White Sheet Down
Early-attested site in the Parish of Kilmington
Historical Forms
- White Sheet 1773 AandD
- The Beacon Hill 1610 S 1695 Morden
Etymology
White Sheet Down is White Sheet 1773 A and D and is called The Beacon Hill in 1610 (S) and 1695 (Morden). Here and in White Sheet Hill infra 184 and in White Sheet (Fd) in Boyton it is formally possible that sheet is from a lost OE *scēot , corresponding to OHG sciez , 'slope, steep place,' as postulated by Ekwall (DEPN) for Shottle (Db). All the Wiltshire examples, however, are late and there can be little doubt that they are only late nicknames descriptive of the appearance of the hill-side.