English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

Eagle Down

Early-attested site in the Parish of Ashreigney

Historical Forms

  • Eggeldon 1281 Ass
  • Egeldon(e) 1281 Ass 1333 SR

Etymology

No certainty is possible. It may be that we have OE  Ecgela , a possible diminutive of OE  names in Ecg -. Hence, 'Ecgela 's hill,' v. dun . Later, folk-etymology has been at work.Cf. Riddlecombe infra 356 for loss of inflexional syllable.