Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Wittanham c.865 BCS504 c.1200

• Withennam c.865 c.1240 ib

• Wittanhamme c.895 c.1200 ib

• Witeham 1086 DB

• Wit(h)eham 1173 P

• With(e)ham, Witteham, Witham 1174 ib

• Witteham comitis Giffardi 1177 ib

• Witheham 1181 ib

• Wit(t)eham a.1183 NLC

• Witteham 1202 HunterFines 1224–5 Ass

• Wichtheham 1203 NLC

• West Witteham, Est Witteham 1220 Fees

• West Witteham 1242–3 ib

• Withenham 1152–8 NLC

• Witenham 1169 P

• Wittenham c.1180 Oxoniensiav 1203 HunterFines

• Wytenham 1185–7 NLC

• Westwytenham 1275–6 RH 1283–4 QW

• Wyttenham, Wytteham Abbatis 1284 Ass

• West Wittenham Earls 1301 Ipm

• Wyttenham comitis 1327 SR

• Estwittenham 1338,1343 Pat

• West Wittenham 1344 ib

• Wyttenham Abbatis 1396–7 ObAcc

• Estwittenham, Westwyttenham 1411 Fine

• Wittnam Comitis 1517 DInc

• Whittenham Comitis, Wittenham Abbatis 1535 VE

• Longe Witnam al Witnam Counts 1548–9 RentSur

• Longwitnam 1554 ib

• Witreham 1155 NLC

• Widenham 1180–99 ReadingA

• Witham 1188 P c.1203,1221 NLC 1235–6 Fees

• Wytham Comitis 1283–4 QW

• West Wytham comitis 1285 FF

• Wintenham 1199 Cur

• Wynttenham 1384–5 ObAcc

• Wyteham, Whyteham 1241 Ass

Etymology

'Witta's hamm'. The places are at the base of a loop in the Thames. Little Wittenham is called -Abbatis because it belonged to Abingdon Abbey. Long Wittenham is called -comitis Giffard later -Comitis , -Earls , or -Counts because it belonged to the Giffards in the 11th and 12th cent., later passing successively to the Earls of Pembroke and the Earls of Gloucester (VCH iv, 385). The two places were sometimes distinguished as 'east' (Little Wittenham) and 'west' (Long Wittenham). Long Wittenham had acquired its present prefix in the mid-16th cent. Little Wittenham has not been noted earlier than 1830 OS.

The boundary of Wittenham is called wittan mære in BCS 565 (v. Pt 3), 'Witta's boundary'. The pers.n. occurs again in a f.n. in Sutton Courtenay, 425.