One cannot enumerate all the Kentish dens which might be found not only
on the map but in old manorial records. In old Tenterden alone there
were Pittesden, Igglesden, Strenchden, Godden, Gatesden, Bugglesden,
Finchden, Twisden, Lovedene, Haffendene, Brissendene, Haldene, and
Little Haldene as manors, of some of which even the names have departed.
I find that of the 16 parishes in the rural deanery of West Charing
eight end in den and five in hurst, and I think Furley is in error when
he says that only 16 extant parishes (as distinct from manors) in Kent
end in den. A small original settlement in a den might soon increase in
size even in early Saxon times, and so we have several parishes and
manors called Denton. Other local place-names which are due to their
position in the old forest land are those which end in _hyrst_ or,
later, hurst. Hursts and Cherts were the denser parts of the forest, and
the word is said to apply specially to wooded high ground. The two words
may be originally the same, with the old German Hart (whence the Hartz
mountains), as parent. So we have Bredhurst, Goudhurst, Hawkhurst, Hurst
Wood near Peckham, Penshurst, Sandhurst, Staplehurst, Chart, and two or
three score more.
Another forest name is _Holt_ or Hot—more common in Surrey than in Kent.
The German is Holtz, which means both a wood and wood the material. It
is also a common prefix or suffix in Iceland. Isaac Taylor gives us only
one Holt in his table, for Central Kent at any rate, but we know
Knockholt beeches, Birchholt near Smeeth, an Acholt (Oakwood) in each of
the manors of Dartford, Wingham, and Monkton, and Hot Wood; while
further study is necessary to determine whether from Holt or from Hoath
or Hoth (a heath) come Hothfield, Oxenhoath, and Hoath or Hoad near
Reculver. “Another common suffix in the neighbourhood of ancient
forests,” says Isaac Taylor, “is Hatch—a hitch-gate, Hêche in French.”
He gives no example from Kent, but we know our Chartham Hatch, Ivy
Hatch, and Mersham Hatch and Snoll Hatch. _Wold_ or Weald, a wood, is
not so common as one would expect, but we have Sibertswold and
Wymynswold, and Waltham and Waldershare. _Snœd_ is a Saxon word for a
piece of wood in 8th century charters, and this survives in Hamersnoth
near Romney, Nod Wall near Lydd, Frisnoth near Appledore, Sibersnode in
the Hundred of Ham, Snode Hill, Snodehurst, Snodland, and Snodebeam, a
manor in Yalding.
Some Common Saxon Elements in Place-Names.
—HAM = Ham means homestead, but—hamm an enclosure or bend in a river,
the former being the more common. It is only by early Saxon documents
that we can tell which word is meant. Alkham for the first, perhaps the
Hundred of Ham for the latter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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