Barton Road

The name Barton is derived from Barley Tonne, a place where barley was stored and a direct reference to a large barn. A farm was only deemed worthy of including the title of 'Barton' in its name if it was larger than 300 acres. The name persists locally in Barton Shop and Barton Road.

So says Robin Blythe-Lord in his fascinating and informativ History of Hooe Barton Farm, the large barn in question being the Elizabethan threshing are at Hooe, the lone survivor of a medieval farm.

The Oxford English Dictionary gives us several themed definitions of the term 'barton': a threshing-floor; a farm-yard (the regular modern sense); a demesne farm; an enclosure for poultry, a pen.

The word is also used as an English translation for the Latin 'cavedium' the inner court for a Roman house.

There are several other 'barton' place names around Plymouth, including a number of others linked to old farms, such as Barton Close at Chaddlewood.

EH 20 September 1997