Boycott Fm
Early-attested site in the Parish of Hampton Lovett
Historical Forms
- Boicote c.1189 Dugdvi
- Boykote, Boycote 1275 Ass 1318 FF
Etymology
Names in Boy - offer a good deal of difficulty. Boycott (PN Bk 48) has the same narrow range of forms as this place-name and so has Boycott (Sa). Boyton End (Sf) is DB Boituna , Boyton (W) is DB Boientone , and Boyland (Nf) is DB Boieland .There is also an unidentified Boiwic (Herts) in BCS 245.Stevenson (Crawford Charters 130) notes also the name Boga , Boia found from the 10th cent. onwards and the names Boga , Boia , Boge (a ), Boie , Boiga found as the names of moneyers from Alfred to Edward the Confessor. The occurrence of the name in such frequency among moneyers would tend to confirm Forssner's suggestion (s. n .) that the name is of continental origin, having its parallel in OS and East Gothic Boio , but its widespread use in English place-names suggests the possibility that it was also native in English. The question further arises in that case as to what its history may be. Stevenson quotes the name Edwig Boga (BCS 1244), where it is clearly used as a second and probably as a nickname, and the compound Maneboia (BCS 1130, p. 371), which one would incline to take as a compound of mann and boia . Note also Roger Boye in SR 1275. Is it possible that here we have the original form of the word boy which first appears in English c. 1300 (NED s. v .)? Such a suggestion throws no light on the ultimate etymology of that difficult word, but if boia or boga was a significant word in OE it would be a little easier to understand its threefold occurrence with cot , twofold with tun and single with wic and, so far as has been noted, with no other second element.