A STUDY ON BOCKLEY DYKE, AND OTHERS IN DORSET. 43 



or BOCKEKLEY. Mature reflection convinces me that we shall find 

 the true etymon in Anglo-Saxon, and not elsewhere. The Saxon 

 words buc, bucca, the male deer, and in the plural number, would 

 in the speech of the Ceorl soon drift into bok, boker, which is the 

 pronunciation now heard in the Teutonic speech of Germany and 

 Holland : and I think we have proof of the same in the Saxon 

 speech of England. For instance ; the Manor of Buckingham 

 in Sussex was in documents 4 Hen. IV., written Bokingham ; * 

 and the family of Buckenham of Norfolk were in those days 

 Bokenham or Bockenhain. Bokley or Bockerley, compounded 

 of Bok and hag, points clearly to the fact that tuis Keltic earth- 

 work was thrown across a tract of land, which, in early times 

 became a favourite resort and feeding ground of the Fallow- 

 deer, that harboured in the adjoining coverts, and were pre- 

 served by the King or Nobility for their recreation. The Saxons 

 did not construct the Dyke, or any part of it, but found it there 

 and named it Bockley dyke, the dyke of the deer pasture. I do 

 not think it was of any special protection to those animals, for 

 the deer would roam at large at their will on both sides of the 

 dyke, through the gaps in it, and find their own favourite 

 feeding ground. I should say that when the dyke was origin- 

 ally made, fallow-deer were probably unknown in these 

 woods, although some remains of antlers have been, perhaps, 

 found in the Keltic tuinali ; but, the short-horned native 

 ox, and the breed of sheep which survives even to this day, with 

 its Portland and Heath varieties, were those denizens of the 

 soil which called for this protection by the Keltic tribes. 



I may further remark, that Bockley has its synonym in Buck- 

 ley, a well-known surname, that follows the analogy of other 

 surnames of like import, as, " Cow-ley " ; "Ox-ley" 

 " Uors-ley " ; " Ship (Sheep) ley " ; in which we get the name of 

 the animal with its pasture-ground conjoined. 



The etymology of " Vindoyladta " seems to be still a moot 

 point. I felt quite satisfied with your former suggestion tha 



* Notes and Queries 6th, S. vi,, 318. 



