Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Redm'eshill' 1195×1221 Spec

• Redmereshil c.1275×85 ib

• Redmershil c.1220×30 ib

• Redm'ishil c.1240 ib

• Redmerisil, Redemerishille

• Redmershil c.1240 Spec 1296 GD

• Redm'ishile late13th Finc

• Redemereshill 1304 Bek

• Redmeshill' 1311 RPD

• Redmershill' 1314 ib

• Redemershehill' 1314 ib

• Redmereshill 1314 ib

• Redemershill 1325 Sacr

• Redmershill 1313 RPD 1333 GD 1339 IPM 1344 Lond 1345 RPD 1349etfreqto1559 IPM 1372×3 Finc

• Redmersill 1354 Salvin

• Redm'sill 1354 ib

• redmersele 1355 ib

• Redm'shill' 1362 Lond 1406 Pont

• Redmershyll 1399 IPM 1400 DST

• Redmerehil 1208×10 Fees

• Redmerhill 1260 Pat

• Ridmershill 1372 Pat

• Ridmershale 1372 Pat

• Redmersell 1349 IPM 1355 Salvin 1507 DST

• Redmershell 1416 Wills 1468 IPM

• Redmershell' 1511 Spec

• Redmarsell 1460 IPM

• Redm'shall 1436,1511 Spec 1522 HC/CBI/2

• Redemershall 1438×9 Vis

• Redmershall 1474,1533 IPM 1596 Wills 1750×1 Lond 19th

• Readmarshall 1560,1586×7 Wills 1720,1725 HC/CB129/28

• Reedmarshall 1609 Lond

• Redmarshall 1624,1636×7 IPM 1719×20 Lond 19th Hud 1723×4 Lond 1724,1748

Etymology

The overwhelming majority of forms with genitival -s might be thought to point to a pers.n. as the specific, but no such name is known.Probably, therefore, Surtees was right in his comment (III 71), “Its tower and tufted trees are seen from a considerable distance rising over a level district of loam and red clay, where the floods of winter would formerly collect and rest on the tenacious soil in a broad discoloured pool or mere; and hence most literally the name The Hill of the Red Mere ”, OE  p.n. *Rēad -mere < rēad + mere , genitive sing. *Rēad -meres , + hyll . On formal grounds, however, the specific might have been a p.n. *Hrēod - mere 'reed pond', OE  hrēod + mere . The original pond may have lain near Oxe Eye Farm if this name derives from OE  ēg 'island'.