I believe it will be found by observation, that they generally continued the ancient names of towns in those countries they conquered, to avoid confusion; for, without doubt, had they altered the names of places in this isle, we should have abounded with towns of the same names with those in Italy, few of which are to be met with, except those places which they themselves were first founders of, and there we may observe they always gave them Roman names; thus Stratum or Stratton, Castrum or Castor, &c. received their names; and in deed if we come to examine the various names this place hath gone by, we shall find that they all are of the same signification. thus, Sitomagus, I take it, is no more than the city or habitation of the Senones or Sitones,[1] upon the Ford, which induced the Saxons to keep its old name, only varied in their language into Deodford or Deodford[2] Now ðeor signifies gens, populus, or provincia,[3] and so the signification is much the same as the old name of Sitomagus, viz. the Ford of the People, that is, the most frequented ford by which people used to enter into Norfolk, and not the ford over the river Thet, Sit, or Ðeoz, as many great men have imagined,[4] there being no such river in these parts; neither was the river that this town stands on ever known by any other than its present name. From Ðeov and Deodford, it came to Tedford, and Tetford, which last name it had in the Conqueror's time, ted being the natural abbreviation of ðeov, and tet of ðeor. About Henry the First’s time, it was commonly written Tefford, and about Henry the Third’s, generally Theford, and so continued till about henry the Eighth’s time, and indeed I much question if this might not be its proper name, without any further search; divide the word, and you will find it The-Ford,[5] by way of eminence, the inlet into Norfolk; as it always was. Indeed, the present name hath prevailed for some time, occasioned, I suppose, by the invention of the new name of the river, from which they would have the place called. But upon the whole, I am of opinion, whether you will have it the city of the Sitones on the Ford, or the Ford of the People, or The-Ford, by way of eminence, it is much the same thing; and thus far as to my thoughts of its present and ancient names.
But least I should be thought to have explained the word Sitomagus in my own way, without any authority, I could not omit inserting a letter wrote to the Earl of Arlington, by the learned Dr. Plot, upon this subject, which, I believe, will not be thought impertinent by my judicious readers.
- ↑ Dr. Plot
- ↑ Gibson's Explanation of the names of Places, at the end of the Sax. Cron. p. 45,besides many others.
- ↑ Somner, in his index of the old German words, printed at the end of Casaubon's Comment on the Hebrew and Saxon Languages, Lond. 1650.
- ↑ Mr. Cambden, Gibson, in the aforecited place. The Atlas, &c.
- ↑ Another reason to induce me to think it called The-Ford, by way of eminence, is, because i meet with Thetford in the Isle of Ely, wrote and called anciently Thetford, or The-Ford, as this was, and that town’s situation is exactly answer-able, viz. upon the great ford, or most frequented inlet into the eastern part of the isle.
