ingas:
this is a Saxon place name/word which is generally accepted to mean "groups
of people" and was originally thought to be indicative of the early Saxon
settlers. However, this theory is not shared by all Saxon historians, presumably
because this theory was based on the questionable evidence of the Anglo-Saxon
Chronicle, and they preferred the more reliable evidence of burial finds
(from studies in Sussex). They think the suffix tun
is earlier.
Further
research (28/02/01) seems to indicate that ing suffixes were 7th
century settlements. The importance of tun is unclear. to
me.
My tendency is accept that
these place names are indicative of early Saxon settlers. (see the note
below).
e.g. Patching, Lancing,
Worthing, Goring, Ferring, Angmering, Sompting, Climping#, Tarring, Upper
Beeding#, Poling, Annington (near Botolphs, and originally Anningdun).
Also Bidlington (lost, near
Bramber).
High Salvington, Offington,
Torrington, Durrington, Rustington, Sullington,
Erringham# (Erringham
is just north of Mill Hill),
are all in the small area
(#or just outside) between the rivers Adur (Shoreham) and Arun, formerly
Tarrant {Tarente c.725} (Littlehampton).
Other names in this are
of Sussex slightly further afield are:
Steyning, Fulking, Ditchling,
Wappingthorn, Winding, Hollingbury, Tottington,
West Chiltington, West Blatchington,
Storrington, Washington, Aldrington, Ashington.
Ovingdean, Rottingdean,
Woodingdean.
plus many more (about 19)
in Sussex including Birling Gap, West Wittering, Billingshurst, Hastings.
Other smaller names in Sussex:
Buddington, Warmingshurst,
Atherington, Pallington, Poling, Bailinghill.
Other places well out of
the area:
Reading, Barking, Tooting.
Birmingham, Nottingham,
Gillingham.
The suffix ham in
the latter three names may mean homestead from the OE word ham.
Other early place names thought
to be Saxon: Heene, Pende (pynd = enclosure or more likely
= pond), Coombes (Cumbhaema gemære 956). gemære
= boundary.
Other local place names
thought to be Roman: Southwick, Portslade.
(1) "Signposts to the past: place-names and the history of England", 1978 (2nd ed. 1988): see especially chapter 5 which is devoted to the question of chronology.
(2) "Towards a chronology for English place-names", in "Anglo-Saxon settlements" (ed. Della Hooke), 1988: a classic essay.
Both
accounts deal also with work on OE _ha:m_ and _tu:n_. Hope this is a help,
Paul
Cullen
See
also Addenda to Chapter 5 Chronology of English Place Names in Signposts
to the Past by Margaret Gelling, 2nd ed. 1988.
There's
no swift answer to this one! A major difficulty is distinguishing
between:
(1) names containing the singular Old English derivational suffix -ing which is in effect simply a place-name-forming device meaning 'place characterized by -' or 'place associated with -'. For example, Stowting (Kent) is 'place characterized by a mound', Clavering (Essex) is 'place where clover grows', Eggringe (Kent) is 'place associated with a man called Eadgar', Ruckinge (Kent) is 'place frequented by rooks', Woolbeding (Sussex) is 'place associated with a man called Wulfbaed'.
(2) names containing the plural OE suffix -ingas which means 'people of -, followers of -, family of -, dwellers at -'. For example Wymering (Hants) is 'people of a man called Wigmaer', Honing (Norfolk) is 'dwellers at the rock', Avening (Glos) is 'dwellers at the river "Avon"', Hastings (Sussex) is 'people of a man called *Haesta'.
This same distinction must also be made between:
(3) names containing the OE connective particle -ing- meaning 'associated with -', 'connected with -' (i.e. this -ing- functions like the -ing in section (1) above, of which it is an extended application). For example, Dallington (Sussex) is 'estate associated with a man called Dalla', Brushdane (Kent) ['bisceopincgdene' in 824] is 'valley associated with a bishop', High Halden (Kent) is 'woodland pasture associated with a man called Heathuwald', Kemerton (Glos) is 'estate associated with a woman called Cyneburg'.
(4)
names containing OE -inga-, which is the genitive (i.e. possessive) case
of -ingas (thus meaning 'of the people of -, of the followers of -, of
the family of -, of the dwellers at -'). For example, Goodmanham (E.Yorks)
is 'village of the people of a man called Godmund', Horringford (IoW) is
'ford of the dwellers at the horn of land', Wingham (Kent) is 'village
of the dwellers at the heathen temple', Worlingworth (Suffolk) is 'curtilage
of the people of a man called Wilhere', Beddingham (Sussex) is 'hemmed-in
land of
the
people of a man called Beada'.
A necessary caveat here: as these examples show, the modern form of a place-name is not sufficient evidence upon which to base an interpretation; the earliest available spellings must be consulted. And of course there will always be cases where, due to lack of early data, no certainty is possible.
Paul
'Sheet 9 was first published
on 1 February 1813, as one of a group of five
sheets (OS numbers 4,5,9,10,11)
published between 1810 and 1816.....'.
The railway was added around
1854 and revised up to 1888, 'We may sum up by
saying that the map published
in facsimile is a composite document embodying
material from a succession
of dates. The engraving of 1813 (based on a
survey spread out from 1789
to 1813) was subjected to detailed revision at
Brighton and Worthing, and
the regular addition of railway developments on a
succession of electrotype
plates' J.B.H.
This is a snatch of some of the notes, Let me know if you'd like more info
Ray Hamblett