The Early Medieval Period

It appears that the origins of the name Fin Cop are from the early medieval (Anglo-Saxon and Viking) period, though it is likely a vestige of an earlier British tradition. It was suggested by Hayman Rooke in his article on the excavation of the bowl barrow that the words fin and cop represented the British words fyn and coppa. Fyn meaning a boundary or termination, and coppa a summit. It has also been suggested (Stetka 2007: 6) that Fin Cop's original name is preserved in the nearby 'Pennyunk Lane' and is Old English for ‘Head of the Heap’ or 'the Higher Head', indicating an importance over and above its physical position.