M

Madley.

Lib. Land. says matle (Mod.Welsh Mad lle) is 'good place', because Dubricius was born there. But the English settlers evidently understood it as 'Meadow of Mada', and the name took this English form. Cf. Madeley (Salop) which is Dom. Madelie, Madingley (Cambs.), and Madehurst (Sussex) which is Dom. Madelie. 'Madanleah' occurs in Birch.

Maen twlch (St Margaret's).

W. 'stone tump'.

Maerdy.

This Welsh name, originally 'the house of a steward', then commonly 'a dairy-house', is found some half-dozen times attached to little hill-farms in the district of Ewyas and the Golden Valley. In Kentchurch and Hardwick it is still correctly spelt. In Clodock it has become 'The Moody', in St Margaret's, 'The Murdie', and in Newton-in-Clodock, 'Murdy'.

Maescoed (Clodock).

Duncumb gives what is still the local pronunciation. The mod. form in print is evidently due to philological purists, whose interpretation this time is correct.

W. maes-y-coed, 'meadow in the wood'.

Mahollam (Kington).

Mainoaks (Goodrich).

Possibly O.E. Maegan ofer, 'Maega's bank'.

Mainstone Court (Ashperton).

Apparently 'tun of Maena'.

Mairescess (St Margaret's).

Not in 1831 Ord. Map.

*Malfeld [in Peterchurch].

See Mawfield.

Malvern (West, Colwall).

It is impossible to conjecture the meaning of this name. One hesitates to speculate even whether it be English or Celtic in origin. In a MS. in the library of Pemb. Coll. Camb., undated but said to be of the 11th century, the form Maelfern is found.

*Mamilet Forest [in Archenfield, near the Gamber brook].

Mangerdine (Mordiford).

No forms older than 1831. But it is evidently a corruption of a -wardine ending, for which see Appendix. Quite close, in same parish, is Scutterdine.

Mansell Gamage.

The first element is O.E. malu, malwe, 'mallow', 'Hill on which the mallow grows'. The change to Malm- seems to be merely a phonetic corruption, since Malm- has no meaning. The Gamage family held lands in Mansell in the 12th century to mid. 13th century. In Tillington in 1395 is Manselleslond (Ep. Reg.).

Mansell Lacy.

The 1400 entry in Acon. Accts mentions, with Mansellacy, a Childesmalmeshull.

Marcie.

J.S. Wood and Judge Cooke say mearc-leah, 'meadow on the boundary'. But Dom. -lai, though usually it represents -leak, is sometimes O.E. hlaw, 'a hill'; and the parish is set on a hill, which is still a landmark for the neighbourhood. It was possibly therefore, in the 11th century, 'Boundary Hill'. But, in 12th and following centuries, what should have been -low is confused with -ley, which gives 'Boundary meadow'. A farm in the parish is now called 'The Bounds'. In Garway (now and in 1607) is March Hill.

Marden.

'Farm of a man, possibly Maw (in Onom.). There is a Marden in Sussex, with quite a different history, which gives 'boundary hill' as its meaning.

Marks (Longrove).

Marlas Mill (Kilpeck).

This may be a corruption of or akin in origin to the W. pl.-n. Marloes, found in Pembs. Gwen, son of Llywarch Hen, the 6th century Welsh poet, is said to have been slain in a battle at 'the ford of Morlas'.

Marlbrook Hall (Elton).

Marlow (Leintwardine).

Old forms needed, to show whether it is 'Boundary hill' or 'Greater hill'.

Marston (Pembridge).

Tun by the mere or marsh'. Leom. Cart. has a Mersmedewe, which cannot be identified. There are at least a dozen Marstons in England, and a Merston in I. of Wight.

Marston Stannett (Pencombe).

Marstow.

So identified by Eg. Phil. I can find no other early form. If the identification is correct, Marstow would be 'the dwelling- place hard by St Martin's church'. (The present church is dedicated to St Matthew.)

Massington (Ledbury).

'Tun of Maesa'. A charter in Kemble relates to Maessan-wyrth, Maesa's farm'.

*Mateurdin [somewhere near Eardisley].

Mathon.

Origin uncertain. There is in 1302 (Quo War.) a Mathunleye in Archenfield.

Rose Maund (Bodenham).

Maund Brya.

Whitchurch Maun.

Magene, or Mage, was a district of some considerable size. One is tempted to say that the Mercian folk, who on settling in Herefordshire were called Mage-saetas, took their name from this district, rather than, as pop. etymology has it, from Magna, the Roman city near the Wye. The oldest recorded form of the name of these settlers is Magonsetun (A.D. 811), which looks more like 'settlers in Magene', than 'settlers in Magna'. Moreover, Magna had almost certainly become Kenchester in Offa's time (757-796). What Magene means it is impossible to tell. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (1016) says, 'Magesaetae alias Masegetae' (i.e. 'inhabitants of Maiseveth').

