Where does Eaton's name come from?
In Anglo Saxon ‘EA’ means water. Ton or town means an enclosed settlement or fortified place – hence it would signify a ‘water town’ or a place surrounded or divided by water. This would refer to the River Devon or DERE-AVON i.e. a clear stream which flows through Eaton.
The natural formation of the place points to there having been in former days, a much larger stream and a great deal of water here. The rising ground near the old mill on the road between Eaton and Branston shows that in the earliest times, as far back as the Glacial Period, this part of the country would be mostly under water. This accounts for the peculiar formation of the rocks around here and the quantities of fossils found.
Another derivation of the name Eaton may be from the Anglo Saxon ‘Elf’; an island i.e. a sound piece of land in the middle of a swamp. The name Eaton is general spelled ‘Eyton’ in old books and records.
The name ‘Elveledge’ also appears to refer to Eaton in some older records. This could refer to the Old English name for (personal name) ‘Aelfa’, leah ‘the wood of Aelfa’, or Old English ‘Elf’ leah or ‘wood of the elves’
Early Eaton from the 7th Century
From Norman Fahy's report
1041-1066
In the time of Edward the Confessor two ploughs were employed in the lordship of Elveledge, which was then of the annual value of two shillings. In 11th-century England, the term "ploughland" (often referred to as a 'carucate' in the Danelaw regions of northern and eastern England typically represented about 120 acres of arable land. Specifically, this measurement was defined as the amount of land that could be ploughed in a single season by a team of eight oxen. Note that this is different to an Oxgang or Bovate; about 15 to 20 acres (the amount of land a single ox could plough in a season).
1066 to 1199: After the Norman Conquest
From Rivington and Norman Fehy's
13th and 14th Centuries
Ancient Eaton
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