Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Wedenscough 1795 Barnes1

• Wednescough Green 1795 Earw

• Wedensough Green 1795 Barnes1 1831 Bry 1846 TA

• Wednessough Lane 1842 OS

• Wednesoff Croft & Wednesoff Field 1845 TA277,v.

Etymology

Wedneshough Green (102–003960) ['wensuf], Wedenscough 1795 Barnes1 808, Wednescough Green 1795 Earw, Wedensough Green 1795 Barnes1 808, 1831 Bry, 1846TA , Wednessough Lane 1842 OS, Wednesoff Croft & Wednesoff Field 1845TA 277, v. grēne 2 , croft , lane , feld .The final el. of Wedneshough appears to be ON  skógr 'a wood', confused, through metanalysis, with OE  hōh 'a spur, a promontory', cf. Myerscough La 148. Dr Barnes (Barnes2 48) is almost certain the first el. is the god-name Wōden (cf. Wodanclogh 278 supra ). If the first el. be taken as Wedens - the forms certainly resemble those of other Wōden place-names, but the ON el. skógr would be an unlikely second el. in an OE pagan p.n. unless it were to replace OE  sceaga.The first el. should be taken as Weden -. This could be a form of OE  wīðign 'a willow', wīðigen 'growing with willows', and the p.n. would then be analogous with Wythenshawe 236supra , save for the substitution of skógr for sceaga . However, it would well be that Weden - here represents an OE  *wēoden 'covered with-, growing with weeds' (v. wēod , -en 2 ), cf. weeden NED. The forms are too late for any definite etymology; they should certainly not be used to support a hypothesis so historically important as that the first el. is the name of an A.S. pagan god.