Dry Drayton
Major Settlement in the Parish of Dry Drayton
Historical Forms
- Draitona a.1086 YCh c.1280 InqEl 1086
- Draitone 1086 DB 1362 Crowland
- Draitun 1218 SR
- Dratona 1086 InqEl 1130 P
- Drydraton 1540 MinAcct c.1570 ChancP
- Dreituna t.Stephen Ch 1307
- Dreiton(e) 1199 Cur 1223 FF
- Drie Dreiton 1286 Pat
- Dry Dreiton 1478 Pat
- Waldretton' 1176 P
- Dratton 1227 FF
- Drettone 1346 FA
- Waldraittona 1176 CR
- Woldrayton 1324 MinAcct
- Driedraiton 1218 SR 1281 Ipm
- Dreiedraiton 1227 FF
- Dreredraiton 1300 Misc
- Dridrayton 1254 Val
- Dry(e)drayton 1272,1334 Ass
- Drighdrayton, Dreghdrayton 1312 FF
- Drydraytone cum Childerley 1316 FA
- Dreydrayton 1405 PCC
- Drayton(a), Drayton(e) 1231 FF
- Draytun 1235 FF
Etymology
'Farm by the hill,' v. dræg , tūn . The road leaving the church on the left rises steeply and dræg here probably has the sense 'a stiff hill, a steep slope or ascent where more than ordinary effort is required.'Cf. Fen Drayton infra 166 and v. DEPN. Dry Drayton is on the western clay area which was once well-wooded and was formerly called Wald , cf. Croydon and Hatley Wilds supra 54, 56. The reason for the epithet dry is not obvious as the parish is well-watered. Cole says “Drye-Drayton, so called not from the Drynesse of the Soile , but for that it standeth in the Upland and Champion Countrie, thereby to distinguish it from the other Drayton , which taketh Appellation from the Fenne ” (xlviii, f. 156).