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.

Bunkers Fm

Early-attested site in the Parish of Abbots Langley

Historical Forms

  • Bunker 1452 Cassio

Etymology

Bunkers Fm is to be associated with the family of William Bunker (1452Cassio ). Cf. also Bonckers dell t. Ed 6SidSus and Bunkers Lane supra 75. In Little Berkhamsted infra 218, we have a Bunkers Hill which probably takes its name from John Bunkere (1429Ct ). Hitherto it has been supposed that the very common place-name, Bunkers Hill, was so used in memory of the battle of 1775, but the Hertfordshire examples show that the personal name can be traced back to the 15th century and although we have not actually found the compound Bunkers Hill earlier than the beginning of the 19th century, yet we have record in this parish of a Bunkers Dell and Lane as early as the 16th century. The probability is that most of the English Bunkers Hills do take their name from the American place, but that must have been named in the first place after one of the English places.