25G The Names of Places in Wiltshire. 



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

 is so strangely contracted) , were, in Latin Ubor-acum, and in 

 Anglo-Saxon Efer-wia, (written also Bofer-wic and i£Wr-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 probably a 

 simple reduplicative, and the former part from the Cornish 

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

 eithen as meaning furze-bush. Bagston, a place in Cornwall, 

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

 Cornish towan or tuyn (= a hillock) ,is equivalent to " Bushey 

 ■ Hill." 



Barbtjry (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/'' 



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

 written Benhioll. It has been suggested that the former 

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

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

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

 mean simply e f chief (or high) hill, or knoll/'' 



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

 is simply a reduplicative word, composed of the Welsh bryn 3 

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

 The whole name " Bransdown Hill 33 is an exact counterpart 

 of " Pennels Hill 33 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 0 . 519. In Anglo- 

 Saxon charters we find another locality in the same neighbour- 

 hood called BrgUa-pdlj i.e., the " pool of the Brits/'' See 

 Cod. Dipl., 778. 



