Village Name

The derivation of the Name Belchamp Walter

Over the time I have lived in the village I have researched the origins of the village name for Belchamp Walter. To the modern ear the name seems French in origin and that is quite a fair assesment concidering that the Norman's have quite an influence in England and in this part of East Anglia in general.

The Belchamp part of the name is likely, as P. H. Reaney says, to have been derived from the Anglo Saxon and not the French. There is certainly a reason to think that the "Bel" is similar to "Beau" as there are historical connections to the de Beauchamp family. Belcampo, would combine the "good" or "beautiful" with the "camp", "land" or "place". The Belc for "lump" or load" or Byle for "ridge" combined with the "ham" is also a fair assumption.

The Walter part of the name is even more interesting as it is more complicated than just the combination of a local possible residents or "owners/managers/overseers" of the area. This is discussed in the history that was found on the Village Hall website and the alternatives of Belchamp William, Water Belchamp and Belchamp Simon are credible names for the region.

The history of the village as originally posted on the Village Hall website, whose author is unknown, makes an interesting comparison to the research performed by this website.

Background

When I started to research the history of the Village of Belchamp Walter I began with the information sheet that was available in the Church.

Around the same time I was given the task of maintining the Village Hall Website. The previous webmaster had posted information about the village but was unaware of who the author of the information that is there. Although it is not known who the author was, I have a general suspicion. The text does quote the Reverand Philip Morant (1700-1770) as a source, and I have found a scan of the document cited.

It also cites P.H. Reaney (1939) but there is no reference to Thomas Wright (1831/36).

Top

The village history from the Village Hall website

Very little has been written about the history of Belchamp Walter, archaeological finds have been made in the church indicating a Roman presence, this is not surprising due to the nearness of Hill Farm , Gestingthorpe, where there is evidence of a significant Roman site. Like many places in England the earliest written history of the village appears in the Doomsday Book

The name of Belchamp according to P.H. Reaney’s Placenames of Essex states that in this instance it is of Anglo-Saxon rather than the more common French origin, possibly derived from a now lost Old English word Bylc,(“a lump or load”) hence it is thought that that Bylc was the name given to the ridge that runs between Belchamp Walter and Belchamp St Paul. It is clear that originally the second element was ham (“a settlement”).
He cites the earliest example as circa 940, which he takes from Birch’s Cartularium Saxonicum, (1885-1893).

This could be the reason that the date of 904 on the Village sign. I have searched Cartularium Saxonicum (the preview available on line) for both 904 and 940. I did not find any reference to Bylc, Belcham or Thunderlow.

More from the Village Hall description:

The Doomsday Book of 1086 uses the form Belcham. The name Walter is supposed to derive from Walter de Tey, a descendant of William de Beuchamp. Belchamp Walter has also been called Great Belchamp to distinguish it from Belchamp Otten (or Little Belchamp). The Rev’d Phillip Morant in his History and Antiquities of the County of Essex, 1768, Vol 2, p 329, states that Belchamp Walter was also “otherwise called Belchamp Simon, and Belchamp William, from its old owners Simon and William de Beuchamp. In a register of The Court Baron dated 1718 it is stated as in “The Manor of Water Belchamp otherwise Belchamp William.” The name Water Belchamp or Belchamp Water appears to have been in common use at this time through to the early 20th century.

The Rev’d Morant goes on to say that “it had belonged, in Edward the Confessor’s reign (1003-1066), to Ulwin…but at the general survey [i.e. Domesday,1086], it was one of the lordships holden by Alberic[alias Aubrey] de Vere, ancestor of the great Earls of Oxford. The church belonged to the de Veres until they gave it to the Priory of Earls Colne; who received the great tithes appropriate to their house, and a Vicarage ordained and endowed, of which they continued patron till their suppression”.

The following is the entry for Belchamp Walter in the Domesday Book:-
Half Hundred of ‘THUNRESLAU (THUNDERLOW)’
BELCAMP[Belchamp (Walter)], which was held by Ulwin’ as a manor and as 2½ hides in King Edward’s time. Is held by A[ubrey] in demesne. Then as now (temper) 4 ploughs (on the demesne), and 7 men’s ploughs belonging to the men.. Then and afterwards 13 villiens; now 15; then and afterwards 9 bordars now 14; then and later 6 serfs, now 8. (There is) wood (land) for 20 swine; 60 acres of meadow, and now 11 arpent (arpenni)s of vineyards, (of which)1 is in bearing (portat). Then 24 beasts (animalia), 160 sheep, 80 swine, (and) 2 rounnceys (runcini); now 28 cattle, 200 sheep, 100 swine, 2 rounceys. To this manor belong now as then (adjacent simper) 7 sokemen with (de) 1½ hides and 15 acres; then as now (simper) 3½ ploughs were there; 4 bordars (are there) now; (there are). 10 ½ acres of meadow..

Philip Morant

The history and antiquities of the County of Essex. Compiled from the best and most ancient historians; from Domesday-book, Inquisitiones post mortem, and other the most valuable records and mss. &c., the whole digested, improved, perfected, and brought down to the present time by Morant, Philip, 1700-1770.

Cartularium Saxonicum

This is availble for purchase from Google Books. You can preveiw pages and search it for content. See also my page on Cartularium Saxonicum.

Apart from the fact that it is mostly written in Latin and has Anglo-Saxon spellings and alphabet, dates such as 904 can be searched for in the text. Nothing was found for 904 (or even 940)

Background to this page

Having seen some of my history pages being found by those making an Internet search I have decided to add a bit more context on how the pages came about.

Facebook Click ID

Since launching this page I notice that it has been accessed by some Facebook users. While this is not a bad thing it did bring to my attention the use of the fbclid parameter in the URL accessing the page.

While this doesn't bother me, in fact it is a way of me metering whether Facebook posts are attracting any visits to this website, it does raise the question of why Facebook are doing this. In addtion, which respect to the name of the village, I am left with not knowing what attracted the visits in the first place. Was it Belchamp Walter or was it a reference to one of the books mentioned on this page. Cartularium Saxonicum, The Rev’d Phillip Morant in his History and Antiquities of the County of Essex or The Place-Names of Essex by P. H. Reaney.

The derivation of the Name Belchamp Walter

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