Duddington: The Etymology of a Northamptonshire
(Anglo-Saxon) Place-Name
The historical existence of a place is usually assumed (with doubt) or proven (with certainty) through verifiable written records, and/or legitimate archaeological discovering. The historical existence of ‘Duddington’ (situated in Northamptonshire), East Midlands, UK, can be established through:
A. Archaeological evidence of extensive Anglo-Saxon settlement (29 miles South of Duddington) discovered at ‘Overstone Gate’ over a 15-month time period (between 2020-2021) - dating Anglo-Saxon artefacts in the area to being around 1,500 years old (c. 6th century CE). This find proves that Anglo-Saxons were living very near to the eventual settlement of ‘Duddington’.
B. Mr G Till discovers (within the geographical boundaries of modern ‘Duddington’), the so-called ‘Duddington Hoard’ - consisting of 37 ‘silver’ Anglo-Saxon coins believed to have been minted c. 874-875 CE (9th century CE). The coinage-expert of the British Museum (Marion M Archibald) believes these coins were not accidently ‘lost’ by someone traversing the area, but deliberately ‘buried’ in the ground so as to hide them from Viking pillage – by someone permanently living there (due primarily to these 37 silver-coins being worth around £600-£700 as of 1995 – but in the time of prices remaining ‘stable’ for centuries – this coinage possessed a much greater purchasing power than that amount would suggest today. This was the wealth of someone of considerable (local) status and suggests ‘Duddington already existed and was occupied.
C. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of c. 921 CE refers to the ‘River Welland’ (that flows through the centre of Duddington) as the ‘Weolud’ in the Germanic language.
D. The Domesday Book of 1086 – a survey of all property and people carried in England by the conquering Norman-French invaders – records ‘Duddington’ as ‘Dodintone’ and being a relatively affluent and long-existing busy English village.
Oddly enough, I have spent time visiting, photographing and correlating as much data as my family could gather about the sleepy Northamptonshire village of ‘Duddington’ - but as of yet - I have not attempted to ‘explain’ the name of this place we find so interesting! I was inspired to rectify this issue after reading the 1971 book entitled ‘Old Cockington’ authored by Joan F Lang. Joan F Lang was actually living within Cockington village at the time and invited readers to write to her (in the pre-internet era). Cockington is a truly beautiful place and situated on the outskirts of Torquay – not far from where my parents live. The author states that the name ‘Cockington’ is partly British-Celtic and partly Anglo-Saxon. ‘Coch’ is British-Celt for ‘Red’, whilst the tern ‘ing’ is Anglo-Saxon and refers to an area of cleared forest consisting of a grass-covered ‘meadow’. The term ‘ton’ is also Anglo-Saxon referring to an ‘enclosed’ or ‘fenced off’ area, etc. Having personally experienced both Cockington and Duddington first-hand, I understand exactly what both names mean and I can confirm that both places geographically reflect one another completely. This is why I believe we can satisfactorily apply the etymology applied to the place-name ‘Cockington’ by Joan F Lang to the name of Duddington and gain a more in-depth understanding of the name.
Duddington is described in the 1086 CE Domesday Book (Survey) as consisting of a ‘demense’ (Manor Farm), a number of ‘villani’ (property owning villagers) and ‘cottari’ (small land-holders), a water mill and being surrounded by a forest. The original Church was relatively small, constructed of ‘wood’ and dates back to the Anglo-Saxon times (this could have been constructed at any time between the 6th century when Anglo-Saxons are known to have entered the general area - and the 9th century when we know Anglo-Saxons were actually living within geographical boundaries that define Duddington today). It can be reasonably speculated that this ‘wooden’ Anglo-Saxon Church was probably built upon a far earlier Druid-Celtic holy-spot – as was the well-known Christian habit. Moving on from the Anglo-Saxon ‘Wooden’ Church - there has been a Church constructed of ornate stone at Duddington for over 900 years (since the last-half of the 12th century c. 1150 CE, the evolution of which can be observed in its ever-evolving architecture (as its stone-structure literally contains evidence of every change that has happened). The current main-door dates from 1220 CE and is constructed of heavy-oak and criss-crossed with equally heavy strips of flat-iron – all designed to survive sustained axe-attacks. Duddington, from the earliest times, was deliberately placed by the riverbank of the Welland so that the Anglo-Saxon settlers could easily use their boats to traverse the waterways of Britain (given that they had originally migrated to Britain from what is today Denmark). Furthermore, it is clear that the settlement of Duddington was ‘small’ and nestled around the Church within a dense and dark forest. It was out of this forest that marauding bands of bandits (including ‘Vikings’ which could also arrive by river) would suddenly appear - threatening rape and pillage. The villagers would congregate in the Church, fire arrows through the arrow-slits, and then lock themselves in the Church behind the stone-walls and the heavy oaken-door and sit-out the attack! Since 1220 CE, this door has never been breached.
