202 



r. MAXNIN-G — PLACE-Is'AMES AITD FIELD-IS-AMES 



part of the twelfth centuiy, for Henry I granted a market at 

 Watford, not at Caysho, to the monks of St. Albans ; and the parish 

 church of Watford, which of course marks the centre of population, 

 contains fragments of a building not later than cir. 1 150. The old 

 name of " Caysho " was then gradually superseded by " Watford," 

 the struggle between them being shown in the intermediate forai 

 "Caysford." 



Now as to the meanings of the two names. The earliest mention 

 of Caisho is in a grant of King Offa (dated 793) to the monks of 

 St. Albans, when it occurs as "Caegesho."* Professor Earle suggests 

 that it "seems to mean the ho or bank or mound of the key 

 (A.S. caeg), possibly a sepulchral barrow from which an ancient 

 key had attracted attention." The form " Caegesho " passes by 

 natural phonetic decay into "Caeyesho," and so into "Caysho," 

 which is the form found (with varieties of spelling, e.g. Cayso, 

 Kaysho, Caishoo) up to the sixteenth century. It is not until the 

 end of this century that we find the spelling Cashio or Cassio, 

 which gave rise to the stories about the place having derived its 

 name from Cassivelaunus, the British chieftain. Equally groundless 

 is Salmon's guess, " Gades-ho," the hill by the Gade. 



The name Watford has been explained in divers ways. Chauncy 

 derives it from " Wet Ford," the deep ford that ivetted passers-by. 

 Mr. Cussans suggests tcade-ford, " the ford mid-body deep." 

 Others have suggested "wattle-ford," the ford protected by wattles 

 or hurdles. Others again, " Watling-ford," because it is on a 

 branch of Watling Street. But as the name has been consistently 

 spelled Watford throughout its histoiy, I suppose old Chauncy' s 

 derivation still holds good. 



The letters (0) or (L) before a name show that it is in the 

 hamlets of Oxhey or Leavesden respectively. 



The date following each name is the earliest at which I have at 

 present been able to find it. 



A. S. = Anglo-Saxon. 



Abraham's Close, 1808. 

 Acre Pightle. Vide pp. 199, 200, 

 (0) Aesculvescroft, cir. 1290 (Gesta, i, 479). Aesculf is a common 

 Anglo-Saxon personal name. It is perhaps now represented 

 by Ash House Field, on the border of Oxhey, but in Bushey 

 Parish. By natural phonetic decay Aesc-ulves would become 

 Ash-u{l)ves, Ash-use, Ash-house. 

 (L) Albon's Field, 1854; occurs as Elbon's in 1803. 

 (0) Amey Land, 1854. In 1392 we find a John Amys in the 

 adjoining parish of Rickmansworth (Cuss., ' Cashio Hund.,' 

 p. 137). 

 Arming Wick, 1803. Almond Wick in a plan of 1777. 

 Arnott's Ground, 1803. The name of Arnott occurs twice in 

 the Bushey Register about 1740, and as a field-name at 

 Rickmansworth. 

 Arshall, 1803. 



* ^ Coda: Dij)loiiiaticit.$,' 'So. 162. 



