The Parish Magazine, at the beginning of the 20th Century, features not only church news and notices for religious societies in Warminster, Corsley, the Deverills, Heytesbury, Horningsham, Imber, Maiden Bradley, Sutton Veny and Upton Scudamore, but also occasional articles with regards other things of note in these parishes. The issues for December 1902, February 1903, April 1903, and July 1903, feature the following details (compiled by an author unknown) concerning place names at Maiden Bradley:
November 1st (All Saints’ Day) is well known as the day upon which we commemorate the dedication of our Parish Church, which, unfortunately, has lost all her early records. It is obvious that a community must have existed here at a much earlier date than is recorded by the architectural features of the fabric. To verify this statement it is proposed to briefly examine some of the surrounding place-names.
KATEBENCH
The word “Katebench” appears to be the most suitable name to commence with. It occurs in a Church and Tything Rate, 1779 A.D., as “Cadbench.” The Parliamentary Commissioners of 1646 A.D. record it as “Rate Bens;” John Aubrey 1659-70 A.D. calls it Katebench from one of the leprous sisters who frequently resorted to the top of the hill from the Priory. His annotator, Canon Jackson, 1862 A.D., contradicts the traditional statement, but suggests that it might be a corruption of “Gate-bench.” In 1531 A.D. it is recorded “Cattenbenche,” in 1402 appro, “Gadebenche,” and 1270 appro. “la Cade.” The records of 1779 and 1270 appear to be most orthographically correct, the word being the equivalent of the Welsh “Cad” = a battle, fight or war, which being a substantive in the feminine form accounts for the French “la” in the earliest record.
In the light of topographical and historical knowledge, this incident affords significant material for a wider discussion than the limits of a magazine avail, so suffice it to say that the bold escarpment now known as Katesbench, more correctly Gad bench (Anglo-Saxon benc. f = bench of seat) appears to have obtained its name from some unknown battle in British history. A glance at the map shows that it forms one of the N.E. termini of the long highland ridge extending from Penselwood (Caer, Pensanelcoit of T. Kerslake), strengthened by the shelter afforded by the Selwood Forest, in British times known as “Coit Mawr,” the equivalent of present day Welsh “Coed Mawr = great or big wood or trees.” In the neighbourhood of which one battle, at least, is recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. “658 A.D. Kenwealh fought against the Welsh (Britons) at Peonna (Pen), &c.”
YARNIELD
The initial portion of this compound occurs in the composition of many place names. Yarlington *(Gerlingetuna) in Somerset is not far from Cadbury *(Cadeberia); Yardley Farm at Colyton in Devon not far from Kilmington *(Cillemetona). The similarity between the earliest orthographic records of this place name and the Anglo-Saxon compound “Gearn-field” = “Yarn-field,” might have traditionally associated its origin with the weavers, said to be at one time resident here, who utilised the water of the spring, to the north of Manor Farm, to impart permanency to the colours of the manufactured materials.
This tything is situated on the line of an old British trackway, coming in from the direction of Kilmington *(Cillemetona), Alfred’s Tower, and Ilchester *(Givelcestre); portions of which still exist near the reservoir, at the back of the Rank, and the cottages near Trow-lane. An Anglo-Saxon thane, Ernebold, held it at the time of the Norman Conquest; it subsequently became one of the Knight’s fees, constituting the Barony of Walter Giffard, 1st Earl of Buckingham. In the Exon Domesday it is recorded as “Gernefella,” and in the Exchequer Survey as “Gernefelle.” A 13th century document records it “Jernefeld;” the Hundred Rolls of 1341 A.D. and a document 1423 A.D. as “Yernefeld.” According to Sir R.C. Hoare’s Modern Wilts, “Yernefield” appears to occur as early as the time of Manasser Bisset, late 12th century, and “Yarnfield” in a document 1532 A.D. The local provincialism associated with the place name is now corrupted to “Yarn-vul.”
* Entries in Domesday Book.
LONG KNOLL
Long Knoll (Lang-cnoll) is an Anglo-Saxon compound; whether it previously possessed a British designation akin to “Mai-dun” = a big-hill, from which the distinctive name “Maydene” of “Maydenebradelegh” was coined 1279 A.D., is impossible to say. The irregular depresson at the top of its western extremity marks the place where a human skeleton was unearthed in 1807 A.D. It was a common practice of the primitive settlers, particularly in this portion of the country, to deposit their dead in such places, so the inference is that this interment was no mere accident. Park Knoll, alias “Bradley Knoll and Little Knoll,” does not appear to have been used for sepulchral purposes.
