uppe Hill in its various forms – uppe Hille, uppe Hyll – is recorded as a form of Hillman in Devon family trees, but undoubtedly also gave rise to the surname Uphill. It is also used together with atte Hill and later as Hillman in the same family tree on more than one occasion (see the atte Hill above).
The Surname Database[1] suggests that the name Uphill, if locational, may derive from the place Opopille, named in the Domesday Book (1086), near Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, later called Uppehill in the 1176 county Pipe Rolls, and today simply Uphill on the river Axe. Old English links the words uppan and pyll to denote a place on the pill – tidal creek or stream, the place being on the lower river Axe. Similarly, if topographical in origin, the OE words uppan and hyll, the name simply derives from a person living “upon the hill”.
The distribution of the few examples of this form suggest (Figure 1) localised distribution in the West country counties, with a lone example in the east in Kent. It would seem likely that “up the hill” is little different from “at the hill” as a locational identification method.
Examples include:
(Mostly from the Surname Database).
1199 Roger de Uphull was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Cornwall, during Richard I’s reign.
1255 Henry Uppenhull was recorded in Wiltshire.
1268 John Uphulle was recorded in Somerset.
1290 Walter Uppehill is recorded in the Plymouth and Devon area[2].
1308 Richard de la Reve Uppehille, together with Richard Uppehille and Walter Payn Uppehille, of Kenton, Exminster Hundred, Devon are all named in a cattle trespass case, 4th April at Windsor (1 Edward II).
1319 Richard Uppehille was a witness in Devon[3].
1320 William Uppehelle was recorded in Kent.
1382 Alice Uppehill was leased land at Kyngysbrygge, Devon by Ales Batyn[4].
1374 Isota Stephyn alias Uppehill and her son John Grepe were confirmed with respect to land at Deneton, Downthomas, Harston, Stottescomb in Devon[5].
Arnulph Hillman alias Uppe Hill is named in David Hillman’s (Oxfordshire) family tree[6]. He also records Richard Hillman alias Atte Hill, the son of William Hillman alias Uppe Hill in his family tree.
Later records from the Surname Database source indicate the probable evolution to Uphill in some cases:
- 1561 Greg Uphill married Agnes Corpe at North Cadbury, Somerset.
- 1612 Anthony Uphill married Philadelphia Hynde in London.
Sources:
[1] http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=Uphill
[2] National Archives. NA 107/4
[3] National Archives. NA 123M/TB399
[4] National Archives. NA 23M/TB97 court roll
[5] National Archives. NA 457/4
[6] David Hillman family tree – Genealogy.com; Ancestry.com