Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• the Eight 1590 Camd 1779 Rudder

Etymology

Naight Brook, the Eight 1590 Camd, 1779 Rudder 403. This stream runs into the Severn at Deerhurst at a point where old flood-banks seem to show the river formerly had a second channel which would have made an island in it and the name denotes that; v. ēgeð 'small island, ait', with initial n - in the modern form from an older wrong analysis of ME  atten eit as atte neit (cf. EPN i, 13–14, Phonol. § 45).The special interest of the name is that it might well mark the site (as Camd 275 suggested) of the Olanige where in 1016 King Edmund and King Cnut made their peace, came to terms, and divided England between them (cf. Stenton 387); the place is called æt Olanige in ASC (E, F s.a. 1016), and the scribe of ASC (D) calls it set Olan íge wið Deorhyrste (that is, 'against or near Deerhurst'). In view of the last statement, it is unlikely to be Alney Island (iii, 161infra ) some 7 miles further south in Maisemore. Olanige means 'Ola's island', v. ēg . On an OE  unrecorded pers.n. Ol (l )a , cf. Olney (Bk 12) and Owlpen (244infra ).