Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Bere 1086 DB (f. 83b), Exon

Etymology

Dodding's Brick Yard, Dodding's Fm (SY 853937), Bere 1086 DB (f. 83b), Exon (v. Eyton 115–16, VCHDo 3104–5); molend ' de la Doddingg '1268Ass , terre apud la Doddynge 13Douce , (land ) apud la Doddinge n.d. (l13?) Hutch3; Dodingesbere 1288Ass , Dogdyngbire 1320 Ch, Doddyngbere 1327 Pat, Doddyngbyre 1348, 1419 FF, 1422, 1489Midd , Doddyngbirea 1422ib , Dodyngbeare 1412 FA, Dodyngs Beare 1546Lane , Dodings Be (e )re 1549ib , 1617 Dodingsbeare 1617DuCo , Dodyngton 1549Lane , Doddingebere Myll 1550Midd , Dodingswick (e )Jas ITRMB , 1617Add , Doddinges -Bere or Doddinge 1774 Hutch1, Dodding Bere 1811 OS, cf. Doddings Corner , (Island in ) Doddings Lower Md 1845TA .The place lies on a stream at the foot of a 300′ ridge and the name Dodding (e ) may be a hill-name, a derivative with -ing2 of the el. represented by ME  dodde 'a rounded hill-top' (as proposed by Fägersten 69, Zachrisson DTR 144, Ekwall PN -ing 195 (cf. RN 210), cf. Duddle in Puddletown par. infra . Alternatively Dodding (e ) may be 'Dodda's place' from -ing 2 and the OE  pers.n. Dodda ; one of the two DB manors of Milborne Stileham infra was held TRE by one Dodo (= OE  Dodda , v. Feilitzen 224), and this pers.n. also occurs as a surname in this par., cf. claus ' quod fuit Will ' Dodde in Suthebrok l14Mansel , v. Southbrook infra . The spellings and forms of the p.n. are discussed by Dodgson BNF 2 (1967) 352, where it is held that the manorial genitive (to which can now be added much earlier forms) and the spelling Dogdyng - (which possibly represents metathesis of an assibilated pronunciation [-indʒ]) reveal the presence of an OE  sg. -inğ formation based on an original PrOE  locative sg. -ingi , an archaic form. Dodingesbere , Doddyngbere , etc. probably denote 'the part of Bere at or called Dodding (e )', cf. par. name supra ; the (apparently) late formations with tūn and wīc mean 'the village and the (dairy) farm at or called Dodding (e )'. There was a mill here in 1086 DB (VCHDo 3104).