The Roman Map of Britain Iacc[i]odurum? or Lactodurum? Towcester, Northamptonshire
Iacio Dulma
(R&C 95) next
Lactodoro (AI 4706
Iter II)
Lactodoro (AI 47611
Iter vi)
I suspect we have a river-name based on Brit *iekti-,
W iaith 'language' as the first element. Recognized examples of *Iectona
'talking one' are the Welsh Afon Ieithon/River Ithon (Radnor)
Ieithion Black Book of Carmarthen, the Scottish River Ythan (Aberdeenshire)
aqua de Ethoyn 1373, and the
Oxfordshire Ray earlier recorded as Geht ca.848
(see ERN Ight p209). *Iecto- would represent the British
name of the River Tove.
The Tove rises near Sulgrave SP5545 Sulgrave 1086
OE sulh-grâf 'gully-grove', but compare Sulloniacis
on the Silk. Nearby is Eydon SP5450
Egedone 1086
'Æga's hill'. Eydon is part of a different catchment. Adstone SP5951 is within
the Tove catchment. It is recorded as A- Etenestone 1086, Attelestuna
-ton 1154x89-1356, Atteneston 12th-1330.
The second element is duro, with the apparent meaning
of ' low-lying fortified site'. The -lm- of the Cosmography's-dulma
is the result of a superscript r which split into - l ~-,
yielding -lm- when expanded.
Towcester SP6948 Roman Town
Next Towcester is Heathencote SP7147 Heymindecot 1220, Hekemundecot, Hemundescot 1236, Heghmundecotes 1307; considered 'Hêahmund's cot(s)' by Ekwall. Most of the forms look like OE êa(ge)môt 'river meeting', as in Eamont. Oddly, the modern Heathen- more resembles Ieithon/Ithon than the earlier forms. I am told that the name is pronounced 'Heavencote'.
Another possibility for the first element as a river-name is Brit *iêkko-, OIr hîcc 'healing', W iach 'healthy', Corn yagh, Bret iac'h.
I was asked from where the H of Heathencote came, and I couldn't answer. But later I came upon the name Hensall N Yorks SE5923, which CDEPN has as Edeshale 1086, Hethensale 12th, Hethens- 13th-1379, Heuens- 13th, 1364, le Henssall 1406, Hensall from 1444. Here an H is developed, and remarkably the form Heuens-, a dialectic substitution of [v] for [ð].
I'm afraid that trying to find a remnant of *iecto- has been ultimately unproductive. Unless this area remained as a pocket of British speakers later than what would be expected the sound change of -ct- to -th- would be impossible. I still prefer the form *Iecto- to Lacto-, and note that the entry preceding it is recorded as Lectoceto (for Letoceto) - ample opportunity for cross-contamination. The river-name in question is not necessarily that of the Tove. Silverstone Brook would serve well as the locative river.
Taking another look at Brit *iekko-,
Matosovic has it as Proto-Celtic *îkkâ-, *iakkâ- 'cure,
treatment, salvation'. The early name would be the same as that postulated for
Itchen (see CDEPN p 334). The Cosmography's entry for the river Itchen is
Axium for Iaxium/Iaccium.
If Iacc- was by then Iac-,
it would be very similar to OE Hêah-
(OE h = c).
That -mund represents OE -môt 'meeting' is uncertain, but
Silverstone Brook joins the Tove at Heathencote. Another remaining question
regarding the form Iacio-, does it represent Iacco- or a scribally
simplified Iaccio- as indicated by [I]Axium? Lactodoro
would suggest Iacco-.