English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

Hartfoot Lane

Early-attested site in the Parish of Hilton

Historical Forms

  • Harpers or Harefoot Lane 1774 Hutch1
  • Harpur's Lane 1795 Boswell
  • Harefoot Lane 1811 OS
  • Harpath, Harpers or Harefoot Lane 1870 Hutch3
  • Harpydway 1384 Prideaux e16

Etymology

Hartfoot Lane (ST 763027) [ˈhɑːrbət], Harpers or Harefoot Lane (a hamlet) 1774 Hutch1, Harpur 's Lane 1795 Boswell, Harefoot Lane 1811 OS, Harpath , Harpers or Harefoot Lane 1870 Hutch3 ('it is now sometimes spelt Hartfoot or Hardput '). Clearly subject to much recent popular etymology, but the form Harpath is the most historically correct, since this small hamlet is situated on the NE continuation of the here-pæð 'highway' of the OE bounds of Cheselbourne, v. on anne herepað , etc, in Cheselbourne f.ns. supra .Moreover, two miles further NE from the hamlet of Hartfoot Lane the same route is apparently Harpydway 1384 (e16) Prideaux in the bounds of Woolland par. infra , v. weg .