Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Bruneshurst H3 AddCh 1275,1296,1299 Cl 1341 Eyre

• Bruneshurste 1299 Cl

• Brunneshurste 1295 Ipm

• Brouneshurste 1274,1299 1316 Plea

• Broneshurste 1276 Ipm 1316 Plea

• Brounhurst 1304 Chamb

• Bromshurst 1260 Court

• Bromeshurst 1308 Ipm

Etymology

'Brūn's wooded hill', from the OE  pers.n. Brūn and hyrst. This was the site of a toll-passage usually held in conjunction with that at Swanbach in Audlem 84infra , and the similarity of the names might suggest Brown's Bank 103infra , in Newhall but not far from Swanbach. However, Bruneshurst might well have been some distance from Swanbach, as the toll-passage of Lawton-Gate 2320, in Church Lawton, was held in conjunction with those of Huggebrugge (cf. Hug Bridge 155) and Nantwich 30supra , v. Hewitt 71. Moreover, Brown's Bank is a name of fairly recent origin, analogous with Bruneshurst , but not identical. Cf. Brownmoss 66infra . The location of Bruneshurst near or in Bridgemere is suggested by their association in H3AddCh 51455 'the house at the clough between Bridgemere and Bruneshurst ', and in 1316 Plea (DKR xxvii iii) where the two surnames appear together, cf. Donnington , under Doddington 61infra .Further, in 1313AddCh 51457 a road Lymestrete is the boundary of a piece of land in Bridgemere. This is 'main road to the Lyme' from strǣt and The Lyme 1 2, cf. Street Fd infra , v. 148 (route XXVII).The road is that from Woore Sa towards Nantwich, cf. Pepperstreet Moss 66infra . Such a road, from the border of the palatine county to a salt-wich, would be a likely place for a toll-passage. Swanbach, the toll-passage complementary to Bruneshurst , would cover the road from Market Drayton Sa to Nantwich, v. 148 (route XXVI).