Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Drakenorth 1811 OS

• Drake moore (sic) 1609 Brid

• Dre(a)dnorth (sic) Hill, Dre(a)dnorth Meadow & Dre(a)dnorth Plantation 1840 TA(Wytherstone)

Etymology

Drakenorth (SY 533985), Drakenorth 1811 OS, Drake moore (sic)1609Brid , Dre (a )dnorth (sic)Hill , Dre (a )dnorth Meadow & Dre (a )dnorth Plantation 1840TA (Wytherstone).In spite of the absence of early or consistent spellings, this is almost certainly another example of the interesting p.n. Drake North PN W 400, which has a 10th-cent. spelling drakenhorde , 'dragon's hoard or treasure', from draca and hord , an allusion to the Saxon belief that treasures were guarded by dragons. This is the highest part of the par., the hill at Drakenorth rising to over 700′. The forms in -moore and Dread - are clearly rationalisations of an obscure name. For two further 13th-cent. instances of the compound, v. PN Gl 1191 and PN O 1 175.