Wivelshire
Wivelshire is the south-eastern part of Cornwall, from the lower reaches of the River Tamar westwards to Fowey.
This district is divided into two hundreds:
The origin of the name 'Wivel' is unknown, nor even whether it is from Cornish or Old English. Suggestions include an origin in the Cornish wydhyel meaning 'wooded land' (found in the name of Lostwithiel. Alternatively 'Wivel' may be from an Anglo-Saxon personal name 'Wifel'.[1]
The area is presumed to have formed one hundred originally but had already been divided into two before the Norman Conquest. The two hundreds are listed in Domesday under the head manors of Rillaton (East) and Fawton (West).
References
- ↑ Thomas, Charles (1964) "Settlement History in Early Cornwall: I; the antiquity of the hundreds" in: Cornish Archaeology; 3. St Ives: Cornwall Archaeological Society, pp. 70-79)