Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Hangmans Stone 1761 Rocque

Etymology

Hangman's Stone, Hangmans Stone 1761 Rocque. This is a boundary stone of the parishes of Boxford, Welford and Leckhampstead. v. Kelly 46 for a legend about the name, and cf. YW 1, 76 for a parallel.Professor Smith suggests that such a boundary stone would be a place where felons were hanged. The bounds of Leckhampstead, 943 (c. 1240) BCS 789, run of wines treowe on ðan readan hane . It is tempting to identify this 'red stone' (v. rēad , hān ) with Hangman's Stone, as Grundy does; but as wines treow occurs also in the bounds of Boxford and Welford, it appears that the tree, and not the stone, must have stood at the point where the three parishes meet, v. Pt 3.