Moggerhanger
Major Settlement in the Parish of Moggerhanger
Historical Forms
- Mogarhangre 1216 Cl
- Moggehangre 1220 LS
- Mogerhanger 1240 FF 1247 Ass 1262,1270 FF 1276 Ass 1284 FA 1289 Ipm 13th ADiii 1316 FA 1327 Ipm 1346 FA 1351 BM 1358 Cl 1428 FA
- Mokehangre 1242 Fees870
- Moukeraungre 1276 Ass
- Mokerhanger, Mokerhangre 1276,1287 Ass 1290 Cl 1370 IpmR 1389 Cl 1398 IpmR
- Mougerhanger 1287 Ass
- Mogerhanger al. Mouerhanger 1289 Ipm
- Moggurhangger 1347 ADvi
- Mokerangre 1394 Cl
- Moker Aungre 1394 IpmR
- Mogranger 1474 IpmR 1535 VE
- Mogreangre 1488 Ipm
- Mogeranger 1517 ADvi 1535 VE
- Mowgranger 1629 BM
- Morehanger 1675 Ogilby
- Muggeranger c.1750 Bowen
- Muggerhanger 1780–1830 Jury
Etymology
The second element in this name is hangra. The first offers great difficulties. Pursuing the same line of phonological development which was suggested under Cople, Professor Ekwall would start from a name beginning with Moker - or Muker -, take the g (g ) forms as due to intervocalic voicing, and the Mouer - of 1289 and the modern pronunciation as Morehanger to be due to continuant g developing from earlier stopped g .For Muker - itself he suggests possible affinities with ME mukeren , 'to hoard,' whence perhaps muker , 'miser,' though the regular form seems to be mukerer . Was it possibly 'misers' wood' from an ancient hoard discovered there?
The local pronunciation has been preserved in Morhanger House in the parish of Moggerhanger (cf. the reverse process in Attingham Hall in Atcham (Sa), where the name of the Hall preserves the fuller form).