LITCHFIELD
This is a copy of an article published in
The Peak Advertiser, the Peak District's local free newspaper,
on 8th December 2003,
reproduced by kind permission of the author, the late Desmond Holden.
The “What's in a Name” series was a regular
feature in the Advertiser over the period 1993‑2004,
taking a refreshing look at the derivation of some typically
Derbyshire surnames.
Articles are confined to the origins and meanings of surnames,
and do not indicate any particular interest on Desmond's part in
the genealogy, descent, or family history of individuals bearing
the surnames featured.
Editor's Note: Articles are provided for general interest and
background only. They are not intended to provide an exhaustive treatise
for any individual family history - investigations of which may yield
quite different results. Or, in Desmond's own words:
“In the end it must remain with individual bearers of the names to
draw upon family traditions and to seek out such documentary
evidence as is available to decide the matter for themselves.”
WHAT'S IN A NAME …
Are you called LITCHFIELD or LICHFIELD?
There is no disputing that the surname Lichfield is derived
from the city of that name in Staffordshire. The form
Litchfield now prevails in Derbyshire where it is listed as a
'special name', but this variation, although slight, might
just shift the origin of some instances of the name
elsewhere. ie. Hampshire.
Contrary to a widely-held belief, the name does not mean "the
Field of the Dead'. This comes from a misinterpretation of
the unit 'Lich-' with the old English term 'lych' which bore
the meaning "corpse' (still found in 'Lych-gate' at the
entrance to church-yards). It is however recorded that during
the Roman governorship of Maximianus Herculeus, a great
number of Christians were martyred and buried somewhere in
the vicinity and that perhaps knowledge of this event may
have influenced the choice for the first episcopal site (at
Stowe) by St. Chad (669). Another location for the subsequent
cathedral was selected by the Saint's successor but the
present buildings are of a later date.
The name 'Lichfield' incorporates what is understood to be
the only surviving elements of a pre-Roman place-name, which
was 'Leitocaiton'. The first unit (leito) signified 'grey'
(c.f Welsh 'llwyd' - hence 'Lloyd' a name meaning 'the grey-
haired one'). The second unit (caito) described woodland and
survives in Welsh place names as "coed' and Cornish as
"cod'). This particular site, now called Wall, is 3 miles
south on the A5 road: its archeological name is Letocetum.
After the Romans withdrew from Britain (c.430) and, later,
for reasons not perfectly understood, the settlement was
transferred to a site corresponding with that of the present
city. The place-name underwent several modifications but by
the time of the Anglo-Saxons was known as Liccid. At much of
this period it seems also that it was a great time for Anglo-
Saxon colonisation and they expanded into areas where large
sections of the great forests, which then flourished over
much of the country, were being cleared. These open spaces
were called 'Felds' by the Anglo-Saxons and the study of
place-names reveals that numerous recognised cleared sites
retained their old names but had the unit '-field' tagged on:
eg. Chesterfield, Sheffield etc. This development is noted in
the Chronicles of the Venerable Bede (673-735) who refers to
'Licidfelth' and by the time of the Normans it had become
'Lichesfeld'.
There is some uncertainty as to the exact meaning of
'Lichfield'. It seems that the element 'leito-' certainly
meant grey, but carried a sense more of age than colour.
(Note: the term 'Grey Wood' belongs more to cabinet-making
and is applicable only to the sycamore and since that tree
was first introduced in 1551, this meaning does not apply.
It is submitted that the name Lichfield or Litchfield can be
rendered (albeit somewhat periphrastically) as: The area of
land in the old forest which has been cleared and now given
over to arable farming.
The spelling 'Litchfield' as against "Lichfield' illustrates
a development in our language. Expressed very simply and
briefly the letter "-c-' was pronounced in old English
sometimes as 'ch'. So 'Licid' sounded as 'Liched'. This was
to conflict with Norman-French where the same letter sounded
as '-sh-'. English scribes put a '-t-' in front of 'ch' to
preserve the original sound - hence 'Litchfield'. Note: the
sound 'sh' and 'tch' run parallel in words from the same
source as in 'chef' and 'chief'.
The place in Hampshire has no connection and will be
discussed in a future article.
The city was important and well-known far beyond its
immediate vicinity. So its adoption as a surname by migrants
was feasible and made sense to their new neighbours. It may
very well have been that many workers involved in the
Staffordshire coal mines would have made their way over the
border and settled in Derbyshire to work in the mines here.
This may go some way to account for its being listed as
'special' to our county. Perhaps the lowliness of the
occupation precluded many records and in fact these are very
few. The earliest is to a Robert Lychfeld (1450) of Oxford.
That surname is repeated frequently up till 1720 in
connection with the Oxford Press but whether relating to the
same family is uncertain.
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© Desmond Holden
From "The Peak Advertiser", 8th December 2003.
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