Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Bebingmynster 862 BCS535(S1782) 14

• Beiminstre 1086 DB

• Beiministre m13 Salis

• Beymin(i)stre, Beymenistre Valentin, Beymenistre Rogeri c.1226 Sarum

• Beymin(i)str(e) 1280 Ass 1306 FF 1358 Cl

• Beyminister, Beymistr', Beymunster 1291 Tax

• Beymy(n)stre 1316 FA 1343 Brid 1351 ADI 1375 Fine 1383 Pat

• Beymunstr' 1332 SR

• Beymenstr' 1340 NI

• Baymynstre 1376 Pat

• Begminister 1091 Osm

• Bega Monasterium

• Beministr(e) 1226 Osm 1244,1268,1280 Ass 1284 Ch 1372 Pat

• Bemen(i)str(e) 1228 FF 1268 Ass 1285 FA 1298 Ipm

• Bemyn(i)str(e) 1244 Ass 1306 Pat 1409 et freq

• Bemynystre 1288 Ass

• Bemenstre 1329etfreqto1374 Pat

• Bemenystr' 1336 Weld2

• Bemynster 1350 Pat

• Beminster 1351 1621 Strode 17

• Bimunstr' 1288 Ass

• Bymyn(i)stre 1317 Pat 1337 Cl

• Bemistre, Bemystre 1307 Brid 1428 FA

• Bemyster' 1510 Ct

• Bemmister 1647 SC

• Beaumynstre 1347 Pat

• Beaumenstre 1394 ib

• Beuminstre, Beaminstre 1331 ib

• Bumynstre 1351 Cl

• Beaminster 1548 DCMDeed

• Beamister 1632 DCMCt 1683 DCMDeed

• Beminster or Beminster-Forum 1774 Hutch1 1863 Hutch3

Etymology

'Bēage's church', from the OE  fem, pers.n. Bēage (Redin 113) and mynster 'a large church', a derivation consistent with all the spellings from DB onwards. However the earliest spelling from a 14th-cent. copy of a list of benefactions to Gloucester Abbey purporting to date from 862, shows the presence of a different fem. pers.n. in a formation with medial connective -ing-, 'church called after, or associated with, a woman named Bebbe'. One name may simply have replaced the other, but it is of course possible that Bebing - is an error for Beging -. In any case the reference is no doubt to the lady (or ladies) who originally founded or endowed the church which gave name to the settlement, cf. Yetminster par. supra .

Estates here were long associated with prebends in Salisbury cathedral: Bemynster Prima 1350, Beaumenstre Prima 1394 Patet freq , Bemynstre Secunda 1391 Pat, Beaminster Secunda (to )1548 DCMDeed, etc., v. Hutch3 2105, 140–1. The early 13th-cent. forms Beymenistre Valentin and Beymenistre Rogeri are related to these prebends: according to Sarum p. 207 n. 5 'Valentine , who went with bishop R Poore to Durham, held the prebend of Beaminster Secunda in 1226'.

For other early forms of this name, and for the late affix ~ Forum , v. the hundred name supra .