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.

Zouch Mills

Early-attested site in the Parish of Sutton Bonington

Historical Forms

  • Sottesmulne 1247 Hastings
  • molendinum de Soth 1296 Tate
  • molend. de Salts Mylne 1535 VE
  • Sottes milles 1536 MinAcct
  • Sache Milnes 1611 Wills
  • Sotts Bridge, Zouch Bridge c.1620 CoRec

Etymology

Zouch Mills is Sottesmulne 1247 Hastings, molendinum de Soth 1296 Tate, molend. de Salts Mylne 1535 VE, Sottes milles 1536MinAcct , Sache Milnes 1611 Wills, Sotts Bridge , Zouch Bridge c. 1620 CoRec. The first element here is almost certainly the genitive of the OE and ME  nickname sōt , 'soot' or sott , 'foolish,' from Low Latin sottus recorded in DB Sot , Sotus (cf. Tengvik 335). The ts of Sottes > [tʃ] and is written ch and the form Soch was later confused with the familiar family name Zouche .