*Mawdelens Wood [Garway].

Mawfield (Allensmore).

The whole district, roughly bounded by the Wye, the Dore and the Worm, is called in Lib. Land. Mais Mail Lochou, also Campus Malochu. The Dom. and T. de Nevill forms are a half translation of Campus Malochu, T. de Nevill retaining the guttural. The name only now survives in the farm in Aliensmore. A Dore Charter mentions also a Malfeld, which must be in Peterchurch.

May Hill (Aston Ingham).

Really Yartledon Hill, q.v.

Maylord Street (Hereford).

*Meadmore [Madley].

Meadmore is still a surname fairly common in the county, though as a place-name it is lost.

Meer Common (Almeley).

Meer Court (Allensmore).

T. de Nevill (which J.H.R. calls 'the despair of the topographer') is usually wild in its spelling. In Herefordshire it is sometimes at its wildest. In Kingstone it gives us Welketon, Cobbewell, 'La Marc', which must be (since they are exactly in the right position) Webbeton, Caldewell, la Mare, the last of these being the present farm of Meer Court. In 1553 (Inq. p.m.) it is Merecourte.

Mennalls (Kimbolton).

Merbach (Dorstone).

One is tempted to say this is M.E. mere, 'a boundary', and beche or bathe, 'a valley'; but it is quite certainly the name of the hill which dominates the upper portion of the Golden Valley. More than half the place-names in the immediate neighbourhood are W.

*Merestun [the district round Wigmore].

Dom. (speaking of the Castle of Wigmore) says: 'Willelmus comes fecit illud in Wasta terra que vocatur Merestun, quam tenebat Gunuert T.R.E'. Evidently, in the Confessor's day, the 'tun by the mere' was a settled holding. It had been devastated by Gruffydd and Aelfgar some thirty years before the Survey, or by Edric the Savage some twelve years after them. The holder, perhaps builder, of Merestun T.R.E. is that Gunward whose name, corrupted, is preserved in Clungunford ('Gunward's Clun').

*Meresty [Hope Mansel].

'Boundary-path'. As late as 1722 the word meer 'is used in Herefordshire leases for boundary'.

Merrings (Bosbury).

Merryfield (Stoke Lacy).

Merryfold (Kilpeck).

Merry Hill (Clehonger).

Merryshire Wood (Callow).

Perhaps all these are from M.E. mire, myre, 'boggy, swampy ground' (cf. Mirfield, Yorks.). Duignan thinks the first element in Meriden (Warwcs.) is myrig, 'pleasant'.

Merryvale (Aconbury).

There seems no doubt that the first element here is M.E. mire, myre, 'boggy, swampy ground'. But Merevale (Warwcs.) is one of the few genuine Latin place-names. It was called mica villa by the Cistercian monks who settled there. (Cf. also Merville in Normandy.)

Michaelchurch (Tretire).

I cannot discover when the English form came into use. For cil luch see Gillow.

Michaelchurch (Brilley).

In Welsh MSS. it is often Llanfihangel Dyffryn Arw, or Llanfihangel y Dyffryn.

Michaelchurch Eskley.

Middlecourt (Bromyard).

Middleton (Kimbolton).

The first element is O.E. micel, 'great' (Scotch, muckle). Cf. in the Glos. Cart. 'a watercourse called Muchelpol'. Most English Middletons (of which there are more than twenty) are Dom. Mideltone, or other like forms. One only is Mildentone, 'tun of Milda'.

Middlewood (Hardwick).

Mileshiggins (farm near the Mynde, Much Dewchurch).

In 1459, in an Excheq. MS., complaint is made to the Lord of Kilpeck that one of his tenants has 'come to the Munde ...and yr stele an hors...of the godes of oon Milys Hugyn yor ten'nt'. A few miles away is Higgins Well; and in the Leom. Cart. is Hugynsmedue. Leom. Cart. has also a Myleshope; and there is a Mileslonde in E. H. Cart. 1352.

Milton (Pembridge).

There are more than twenty Miltons in England; some, the later ones, are probably Mill-town. Most are Dom. Middeltone. This is probably 'Milda's tun', as Milton Street (Sussex); though in this latter case Roberts thinks Mildetune may possibly represent Middeltune by metathesis.

Minster (Much Birch).

Mintridge (Stoke Lacy).

The first element may be the plant (O.E. minta, Dutch, count) as in Minsted (Sussex); or possibly it is O.E. munt, 'a mount'.

Mitchell (Ledbury).