The Parish is often lazily presented (within amateurish historical texts) as only dating back to the Domesday Book of 1086 CE - where it is first listed as ‘Dodintone’. Continuing on this illogical trajectory, it is further implied that this thriving community ‘suddenly’ materialised out of nowhere – when in fact the ‘Domesday Book’ only represents the first-time the conquering Norman-French had managed to record the name, location, population and the wealth of this place. Meanwhile, the ‘Overstone Gate’ archaeological site situated within Northamptonshire (being 29 miles Southwest of Duddington) has produced finds during the last 15 months (2000-2021), which suggest that Anglo-Saxons were inhabiting the general area around Duddington as early as around 1,500 years ago (or 6th century CE).
As with the Druids before, the Anglo-Saxon, although recent converts to Christianity, viewed their religion as ‘central’ to their identity and security of their way of life. It is the Church (St Mary’s), and its architecture, its foundation, its development and its positioning that holds the key to the true age of Duddington village. All we can know for sure is that a wooden Anglo-Saxon Church preceded the Stone Norman version of the later 12th century CE, the question is how far back did it go? According to local archaeology, it could be anywhere from the 6th to the 12th centuries CE – some six-hundred years (although the coins of the ‘Duddington Hoard’ suggest it already existed during the 9th century CE). Whatever the actual date of its original structure, to the West of the Church, by probably 10 yards, the River Welland flows by (named ‘Weolud’ in the 10th Century Anglo-Saxon Chronical). All the aspects are now set to explain the name of the place.
An Anglo-Saxon man named ‘Dodd’, ‘Dodda’ or ‘Dudda’, etc, located an area within Rockingham Forest he favoured, (possibly an old haunt of the Druids), at some point between the 6th - 9th century CE. He arranged for this area to be ‘cleared’ around the Pagan temple or ‘holy ground’ (and some distance beyond) so that a living-space could be developed once a simple Anglo-Saxon Church could be constructed at the centre of this site. When of Germanic origin (as opposed to the Welsh-Celtic version), the surname ‘Dodd’, ‘Dodda’ or ‘Dudda’ refers to a person who is said to be ‘plump’ and of ‘round’ stature. This may well refer to a nickname used to describe a rich and long-lived individual – or to someone with such a dominant and successful family that the name has been ‘inherited’ (and may or may not describe his existential characteristics). This Anglo-Saxon man named ‘Dodd’ probably ordered his tribal associates to clear an area of Rockingham Forest of trees whilst maintaining the underlying presence of a grass-covered ground (an ‘ing’) thus creating a ‘meadow’, whilst ‘ton’ denotes a ‘fenced-off’ or ‘enclosed’ space. The etymology of the name ‘Duddington’ refers to ‘Dodd’s Cleared-Forest and Meadow Living Area’ - that is a place ‘cleared of ‘trees’ that has been ‘marked-out’ or otherwise ‘fenced-off’ to form (a legally recognised) distinct and permanent ‘living space’. Sometimes, the Anglo-Saxon term ‘spring’ is associated with the Anglo-Saxon term ‘ing’ - as being a stream, spring or river flowing through the ‘cleared’ area that becomes the ‘meadow’ - produced through clearing of the preferred areas of forest chosen by the Anglo-Saxons for permanent settlement. This water could bubble-up from within the ground at random points within the soil, flow in a trickle along a definite and observable path above and below ground, or flow strongly above ground – as the River Welland does – and in a predictable manner. The Anglo-Saxons are known for building their settlements near bodies of water – but throughout these early times – most ethnic and cultural groups did this for both safety and convenience. A constant supply of fresh water is required for continuous daily living, for travel and trade, and for escaping attacks carried-out by competing and aggressive tribal bands and other marauding groups.
