In the 2nd part of Isle of Wight place names series, Island Echo looks at where the names of our many villages come from.
Do you live in an Isle of Wight village? Would you like to know what their name means? Today, we’ll look at the villages from the 1st half of the alphabet from A to L.
Arreton: The village name means ‘the farmstead associated with a man named Eadhere’, from an Old English personal name. The village was previously been known as Eaderingtune (in Anglo-Saxon times), Adrintone (in the Doomsday Book, 1086), Aretona, and Arretone.
Bembridge: The meaning is ‘[the place] within the bridge’ from the Old English binnan and brycg. The village has also been known as Bynnebbrygg, Bynbrygge, and Binbrigge. The modern name of Bembridge was 1st used in 1775.
When Brading Harbour extended to Brading, Binbridge Isle could only be reached either by boat or by crossing the bridge at Yarbridge. This bridge was built around 1300. Before this date, the village was known as Orham.
Binstead: ‘The place where beans are grown’ from Old English bean and stede. The beans in question may have been broad beans which were an essential part of the poor man’s diet. Previous versions of the name include Benestede, Benstede, Bienstede and Binsted.
Blackgang: This name comes from the Old English blaec and gang, meaning the dark path – probably the path along the bottom of the Chine. The name was 1st recorded in 1781.
Bonchurch: ‘The church of Bona’. Bona is a short form of the Latin name Bonifatius (Boniface), to whom the local church is dedicated. St Boniface was known for taking the gospel to the heathen tribes of Germany.
Bowcombe: ‘The valley belonging to a man called Bofa’. From the Anglo-Saxon personal name and the Old English cumbmeaning valley.
Brighstone: ‘The farmstead belonging to a man named Beorhtwig’. The village has also been known as Brixton, which shows the local pronunciation.
Calbourne: ‘The stream where the cabbage grows’. The name comes from the Old English cawel and burnaand probably refers to sea cabbage.
Carisbrooke: The village has been named after a brook with a lost Celtic river name Cary meaning ‘pleasant stream’. This would most likely be the original name of Lugley Brook.
Carisbrooke may have been known as Wihtwaraburh, ‘the stronghold of the people of Wight’ in Anglo-Saxon times.
Chale: This place name is believed to come from the Old English ceole, meaning a gorge or a ravine. This probably refers to the famous 400-foot ravine: Blackgang Chine.
Chillerton: This means either ‘an enclosed farmstead in a valley’ from the Old English ceole(yard) and tun. Chillerton was known as Celertune at the time of the Doomsday Book, which became Chelertona, Cheliertone, Chelyerton before finally being recorded by its modern name in 1769.
Fishbourne: At one time (up until 1844) this village was known as Fissehouse or Fish House. However, it has also been known as Fisseburn‘the fish stream’ or ‘the place where fish are caught’ from Old English fise (fish) and burna (stream) since the 13th century.
Freshwater: The name is self-explanatory: ‘stream with fresh (not salty) water’ from Old English fersc and waeter. The River Yar Estuary is salty up to the causeway; below this point, the water is fresh. The village has previously been known as Frescwewater (Doomsday Book), Freskewatre, Freschewatere, Fresshewatere and Fresshwatre. ‘Freshwater’ has been used since 1611, when the area to the east of the Yar was known as ‘Freshwater Isle’.
Gatcombe:This name means ‘the valley of the goats’ from the Old English gat (goat) and cumb (valley). The village was called Gatecumb in the Doomsday Book, following which it was called Gathecumb, Gatecumb, Gatecombe and Gatecoumbe.
Godshill: Another self-explanatory name, combining the Old English god and hyll. However, it is unclear whether the ‘god’ in the name refers to the 14th-century Christian Church, located on the hill in the village, or pagan worship from the pre-Christian era. The village was previously known as Godeshul, Godeshelle, Godeshille and Godyshulle.
There is an interesting legend associated with the founding of Godshill’s 1st Christian church.
Gurnard: ‘The marshy or muddy shore’ from the Old English gyre(mud) and ora (shore). In the Middle Ages, the village was called Gornoreand Gurnore. The ‘d’ was added to the end of the name in the 16th century.
Havenstreet:This village was originally known as Hethenestrete(1255), and Hethynstret (1468). It was 1st referred to by its modern name ‘Havenstreet’ in 1769.
The name has been explained as ‘heathen street’ – built and used by pagans – from the Old English haethen and straet. The implication would be that the locals never converted to Christianity in the Dark Ages or that the settlement pre-existed the Christian era.
However, a less interesting explanation is the presence of a Richard le Hethene in the area in the 13th century. The name may simply mean a street belonging to this man.
Lowtherville: Upper Ventnor has been named after the late 19th-century landowner, Captain Francis Lowther.
Do you have any further information on the origin of village names on the Isle of Wight? If so, please leave a comment below.
In our next edition of Isle of Wight place names, we shall look at village names from M to W …