No old forms. Possibly O.E. muche-ale, 'great hall' or 'big nook'. (For second element see Appendix, -hall.) There is a Michelet in Leom. Cart. unidentified.

Moccas.

'Swine-moor'. Welsh moch is plur. of mochyn, 'a pig'. It forms an element in many Welsh place-names. There are at least two places called Mochras, and a Mochdre, and a Mochnant. A little lower down the river Wye, near Madley, is Swinmoor (q.v.), a name thought to be a translation of Mochros. Eg. Phil. thinks Mochros was the name of a district, which extended down the Wye and included Swinmoor. In 1722 there is a Piggmoor in Credenhill.

Moctree (Forest of, Aston near Ludlow).

W. mock as in previous word, and tref, 'a house', 'hamlet', 'village'.

Moiles Cot (Sutton St Nicholas).

Money-farthing Hill (Clodock).

Welsh mynydd Ferddyn, 'Ferddyn's hill'. Close by (in the same delimitation, Lib. Land.) was luck Ferdun, 'Ferddyn's Loch'. The name is now spelt in many different ways. Kelly's 1900 Directory makes it Money-ferdin. Locally it is still Money farthing.

Monk-hide (Yarkhill).

Belonged to St Peter's, Gloucester. There is a Monk's Court in Eardisland, and a Monkhall in Much Dewchurch.

Monkland.

Belonged to the Abbey of Conches in Normandy. For second element see Lene.

*Monkmill ['in suburbio Herefordie'].

In Price's Map the mill is on Eigne-brook (see Eign). It is possible that the 1316 form is Monk-eigne-mill.

Monnington-in-Straddel.

Monnington-on-Wye.

'Tun of Mann, Manna, or Manni' (all common in Onom.).

Monnow (river, trib. of Wye).

In Mod. Welsh the river is Mynwy. Monnow is the English spelling of the colloquial Welsh Mynw.

Monsty (Burrington).

No old forms. First element uncertain. For second element see Appendix, -sty.

The Moor (Clifford).

The Dom. entry says More is in Stradel Hundred, not, as usual, 'in valle Stradelei'. This probably means that the Stradel Hundred stretched beyond the actual valley of the Dore, and over the watershed into the valley of the Wye.

Canon Moor (Hereford).

'The Moor' is to be found as the name of a house in Bodenham (La More 1303), Clifford, and Eardisley. In this last parish is a Quistmore also. Leom. Cart. has very often 'Manerium de la More in Leon', and, several times, a More Aubyn.

Moor Abbey (Middleton).

No abbey is known to have been in Middleton.

Moorhampton (Yazor).

There is a Moorhampton (farm) also in Abbeydore.

Moraston (Bridstow).

So identified by Eg. Phil. 'Meurig's tun'; soon corrupted into Moraston on English lips.

Cf. (in Almeley) Hallaston and Logaston (q.v.).

Mordiford.

Judge Cooke says it is Welsh, Mord-gwy-fford, 'the passage or way through the constantly overflowing or muddy water'. On this, not being a Celtic scholar, I make no comment. But it is not in a Welsh district.

Moreton Jeffreys.

The 'Jeffrey' cannot be traced. From before Dom. to the present day the living has been in the hands of the Dean and Chapter of Hereford.

Moreton-on-Lugg.

O.E. mor tun, 'the tun by the moor or swamp'.

Mosewick (Cradley).

For second element see Appendix, -with.

Mount Boon (Little Dewchurch).

Mouse Castle (Cusop).

Mowbage (Peterchurch).

A few miles further up the Golden Valley is Merbach hill (q.v.).

Mowley (Upper and Lower, Staunton-on-Arrow).

Munderfield Harold (Bromyard).

Munderfield Row (Avenbury).

I cannot fix, even approximately, the date when the Avenbury portion of Munderfield became Munderfield Row. This new element is, I conceive, a corruption of Rough (q.v.) so commonly found in Herefordshire.

Munkleys (Crasswall).

Munkley is a surname in the county.

Munsley.

Munstone (Holmer).

*Myleshope [?].

In Leom. Cart. undated. See Hope.

The Mynde (Much Dewchurch).

Welsh mynydd, 'a mountain', and also 'a heath or uncultivated tract'. There is a Meend's Wood in Ganarew, and a Menith Wood in Lindridge (Worcs.). For the form meand, common in Forest of Dean, see Baddeley, p. xix. The actual mansion house (Mynde Park) was apparently once called Tregroes.

Mynydd Brith (Dorstone).

Welsh mynydd, 'a mountain', and frith, 'a wood'. I cannot explain the change of name between 1786 and 1831. At the present day the 1831 form is the official name; but old people in Dorstone still call it Vowmynd. For the first element in the older name see Fownhope.

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