Stoke Orchard
Major Settlement in the Parish of Stoke Orchard
Historical Forms
- æt Stoce 967 BCS1203 11 Heming
- Stoches 1086 DB
- Stokes 1195 P
- Stok(e) 1209,1220 Fees 1248 Ass
- Stook 1409 Pat
- Stok(e) le Archer 1269 Episc 1280 Abbr
- Stok(e) Archer 1295,1314 Ipm 1327 SR 1561 FF
- Archer(e)stoke 1337 Ipm 1358 FF 1400 Pat 1493 Ipm
- Archardes Stok(e) 1552 FF
- Stok(e) Orchard 1498 ADi 1680 PR
- Stok(e) Archer als. Orchard 1612 FF
- arcuerii 1195 P
- Archerius 1209 Fees
- le Archer 1269 Episc, 1276 RH
- L'archer 1350 Orig, etc.
Etymology
OE stoc 'place' is probably used here in the sense 'secondary settlement' (doubtless one from Bishop's Cleeve); as often with this el., the DB form is in the plural, which rather suggests that it was used primarily of the various buildings of such a farm on the peripheral lands of a manor (cf. EPN ii, 153–5). The original affix Archer (ME archere , OFr archier 'archer, bowman'), adapted in later times to Orchard through popular etymology, owes its origin to the land being held by the service to the king of supplying an archer equipped with bow and arrows for 40 days a year (cf. 1209 Fees i, 39, 1285 FA ii, 236, etc.). Several of the tenants from the 12th to the 14th centuries are called Archer (Roberti arcuerii 1195 P, Johannes Archerius 1209 Fees, Nicholas le Archer 1269 Episc, 1276 RH, Galfr' L 'archer 1350 Orig, etc.).