Rugward Fleet, Rugward Marsh
Early-attested site in the Parish of Stanford-le-Hope
Historical Forms
- flet de Rogeflet…marsh voc. Uphop' ad Werdam 13th WalthamA
- Ruggard Creek 1687 M
Etymology
Rugward Fleet, Rugward Marsh (6″) is flet de Rogeflet …marsh voc. Uphop ' ad Werdam 13thWalthamA , Ruggard Creek 1687 M. It would seem from the early forms that there were two places (i) Rugfleet , earlier Rogeflet and (ii) Ruggard , earlier (Roge )werd .The second elements in these names are respectively fleot, 'creek,' and werth , 'marsh,' discussed under Labworth supra 148.The first element is difficult. It should be noted that the name Rugward is found again as Rugwood in Foulness (infra 184) where we have a fuller series of forms. These suggest a first element rogge or (less likely) rugge . If the first form is the correct one, then it may be that there was an OE rogge , 'rye,' side by side with the recorded ryge , corresponding to OS roggo , MLG rogge , OHG roggo , hence 'rye-marsh.' Rogeflet would mean 'stream by which rye grew.'