Mottisfont
county:
coords:
Hampshire
SU3226
otherwise: Motesfont, 1167; Motesfonte; Motesfunt, 1170
MOTTISFONT, village and priory
Most likely hypothetical Old English '(ge)motes funta' either 'spring near the confluence' (of the Test and Dun), or 'spring of the moot'. No evidence has been produced to support Ekwall and Gover's conjecture in favour of the second; the meeting place of the hundred (Thorngate; 1086 'Brocton' (Broughton)) is not known, so little can be built on this. 'Funta' is nowadays (Gelling 1978: 83-6, Cole 1985) taken to denote a spring bearing marks of Roman activity. The spring alluded to by the place name is no doubt the one on the lawn of Mottisfont Priory, described as 'full of water as clear as crystal, ever flowing and yielding perhaps 2 million gallons of water daily' situated at the junction of the Chalk and the Reading Beds. A further spring in the parish is 'Spearywell' (1540 'Spyrewell'='spring where thatchers' canary grass grows', ie: Phalaris arundinacea; cf Cope 1883: 87).
The Domesday Book spellings 'Mortelhunte, Mortesfunde' appear corrupt. But a hypothetical man's name 'Mort' has been inferred from 'Mosterton' (Dorset) and 'Morta' is on record.
Shown on an old map by Harrison 1788
- settlement, village - Thorngate Hundred - Hampshire
Period - 1780s
Shown on an old map by Morden 1695
- settlement, village - Thorngate Hundred - Hampshire
Period - 1690s-1720s
Shown on an old map by Blaeu 1645
- settlement, village - Thornegate Hundred - Hantshire
Shown on an old map by Speed 1611
- settlement, village - Thornegate Hundred - Hantshire
Shown on an old map by Norden 1607
- settlement, village - Thornegate Hundred - Hamshire
Period - 1590s-1600s
Shown on an old map by Keer 1620
- Southampton
Shown on an old map by Saxton 1575
- settlement, village - Southamtoniae
Listed in Domesday Book
- Broctone Hundred - Hantescire
Period - 11th century
Q~D TENET ARCHIEP~S THOMAS ... Thomas Archiep~s ten. in M~ De MORTESFVNDE una~ aeccl~am et vi capellas cu~ om~i esuetudine uiuo. et mortuo. ... Antecesser ei similit tenuit de rege E ...
Listed in Domesday Book
- Brocton Hundred - Hantescire
Period - 11th century
TERRA TAINORV~ REGIS ... EDDVLF ten. de rege in alod~ una masura~ in MORTELHVNTE . Pat. ei tenuit ...
Listed in Domesday Book
- Brocton Hundred - Hantscire
Period - 11th century
