How did that get named?

[Vagabond]

So what was it called by the yokels who had never seen a peacock?

 

As Chesters implies, we country yokels have for many many generations not only recognised peacocks, but whenever the Lord of the Manor was away fighting the French, and capturing their gold, womenfolk and peacocks, we were catching, roasting and eating the peacocks he left behind .

 

Peacocks must have been known to the Britons, who were driven west into Wales. The Welsh word for peacock is paun or peunod. Those sound like original Welsh words, not words that have been borrowed from English - so peacocks have been known here for yonks.

 

The corresponding word in Gaelic is Coileach-peucag the latter half of the name seems to have similar roots to the Welsh (and the first half also occurs in a related bird, the capercoillie or capercaille)