Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Uggscombe 1795 Boswell

• Uggescomb 1270 Hutch1

• Ugscomb or Uggkescomb 1476 ib

Etymology

Uggscombe (lost, about SY 615868), Uggscombe 1795 Boswell ('in a valley called Mystcombe ; from whence the hundred takes its name', p. 26), v. Mystecombe in this par. and Uggescombe hundred both supra . There is record of an inquisition made at Uggescomb in 1270 (Hutch1 1533) and there is mention of land at Ugscomb or Uggkescomb in 1476 (ib 1556, Hutch3 2766). This seems to be the earlier of the two names for the same valley. According to Hutch1 1 532: 'The courts were formerly kept in a vale, or bottom, a little N of Portisham, but the name of Uggescomb is entirely lost.' It should be noted that the site of a group of four Standing Stones (v. infra ) is marked 6″ at the head of this valley, and this is perhaps to be associated with the reported meeting place for the hundred court of Vggiscombe 'at the Hundred head by Portsham ' in 1653ParlSurv , v. hundred , hēafod . It may also be of interest to note that the boundary point motbeorh 'assembly hill or barrow' in the Saxon bounds of Portisham (v. infra ) was only about a mile W of the Standing Stones site.