THE PLACE NAMES OF BURY AND DISTRICT (and their meaning).

AFFETSIDE: this place-name to the north-west of Bury is an Old English word meaning 'a boundary on a hillside'.

AINSWORTH: is an Anglo Saxon personal name and farmstead, so the meaning is 'Ainulf's farmstead or settlement'.

BALDINGSTONE: could be 'the bold settlement', or maybe 'Baldhere's 'ton' settlement'.

BIRCH: is probably an Anglo Saxon personal name, but its meaning is also 'birch trees'.

BIRTLE: originally called Bircle, the meaning of which is 'birch trees' or 'the hill where birch trees grow'.

BRADSHAW: the meaning of which is 'a broad wood or copse.'

BRANDLESHOLME: Brandles being a personal name and holme 'a piece of land by a stream or river'.

BROOKSBOTTOMS: is thought to mean 'rams valley', or even 'wild garlic valley'.

BUCKLEY WELLS: is 'clearing by the wells or springs'.

BURRS: (Walmersley) the former industrial site of Burrs, with its now demolished cotton mills, is derived from Burh or byrig much like Bury - the meaning of which is 'a fortified settlement or refuge'. The former industrial site is overlooked by Castlesteads Iron Age promontory hillfort.

BURY: is the Old English place name "Burh" meaning 'fortified settlement or stronghold'.

CHATTERTON: is probably the same as Chadderton ie 'Ceatta's settlement or farmstead'. But could also be 'settlement by a hill.'

CHEESDEN: the meaning of which is 'gravel valley'. ie the Cheesden Valley between Bury and Heywood.

CHESHAM: seems to be 'gravelly place or places'.

COCKEY MOOR: seems to have been the Roman name COCCIUM, which was later Anglized to Ainsworth.

CROWTREES: is 'trees that are inhabited by crows', which is self-explanatory, really.

DOFFER FOLD (Radcliffe): uncertain with regard to this place-name, but could be a personal local name.

EDENFIELD: is 'the field belonging to the island.'

ELTON: is probably Ella's tun which is 'the farmstead of Aella or Ella'.

FAIRFIELD: is self-explanatory and simply means 'the fair fields'.

FERNHILL: is self-explanatory and means 'hill where fearns grow'.

FISHPOOL: is self-explanatory and refers to 'pools or ponds where fish are found.'

GOLLINROD: the meaning of which is not known.

GREENMOUNT: only came into existence in the 19th century and is self-explanatory meaning 'the grassy hill.'

GRISTLEHURST: this place-name is uncertain. Gristle means sinewy, while Hurst means a hill with a wood or copse.

HAWKSHAW: is 'Hawk's wood.'

HAZELHURST: seems to mean 'hill where hazel trees grow.', or could be 'copse of hazel trees.'

HEYWOOD: is 'the high wood or high wood.'

HOLLINS: is uncertain, but could be 'where holly bushes grow.' or 'holly enclosure.'

HOPWOOD:. seems likely to be 'wood in a valley.' rather than 'wood where hops grow.''

IRWELL: is a river flowing through the district. The name means "the angry river.' or 'wandering river.'

JERICHO: (located between Rochdale and Bury). The place got its Biblical name after a visit by John Wesley in 1778.

LILY HILL: is possibly 'a hill where lilies are grown?'

LIMEFIELD: could be 'the fields or low lying land next to the Lyme (the Lyme forest), but not lime trees!'

MEADOWHEAD: is possibly 'high, grassy cultivated land' or 'the high, grassy land.'

NANGREAVES: this place-name is a personal (local) name, but back in history, the name was also associated with the breeding of goats.

NUTTALL: is 'the bare hill' or perhaps 'piece of land by the river'.

OWLER BARROW: the place-name Barrow is usually a grove, rather than a hill or mound. Owler is maybe a personal name.

OUTWOOD: is probably self-explanatory and means the wood or copse at the outer edge'.

PIMHOLE: is possibly a personal (local) name followerd by hole - a pit or hollow.

PRESTWICK: is likely to be 'Priests wic (farm)", or a 'religious house of priests'.

RADCLIFFE: is almost self-explanatory with the meaning 'the red cliffe'.

RAMSBOTTOM: is probably 'the ram's valley' or could be 'valley where wild garlic grows'.

ROWLANDS: is uncertain, but could be a personal name or 'a row of houses or buildings' on or around some land.

SHUTTLEWORTH: is 'a gated enclosure'.

STUBBINS: this place-name near Edenfield means 'a clearing' or 'an enclosure made of something'.

TOTTINGTON: is 'the farmstead of Totta' or 'Totta's settlement'. It could also be 'look-out hill'.

UNSWORTH: is 'Hund's enclosure'.

WALMERSLEY: is 'Walmer's leah' or 'leah belonging to Walmer.' It could also be 'a lake by a wood.'

WALSHAW: some uncertainty, but probably 'the wood or copse of a Welshman or foreigner".

WHITELOW (Shuttleworth): is a bit uncertain, but probably 'hwit or wita' followerd by 'low - a burial mound.'

WOODGATE HILL: is uncertain, but possibly 'a hill with woodland that is gated' or 'gated and enclosed wood on a hill.'

Sources of Information:-

David Mills, The Place Names of Lancashire, Batsford Ltd., London, 1986.

Adrian Room, Dictionary of Place-Names in The British Isles, Blitz Editions, Enderby, Leicester, 1993.

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