References:
https://www.mola.org.uk/blog/significant-anglo-saxon-cemetery-and-settlement-found-overstone-northamptonshire
http://wellandfosse.org/the-welland-fosse-churches/duddington
https://www.houseofnames.com/duddington-family-crest
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Anglo-Saxon-Chronicle
https://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Dodd
https://wylesfamilyofduddington.weebly.com/duddington-hoard-1994.html
A. Archaeological evidence of extensive Anglo-Saxon settlement (29 miles South of Duddington) discovered at ‘Overstone Gate’ over a 15-month time period (between 2020-2021) - dating Anglo-Saxon artefacts in the area to being around 1,500 years old (c. 6th century CE). This find proves that Anglo-Saxons were living very near to the eventual settlement of ‘Duddington’.
B. Mr G Till discovers (within the geographical boundaries of modern ‘Duddington’), the so-called ‘Duddington Hoard’ - consisting of 37 ‘silver’ Anglo-Saxon coins believed to have been minted c. 874-875 CE (9th century CE). The coinage-expert of the British Museum (Marion M Archibald) believes these coins were not accidently ‘lost’ by someone traversing the area, but deliberately ‘buried’ in the ground so as to hide them from Viking pillage – by someone permanently living there (due primarily to these 37 silver-coins being worth around £600-£700 as of 1995 – but in the time of prices remaining ‘stable’ for centuries – this coinage possessed a much greater purchasing power than that amount would suggest today. This was the wealth of someone of considerable (local) status and suggests ‘Duddington already existed and was occupied.
C. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of c. 921 CE refers to the ‘River Welland’ (that flows through the centre of Duddington) as the ‘Weolud’ in the Germanic language.
D. The Domesday Book of 1086 – a survey of all property and people carried in England by the conquering Norman-French invaders – records ‘Duddington’ as ‘Dodintone’ and being a relatively affluent and long-existing busy English village.
Oddly enough, I have spent time visiting, photographing and correlating as much data as my family could gather about the sleepy Northamptonshire village of ‘Duddington’ - but as of yet - I have not attempted to ‘explain’ the name of this place we find so interesting! I was inspired to rectify this issue after reading the 1971 book entitled ‘Old Cockington’ authored by Joan F Lang. Joan F Lang was actually living within Cockington village at the time and invited readers to write to her (in the pre-internet era). Cockington is a truly beautiful place and situated on the outskirts of Torquay – not far from where my parents live. The author states that the name ‘Cockington’ is partly British-Celtic and partly Anglo-Saxon. ‘Coch’ is British-Celt for ‘Red’, whilst the tern ‘ing’ is Anglo-Saxon and refers to an area of cleared forest consisting of a grass-covered ‘meadow’. The term ‘ton’ is also Anglo-Saxon referring to an ‘enclosed’ or ‘fenced off’ area, etc. Having personally experienced both Cockington and Duddington first-hand, I understand exactly what both names mean and I can confirm that both places geographically reflect one another completely. This is why I believe we can satisfactorily apply the etymology applied to the place-name ‘Cockington’ by Joan F Lang to the name of Duddington and gain a more in-depth understanding of the name.
Duddington is described in the 1086 CE Domesday Book (Survey) as consisting of a ‘demense’ (Manor Farm), a number of ‘villani’ (property owning villagers) and ‘cottari’ (small land-holders), a water mill and being surrounded by a forest. The original Church was relatively small, constructed of ‘wood’ and dates back to the Anglo-Saxon times (this could have been constructed at any time between the 6th century when Anglo-Saxons are known to have entered the general area - and the 9th century when we know Anglo-Saxons were actually living within geographical boundaries that define Duddington today). It can be reasonably speculated that this ‘wooden’ Anglo-Saxon Church was probably built upon a far earlier Druid-Celtic holy-spot – as was the well-known Christian habit. Moving on from the Anglo-Saxon ‘Wooden’ Church - there has been a Church constructed of ornate stone at Duddington for over 900 years (since the last-half of the 12th century c. 1150 CE, the evolution of which can be observed in its ever-evolving architecture (as its stone-structure literally contains evidence of every change that has happened). The current main-door dates from 1220 CE and is constructed of heavy-oak and criss-crossed with equally heavy strips of flat-iron – all designed to survive sustained axe-attacks. Duddington, from the earliest times, was deliberately placed by the riverbank of the Welland so that the Anglo-Saxon settlers could easily use their boats to traverse the waterways of Britain (given that they had originally migrated to Britain from what is today Denmark). Furthermore, it is clear that the settlement of Duddington was ‘small’ and nestled around the Church within a dense and dark forest. It was out of this forest that marauding bands of bandits (including ‘Vikings’ which could also arrive by river) would suddenly appear - threatening rape and pillage. The villagers would congregate in the Church, fire arrows through the arrow-slits, and then lock themselves in the Church behind the stone-walls and the heavy oaken-door and sit-out the attack! Since 1220 CE, this door has never been breached.
