Hinton is a place name of Old English origin, and is a common English village name, particularly in Southern England. Village names often include a suffix, for example Hinton on the Green and Hinton-in-the-Hedges.
The former monastery of Wimbourne held land here.
The place-name is closely related to other place-names that may derive from Old English hēah (or hēa, hēan), meaning "high" or "tall", such as Highham, Heaton, and Hampton.
Etymology
editThe place name Hinton is of Old English origin, and usually derives from either:
- Old English hiwan (or higna,[1] hina[2]), meaning "members of a family, household or religious house",[3][4] or "farm of the monks or of the nuns".[1]
- Old English hēah (or hēan), [1][2] meaning "high, tall" or "exalted, important".
The suffix is from Old English tūn, meaning "an enclosed piece of ground" or "a village or town".
Examples
editList of examples
editSortable list of examples:
| Place name | County | Location | Domesday entry | Etymology | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinton on the Green | Worcestershire | 52°04′N 1°58′W / 52.06°N 1.96°W | Hinetune.[5] St. Peter's Abbey |
higna.[2][1] ("monastery") |
In 981 Elfleda granted the manor to St. Peter's Abbey. |
| Hinton-in-the-Hedges | Northamptonshire | 52°01′30″N 1°11′20″W / 52.025°N 1.189°W | Hintone.[6] Geoffrey de Mandeville |
See below. | There is no known record of monastic settlement. |
| Hinton Blewett | Somerset | 51°18′32″N 2°34′59″W / 51.309°N 2.583°W | Hantone.[7] William of Eu |
hēan.[2][1] ("high") |
|
| Hinton St Mary | Dorset | 50°56′38″N 2°18′22″W / 50.944°N 2.306°W | Haintone.[8] Shaftesbury Abbey |
hēan.[2][1] ("high") |
The village occupies a hill overlooking the River Stour. |
| Hinton St George | Somerset | 50°54′32″N 2°49′08″W / 50.909°N 2.819°W | Hantone.[9] William of Eu |
hēan.[2][1] ("high") |
|
| Hinton Martell | Dorset | 50°51′14″N 1°58′59″W / 50.854°N 1.983°W | Hinetone.[10] Gilbert de Magminot |
higna.[2][1] ("monastery") |
Former monastery of Wimbourne Minster held land here. |
Hinton-in-the-Hedges
editThe name was previously recorded as Hynton in the edge (1549).[2] The toponym might be: "Village in the hill-side".
The etymology is uncertain. The etymologist Victor Watts proposed that the name derives from Old English hina,[2] which is normally used in the context of a monastery or other community.[2] However, there is no known record of a monastic settlement.
Another possibility is that the name derives from Old English hēah ("high). The name element edge refers to a hill-side or escarpment (also found in nearby Edge Hill and Edgcote) – the village is on the rim of a plateau used by the Hinton-in-the-Hedges Airfield. The Holy Trinity Church is 128m above sea level, while the church at nearby Westbury is only 103m above sea level.
List of place-names in England
editSortable list of Hinton place-names:
See also
editReferences
editCitations
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Reaney 1969, pp. 39.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Watts 2007, pp. 306.
- ^ Clark Hall 1916, p. 343.
- ^ Watts 2007, p. 306. "Such a manor was set aside for the support of the domestic servants of a religious or other household"
- ^ *"Hinton [-on-the-Green]". Open Domesday. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ *"Hinton [-in-the-Hedges]". Open Domesday. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ *"Hinton [Blewitt]". Open Domesday. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ *"Hinton [St Mary]". Open Domesday. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ *"Hinton [St George]". Open Domesday. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ *"Hinton [Martell]". Open Domesday. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
Bibliography
edit- Clark Hall, John Richard (1916). A Concise Anglo−Saxon Dictionary, Second Edition. The Macmillan Company.
- Reaney, P. H. (1969). The Origin of English Place Names. Routledge & Kegan Paul.
- Watts, Victor (2007). The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-16855-7.
External links
edit- Open Domesday
- Survey of English Place-Names University of Nottingham