAVERSWALL from Old English and Mercian Old English meaning Cafhere’s spring,
stream.
CELLARHEAD perhaps from the C18 expression cellar-head seemingly in the sense
‘public house’; there was a single roadside pub here.
CHARNES from Old English and Mercian Old English meaning headland infested with
beetles.
CHARTLEY from Old English meaning rough ground, or possibly Cearda’s open land.
CHASETOWN a name possibly created by George Poole, vicar of Burntwood and his
wife, or Elijah Wills, a local schoolmaster by 1867.
CHASEWATER a renaming of Norton Pool in 1956.
CHATCULL from Old English meaning Ceatta’s kiln.
CHATTERLEY from Primitive Welsh and Old English meaning wood by a hill called
Cader.
CHEADLE from British and Old English meaning chet wood, or forest called Ched.
CHEBSEY from Old English meaning Cebbi’s island or raised dry area.
CHECK HILL the first word is from Old English meaning corner, angle, edge, point,
promontory.
CHELL from Old English meaning throat (but in a geographic sense - so a channel,
gorge, ravine), or less likely keel (but in the sense of a keel-shaped ridge).
CHESLYN HAY from Old English meaning a chest, coffin-shaped terrace, bank, ledge, or
a chestnut tree by, on, near a terrace, bank, ledge. HAY is from Mercian Old English
meanng an enclosure, a clearing in the forest.
CHILLINGTON from Old English meaning Cilla’s tun, or tun at the spring.
CHORLTON from Old English meaning the peasants’ enclosure.
CHURNET, RIVER from some pre-English river name, possibly of British origin, of
unknown etymology and meaning.
CLAYTON from Old English meaning tun on clayey ground.
CLENT from perhaps Old English meaning stone, rock.
CLIFTON CAMPVILLE from Old English meaning tun near a cliff or bank or on the edge
of a river. The Camvills were lords by 1231.
COBRIDGE from Old English meaning roundish mass, lump back or ridge.
COCKNAGE from Old English meaning Cocca’s oak tree.
CODSALL from perhaps Old English meaning Cod’s hollow; though authorities recently
are sceptical.
COLEY from Old English meaning the open land where charcoal was made.
COLTON from Old English meaning tun where charcoal is made, or perhaps tun where
colts were reared.
COLWICH from Old English meaning farm where charcoal is made.
COMBERFORD originally from Primitive Welsh meaning the ford of the Britons.
COMBRIDGE from Old English meaning a comb (hand-railed), crest bridge, or the ridge
with the undulating profile.
COMPTON from Old English meaning tun in a cumb or short spoon-shaped valley.
CONGREVE from Old English meaning tun grove or small wood in a cumb or valley.
CONSALL no certainty! perhaps from a form of Welsh personal name meaning dog or
hound, which was applied to a powerful tributary of the Churnet here, or from Old Norse
meaning king.
COPPENHALL from Old English meaning Coppa’s promontory into a marsh.
COSELEY from Old English meaning the wood from which charcoal was obtained.
COTES from Old English meaning cottages, huts, shelters.
COTON from Old English meaning cottage, hut, shelter.
COTWALTON from Old English meaning cottage, hut, shelter in or by the wood, or
cottage, hut, shelter in or by the spring, stream.
COVEN unresolved, but possibly from Old English meaning an inner chamber, a cell -
but this does not fit the local geography.
COWLEY from Old English meaning cow open land, pasture/ or possibly open land,
pasture by a rounded top hill/ or open land, pasture by a block of wood, a log, a stump.
CRACOW MOSS perhaps from Old English meaning a crow, a raven hollow, or a
derivation from the surname Crachale.
CRADDOCKS MOSS from the Cradock family.
CRADLEY HEATH from Old English meaning the open land, pasture of Crad(d)a or
Cradel.
CRAKEMARSH from Old English meaning marsh of the crows or ravens.
CREIGHTON from Old Welsh and Old English meaning the tun at the rock called Creic.
CRESWELL from Old English and Mercian Old English meaning cress, or watercress
spring.
CROWBOROUGH from Old English meaning the crow grove, rookery.
CROXALL from Old English meaning Croc’s hollow.
CROXDEN from Old English meaning Croc’s valley.
CROXTON from Old English meaning Croc’s tun.
CURBOROUGH unresolved; and may even be identifiable with unlocated DB
Burouestone.
CUTTLESTONE from Old English meaning Cupwulf’s stone.

