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Martley Names' Origin?

MARTLEY – Worcestershire
Merlie Domesday Book (Worcs) 1086 AD
Maertleages ecge (c1030 AD – Martley’s Edge—Forster)
Merlega Pipe Rolls—1155 AD
Mertlega Pipe Rolls—1178 AD

Martley is a border parish, part of which lies on the western edge of Worcestershire County and Diocese. Bordered by the River Teme, the southwest part of the parish shares a river boundary with Herefordshire County and Diocese. The Old English (Anglo-Saxon) word for a boundary was (ge) maere which led to many variations e.g. mar, marl, mary, merry (Hill), mer, maes, mere, mark as in Maesbrook, Mersey, Marcle, Marches, Mercia (ns) etc.
Other Saxon boundary words include hor and hors, har and hars, wor (s) and war (s) as in Warstones etc and holly is also used in farms and pubs as holly trees ere good waymarks in the snow with their evergreen foliage and red berries e.g. Hollybush Farm, Sapey Bridge.
These words refer to places where their parish bounds or property extends to the boundary as in Horsham Farm—1271 AD—the homestead out on the bounds.
Leagh or lea was a clearing or glade in the forest either natural or man made in which case the owner claimed it with his name e.g. Wulferd’s Lea
I think Martley was more likely named after its situation rather than the out of date ‘weasel’s clearing’ (martens) quoted in 1927. In Saxon times they had no maps and so had to read the landscape, and names were often taken from landscape features or locations, so the derivation from marten is ridiculous. Martley was a royal manor in Domesday Book belonging to the King.

Berrow Hill atte Berrow 1275 (beorg = hill, so Berrow Hill means Hill Hill)
Hipsmoor Farm c700 AD
Hollings Farm 1327, holly
Hopehouse Farm 1275, hope, valley
Horsham 1271, ‘out in the sticks’

V Johanssen

(editor’s note—Mrs Johanssen is English, married to a Norwegian!)
(Received 12th February2004, typed by John Nicklin)