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.

Hardwell

Early-attested site in the Parish of Compton Beauchamp

Historical Forms

  • on hordwyllæ, on þonæ ealdan hord wyllæs wæg 856 BCS491 12th 944 12th ib
  • Hordwelle William Abingdon c.1240
  • Hordewilla, Hordwilla c.1200 ClaudiusCix
  • Hordewell' 1220,1242–3 Fees 1257 Cl
  • Hordeswell' 1284 Ass
  • Hordewelle 1300 Ch 1417–18 ObAcc
  • Hordwell 1322 Pat 1327 Ipm
  • Herdewell 1326 Fine
  • Hardwell Farm 1761 Rocque

Etymology

Hardwell, on hordwyllæ , on þonæ ealdan hord wyllæs wæg 856 (12th) BCS 491, 944 (12th) ib 796, æt Hordwelle 903 (c. 1240), hordwylles weg 903 (c. 1200) ib 601, Hordwelle William (c. 1240) Abingdon, Hordewilla , Hordwilla c. 1200ClaudiusCix , Hordewell '1220, 1242–3 Fees, 1257 Cl, Hordeswell '1284Ass , Hordewelle 1300 Ch, 1417–18 ObAcc, Hordwell 1322 Pat, 1327 Ipm, Herdewell 1326 Fine, Hardwell Farm 1761 Rocque, 'treasure spring or stream', v. hord , w(i)ella.This name appears from the gen. used in charter bounds to contain the masc. noun w(i)ell. Ekwall (DEPN) takes the name to refer to a spring into which coins were thrown for sacrificial purposes; but as Hardwell is very near the site of a Roman villa, the reference could be to a find of Roman coins or other valuables. For other names of this type cf. Sr xviii, O 294.