Hoffer Bridge
Early-attested site in the Parish of Harston
Historical Forms
- Apewellesheved 1304 StCatharine's
- A(p)pewelle c.1250–1340 Trinity c.1280,1337 StCatharine's 1463
- Hapewell 1343 ib
Etymology
Hoffer Bridge. Cf. Ap (p )isford (e )13th, 1317Queens ', 1389–1433, 1411Ct , Apesford 1391 ib., Apysworthforthe 1426 ib., Appeforde 1424 ib., Appelesford 1380 ib., Tappesforthe 1364–74Queens ', Tappesforde 1400 ib., Tappysforthe 1410Trinity , Tappysforde 1443Queens ', Hopforthe 1428Ct , (le ) Hofforth (e ), Hofforth (e )dole 1432 ib., 1448 ib., Hofforde , Hofforde holte 1448 ib., 1541Ct , Happeforthe 1451 ib., Uffer Bridge 1821 Baker, Hoffer Bridge c. 1825 O.S. The ford and bridge lie where the Hoffer Brook (supra 7) crosses the Cambridge-Royston road (here the Harston-Foxton boundary). A little over a quarter of a mile to the north, the parishes of Harston, Haslingfield and Barrington meet on the Cam, which forms the boundary between Foxton and Barrington, and it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that all the forms given above refer to this same ford and bridge. The interpretation of this name, whether we take the correct form of the first element to be Appes - or Appeles - is not easy and the whole business is made yet more difficult by the existence of places called Apewellesheved 1304StCatharine 's , A (p )pewelle c. 1250–1340Trinity , c. 1280, 1337StCatharine 's , 1463Ct , Hapewell 1343 ib. which, with one exception (1316Ct in Foxton), are in Barrington on the opposite side of the Cam. If they can in any way be related to the first series of names then we might perhaps take the original form of all to be Appelewellesford , 'ford of the apple-tree spring,' with reference to a ford in Hoffer Brook, called at that time Appelewell , but this is entirely speculative and perhaps unwise.