Contents
Location
Not yet identified
References to Short Reading
There are transactions in the following courts relating to Short Reading:
Meaning of the name
Reading
Reading derives from the Old English (via Middle English):
- rydding / reding = land cleared from woodland readied or cleared for cultivation.
This process was called assarting which was widespread in medieval England, especially in marginal or previously wooded areas. The name of this field is likely to be ancient.
Note:
The Berkshire town called Reading has a different background based on “ingas” meaning “people of”.
Short
This identified that the area cleared in the woodland was relatively small. The cleared areas would often be of an irregular shape.
Short Reading
The combination of the two words in this field name can be summarised as:
A relatively small or narrow piece of land, originally cleared out of woodland (probably as an individual or piecemeal assart), and distinguished from other similar clearings nearby.
Credit
With thanks to ChatGPT and Wikipedia for the information included in this section.
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| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 25/3/26 | Published |
Deopham History 