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.

Paganhill

Early-attested site in the Parish of Stroud

Historical Forms

  • Paggehull c.1195 Cur
  • Pagehull' 1287 Ass
  • Pagenhull(e), Pagenhul 1218 ClR 1248 Ass 1269 FF c.1280 GlR 1303 FA 1538 FF
  • Pagenhill 1354 Ch
  • Pagynhull 1491 Pat
  • Paganhull(e) 1287 Rent245 1292 Ipm
  • Paganhill 1509 MinAcct
  • Pagonhull' 1378 Works
  • Pakenhull 1287 Ass 1614 Will
  • Pakenell 1377–99 Works 1654 PR
  • Pakenell als. Paganhall 1639 InqM
  • Pakynhyll 1542 FF
  • Pakenhyll, Pakenhill 1587 FF
  • Pakenhill als. Pagnell 1566 ib
  • Packunhull 1574 FF
  • Packenell 1631 InqM

Etymology

'Paga(n)'s hill', v. hyll . The first el. might be the ME  pers.n. Pagan , which is from the MedLat  form Paganus of the OFr  name Paien 'the heathen' (cf. Tengvik 193, 223, Reaney 239), possibly the Latinised form of the name of the Pain Fitzjohn who gave his name to Painswick (132supra ), 3 miles north-east. But in the absence of some spellings with gen. -es or some in Pain , it is more likely to be the OE  Pæcga suggested for Pagham (Sx 92), though the [pæg-] form of that name has been explained as a spelling-pronunciation (cf. also Pegglesworth 169infra ). The first spelling Pagge - certainly suggests such a possibility for Paganhill.