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.

Buttinghill Hundred

Hundred in the County of Sussex

Historical Forms

  • Botingelle 1086 DB
  • Bottinghull 1248 Ass 1397 IpmR
  • Buttynghull 1262 Ass
  • Buttynghelle 1428 FA
  • Buttynge(h)ulle 1279 Ass 1332 SR
  • Butynghull 1316 FA
  • Buntingehull 1279 Ass
  • Buntinghall 1476 IpmR
  • Buntyngeshull 1366 Pat

Etymology

The name is no longer on the map but the site is well known.It is on the western side of the London and Brighton road at the point where it is crossed by the road from Ditchling to Hurstpierpoint (SAC 58, 6). 'Butta's hill,' v. hyll , with ing used as a connective element. The pers. name Butta is not on record but may be inferred from Buttington (Montgomery), Buttingtun ASC s. a. 894, and Buttincgraf (Wo), BCS 219. It is presumably originally a descriptive name, associated with the obscure butt , 'thick end' (NED sb. 3), with diminutive buttock .The second n in some of the later forms is intrusive.