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.

Delcombe Bottom, Delcombe Dairy Fm, Delcombe Fm, Delcombe Head, Delcombe Wd

Early-attested site in the Parish of Milton Abbas

Historical Forms

  • Delcom Farm 1659 DROMap 1758
  • Delcombe 1811 OS
  • Derecomb(e)shed(de) 1384 Prideaux e16
  • Dercombyshed(e) 1385 MiltRoll e15
  • Deirelecombe, West Deirelecombyshyued e15 ib
  • on delesburg middenwearde 833 ShaftR(S277) 14

Etymology

Delcombe Bottom (ST 790046), Delcombe Dairy Fm, Delcombe Fm (1852 SCat, Delcom Farm 1659 (1758) DROMap , Delcombe 1811 OS, Delcombe Manor 1″), Delcombe Head (1811 OS), Delcombe Wd (1771DROMap ); probably to be identified with Derecomb (e )shed (de )1384 (e16) Prideaux , Dercombyshed (e )1385 (e15) MiltRoll (in the bounds of Woolland and Milton), Deirelecombe , West Deirelecombyshyued n.d. (e15) ib , thus 'valley of the wood or clearing frequented by wild animals (perhaps specifically deer)', from dēor , lēah and cumb , with hēafod 'head, upper end'. Delcombe Head at 880′ on the par. bdy seems to be the feature referred to in the Anglo-Saxon bounds of Woolland as on delesburg middenwearde 833 (14) ShaftR (S 277); this form is probably corrupt, but may represent an original dēorlēa (ge )sbeorg , 'the hill of the dēorlēah ', assuming also that beorg may have been confused with burh as in on burg in the same charter referring to Bul Barrow in Woolland par. infra . Delcombe Bottom (v. botm ) is a long valley extending N from Deer Park q. v. infra .