BRIMSDOWN, BIDCOMBE AND COLD KITCHEN
Brimsdown, with the adjoining hills of Bidcombe and Cold Kitchen, forms an isolated mass of middle and upper chalk, capped with a patch of tertiary rock in the vicinity of “Duke’s Clump,” and separated from the contemporaneous strata of the Deverel – [Footnote – This place-name has now become distributed and branded with the misnomer “Deverill or dive-rill,” to perpetuate the absurdity of a diving stream, which cold never possibly have existed in any part of the valley.] The tops of these hills collectively form the remains of a prehistoric settlement, which at one time was situated at the extreme edge of the Coit Maur or Great Wood (Selwood Forest.) From the drift left in the valley at Crockerton, records of the Paleolithic or Early Stone Age have been found; but the list of antiquities recorded from the hill tops infer the Bronze and Iron Ages (the polished flints being probably obsolete weapons of the Neolithic Age), and are of British and Romano-British character, which includes besides Roman coins (287-378 A.D.) urns and worked flints, bone objects resembling a pin or bodkin, a button, and goughes; bronze objects resembling a brooch, polished ring, celts (axe heads), and the handle of a spoon; iron objects resembling portion of a safety pin, an arrow head and a knife; much broken pottery and some burnt bones. In addition to remains of human beings, bones of the ox, pig, sheep, dog, and roe-deer have been identified.
Sir R.C. Hoare derived each of the hill names from Celtic originals – Brimsdown from “Brin” = a hill, and “Dun” = an elevation; Bidcombe from “Bod” = a habitation, and “domb” = a valley; and Cold Kitchen from “Col” = head or chief, and “Kefyn” = a ridge. To the last derivation at least there seems to be an alternative suggested by the tertiary rock near “Duke’s Clump,” which might have been primitively the “Col-Cefyn” or Hazel ridge, and thus akin to the existing Welsh compounds Coll-Wyd or hazel-wood, and Colwyn or hazel-bush.
RODMEAD
Rodmead Farm consists of a portion of Mere Down, an expanse of chalk, rich in archaeological antiquities. White Sheet Hill, which adjoins this farm, has been supposed by Dr. Clifford (Clifton) to have been the Ecgbryht-stan of the Chroniclers, where Alfred assembled his army before fighting the decisive battle of Athandune, 878 A.D.; but his conclusion is untenable, since he inferred his argument from a defective premise. From one of the barrows at the back of the farm the skeleton of a human being lying at full length has been unearthed, and with it a variety of articles which had been interred with the body, consisting of a brazen vessel lying at the feet, an iron cone which formed the umbo of a shield, two studs, a buckle, two-edged sword, two knives, and a variety of other arms. The name is not corrupted from “Road-mead” because of the British trackway which passes through it, but from an Anglo-Saxon compound. Its earliest record seems to be in a document 1423 A.D., where it occurs as “Rede Mede,” a compound equivalent to A.S. “gerefa-moed” = Reeve’s-mead.
Geref-Moed and Geref-land are occasionally met with in Anglo-Saxon Charters, where Kemble observes they do not refer to the meadow or land of any particular “Scir-gerefa” or Sheriff, but to the individual only while in the enjoyment of the office. In the Domesday for Wilts, Edward of Salisbury, or as he is also termed Edward the Sheriff, is returned as possessing two carucates of land in Deverel, which he sub-let to one Adelelm. This land has been supposed to have been the estate of one knight’s fee, held by John de Vernun, 1276 A.D., and a portion of Kingston Deverel, which makes it probable that the place-name originated about the time of the Conquest, and if it did not include the tenacy of Adelelm it was in juxtaposition to it.
