Sulloniacis
Attested: Sulloniacis on iter 2 of the Antonine Itinerary
Where: Near Brockley Hill, TQ175940, where Watling Street climbs some hills north of London, near where the modern M1 and A41 roads meet, between Stanmore, Elstree, Bushey, and Edgware. Several streams, notably Deans Brook, drain off high ground there towards the Thames via the Silk Stream.
Name origin: ‘Gully stream heads’. The Sull- part resembles Latin sulcus ‘furrow’ and hence ‘ditch, gully’, cognate with Old English sulh, from PIE *selk- ‘to draw’. The -on- part signifies ‘stream, water source’, as discussed for Onna and many river names ending in vowel-na. The -ac- part signifies ‘point’, like Latin acus ‘needle’, as discussed here. The -is ending is presumably locative plural.
Notes: This name appears to have survived into Silk Stream, and has a parallel in Elconio in the West Country, where names are often closer to Greek. Sheldon (1966) discussed in detail where Sulloniacis might have lain relative to the hills and hillocks along Watling Street. There may have been an extensive straggle of pottery kilns centered around a Roman mutatio rest-stop.
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Last edited 8 January 2024 To main Menu