156 ON THE MAZE, OR MIZMAZE, AT LEIGH, DORSET. 



WITCHES' COENEE, LEIGH COMMON. 



Many years ago I was told by a man of this neighbourhood 

 that a corner of Leigh Common was called "Witches' Corner," 

 and long again after that a friend gave me some old depositions 

 on witchcraft, taken before Somerset magistrates from about the 

 years 1650 to 1664. The cases were of Somerset, and touched in 

 some points Dorsetshire, and one of the witches' sisterhood said 

 that they sometimes met in Leigh Common. This proof of the 

 meeting of witches in Leigh Common as the ground of the 

 traditional name of witches corner is interesting as a token of 

 truth in tradition. 



TOTNELL AND CHETNOLE. 



I suppose Chetnole is mostly pronounced Chetnel. Totnell is 

 the name of the hill or knoll or knowl, and means Toutknoll, or 

 Spynell, or Outlook-hill, as being in times of trouble a spot taken 

 by outspiers or outlookers. There are in Dorset several touts or 

 spy heights, and the word to tout, to look out for customers is 

 still well-known. That knoll would wear into nell is shown by 

 the name of " Punk-knowl," which in running talk is called 

 " Punnell." Tout was formerly tote, and has been shortened in 

 names of other places, as Totton, Totcombe, in the hundred of 

 Totcombe and Modbury. The spelling of names of places is not 

 a trustworthy guide to their meaning or early forms. Nell 

 in Totnell is, I believe, a narrowing of the sound noil, as i in 

 Huntsmin for huntsman. Such a narrowing is common in Latin, 

 as Desilio for Desalio, and so it is in Welsh. Tot is the head of 

 many other place names. 



CHETNOLE 



Is, I believe, Chetknoll, but CJiet must have been in Saxon of 

 some such form as Cet or Cete. Cete would mean a cabin, 

 cottage, or cell. Was there ever a hermit's cell there, as at Her- 

 mitage ? 



HAYDON. 



Hay is the Saxon Haeg(\) a hedge, and (2) a hedged 



