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.

Heedless William's Pond

Other OS name in the Parish of Stinsford

Historical Forms

  • a place called Hedies Wiliam 1539 AOMB
  • Heedless [vulgo Headless] William's Pond 1774 Hutch1
  • lapidem voc' Heuedles Wiliam 1270 ChrP 1372

Etymology

, a place called Hedies Wiliam 1539AOMB (in bounds of Puddletown common),Heedless [vulgo Headless ] William 's Pond 1774 Hutch1, named fromlapidem voc ' Heuedles Wiliam 1270 (1372) ChrP ( in bounds of Puddletown par . supra ) , ' the stone called headless William ' ; this must refer to ' the remains of a cross ' noted in 1774 Hutch1 1487 and so marked 6 ″ just S of the pond on the par . bdy , v. hēafod-lēas , cf. HeadlessCross Ch 3218 ; the use of the pers. n. Will (i )am here is obscure .