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HULLAND

A new politico-regional expression has recently entered the scene: "Euroland". Among other things it illustrates the many meanings which can be attached to "land", but when it occurs in a place-name it is not always possible to determine why exactly it was applied in the first place. However in the case of "Hulland" (a place about one-third of the way between Ashbourne and Belper) it is confidently interpreted as "where the soil has been cleared for cultivation". The "soil" in this case was the moorland in the vicinity, from which gorse, furze etc. would have been uprooted to leave workable ground.

It is striking that Hulland is not the only place where this activity took place. Many sites bear names which indicate they have been reclaimed. Most interesting is "Swarland" in Northumberland (6 miles south of Alnwick) which signifies "the site cleared of heavy soil" and no doubt that led to the setting-up of a new habitation which is evidenced in another local name, "Newton-on-the-Moor". No doubt local historians would be able to cite corresponding instances to demonstrate the evolution of Hulland in a similar way.

The first unit of the name, ("Hul-") is derived from the Old English word for "Heel" (i.e. hela). It occurs in numerous place-names, frequently as "hough". It seems that our ancestors saw a fanciful resemblance between an outstanding spur of land and the human heel and conferred that name widely. The guide books describe Hulland as standing at the end of a fine ridge of high land and that it has a magnificent outlook over hills and moors. The Ordnance Survey shows a spot-height of 709 feet and, to quote from that guide book "from the top of the sturdy embattled tower of the church, we can sometimes see the Wrekin, in Shropshire, 40 miles away". The emphasis on elevation is rather important because the unit "Hul-" (or its variations) although repeated all over the country, is modified according to the general geography of the surrounding region. In low-lying areas, even a spur of 150 feet is noteworthy, as at "Hoo" in Suffolk (about 11 miles N.E. Ipswich). Whereas, in Northumberland, a similar spur has to attain at least 800 feet to be worthy of being distinguished as at Shaftoe, 9 miles S.W. Morpeth. In the case of Hulland, most of it lies within the 500 foot contour, so points significantly above that level would be noted.

While it is almost certain that local bearers of the surname "Hulland" can claim to have originated in this settlement, it should be remembered that there are altogether 8 places of a similar spelling elsewhere and they have tended to interchange. An obvious contender is "Hoyland" (West Riding, S. Barnsley) because the Derbyshire place was spelled that way in 1452 and actually appears as such on Ogilby's celebrated map which was issued in 1675. Apart from several places in Lancashire similarly named, that area in Lincolnshire (Holland) could most certainly have influenced the surname. In the Domesday Survey (1086) the Lincolnshire place is actually called "Holland" and this may be compared with the Derbyshire entry which is "Hoilant".

It is willingly conceded that all these similarities, while interesting, can throw little light on the origins of families not positively identified with our own "Hulland", and that the prevailing form of the surname (Hulland) is neither recorded before 1489 and that no location is indicated! Otherwise there is a reference to a person identified as "Huland" in Wiltshire (1545) and later to a certain Richard Hewland in Lincolnshire (1546). In the modern directories the only variations seem to be "Hulands" (1 entry) and "Hulance".

Taking all in all it would seem that people bearing the name can interpret it as being descendants of an ancestor who lived in a settlement on a ridge in the midst of moorland which had been cleared for more profitable uses. But: how many of them can confidently point to the site in Derbyshire must be left to individual research. The name is certainly cited as being special to Derbyshire and there are about 35 listed in the local directory.

A careful search through the Standard Biographies reveals that no personalities called "Hulland" or any of its variations, are mentioned. In fact Hulland itself seems to have been one of those fortunate places which have enjoyed a fairly quiet existence. The only incident mentioned in the guide books is that its original Manor House was demolished during the Cromwellian Wars.

© Desmond Holden
From "The Peak Advertiser", 22nd January 2001.

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