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.

Sound Copse and Sound Bottom

Early-attested site in the Parish of Mildenhall

Historical Forms

  • le Soune 1384 FF
  • Sounde 1443 MinAcct
  • la Soune 1487 Pat
  • Sound Hill c.1840 TA

Etymology

Sound Copse and Sound Bottom are le Soune 1384FF , Sounde 1443MinAcct , la Soune 1487 Pat, Sound Hill c. 1840TA (Ramsbury).This is a difficult name. Sound Bottom is a deep-cut, narrow valley. It may possibly be a development of the rare ME  sound , 'safety, security,' in the sense 'place of safety, shelter.'