ESSEX RIVERS AND THEIR NAMES. 279
The Domsey Brook (4 miles), flowing through Easthorpe
and Feering, past Great and Little Domsey Farms,
into the Blackwater;
The Holland Brook (12 miles), flowing through Tendring,
Thorpe-le-Soken, and Great and Little Holland into
the sea;
The Layer Brook (8 miles), flowing through Layer Marney,
Layer Breton, and Abberton into the Roman River;
The Lime Brook (4 miles), flowing through Woodham Mor-
timer and Hazeleigh, past Brookhead and Limebrook
Farms, and discharging into the Blackwater by Lim-
bourne Creek, to the south of Northey Island;
Loxford Water (5 miles), flowing through Great and Little
Ilford and Barking, past Loxford Hall, into the Roding4;
The Mayes Brook (10 miles), flowing through Barking, past
Goodmayes Farm, into Barking Creek;
The Pincey Brook (10 miles), flowing through Takeley,
Hatfield Broad-Oak, Sheering, and Harlow into the
Stort;
Robin's Brook (21/2 miles), flowing through Markshall and
Coggeshall into the Blackwater;
The Roxwell Brook (6 miles), flowing through Blackmore,
Writtle, and Roxwell into the Can;
Spicket's Brook (41/2 miles), flowing through Great Totham,
Little Totham, and Heybridge into the Blackwater;
The Stebbing Brook (6 miles), flowing through Lindsell
and Stebbing into the Chelmer; and
Wicken Water (6 miles), flowing through Langley, Arkesden,
Wicken Bonhunt, and Newport into the Cam.
Eight of these eighteen streamlets are, as will be seen, called
after parishes through which they flow. Two others (Loxford
Water and the Mayes Brook) are called after farms past which
they flow. Three others (Cobbin's Brook, Robin's Brook, and
Spicket's Brook) are called, apparently, after persons who
hold or have held land upon their banks. One (the Cambridge
Brook) is so called for some reason which is not obvious. This
leaves three (the Cripsey Brook, the Domsey Brook, and the
Pincey Brook) which seem to call for special remark. All three,
it will be noted, have names terminating in ey. This termina-
tion, in Essex place-names, generally indicates an island (O.E.
icy or O.N. ey, both meaning island), as in the case of Canvey,
Wallasey, Osea, Northey, Mersea, Horsey, and the like.5 But,
4 The portion of this stream lying north of the Roman road is called, on the latest
Ordnance Maps, "Seven Kings Water," and the spot at which it crosses the road as
"Seven Kings Watering."
5 The ey now generally takes the form ea when it follows a genitival s.
S