Dulwich means the meadow where dill growsA, while Peckham means village by a hill - probably Nunhead Hill. Nunhead is a local name with particularly gruesome origins. At first NoneheadA, Elizabethan England recorded this name after a Mother Superior was beheaded for opposing Henry VIII's pitiless sacking of the monasteries. Her severed head was placed on a pike for public view at Nunhead Green. King John was believed to have killed a stag while hunting in Peckham; hence the King John pub in Peckham High Street. Origin of Place Names in Peckham and Nunhead offers a fascinating and compelling insight into the names of Peckham and Nunhead's most famous streets and places. This is a must have book for anyone with an interest in local history.