Norwood, that is to say, the North wood.

IN the dayes of King Edward the confes∣sor, one hundreth Burgesses of the Ci∣tie of Canterbury, ought their suite to the Manor of Norwood, as in that part of the booke of Domesday which concer¦neth Kent, may yet moste euidently ap∣peare. The building is nowe demolished, but the Manor was long time in the possession of certaine Gen∣tlemen of the same name, (of whiche race, one lyeth bu∣ried in the body of the church at Adington, in the yeare a thousand foure hundreth and sixetéene. And here∣by it is probablie (as me thinketh) to bee coniectured,* that in auncient time, men were vsually named of the places of their dwelling: For whereas before the com∣ming in of the Conquerour, places (for the most part) had their appellatiōs, either of their situation, or of some notable accidēt, or noble man, as Northwood in regard of Southwood, Anglefford by reason of the flight of the Englishmen, & Rochester because of Rof. And whereas persons also, had their callings (most cōmonly) eyther of some note of the body, as Swanshalse, for the whitenes of her necke: or for some propertie of y^e minde, as Godred, for his good counsel, & that by one single Surname only & no more, now immediately after the arriuall of y^e Nor∣manes (which obteined those lādes, & which first brought into this Realme, y^e names of Thomas, Iohn, Nicholas, Fraunces, Stephā, Henrie & such like, that now be most vsuall) men began to be knowen and surnamed, not of their conditions and properties, but of their dwellings and possessions: So that the Norman that was before Thomas, and had gotten the Towneship of Norton, Page  259 Sutton. Inglefield, or Combe, was thencefoorth called, Thomas of Norton, of Sutton, of Inglefield, of Combe, or such like, al which be vndoubtedly) the names of pla∣ces and not of persons. Neyther did the matter stay here, but in further processe of time, this Thomas of Norton, of Sutton, or of Combe, was called Thomas Norton, Thomas Sutton, or Thomas Combe, leauing out the particle (of) whiche before denoted his dwelling place: And thus (the Norman manner preuailing) the auncient custome of the Saxons and Englishe men va∣nished quite out of vre. This whole thing, is best di∣scerned by auncient euidences, and by the names of our Chesshyre men yet remaining: For, olde writings haue commonly, Ioannes de Norton, Wilmus de Sutton, For such as we call nowe, Iohn Norton, and William Sutton: and amongst the Gentlemen of Chesshyre (euen to this day) one is called (after their maner) Thomas a Bruer∣ton, another Iohn a Holcrost, and suche like, for Tho∣mas Bruerton, Iohn Holcrost. &c. as we here vse it. Thus muche shortly of mine owne fantasie, I thought not vnmeete to impart, by occasion of the name of Nor∣wood, and now forward to my purpose againe.