Survey of English Place-Names

Etymology

, rockie ground in Eastware , stonie ground in Westw ( e ) are , close called Westw ( e ) are , Westweare Mead , cf. wast ground in Southw (e )are , rockie ground in Southw (e )are 1608LRMB , Greens Ware 1788 Bettey1 , North Wear , Wear Close 1839TA , v. ware ' a sheep walk ' , discussed under Ware in Swanage par . supra ; it is possible that the form Oare 1608LRMB belongs here too ( with rounding and lengthening of a and loss of W - ) , cf. the f. ns . Wath ,Wade infra , but alternatively Oare may be from ōra 1 ' bank ' . Hutch32822 describes the ' weirs ' in Portland as ' uneven slopes of grass landformed by successive land-slips ' , and Bettey 1 53 notes their use as ' dumping places for rubble ' from stone quarrying .