Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• land called Pond 1520 SAC41,99

• Pond Tail 1717 SAC34,143

Etymology

Pondtail Fm. There are two in the parish and one or other must be referred to in land called Pond in 1520 (SAC 41, 99), Pond Tail in 1717 (SAC 34, 143). It is a common farm name in Sussex. Here the topography is that each is on a small stream and doubtless the second element is used in the sense 'lower end of a pool or stream,' v. NEDs. v. tail sb. 1, 4 f . The earliest example noted there is dated 1533, but Tail in Crewkerne (So), for which we have a reference in 1292 (Ipm) to Taile water- mill, clearly involves this use of the word.