Project Purley

The Local History Society for Purley on Thames

H6053 9/7/17

Places with Similar Names

One of the problems of researching Local History is to sort out place names when either there are other places of the same name or when there are places with names spelt similarly which can get confused when transcribing records. This section lists a number of such places and notes connections and where records have got confused with Purley

Burley, Berks Domesday has three tantalising entries which have caused historians no end of confusion.

(21/21) Reading Hundred
In Burley 1 hide. Leofwin held it from King Edward. He could go wherever he would. He still holds it. Then and now it answered for 1 hide: 1 villager and 1 smallholder with one plough: A fishery at 8d; meadow 2 acres; woodland at 5 pigs. The value was 10s; now 20s.

(65/16) Reading Hundred - Aubrey the Queen's Chamberlain holds 1 hide from the Queen in Burley. Alfward held it from King Edward; he could go wherever he would. Then it answered for 1 hide, now for nothing: Land for 11/2 ploughs. The value was 30s; now 20s

(65/17) Reading Hundred - Harding holds 1 hide in Burley. He held it himself from Queen Edith. Aelfeva held it before 1066; she could go where she would. Then for 1 hide now for nothing. Land for 11/2 ploughs, nothing in lordship; but 3 villagers have 1 plough; woodland at 5 pigs. The value was 20s; now 12s

Burley is obviously close to a river which could only be Thames or Kennet in Reading Hundred, possibly Pang or Tid. There is nowhere other than Purley which seems to fit the descriptions such as they are in Domesday and so there must be a strong presumption that this referred to three other manors of Purley.

Pusey, Berks
With only a slight difference in spelling (s and rl) there has been plenty of opportunity for confusion. In one particular example Richard Houlditch, was recorded as becoming vicar of Chilterne in Wilts in l795 which he held by dispensation in plurality with Purley This version persisted for many years in the Reading Library Archive until it was observed that it referred to Pusey. (ref 20)

West Parley, Dorset
A record in the Register of Ralph Erghum, Bishop of Sarum, daled 1378 refers to P'lee (ref 115). For many years this was indexed as Purley in Berkshire but Pamela Stewart, the Diocesan archivist in 1983 pointed out that this almost certainly referred to West Parley in Dorset (ref 169-2 ). It was an exchange between William Chapman and John de Lutton This is borne out by an earlier move of a William Chapman of Dorset from Northborne in Canterbury Diocese to Bradley in Winchester Diocese in 1367 (ref 323)

Purleigh, Essex
Purleigh in Esscx is usually distinguished by its spelling from Purley in Berkshire. Virtually no other Purleys will be found in ancient documents. Many peoplc are recordcd as of Purley (de Purle) and it is a moot point as to which one they come from.

A major confusion arose in the Papal Register for 1471 when William Halle, rector of Purlcy in the diocese of Salisbury was granted a dispensation. lt is difficult to see how Rome could have made such a mistake unless of course Purley in Berks was well known to them! The reference shoukd have read 'diocese of London' and referred to Purleigh. (refs 322, 458)

Purley, Surrey
In recent years there has been much confusion with Purley in Surrey as they are much better known (and somewhat bigger) than we are. Many people in the village find their mail backstamped 'Croydon' after having been redirected. lt was to avoid this confusion that the Parish Council had the name changed officially to Purley on Thames in 1985.

It would seem however that the Surrey Purley derived its name from the one in Berkshire. To read what seems to have happened go to this article






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