Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Dikere 13th Bay 1294 Misc 1359 Ipm

• Dikera 1225 ClR

• atte Dykere 1279 Ass

• ater Dykere 1296 SR

• Diker 1229 Pat

• Dyker 1260 FF

• la Diker' 1291 MinAcct

• le Dekerr' t.Hy5–6 Add

• Deker 1535 VE

Etymology

The Dicker is the name given to a common in Arlington, Chiddingly and Hellingly, said to have been one of the districts disafforested by the iron-works. It is difficult not to believe that this is ME  dyker going back to the LL  dicora , decora , a common word for 'ten' of some particular object (v. NED s. v. dicker ), though it is difficult to say of what it is used here. In Domesday Book it is used in connexion with the iron-works of the Forest of Dean, the city of Gloucester rendering 36 'dickers' of iron. The dicker here is supposed to have been 'ten' rods of iron. Was this possibly the rent or toll or something of the sort from the iron-works here, and did the land hence come to be so called?