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.

Battlesbury Hill

Early-attested site in the Parish of Warminster

Historical Forms

  • Pattelsbury, Patelsberye 1589 Corpus
  • Battlesbury Castle 1773 AandD

Etymology

Battlesbury Hill is Pattelsbury , Patelsberye 1589Corpus , Battlebury 1754 Pocock, Battlesbury Castle 1773 A and D. The second element is burh , with reference to the ancient camp here.The forms are too late for any certainty, but the first element might be a personal name Pættel , an l -derivative of OE  Patta .In any case it is likely that the later modern spellings are due to folk-etymology.