Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• ?æt Wyllon 1002–12 ASWrits

• Wille 1086 DB

• Welle 1086 DB

• Well(e) Hy3 Ipm 1244 Ass l13 Ilch 1268 Ass 1275 RH 1276 Pat 1344 et freq

• Welles 1166(p),1210–2 RBE 1212,1219 Fees 1244,1268 Ass 1271,1279 Ch

• Woll(e) 1249 FF 1280 Ass 1285 FA 1331 Cl 1333 Pat 1355 Ipm

• Woll(e) by Byneton 1361 Pat 1377 Ass 1403 Weld1 1425 Weld1 1438 Weld1 1638 Weld1 1663 Weld1

• Wull 1251 Cl 1268 Ass 1568 Ct

• Wool(l) 1575 Saxton 1578 AD 1682 Weld1

Etymology

'(At) the springs', from wella, -(e) (WSax  wiella, -(e)), cf. Bindon Abbey infra . The form æt Wyllon (for other possible identifications of it, v. ASWrits 484) represents dat. pl. -um ; forms in -e represent wk. nom. pl. -an or dat. pl. -um ; forms in -es represent str. nom. pl. -as . Three springs are marked (6″) S of the village, cf. Spring St., Springfield Ctg, Well Head Cl all infra , and Hutch3 1 348 where the name Wool is said to derive 'from the springs that abound there', in particular 'from a beautiful stream of water, which rises or wells up in a body, at the head of a small meadow…on the south side'.According to Hutch3 op . cit . 'Wool and Woolbridge are indifferently used, but among the poor it generally goes by the latter name', v. Wool Bridge in E Stoke par. supra .