The Name "Edgefield"

The Name "Edgefield". . The origin of the name "Edgefield" is shrouded in mystery. There are six principle theories as to how the name may have come to be applied to this county and town: , (1) Robert Mills, in his 1826 Statistics of South Carolina, said that the district was so named because it was at the edge of the state. , (2) Others have believed that the name came about because the district line was just beyond the edge of the Revolutionary battlefield of Ninety Six. , (3) There is a tradition that the courthouse site was near the edge of a field where a 1751 battle took place between the Euchee and Mongahelia Indians. , (4) There is also a compelling theory that the courthouse site was at the edge of "Cedarfields," the plantation of Arthur Simkins, who was intimately involved in the creation of the new county. , (5) It is possible that this district was named for Edgefield, England, a small village in Norfolk, the name of which dates back at least as early as the 12th century. , (6) Some local historians believe that it is more likely that the name is derived from the fact that the courthouse site was near the edge of "Rogers' Old Field," where, in 1781, a small band of Patriots routed a much larger company of Tories. As one of the most significant local Revolutionary War victories for the Patriots, this battle may have inspired the name for the new county. , Regardless of its origin, and despite its relative simplicity, the name "Edgefield" is remarkably unique, with only a few other places in the world sharing this name.