850 The Names of Places in Wiltshire. 



The ancient names for York (from the second of which it 

 is so strangely contracted)^ were, in Latin Ebor-SiCVim, and in 

 Aug-lo-Saxon Efer-\v\c.j (written also Eofer-wic and ^vrjr-wic,) 

 in all of which we see dialectical variations of the same root 

 aber, which in Gaelic is ebar. 



22. Baggs Bush, Close to Urchfont. This name is probahly a 



simple reduplicative, and the former part from the Cornish 

 bagaz (= a bush) , Pryce in his vocabulary gives bagaz 

 eithen as Ta^dimng furze-bush. Bagston, a place in Cornwall, 

 (originally Bagaz-ton), the latter portion probably from the 

 Cornish towan or tui/n (= a hillock), is equivalent to " Bushey 



Barbury (Hill). The site of an ancient British encampment. 

 It would seem to be probably compounded of bar (= top, or 

 height) and bivr {= an entrenchment), the mound thrown up 

 for defence. The whole word would thus mean an " enclosed 

 or fortified hill." 



BiNKNOLL. Close to Lyneham. In the Nom. Vill. (1291) it is 

 written Benhnoll. It has been suggested that the former 

 part is the well-known word joew (chilli, which in composition 

 becomes ben. Thus we have Ben Lomond, and the word 

 Kx-ben means a chief, or sovereign. The name would thus 

 mean simply " chief (or high) hill, or knoll." 



Bransdown. a name given to a hill not far from Easton Grey. It 

 I is simjjly a reduplicative word, composed of the Welsh bryny 

 and the Anglo-Saxon dun, both of which signify " hill." 

 The whole name " Bransdown Hill " is an exact counterpart 

 of "Pennels Hill" of which mention has been made in 

 §3. 



23. Britford. Literally the " ford of the Brits," or Britons. Close 



by is Chardford, (originally Cerdices-ford) that is the " ford 

 of Cerdic," one of the West Saxon chieftains who there de- 

 feated the Britons. See Sax. Chron. A°. 519. In Anglo- 

 Saxon charters we find another locality in the same neighbour- 

 hood called Brytta-pol, i.e., the " pool of the Brits." See 

 Cod. Dipl., 778. 



