Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• (loc' voc') Rodeclyve atte Welle 1341 DCMDeed 1792 Hutch3 1341

• Redecliue atte Welle 1364 ib

• a little hill called Radcliff Atte Well', 'a spring called Attewell' 1626 Hutch1

• Attwell lake, 'the ancient bounds called Redcliff and Attewell' 1667 ib

• Rookley Point, Rockly Point 1774 ib

• Rock Point, Rock Lea River 1811 OS

• Rockley Hill 1822 EnclA

• Rockley Point 1838 TAMap

Etymology

Rock Lea Bridge, Rock Lea Hill & Rock Lea Point (SY 973911), Rock Lea River, (loc ' voc ') Rodeclyve atte Welle 1341 (1792) DCMDeed , 1341 Hutch3, Redecliue atte Welle 1364 ib, 'a little hill called Radcliff Atte Well ', 'a spring called Attewell '1626 Hutch1, Attwell lake , 'the ancient bounds called Redcliff and Attewell '1667 ib, Rookley Point , Rockly Point 1774 ib, Rock Point , Rock Lea River 1811 OS, Rockley Hill 1822EnclA , Rockley Point 1838TAMap .The early forms are all from perambulations of the port of Poole, the liberties of which extended W to this place, and mean 'the reedy bank at the spring', v. hrēod , clif (dat.sg. clife ), atte , well(a); on the 14th cent. forms with analogical medial -e - (Rode -, Rede -), cf. Radipole par. 1 239. The use of the form Attewell for the spring is an interesting case of metanalysis.Attwell lake ('the stream near (the spring called) Attwell ') probably refers to Rock Lea River (a channel in Lytchett Bay), v. lacu . On the late development of –(c )liff to -(k )ley , cf. Catsley in Corscombe par. infra .