Offcote
Major Settlement in the Parish of Offcote and Underwood
Historical Forms
- Ophidecotes 1086 DB
- Offidecot(e) 1251 Ch 1272 FF Hy3 WollCh 1338 Derby
- Offedecote 1265 Abbr
- Offedecotes 1269 Ass 1271 Ass 1340 DbAxxii
- Offdecote 13th DbAxxxii 1316 RadCh 1331 DbAxxxii
- Ofdcote 1322 Pat
- Of(f)tecote 1328 Banco 1332 Middleton 1384 DbCh
- Oftcote 1571 Lanc
- Off(e)cote 1410 DbCh 1493 Ipm 1506 BelCh 1549 Lanc
- Off(e)coate 1652 Bemrose
- Ofcote 1323 Misc 1392 Pat 1452 Cl 1548 Lanc
- Estecote 1265 Cl 1278 BurtCh 1305 Ipm 1305 FF
- Ascott 1563 Lanc
Etymology
In view of the early spellings in Offide -Ekwall (DEPN) is probably right in rejecting an etymology 'Offede's cottage(s)', v. cot . He suggests that the first element is the OE pers.n. Offa and that the second is a compound word OE wida-cot 'wood-cot', the first part of which is early OE widu 'wood'. Whilst this is plausible it is not entirely convincing but it must be frankly admitted that no better solution can be offered. Sir Allen Mawer (Notes 11) considered the first element to be an OE pers.n. Offgȳð and again whilst perhaps formally possible it may be objected that compound OE pers.ns. with Off - are unknown and not perhaps likely, cf. Offerton supra 155. The problem is further complicated by the forms Estecote and Ascott which certainly belong here; they are no doubt errors for Oftecote and Af - or Ofcott .