Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Socabret 1170-80 Kendi,130

• Socabreo 12 Lanc 16

• Socabrig l.12 Lowth

• Socbridge 12 Lanc 16

• Sokebrec (sic for Sokebret) a.1184 Bart

• Sochebrec c.1200 Lowth

• Socabrec 13 CWxviii,142

• Sokbrek 1475-80 ECP

• Soc-, So(c)k(e)bret 1190-1200 Kendi,131

• -bred(e) c.1200 Lowth 1247,c.1250 1256 Ass13 1278 1601 Rent

• -breyde 1499 Lowth

• -bread(e) 1583 FF 1619 Kendi,273

• -brid 1685 PR(Brt)

• Sockbredge 1561 Lowth

• Sock(e)bridg(e) 1561 1627 FF 1636 Dep 1780 PR(Brt)

Etymology

The common ME  spelling is Sokebred (e ), for which Ekwall has suggested the meaning 'a board serving as a footbridge over marshy spots', v. soc (gen.plur. soca ), bred . This is clearly a good solution, but it is difficult to determine today the exact topographical condi- tions implied by it; ModE  dial, sock also means 'drainage of a dunghill'. The bridge would presumably have been one across the stream Lady Beck. On formal grounds ME  brede 'broad cultivated strip' is also possible, and if the name is of ME origin a compound of this with OFr , ME  soc 'ploughshare' would have something like the meaning of ME  shovel-brede (v. scofl 'shovel', brǣdu ) and denote 'a furrow'. An assimilation of a ME  plur. -bredes to -bredge would account for the substitution of -bridge (cf. Phonol. § 25).