Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Beficote 1086 DB

• Befcote 1227,1279 Ass 1293to1378 Banco 1327 SR 1372 Ch 1352to1499 FF 1398 Ct

• Beofcote 1343,1352 Banco 1652 PCC

• Beffecott 1593 FF

• Beffecot(e) 1212 Ass 1215 MRA 1215 ChR 1227to1561 FF 1538 Ct

• Beffcoote Eliz ChancP

• Beffcote 1833 O

• Bessecot 1228 Blymhill

• Bes(s)cot(t)e Eliz ChancP

Etymology

'The cottage of Beffa ', v. cot . There are a considerable number of forms which show confusion with Bescot in Walsall in both printed and manuscript forms; these have not been set out here.But, in addition, there are similar examples of misspellings with regard to Beffcote itself; these last right down to the 18th maps, Bowen 1755 thus writing Bescot for the Gnosall village; earlier examples are Bessecot 1228 Blymhill and Bes (s )cot (t )e Eliz ChancP.We cannot always be sure whether these are early or later misspellings. Even within the Parish Registers of Gnosall we find examples of confusion. They should therefore be discounted as unhistorical.