Hotham
Major Settlement in the Parish of Hotham
Historical Forms
- be fastan hode 963 RegAlb 13th
- Hode, Holde 1086 DB
- Hodhu' 1086 DB
- Hodhum early13th StoweCh
- Hodum 1166 P
- Hothum 1153–66 YCh 1401 YI
- Hoðum 1167 P
- Houthum 1203 Cur
- Hodham early13th BM
- Hotheham t.Hy3 SR
- Hotham 1444 Test 1562 FF
- Hothom 1285 KI 1296 YI 1457 YD
- Hothome 1523 Test 1529 FF
- Howthome 1546 YChant
- Hoothome 1569 FF
Etymology
Hotham should probably be taken with Hood (PN NRY 195), but it should be pointed out that the position of Hotham in the bottom of a valley rules out the suggestion made that Hood may mean 'a hood-shaped hill' (from OE hōd ). We could, however, in either name, have OE hōd 'hood' used as a nickname for some small dwelling. This use would be paralleled by Hove (PN Sx 293) from OE hūfe 'hood, covering' and perhaps by Core (PN La 143) connected with OScand kofri 'hood' (though perhaps in a purely topographical sense). But there is more probability in Professor Ekwall's suggestion (v. PN NRY 195) that we have an unrecorded OE *hōd , related to OE hēdan 'to protect' in the same way as German hut (subst.) to hütten (vb.), and having the meaning 'shelter'; cf. MLGer hoede 'protection' and so 'fortress.'
The earlier spellings of Hotham fluctuate between an OE dat. sing. hode and a dat. plur. hodum 'at the shelters.' The spelling Hoothome (and the modern pronunciation) suggest a ME long vowel ō . Medial th for OE d is a fairly well-evidenced Scandinavian sound-substitution.