Place-Names 103 



Southern Cambridgeshire consists of three well-defined areas, two belts 

 of clay on east and west, with an intervening stretch ot chalk (see Fig. 29). 

 The claylands were presumably wooded in early times, but the chalk was 

 always open country, along which ran the Icknield Way (see Fig. 19). By 

 Domesday times, wood had disappeared neither from these clay areas of 

 the upland nor from those of the fen islands (see Fig. 17). Earlier evidence 

 is not wanting. The most common woodland terms found in English 

 place-names are -ley "a wood" or, later, "a clearing"; hay "enclosure", 

 and often "enclosed wood"; stubbing "clearing"; and stocking "land 

 cleared of stocks". The clay areas of southern Cambridgeslaire each contain 

 parishes with names ending in -ley.^ In these, as well as in neighbouring 

 parishes, other names have survived, as well as a number of field-names 

 containing all four of the above elements. In the intervening belt ot chalk, 

 there is a solitary lost ley in Little Wilbraham, airother in Fulbourn, and 

 "The Leys" in Burwell — a marked contrast with Ashley-cum-Silverley, 

 on the eastern clay, with its four additional examples of ley, two of hay, 

 and one o£ stubbing. 



Croydon Wilds and Hatley Wilds, on the western clayland, are names 

 of particular interest in connection with Cambridgesliire woodland. The 

 first occurs in 1285 as in Waldis de Craudenn and, as late as 1760, as Croydon 

 Wold; the second is found in 1277 as in Weldis subtus boscwn de Hayley, i.e. 

 Hayley Wood in Little Gransden. Both are on high ground and both 

 names contain weald, wald, used in Old English of forest-land, especially 

 of high forest-land. Other evidence of the wooded nature of the ground 

 is to be found in the names Hatley and Hayley, and in Longehay and 

 Dreyhirst, in Little Gransden. Farther north, there was a Woldeslande and 

 a Grenewold in Elsworth, wliile Dry Drayton was formerly called 

 Walddraiton. Between Croydon and Elsworth there are references to 

 Berstunesweald and Kakestunesweald in Caxton and in Waldis de Brune 

 (i.e. Bourn). There can thus be litde doubt that this district was once 

 known simply as Weald or Wold. 



The clay islands of the fen were also well wooded. The first element in 

 Chatteris and Chettisham is probably the British cet "wood". Near 

 Chatteris is Langwood Fen, wlailst medieval woodland is frequently 

 mentioned at Chettisham. On these clay islands there are examples not 

 only of the terms already discussed, but also of hyrst and holt, two other 

 names for a wood. The last two elements are often difficult to recognise 

 without early forms. Holt occurs in Singlesole at Thomey; Throckenliolt 



' In the east are Ashley-cum-Silverley, Brinkley, Cheveley and Westley Waterless. 

 In the west are Childerley, Eltisley, Graveley, East Hatley, Hatley St George and 

 Madingley. 



