English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

Notgrove

Major Settlement in the Parish of Notgrove

Historical Forms

  • ad Natangrafum 716–43 BCS165 11th
  • Nategraua, Nategrava, Nategrave 1086 DB 1209 Fees 1220 WinchLB 1234,1268 FF 1407 et passim
  • Nattegraue, Nattegrave 1230 Cl 1248 Ass 1469 FF
  • Nutgrave 1285 FA
  • Nuttegroue 1482 FF
  • Natesgrave 1315 Ipm
  • Natgrave 1393 Ipm
  • Notgrove 1535 VE 1587 FF 1616 Dep 1695 PR

Etymology

'The wet grove', v. næt (wk.dat. natan ), grāf , but an OE  pers.n. Nata , cognate with OG  Nato , Nazo , is also possible, cf. Natton (ii, 53infra ). The change to Not - is late and may be an inversion after the dialectal change of -o - to -a - had taken place when -o - could become a spelling for the vowel -a - as well as -o - (Phonol. § 26).The Nut - forms are due to popular etymology.