Named in 1879. Believed to be after William Belchier (sic) (1715-1772) who inherited the estate of Walter Cock including 75 acres at Peckham Rye. Mr Belchier was a banker in Southwark and MP for Southwark from 1747 until bankruptcy in late 1760 meant he could not stand in the 1761 election. An alternative theory is that a Mrs Belchior owned the land at the time of development.
