Place Names in Kent

by J. W. Horsley

Our “Tons” and “Stones.”

As given in Kelly’s Kent Directory, our Tons and Stones are: Addington, Aldington, Allington, Barfreston, Bedmonton, Bilsington, Birchington, Blackmanstone, Bonnington (two), Bossington, Boughton (four), Brompton, Charlton (two), Cheriton, Chiddingstone, Chilmington, Chilton, Cliftonville, Cossington, Cozenton, Crofton, Culverstone, Cuxton, Davington, Denton (two), Doddington, Dumpton, Dunton Green, Eddington, Ellington, Egerton, Eggerton, Elmstone, Elvington, Folkestone, Foston Green, Funton, Garrington, Goldstone, Goodnestone (two), Guston, Hackington, Hampton (two), Hamptons, Holmstone Camp, Horton (two), Horton Kirby, Hunton, Kenardington, Kennington, Keston, Kingston or Kingstone, Kippington, Knowlton, Langton Green, Linton, Littlestone, Liverton Street, Loddington, Lullingstone, Lowton, Luton, Maidstone, Manston, Milton (two), Milton Regis, Milton Street, Monks Horton, Monkton, Murston, Nackington, Newington (three), Nonington, Horton, Orlestone, Orpington, Pevington, Plumpton, Poulton, Preston (two), Ripton, Salmestone, Scuddington, Seaton, Sevington, Sibton, Stone (four), Stonebridge (two), Stonebridge Green, Stone Cross (three), Stone Crouch, Stone Hill, Stone House, Stone Stairs, Stone Street, Stonehill (two), Sutton (three), Swanton Street, Tankerton, Teston, Thanington, Tilmanstone, Tottington, Twitton, Ufton, Upton, Wanstone, Weddington, Wierton Street, Wilderton, Willington Street, Wilmington, Wootton (three)—147 in all. One may add, for purposes of investigation, Stone, an old borough in Maidstone.

First, one must endeavour to separate the tons and the stones—the Saxon settlements or towns and the places named from stones set for boundaries or for marks where manor courts or motes were held. And this is not always easy, since mediæval spelling was vague, and in some cases an original “stone” has become “ton” in later years, or vice versa. Generally, a reference to the earliest forms (where such can be found in Saxon or Norman, or even Early English documents) will settle the point. Thus Folkestone is by some identified with the site of the “stone of inscription on the Gallic sea,” mentioned by Nennius, the Saxon geographer. It is Folcesstane in the Saxon Chronicle, and Falchestan in Domesday, and therefore no explanation involving ton need be entertained. Keston, again, is Cystaninga, hence in Saxon charters between 862 and 966, as being or having a boundary mark stone. It is Chestan in Domesday. But Chiddingstone should probably lose its final e and derive from a Saxon patronymic, although a modern and grotesque suggestion is that the dolmen there was used as a Chiding or judgment stone by Celtic or Saxon priests. Maidstone, again, should probably be Maidston, being Medwegston in the Saxon Chronicle, and almost certainly meaning the town on the Medway; although it is fair to say that an ending in stane is early found. Tilmanstone was earlier Telmeston, and Elmstone was Elmerston, and the earlier spellings of Goodnestone are Goodwinston, Gudewynston, and Goodneston.

Stones are much fewer than “tons,” although no doubt the number of such marks (origin of our milestones) was increased by the Romans. Thus the place Stone, two miles west of Faversham and on their great main road Watling Street, is thought to mark the site of their military station of Durolevo, and thus to be named from the distance mark. We must also note that stone bridges were practically unknown to the Saxons, except those the Romans had left, and Stone Cross would not appear as a place-name until after their conversion, while a stone house, except as the castle of a Norman noble, would be of quite late date.

