SOME NATURAL HISTORY OF DOMESDAY ESSEX 241
Bendysh (Hall and Wood) (Radwinter) Bean enclosure 1068
Lamarsh Loam stubble-field DB
Napstead (Little Napstead) Place where turnips grow, and here
one may see an apparent connection between Napstead
and turnips, for 'neeps' is a Scottish word for 'turnips' DB
Pebmarsh Pybba's stubble-field DB
Ramsey Probably wild garlic (or raven's) island DB
Rugwood (Foulness) Rye-marsh 1246
Roydon Rye-covered hill DB
Wheatley (Rayleigh) Wheat clearing DB
What one would now call hedge-row trees or bushes are
represented by:
Althorne Burned thorn-bush 1198
Baythorne Park (and End) (Birdbrook) Babba's thorn-
bush circa 950
Great Slamseys (Black Notley) Enclosure on the sloe-tree
hill DB
Hazleton (Wood) (White Notley) Hazel valley 1250
Horndon (East and West) Thorn-hill DB
Notley (Black and White) Nut 'leah' or clearing 998
Nunty's Farm (Wood) (Pattiswick) Nut 'hey' or enclosure 1285
Thornwood (Common) (North Weald Bassett) Thorn wood 1297
Again, with only two exceptions, all are in the northern half.
Before turning to the remaining flora, represented by the
trees, mention must be made of Mistley, probably Mistletoe wood,
DB, also of the Domesday vineyards at Ashdon, Belchamp Wal-
ter, Castle Hedingham, Debden, Great Waltham, Mundon, Ray-
leigh, Stambourne, Stebbing and Toppesfield. All of these are
near the seats of Norman lords—perhaps because they wished to
have local wine to make up for their loss of French wines!
Apart from trees being referred to in six names in rather
general terms, and in addition to those already referred to (thorn,
willow and hazel), ten species can be traced, with the largest
group referring to the Birch:
Barking Dwellers among the birch trees 735
Bartlow End Hill of the birch trees 1247-7C
Birch At the birch DB
Birch Hall (Kirby-le-Soken) Birch ridge DB
Birchhanger Birch-covered wooded slope DB
Brickford Bridge (High Easter) Ford of the birch trees 1276
Burkitts Lane (Dedham) Collection of birches 1291
The next largest groups refer to the Pear, the Beech and
the Ash:
Buttsbury Botolph's pear-tree (cf. Perry Street in the
parish) 1219
Parndon Pear-tree hill DB
Prested (Hall) (Feering) The place where pear-trees grow DB
Purton End (Debden) Pear-tree hill or farm DB