Honeychild Manor Farm
Honeychild Manor Farm
Nothing to do with honey or children, the name of this place in Kent.
The first syllable is a corruption of Huna, the original owners name, says present resident Stephen Furnival. By 1150, this had become Hune, with the u sound leading to the name eventually becoming Honey.
The second syllable began as Celde, an ancient word of Scandinavian origin, meaning a spring. "There was obviously a well nearby at one time," says Stephen, whos family have had the tenancy of this Trinity College-owned farm since 1965.
So Honeychild meant Hunas spring. The only trouble is the full address – Honeychild Manor Farm, St Mary in the Marsh, Romney Marsh, Kent – is quite a mouthful.
"The one drawback of such an address is that one tends to get writers cramp when continually filling in the plethora of forms which often dont leave enough room," says Stephen.