240
THE ESSEX NATURALIST
our boundary rivers—though this apparent lack might be made
good to some extent by a study of the place-names of Hertford-
shire and Suffolk. However, it must be remembered that the
Stour separated not only what are now two counties but what
were then two kingdoms—those of the East Saxons and the
Angles.
The majority of the natural history names refer to the flora
and these will be dealt with in groups. First, those which may be
classified as ground-cover:
Bentley (Common) (Hatfield Broad Oak) Bent clearing 1238
Bentley (Great and Little) Bent-grown clearing 1045
Clavering Place where clover grows circa 1050
Goldhanger Grass-land, probably with some associated
marsh plant DB
Greensted (Ongar) Green-place DB
Ongar Grass-land 1045
The majority of these are in the west of the county—the two
exceptions are in the east, at Bentley and Goldhanger.
Then comes a small group, widely scattered, typical of heath-
land:
Braxted (Great and Little) Fern-brake DB
Bromley (Great and Little) Broom clearing DB
Broomfield Broom-covered open country DB
Farnham Bracken 'ham(m)' DB
Hadleigh Heath clearing circa 1000
Although so many of the early settlements were on or close to
rivers, the names of few water-plants appear in place-names:
Bumpstead (Helions and Steeple) Place of reeds (or of flax
or hemp) DB
Cressing Place where cress grows 1136
Russetts (Field name in Chingford) Clump of rushes 1222
Thaxted Place where reeds (or other plants used in thatching)
grow DB
With this group may be associated that referring to Willow and
there are four such, all somewhat scattered from south to north:
Saling (Great and Bardfield) Dwellers by the 'sealh' or willow,
and note here the connection with the scientific name of
Willow—Salix DB
Widdington Willow farm DB
Widford Withy ford 1202
Wyfields (Farm) (Horndon-on-the-Hill) Willow open-land 1240
There are a number of place-names associated with plants
which were probably grown as crops, but they have been included
to make the picture as complete as possible. With two excep-
tions, all are in the northern half of the county: