Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Rosam Grave 1843 TA

• Rosumgrese iuxta Stretemore in territorio de Sutton 1400 AddCh

• Rosmegreue 1330 Plea 1357 BPR

• Rosemgreue 1344,1354 ChRR

• Rosumgreue 1350 Eyre 1358 ChRR 1414 et freq

• Rosumgreve 1415 ib

• Rosomgreue 1357 Eyre

• Rosungreue 1392 Pat

Etymology

Rosam Grave (lost), Rosam Grave 1843TA , Rosumgrese iuxta Stretemore in territorio de Sutton 1400AddCh 51136, perhaps the origin of the Ch surname de Rosinenegreue 1318Chol , Rosmegreue (lit. Rosmegrene ) 1330 Pleaet freq to 1357 BPR, Rosemgreue (lit. Rosemgrene ) 1344, 1354 ChRR, Rosumgreue 1350Eyre , (lit. Rosumgrene ) 1358 ChRRet freq to 1414 ib, Rosumgreve 1415 ib, Rosomgreue 1357Eyre , Rosungreue (lit. Rosungrene ) 1392 Pat. The second el. is grǣfe 'a wood, a thicket, a grove'. The first is uncertain. It might be an older p.n. containing ros , 'a moor, a heath'. However, Professor Löfvenberg states 'In my opinion there can hardly be any doubt that the first el. is OE  hramsa, hromsa 'wild garlic', with metathesis and development of a svarabhakti vowel in ME : hromsa - > rosm (e )- > rosem - or rosum - (cf. Jordan §147 Anm. i). The same development has obviously taken place in the dial. form rosems 'wild garlic' in Yorkshire and Staffordshire (v. EDD s.v. rosems ).' Cf. Stretemore infra .