Ballyalicock

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Suburb of Newtownards, northern County Down, in northern Ireland.

Baile Ealacoc 'Allicock's townland'

The second element of Ballyalicock is a variant of the Anglo-Norman surname Alcock which Reaney (1958, 3) describes as a 'pet-form of some short name [beginning] in Al-, plus the diminutive ending -cock. It is somewhat surprising that O'Donovan's suggested Irish form, i.e. Baile Uí Ealgaigh 'O'Halgy's town' indicates that he thought that the second element was a Gaelic surname. His translation of Ballywatticock (also in this parish) as 'Watticock's town', suggests that he recognized the second element of that name as an English surname, so it is curious that he did not identify the second element of Ballyallicock as such.

References

(info. from Hannan R. J. (1992): Place-Names of Northern Ireland vol. 2 p. 217)

Historical/Postulated Forms

Ballyacgo - Ex. Inq. (Dn), 2 Jac. I, 1603
Bally-Allicocke al Drumchyne al Ballyalgo - Ham. Copy Inq. [1623], xliv, 1623
Ballyallicocke al Drumchynne al Ballyalgo - Ham. Copy Inq. [1623], xxxi, 1623
al Ballyalgo - CPR Chas I, 229, 1627
Bally-Allicocke al Drumchyne al Ballalgo - CPR Chas I, 229, 1627
Bally-Allicocke alias Drumchyne al Ballalgo - CPR Chas I, 229, 1627
( - Drumchin al Ballalgo al Drumnehenny) - Inq. Ult. (Down), $109 Car. I, 1650c
al Drumnehenny - Inq. Ult. (Down), $109 Car. I, 1650c
Ballyalecock al Drumchin al Ballalgo al - Inq. Ult. (Down), $109 Car. I, 1650c
Ballyallecock (followed by - ) - Inq. Ult. (Down), $109 Car. I, 1650c
Balleallecock - BSD, 87, 1661
Ballyallycock al Drumchin al Balaloo al Drumhenry - Montgomery MSS, 267 n 35, 1675
Ballyallicock - Wm. Map (OSNB), E 32, 1810
Ballyallicock - Bnd. Sur. (OSNB), E 32, 1830c
Baile Ui Ealgaigh "O'Halgy's town" - J O'D (OSNB), E 32, 1834c