-
Question
-
What does the name Foghamshire mean?
-
Question asked on
-
29 July 2002
-
Answer
-
There are various suggestions for this name. The Place-names of Wiltshire says that the name derives from the former name of the Hardenhuish Brook, which in the 13th century was called Fokena or Focane. It has been suggested that this comes from the Old English for a treacherous stream and could indicate one that rose very quickly after rain. J. J. Daniel in the History of Chippenham says that in 1539 it was called the tithing of Vokan of Voghan and that a family called Voghan or Vaughan lived there. Another suggestion is that it derives from fog grass, a name given to tussocks of rough grass in old water meadows. From experience of floods in the first part of the 20th century many people think that the stream explanation is correct. It is also the earliest date for the name. The shire is likely to have been added to indicate an area of land and would not have the original meaning of the Saxon shire.
-
Bibliography
-
The Place-names of Wiltshire by J. E. B. Gover and others. C.U.P. 1939
Chippenham: some notes on its history by Joseph Chamberlain. Chippenham Charter Trustees, 1976.
