Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Place Names and Maps

Place, field names and maps can tell us a great deal about the past.

A possible origin of the name Dodderhill is the “hill where the parasitic plant Dodder or Cuscuta grew”, or alternatively “Dudda’s” hill (Dudda being a Mercian leader).

Place and field names developed as a means of identifying areas, and sometimes those early names can still be discovered in the names we use today.  Some of the earliest names identified the shape of the land, such as Dodderhill, and at other times the name of the land owner.  Field names were associated with field use, Walk Mills Meadow, Cowpasture, Liitle Orchard or perhaps the size – Five Acre Field.

The earliest map is 17th century and shows parts of Dodderhill parish within the boundaries of Droitwich.  Next were estate plans, then a canal map, followed by the Tithe Map of 1845.  Accurate mapping was undertaken by the Ordnance Survey with regular updating.

National Lottery - Heritage Lottery Fund© Dodderhill Parish Survey Project 2007 | Site Design & Build: Red Box Consultants Ltd.