Up Waltham
Major Settlement in the Parish of Up Waltham
Historical Forms
- Waltham 1086 DB
- West Waltham 1288 Ass
- Up Waltham 1371 Pens
- Wautham 1248,1263 Ass
- Uppwaltome 1641 SRS5
- Waltam 1100–7 France
- Walteham 1155 France 1332 Ch
Etymology
The Waltham -names have been the subject of a good deal of discussion and in IPN (38, n. 2) some support was given to Skeat's view that the first element was an OE adjective wealt .There was however one great objection to this view, viz. that while we have a good deal of excellent evidence for the p.n. Wealtham in OE (especially BCS 620, 625, 762 and ASC s. a. 1001) in no case is there any sign of the inflexion of the adjective in the way that (with few exceptions) is almost universal in OE place-names compounded of adjective and noun. On these and other grounds Zachrisson (in a note in his English PN containing *vis -, *vask , 25 n. 2) suggested that the first element was really weald , and Ekwall (Studia neophilologica i, 97 ff.) has demonstrated fully the likelihood of this view, bringing it into relation with other similar examples of a change of OE d to t before h . Such an explanation would suit the site of Up Waltham and of Coldwaltham infra 126, which are in old forest areas. The whole name would mean 'forest-home- stead' or 'enclosure,' v. ham(m). Up and West in contrast to the situation of Coldwaltham.