MAIDEN BRADLEY
Maiden Bradley is a genuine English parish name, being derived from Anglo-Saxon “Moegth-Broedanleague,” and literally meaning the broad field of the maid or virgin. Though both are obtained from the same vocabulary, they are not coeval as regards local application; Maiden or Maydene as it occurs in ancient documents having been added at least seven centuries subsequent to the adoption of the original place name, now corrupted to Bradley. The Gheld Inquest or Taxation of the Hundreds 1084, from which the Exchequer Domesday 1086 was very probably copied, records the place name as “Bradelie”; among the endowments in the foundation deed of Nutley Priory 1162 (not 1142 as is occasionally written), the church is recorded as “ecclesiam de Bradeleg”; other records are Bradeleg 1227, Bradelegh 1259, Bradeleig, Bradeleye, &c., during the subsequent twenty years. *One “Richard de Bradeleg” being witness to a deed 1305 approx. From these examples it is certain that the original word was “Bradleg or Bradelei,” the variable terminations being due to noun inflexions, some scribes using the masculine from “leage” others the feminine “leah,” therefore it is obvious that it was an Anglo-Saxon settlement before it became a Norman manor. Its origin probably dates from about the middle of the sixth century. By 552 A.D. Cynric subdued the formidable British stronghold of Sorbiodunum (old Sarum); this cleared the way for the subjugation of the valley of the Wylye, which would give access through the Deverel valley to this portion of the county, where their progress would be checked by the Gillingham and Selwood forests, which also seemed to have influenced the demarcation between the boundaries of Wilts, Dorset, and Somerset; after their success the invaders divided the land into settlements. Mere from Moere = a boundary, being the name allotted for that portion bordering on the Gillingham forest, and Broedan-leage the name of the adjoining settlement which skirted the Selwood forest; from the fragmentary information supplied by the English chronicles this would take place about 560 A.D.
The name evidently suggested itself from the broad field-like impression of the land between Park Knoll and Rodmead Farm, which in mediaeval times, and for many years after, formed one of the open or common fields of the community, being designated “Bradley Field.” During the middle of the 18th century it contained some 200 acres of arable land, which is suggestive that it formed two of the carucates mentioned in the Domesday record. The settlement was well developed by the time of survey as is evidenced by the record. After the foundation of the leper hospital by Manasser Biset, 1171 approx, and its subsequent conversion to an Augustinian Priory 1190, the place-name was sometimes used in the masculine form, and at others in the feminine; later, for reasons yet uncertain, the additional word “Maydene” was added, and the whole written as one word, Maydenebradelegh (f), the earliest record occurring about 1305. From 1313-50, Maydenebradelegh (f) and Maydenebradelege, were the prevailing forms. 1387-93 a division again set in, but from 1398-1512 it repeatedly occurs as a whole word. After 1512 a permanent division set in, which developed into the existing orthographic form, which has prevailed since the Dissolution, 1535. Such records as Bradel, Maydenbradele, Maydenbradel, are abbreviations, a use common to ancient documentary scribes.
There are two suggestions why the additional word “Maydene” was added, the prevailing one being that one of the daughters of John Biset (grandfather to founder) became a leper, and endowed the Priory with her patrimony. Whether she did so or whether her husband did so it appears as uncertain. There are reasons to believe that the endowment was effected, but whether the leper portion of the story is correct is doubtful, as from Camden the story appears to be an importation from Kidderminster. If the unfortunate person was Margaret Biset, as some authors contend, she must have either been leprous before marriage, with R. de Rivers, or the addition must be a misnomer.
The second suggestion is that the name is derived from the chapel at the Priory, dedicated to St. Mary. (The original dedication was SS. Mary and Lazarus, after the substitution 1190, the latter was dropped.) A large number of places possessed similar dedications, therefore were this case, we should expect to find many more placenames containing the prefix “Maiden.” There is, however, one forcible incident in favour of this argument. This Priory possessed special distinction, having among its relics pieces of our Lord’s raiment, a portion of the apparel of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and a fragment of the stone manger on which our Lord was born at Bethlehem; such relics would obviously demand some special distinction to the place containing them.
*Apparently the only instance of a person adopting this place-name as an addition to his baptismal name. Sir Ralph de Anngiens (a family residing here from the beginning of 13th century to middle of 15th) engaged a clerk who signed himself Richard de Cnowel and Knorl. He lived, as his name suggests, not at Knoyle as Hoare thought, but somewhere under Long Knoll. He was dead by 1272 and was succeeded by Richard de Bradeleg alias Richard Brice, who witnessed a deed between 1274-1307, whose name is still perpetuated in Brice field. He was dead by 1344, which shows the number of years the name has existed. The custom of adopting the place of nativity, as Richard Brice did, was fashionable amongst the ecclesiastics of his time, from which we might imagine that Richard ministered to the needs of the Parish Church. Though clerk to Anngeins, he would discharge such duties on behalf of the Abbots of Nutley, who had been Impropiators since 1162 A.D.