Hierarchy
county
barony
civil parish
townland
Hierarchy
county
barony
civil parish
Explanatory note
- English
Although both O’Donovan (16) and the authors of BPP (‘Baile Chlomóg’, p.22) suggest Irish forms in final -óg, the evidence above indicates that the Irish precursor to this anglicised place-name was Baile Chleamac or similar. The specific element is most likely a gaelicised form of the name Clemock (see 2, 5, 6, 9a, 10), itself probably derived from a pet form of Clement, namely Clem, with the hypocoristic suffix -oc(k).
This suffix occurs in quite a number of place-names (of Irish construction as well as English) that contain personal names of Anglo-Norman origin. Examples in Wexford include BALLYEDOCK (#53462), BALLYHADDOCK (#52674), BALLYHUBBOCK (#52325; #53270), BALLYSHONOCK (#52627), BALLYVOODOCK (#52232), JONASTOWN (#54013) (‘Johnocks towne’), REDMONDSTOWN (#54319) (‘Remockstown’), and YOUNGSTOWN (#53733) (‘Jonackstown’). Examples elsewhere include Attidavock (GY); Ballyhomuck (TY); Ballyhobuck, Ballyhomuck, Jamestown (‘Ballyheamocke’), Filbuckstown (‘Ballypille[b]og’, ‘the vill of Philip Reagh’) (KK); Ballymackredmond (‘Bally mc Remock’) (MO), Ballyhomack (LK) and Carrowhubbock (SO). Its frequent occurrence in place-names containing personal names of Anglo-Norman provenance strongly suggests that the suffix was productive within this ethnic group; it does not seem to have spread to names of native Irish origin.
The suffix cannot be derived from the OE diminutive -uc, -oc, which was no longer productive by the time of the Norman invasion of England (there is no evidence of any Norman name + English -oc in England; cf. Reaney, 1970 p.xxxiv). Peter McClure of the University of Hull makes the following suggestion:
...[the suffix] must therefore be Continental Germanic -oc, presumably introduced to the Anglo-Norman community in the Pale by Flemings and other speakers of Middle Dutch. Cf. Hanok as a pet form of Jehan (John) in Jehanne Hanoke, about 1300 (Pas-de-Calais) in Bougard and Gysseling, L’Impot royal en Artois, 1295–1302, p. 219; Willoc as a pet form of William in ‘domum...Willoci’, 1270 (Courtrai, Kortrijk) in Debrabandere, Kortrijkse naamkunde 1200–1300, p. 195. [pers. comm.]
This suffix is hereafter referred to as the ‘Anglo-Norman hypocoristic suffix -ock’ (in the . It appears in gaelicised names as both -ag and -ac, e.g. ‘mc Hubag’ (LMnG 832.11) and ‘m. Tomac’ (LMnG 827.7), and should not be confused with the Irish suffix -óg. For the sake of etymological clarity, it is considered preferable here to use the form with a final -ac in Irish forms, unless there is overriding evidence for -ag. Hence Baile Chleamac in final /k/ is the suggested Irish form of Ballyclemock here.
[Excerpt from Logainmneacha na hÉireann IV: Townland Names of County Wexford, 2016]
Centrepoint
Historical references
1549 |
Ballyklymoke
|
F Alt: 360
|
1550 |
Remockstown
|
F Alt: 669
|
1552 |
Ballyclymocke
|
F Alt: 1061
|
1602 |
Ballyeclymack, Ballyeclymuck
|
F Alt: 6727
|
1615 |
Balliclomocke (Murtagh McArt)
Adameston Parish ... 98.
|
|
1621 |
Clamoyestowne
|
Inq. Lag. Alt: 30 J I
|
1622 |
Ballyclomackbegg
|
CPR Leathanach: 560
|
1623 |
Climockston
|
CPR Leathanach: 580
|
1624 |
Ballyclernock
|
CPR Leathanach: 571
|
1626 |
Ballyclomacbegge, Balleclinnockbege
|
Inq. Lag. Alt: 14 C I
|
1638 |
Ballyclemocke al' Clemockstowne, Clemocktowne al' Ballyclemocke
|
Inq. Lag. Alt: 125 C I
|
1654 |
Ballyclomock, Ballyclomack
|
CS (LG) Leathanach: 94
|
1655 |
Ballyclemock
|
|
1840 |
Baile Chlemóg 'Clemock's town'
|
|
1840 |
Ballyclemuck
|
|
1840 |
Ballyclomack
|
|
1840 |
Ballyclommuck
|
|
1840 |
Ballyclummuck
|
Please note: Some of the documentation from the archives of the Placenames Branch is available here. It indicates the range of research contributions undertaken by the Branch on this placename over the years. It may not constitute a complete record, and evidence may not be sequenced on the basis of validity. It is on this basis that this material is made available to the public.
Archival and research material provided on this site may be used, subject to acknowledgement. Issues regarding republication or other permissions or copyright should be addressed to logainm@dcu.ie.
Permanent link
https://www.logainm.ie/53511.aspxFurther information about this place
Open data
Application programming interface (API)
Linked Logainm
Formats: RDF | RDF N3 | RDF JSON | RDF XML