Cattedown, Cattewater
Early-attested site in the Parish of Plymouth
Historical Forms
- la Catte 1249 Ass 1281 Ass
- atte Katte 1333 SR
- le Catte t.Hy7 PlymRec
- Cattedowne 1621 Recov
- Cat Water 1577 Saxton
Etymology
The 1249 and 1333 references refer respectively to a certain Richard de la Catte and Richard atte Katte . More important is the 1281 reference, first noted by Ekwall (RN 329), in which certain people were drowned in a small boat apud la Catte . The preposition apud suggests that Catte was not the name of the estuary at that time but some feature on its shores. There can be little doubt that Katte is the common animal name and that some feature in the topography of the district suggested the use of the term. The growth of modern Plymouth makes it impossible to identify that feature.In the course of time the name came to be compounded with Down and also with Water, the name of the estuary below, and with street, as in Catstrete the old form of Cattedown St supra 234.