DERBYSHIRE PLACE-NAMES. 39 



Domesday orthography is taken, it would be derived from the A.S. becc 

 (N. bxc, bee,) a brook, a rivulet. The postfix is from the A.S. tun — a 

 town. The town on the bending or bay, or the town on the brook. 

 Beighton is situated on a bend of the River Rother. 



Belper. — Helper was the site of a hunting lodge erected by Edmund, Earl 

 of Lancaster, and called in old records Beau-repaire, Beaupoire, and 

 Bureper — the present being a corruption of the ancient name. 



Beiltley, Fenny.— (D.D.B. Benedlege.)— The initial syllable is from the 

 A.S. personal name Bennet or Benedict, and the terminal syllable from 

 A.S. leg, leag, lea, leah, lag, lah — a meadow, a field, land. The 

 adjunct is A.S. fen, fenn — a fen, marsh, mud, dirt. Bennet's or 

 Benedict's field or land on the fen. 



Bentley, Hungry. — (D.D.B. Beneleie.) — For the derivation of Bentley, 

 see above. The adjunct is a provincialism, and is applied to a poor, un- 

 productive soil. The hungry or unproductive land of Bennet or Benedict. 



Biggin. — A.S. the building, from byggan, to build. 



Birchill. — (D.D.B. Berceles.) — A.S. birce, byrce — a birch tree, and A.S. 

 hill, hyl, hyll — a hill, a mountain ; — the birch tree hill. 



Birchover.— (D.D.B. Barcouere.) — The initial syllable is as in Birchill 

 q.v. The suffix is A.S. ofer — a margin, brink, bank, shore ; — the birch 

 tree bank. 



Birch. Vale. -The derivation of Birch is as in Birchill q.v. The adjunct is 

 from the N.F. val — a vale. 



Blackwell. — (D.D.B. Blacheuuelle.)— It is difficult to determine whether 

 the initial syllable signifies black or white. The root of the word origin- 

 ally signified discolouration or loss of colour, hence the derivative bleach, 

 to whiten, or to become white by the removal of colour. The A.S. word 

 blac, was used to denote anything pale, pallid, light, bright, shining, or 

 white, and the same word blac (sometimes written blsec), also denotes 

 black. The final syllable is the A.S. wyl, wil, wyll, well — a well or 

 fountain. Blackwell may therefore be the black well or the bright, shin- 

 ing, or white well. 



Blakelow Stones. — for the derivation of the initial syllable, see Black- 

 well, supra. The postfix is from A.S. hlsew, hlaw, low — a hill, an eleva- 

 tion, a rising tract of ground, also a heap, grave, barrow, tumulus. 



Bolsover.— (D.D.B. Belesovre.) — A.S. bol — the bole or body or trunk of 

 a tree, and A.S. ofer — a margin, brink, bank, shore ;— the bank by the 

 tree trunk. 



Bonsall. — (D.D.B. Bunteshall.) — A.S. Bonna— a personal appellation, and 

 A.S. alh, ealh, heal, heall, or A.S. selu, sele, sel, salu, salo, sal — a hall, 

 palace, seat, dwelling, mansion, temple, place of entertainment, inn, 

 house ; — Bonna's house, inn, or hall. 



