Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Bertemeleu 1086 DB

• Bertamelegh H3 AddCh

• Bertameleg' E2 ib

• Bertumleg' e13 Vern 1516 Plea

• Berthumlegh 1288 Court

• Bertumeley 1419 Plea

• Birchinley 13 Dieul

• Birchinl(egh) 1289 Court

• Bircheley 13 Dieul

• Birchel' 1289 Court

• Berthon(eleg') l13 Chol 1287 Court

• Bertonelegh 1289 ib

• Bertunnleg' 1291–1301 AddCh

• Bertonleye 1305 ib

• Bertonlegh 1353 1394 Chol

• Bertonile 1307 Pap

• Bertunlegh 1332 Cl 1362 AddCh 1498 Sheaf

• Bertonnlegh 1351 Eyre

• Bertenlegh 1374 BW

• Bertoveleye 1282 Court

• Bertovile 1308 Pap

• Bartumilegh 1287 Court

• Bartumlegh 1338 Cre

• Bartumley 1507 AD 1653 Sheaf

• Barthumley 1592 AddCh

• Birthumlegh 1288,1289 Court

• Byrthumlegh 1345 ChRR

• Birthimleg' 1289 Court

• Bertomlegh 1290 Ipm 1295 ChF 1528 Dow

• Bertomelegh 1296 Plea

• Bertomel(eg)' 1302,1305 Vern

• Bertomeley 1415 Orm2

• Bertmil' 1291 Tax

• Bertymleg' 1297 Cre

• Beritunleg' c.1300 Chol

• Barptonile 1307 Pap

• Birthomleye 1308 Plea

• Birthomele' E2 AddCh

• Bartomelegh 1325 Orm2

• Bartomely 1635 Sheaf

• Bartomlegh 1337 ChRR

• Bartomley 1541 1724 NotCestr

• Burtumlegh 1459 ChRR

• Bartonley 1534 Cre

• Bartenle 1545 Sheaf

• Barthomley 1549 Pat

• Barthomeley 1588 Cre

Etymology

This is a difficult place-name. It is probably OE  *Bert -hǣma -lēah 'wood of the dwellers at a bere-tūn', from lēah and a compound of hǣme with a lost p.n. Berton (bere-tūn), as suggested by WRY 1 248, where the analogy with Mortomley YW and Marchamley Sa is discussed. A similar process is found in Marchington St, æt Mærcham 951, Merchametone DB, and in Walkhampton D 243. Some spellings for Marchamley contain -s -, supposing a gen.sg., whereas hǣme is plural, which would support Ekwall's proposal that the first el. of that p.n. is a pers.n. But the early forms now available for Barthomley make the pers.n. basis proposed in DEPN unlikely. As with Mortomley, there is a good deal of scribal confusion in the forms of Barthomley. The spelling -c (h )- for -t (h )- leads to a form which looks like a distinct place-name in bircen 1 and lēah , especially in the alternation of Birchinley > Bircheley and Birthimleg , Birthom -, etc. Bertove - is probably due to -v - for -u - for -n -; Bertovile is probably for -omle , Bertmil for Bertunl ' or -iml ' ; Barptonile may be for Barþtomle . The name also appears in Bartomley 1168, but there is no evidence to show whether that is a derivative or a parallel instance; cf. also Millhill 1308.