The Parish is often lazily presented (within amateurish historical texts) as only dating back to the Domesday Book of 1086 CE - where it is first listed as ‘Dodintone’. Continuing on this illogical trajectory, it is further implied that this thriving community ‘suddenly’ materialised out of nowhere – when in fact the ‘Domesday Book’ only represents the first-time the conquering Norman-French had managed to record the name, location, population and the wealth of this place. Meanwhile, the ‘Overstone Gate’ archaeological site situated within Northamptonshire (being 29 miles Southwest of Duddington) has produced finds during the last 15 months (2000-2021), which suggest that Anglo-Saxons were inhabiting the general area around Duddington as early as around 1,500 years ago (or 6th century CE).
As with the Druids before, the Anglo-Saxon, although recent converts to Christianity, viewed their religion as ‘central’ to their identity and security of their way of life. It is the Church (St Mary’s), and its architecture, its foundation, its development and its positioning that holds the key to the true age of Duddington village. All we can know for sure is that a wooden Anglo-Saxon Church preceded the Stone Norman version of the later 12th century CE, the question is how far back did it go? According to local archaeology, it could be anywhere from the 6th to the 12th centuries CE – some six-hundred years (although the coins of the ‘Duddington Hoard’ suggest it already existed during the 9th century CE). Whatever the actual date of its original structure, to the West of the Church, by probably 10 yards, the River Welland flows by (named ‘Weolud’ in the 10th Century Anglo-Saxon Chronical). All the aspects are now set to explain the name of the place.
An Anglo-Saxon man named ‘Dodd’, ‘Dodda’ or ‘Dudda’, etc, located an area within Rockingham Forest he favoured, (possibly an old haunt of the Druids), at some point between the 6th - 9th century CE. He arranged for this area to be ‘cleared’ around the Pagan temple or ‘holy ground’ (and some distance beyond) so that a living-space could be developed once a simple Anglo-Saxon Church could be constructed at the centre of this site. When of Germanic origin (as opposed to the Welsh-Celtic version), the surname ‘Dodd’, ‘Dodda’ or ‘Dudda’ refers to a person who is said to be ‘plump’ and of ‘round’ stature. This may well refer to a nickname used to describe a rich and long-lived individual – or to someone with such a dominant and successful family that the name has been ‘inherited’ (and may or may not describe his existential characteristics). This Anglo-Saxon man named ‘Dodd’ probably ordered his tribal associates to clear an area of Rockingham Forest of trees whilst maintaining the underlying presence of a grass-covered ground (an ‘ing’) thus creating a ‘meadow’, whilst ‘ton’ denotes a ‘fenced-off’ or ‘enclosed’ space. The etymology of the name ‘Duddington’ refers to ‘Dodd’s Cleared-Forest and Meadow Living Area’ - that is a place ‘cleared of ‘trees’ that has been ‘marked-out’ or otherwise ‘fenced-off’ to form (a legally recognised) distinct and permanent ‘living space’. Sometimes, the Anglo-Saxon term ‘spring’ is associated with the Anglo-Saxon term ‘ing’ - as being a stream, spring or river flowing through the ‘cleared’ area that becomes the ‘meadow’ - produced through clearing of the preferred areas of forest chosen by the Anglo-Saxons for permanent settlement. This water could bubble-up from within the ground at random points within the soil, flow in a trickle along a definite and observable path above and below ground, or flow strongly above ground – as the River Welland does – and in a predictable manner. The Anglo-Saxons are known for building their settlements near bodies of water – but throughout these early times – most ethnic and cultural groups did this for both safety and convenience. A constant supply of fresh water is required for continuous daily living, for travel and trade, and for escaping attacks carried-out by competing and aggressive tribal bands and other marauding groups.
References:
https://www.mola.org.uk/blog/significant-anglo-saxon-cemetery-and-settlement-found-overstone-northamptonshire
http://wellandfosse.org/the-welland-fosse-churches/duddington
https://www.houseofnames.com/duddington-family-crest
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Anglo-Saxon-Chronicle
https://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Dodd
https://wylesfamilyofduddington.weebly.com/duddington-hoard-1994.html