As to the Tons, some are named from geographical position, such as Norton (Northtown), near Faversham, and the Suttons (South-town), on the edge of the Weald or south of Dartford; and, whatever may be the case with others, the Milton near Sittingbourne is called Middeltuna in the Saxon Chronicle and in Domesday, since it was reckoned the central town of Kent when Watling Street was far the greatest and most frequented route to be considered, being 42 miles from London and 31 from Dover. Our various Boughtons are “settlements in the wood,” as are also the Woottons. Monkton and the Prestons were settlements of monks and of colleges of priests.

The great majority, however, denote the settlement of some Saxon (i.e. Jutish) family, such as Seafings or Sevingas at Sevington, the Ælings at Allington, the Noningas at Nonington, the Cennings at Kennington, and so forth. We find this Saxon patronymic “ing” in 37 of our Kentish place names ending in ton, and when we add the ings like Barming (Bamling, Barmelinge, and Berblinge in Early English documents), Beltring, Bilting, Birling, Bobbing (Bobing-seata in a Saxon charter of 798—compare Bobbingsworth in Essex), Bramling. Bazing (at the junction of Kent, Sussex and Surrey), reminds us of Basing and Basingstoke in Hants and Basingham (in Domesday Book) in Sussex. Charing, Chevening (although this may be earlier and Celtic), Cooling, Detling, perhaps Drelingore, Eastling, Etching, Garlinge, Geddinge, Hacklinge, Hailing, Hawkinge, Hucking, Kemsing, Lidsing (not Lyminge, however), Mailing, Nullinge, Ospringe, Ottinge, Pedlinge, Postling, Ratling, Rawling, Reading Street (three), Rowling, Ruckinge, Sandling (two), Selling, Sellinge, Shelving, Spratling Street, Stelling, Stowting, Weavering Street, Welling, Witchling, and Yalding; and when to these we add the “inghams” I have given in a previous article, we might alter Tennyson’s “Saxon, and Norman, and Dane are we,” into “Mostly Saxon are we as to our place-names in Kent.” Our two Charltons are of old Ceorletone—the town of the ceorls or husbandmen. Some “tons” come from personal names also, e.g., Cuxton (compare Cuckfield in Sussex), Cuca and its diminutive Cucola are found as Anglo-Saxon names, and as Cockstane the place appears in Domesday, and as Cokelstone in 1472, nearly 400 years later, with other forms Cockston, Coklestane, Cukelestane, Cookstone, etc. (all pointing to stone, and not ton, being properly the final syllable).

There is, however, obviously much to be done before we can know—or even in some cases guess—as to the origin of some “tons” or “stones.”

Our “Hams.”

In considering the three score and ten, or more, place-names in Kent which end in ham, we are met with the initial difficulty that there are two Saxon words Ham—home, and Hamm—land drained by dykes, an East Friesian word, though the far more common Ham is the Teutonic heim, familiar as a suffix in Germany, which in Picardy becomes hen, and in Friesland um. Either ton or ham as a suffix after ing denotes where a Saxon family or clan had settled and made its toun or heim. Thus the Pæfings made a Pevington in Kent and a Pavingham in Bedfordshire, and the Aldings an Aldington in Kent and Worcester, and an Aldingham in Lancashire, the Leasings a Lossingham in Kent and a Lissington in Lancashire. Such instances do not uphold what some have held—that there were two words spelled the same, the one meaning home and the other an enclosure.

As to the Hamm or Haam for marshy ground, it would seem to be found in Kent as accounting for Ham Ponds, near Sandwich, marshy ground dear to botanists, and Mersham (A.S. Mersc—marsh) in Romney, and Merston (Merxton in 74), near Rochester. Ham Green and Ham Street are also Romney Marsh names. Waterham and Wetham would suggest the same origin, the latter being in the Rainham marshes and the former, I think, not far from the Faversham marshes. Dagenham also (as elsewhere) is Decca’s marsh land. But the ordinary hams, as we may call them, have again to be subdivided into those which indicate the settlement of a Saxon family; those which enshrine a personal name; and those which relate to the environment or situation of the home.