See article by B. Nurse, Herne Hill Society Magazine, Summer 2016, https://issuu.com/hernehillsociety/docs/herne-hill-mag-135Archived 12 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine. The earliest recorded reference on a map is in James Edwards, A Companion from London to Brighthelmston, in Sussex: Consisting of a Set of Topographical Maps from Actual Surveys. Edwards' Companion was published in complete form in 1801, but the relevant map has the publication date 1 March 1800. The map uses the spelling "Hearn". The descriptive text, which does not mention Herne Hill, refers to the survey being under way in 1789. The name therefore appeared at some point between then and 1800, prompted by the need to find a description for the location of the newly built houses, though it is likely it must have been in use orally long before then. This is consistent with the evidence of the fire insurance policies and a small sketch by Thomas Girtin (1705–1802), inscribed "Herne Hill" and not dated, but attributed to 1796/7 in D. Girtin and D. Loshak , The Art of Thomas Girtin (London, 1974), the sketch appearing to show a small group of buildings on sloping ground with building materials in the foreground (sketch in the Huntington Library, California, object no. 59.55.596).
See article by B. Nurse, Herne Hill Society Magazine, Summer 2016, https://issuu.com/hernehillsociety/docs/herne-hill-mag-135Archived 12 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine. The earliest recorded reference on a map is in James Edwards, A Companion from London to Brighthelmston, in Sussex: Consisting of a Set of Topographical Maps from Actual Surveys. Edwards' Companion was published in complete form in 1801, but the relevant map has the publication date 1 March 1800. The map uses the spelling "Hearn". The descriptive text, which does not mention Herne Hill, refers to the survey being under way in 1789. The name therefore appeared at some point between then and 1800, prompted by the need to find a description for the location of the newly built houses, though it is likely it must have been in use orally long before then. This is consistent with the evidence of the fire insurance policies and a small sketch by Thomas Girtin (1705–1802), inscribed "Herne Hill" and not dated, but attributed to 1796/7 in D. Girtin and D. Loshak , The Art of Thomas Girtin (London, 1974), the sketch appearing to show a small group of buildings on sloping ground with building materials in the foreground (sketch in the Huntington Library, California, object no. 59.55.596).