---

D

DAGDALE perhaps the misty valley.
DAPPLE HEATH perhaps the variegated heath.
DARLASTON from Old English meaning Deorlaf’s tun.
DEARNSDALE from perhaps Old English meaning valley of the stream called Dierne.
DEEPFIELDS the suggestion that the name is from Dip fields, is unlikely.
DENSTONE from Old English meaning Dene’s or Dane’s tun.
DERRINGTON from Old English meaning the tun associated with Dod(d)a.
DIEULACRES from perhaps Anglo-French meaning may God increase it.
DILHORNE from perhaps Old English meaning place by a mine or quarry.
DOLEY if of ancient origin from Old English meaning a share of the common field.
DOXEY from Old English meaning Docc’s island, land partly surrounded by water, dry
ground in marshland.
DRAYCOTT unresolved; lots of possible explanations.
DRAYTON (BASSETT) unresolved; lots of possible explanations. The Bassetts were
early lords.
DRESDEN probably transferred from the German city of the same name; it also made
pottery.
DROINTON from Old English meaning the tun of the drengs (a free tenant holding by
tenure combining rent, service and military duty).
DRUIDS HEATH possibly from the Norman family, Dru, lords of Aldridge, or a diminutive
of Drogo.
DUNSLEY from Old English meaning Dunn’s open land, pasture.
DUNSTALL from Old English meaning site of a farm.
DUNSTON from Old English meaning Dunn’s tun.
DUNWOOD from Old English meaning wood on or at the hill.

---

E

ECCLESHALL from Old English meaning a church or body of Christians in a sheltered
place, hollow.
ECTON from Old English meaning Ecca’s tun.
EDIAL from Old English meaning enclosed pasture, a park in a hollow.
EDINGALE from Old English meaning the halh associated with Edin’s or Eadwine’s
people.
ELFORD from Old English meaning the ford of Ælla.
ELKSTONE from Old English meaning Ealac’s dun or hill.
ELLASTONE from Old English meaning Eadlac’s or (though much less likely) Æpelac’s
tun.
ELLENHALL from Old English meaning flax tongue of land between two streams by a
river.
ELLERTON GRANGE from Old English meaning Æpelheard’s tun. The place became a
grange of Ranton Abbey.
ELLIS HILL from the surname Ely or Elly.
ELLOWES HALL from perhaps Old English meaning elder tree.
ELMHURST from Old English meaning Ælmer’s hill.
ENDON from Old English meaning the lamb hill, or Eana’s hill, or possibly (less likely)
the duck hill.
ENGLETON from Old English meaning the tun of the Angles.
ENSON from Old English meaning possibly Ean’s tun.
ENVILLE En is from Old English meaning flat field or open land, ville is from a change in
pronounciation of the f to v.
ESSINGTON from Old English meaning the tun of the family or followers of a man called
Esne.
ETCHING HILL from Old English probably meaning an addition, land added to an estate.
ETRURIA so-named in allusion to Etrurian (Estruscan) style pottery produced here by
Wedgwood from the second-half of the C18.
ETTINGSHALL from Old English meaning a pasturage, a grazing-place in a hollow, or
Etting’s hollow.

---

F

FALLINGS PARK Fallings is from probably Mercian Old English meaning a felling of
trees, a clearing.
FAREWELL from Old English and Mercian Old English meaning clear, beautiful, pleasant
spring.
FARLEY from Old English meaning the ferny leah.
FAULD from Old English meaning a fold, enclosure for animals.
FAWFIELDHEAD from probably Old English meaning the elevated place with the multi-
coloured open land.
FAZELEY from Old English meaning the leah with the bulls.
FEATHERSTONE from Old English and could mean the feather-shaped standing-stone,
although the general interpretation is the four stones or tetalith, a reference to a
prehistoric cromlech of three uprights and a capstone.
FENTON from Old English meaning the fen, marsh tun.
FINCHFIELD from Old English meaning the feld or open land of the finches.
FISHERWICK from Old English meaning fishermen’s wic.
FISHLEY from Old English meaning a thistle, here used adjectivally. Fissle and Fistle are
dialect forms of thistle.
FLASH from Old Danish meaning a swamp, swampy grassland, shallow water, a pool.
FORDHOUSES from houses erected by the Wolverhampton-Stafford road near the ford
of Wobaston brook.
FOREBRIDGE ‘the bridge in front of the town’, which later developed into an alternative
‘the bridge at the ford’.
FOREGATE ‘the gate at the front of the town’.
FORSBROOK from Old Norse meaning Fot’s brook.
FORTON from Old English meaning the tun by the ford.
FOXT from Old English meaning foxes’ hole.
FRADLEY from Old English meaning Frod’s leah.
FRADSWELL from Old English and Mercian Old English meaning Frod’s spring or (more
likely) stream.
FREEFORD from Old English meaning ford which is open, accessible, unimpeded,
unrestricted, free from undergrowth or waterweed or vegetation.
FREEHAY from Mercian Old English meaning perhaps the enclosure which could be
used free from service or rent.
FROGHALL is from Old English meaning small valley, hollow, depression, hole of frogs;
another possibility is that the name derives from a colloquial expression attached to man-
made exacavations.
FULFEN from Old English meaning foul or muddy fen.
FULFORD from Old English meaning dirty or muddy ford.
FURNACE GRANGE from a furnace here in the C17; Grange is from the Grainger family,
who are recorded in the area from at least 1539.

Back | Top