Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• (la) Redelonde c.1200,c.1260 BrDoc

• Redeland(e) 1261 FF 1279 Cl

• Redelond(e) 1296 Ipm 1386 RBBr

• la Redlande 1287 QW

• Redlondes 1515–29 ECP

• Thriddeland 1208–13 Fees

• Trhidelaund 1248 Ass

• Thriddelond, Thryddelond 1299 RBB 1304 Ch 1306 FF 1348 Ass

• Yriddelond (sic for Þriddelond) 1285 FA

• Tridelaunde 1261 FF

• Tridelond(e) 1287 Ass 1319,1325,1358 FF

• Triddelond 1299 RBB

• Tridlond 1455 IpmR

• Rydelond 1266 Ch

• Ridland(es), Rydland(es) 1515–29 ECP 1589 FF 1611 Inq

• Theriddelond' 1349 Aid

• Thyrland 1533–8 ECP

• Thyrd(e)land(e) 1535 VE 1544 LP

• Thrydland(e) als. Rydland, Thridland(e) als. Rydland 1552 FF

• Thridland(e) als. Rudland 1575 1628 InqM

Etymology

Ekwall suggests that Redland is from an OE  þæt rydde land 'the cleared land' (v. (ge)ryd, land ), but if that is correct it would be surprising to find no medieval rud - spellings in a name in this area, whilst Durdham Down (supra ), which is at least an old formation in -hǣme , presupposes an OE  form in þridde - which is unlikely to have arisen so early from agglutination of þæt rydde -. The Rede -, Ryde - forms arise from a wrong analysis of Thriddeland as the Riddeland (cf. the spelling Theriddelond ' 1349); the compiler of the Tewkesbury Chronicle wrongly rendered Redeland as Rubea terra 'red land' (1230 Theok, cf. also Rubea terra 1295 BrDoc 166). It is probably a compound of OE  þridda 'third' and land . The exact significance is difficult to determine but we may have some such sense as 'third part of something, esp. of property', in legal usage 'the third part of a man's real estate which a widow might enjoy during her life', which is found from ME (cf. NED s.v. third ). But the particular circumstances in which the name Redland arose are not known.Cf. Introd.