Origin of town name

'Lower farm' is one possible translation of 'Netherton' from Old English. The 'Nether' part has kept its meaning ie. 'lower'. The '-ton' ending is derived from the Old English 'tun'and can have a number of meanings, eg: a dwelling house, mansion, yard, farm, village, town, a plot of enclosed land etc. (see for example 'A compendious Anglo-saxon and English Dictionary,J. Bosworth, publ. John Russel Smith, London).