| Title: | * BASINGSTOKE - Gateway to Wessex * |
| Notice: | BASINGSTOKE - John Arlott lived here - then left, I wonder why |
| Moderator: | COMICS::CORNEJ |
| Created: | Wed Jul 27 1988 |
| Last Modified: | Thu Jun 05 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 925 |
| Total number of notes: | 5875 |
While in England recently, I saw several towns with the word "Basing"
in their name (e.g. Market Basing), and other towns with the word
"Stoke" in their name (e.g. Stoke on Trent). Does anyone know what
each of these words mean, or what they are derived from, or originally
meant?
I thought that since they come together in the name Basingstoke,
someone reading this file might know.
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 334.1 | BRABAM::PHILPOTT | Col I F 'Tsingtao Dhum' Philpott | Wed Aug 08 1990 10:21 | 9 | |
"Basing" I believe comes from the Brittanic tribe that lived in the area in Roman times. I'm told that "Stoke" implies a medaeval farm that belonged to a manor or abbey. Perhaps we have an expert who could confirm or deny this? /. Ian .\ | |||||
| 334.2 | SWIFT::IMBIERSKI | Three views of a secret | Wed Aug 08 1990 15:24 | 8 | |
I always understood "stoke" to be derived from "stakes" meaning ford.
In this case, a ford across the river Loddon.
I agree with the derivation of Basing - I have read that there was a
chieftain named Basinga in the area some time ago (before the town centre
redevelopment.)
Tony
| |||||
| 334.3 | BRABAM::PHILPOTT | Col I F 'Tsingtao Dhum' Philpott | Thu Aug 09 1990 09:35 | 13 | |
It appears there is some truth in both definitions: I checked with a friend who is a historian, and she said that "stoke" is derived from the Old English word 'stoc' which means a stockaded enclosure. Though it might mean any such enclosure (from an animal pen to a fenced coppice woodland - to keep the deer out, for as any countryman will tell you, far from being cute little bambis deer kill trees, especially young ones, by eating the bark), the usual meanings were either the stockaded farm that supplied a tribe or war-band during time of seige (which became the manorial or abbey home farm in later medieval times) or the stockaded colection of animal pens that made up the tribal livestock market. In some cases, such as Basingstoke, it appears to have been both at the same time... /. Ian .\ | |||||