Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Pokeleia 1176–7 P

• Pokel' 1214 HunterFines 1220 Fees

• Pokeleygh' 1220 ib

• Pochhele c.1230 Oxoniensiav

• Pocheleg' 1235 Fees

• Pochel' 1237 Cl 1241 Ass

• Pokhel' 1241 ib

• Pochhel', Pochele 13th ReadingC(2)

• Poghelye (p), Poghel', Poghele 1241 Ass

• Pogheleg' 1242–3 Fees

• Poghely 1275–6 RH

• Poghelee 1297 Cl

• Pogh'ele 1436–7 ObAcc

• Powele(e) 1241 Ass

• Pohhele 13th Gerv

• Poughle 1347 Pat

• Powgheley 1448–9 ObAcc

• Poughley 1535 VE

• Paufley Farm 1761 Rocque

Etymology

Probably 'wood by a feature resembling a bag', v. pohha , lēah .Pohanlech is mentioned in BCS 366 as a wood appurtenant to Wickham in Welford. Other p.ns. which probably contain pohha are Poughill and Poflet D 445, 216, Poffley O 322 and Poughill Co (DEPN). These have second els. hyll , hlȳpe and wiella .

If Poughley in East Garston 331 is named from the same wood it must have been extensive, and this makes it difficult to identify a feature deserving of the term pohha . The el. could be a pers.n., but as all the p.ns. listed above have topographical terms as second el. it seems likely that pohha is also a topographical term, or conceivably an animal name (cf. bagga ).

The spellings for the first el. of Poughley are similar to those for that of Wokefield Pt 1227 and Woughton Bk 28–9, both probably containing the pers.n. Weohha . In each of these there are some forms showing ME development to -k- which has survived in Wokefield.Woughton Bk was Woketon al. Woghton 1480–90, but is now pronounced [wu:ftən]. In Poughley Berks there is the same final development to -f - (cf. the 1761 spelling), but the -k - forms died out earlier. Ploughley O 196, 236, from pohhede 'shaped like a bag' and hlāw 'tumulus', may also be compared; there has been recent influence from the word plough , but the ME  forms show variation between -k -, -gh - and -w -, and in 1693 the name appears as Pofley .