Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Windesore 1086 DB 1268 Pat

• Windesora 13 Forde 15

• Windesor' 1202 ChancR 1212 Fees 1241 Forde 15 Cl 1271

• Windeshor' 1241 Forde 15

• Wyndesor(e) 1244 Ass 1264 Ch 1519 CarP

• Magna Wyndesor('), Magne Wyndesor(') 1249 FF 1271(15),15 Forde

• Brodewyndesor(e) 1285 ChancW 1311 FF 1502 Pat

• Brode Wyndesore 1326 CarP 1545 Pole

• Brodewindesore 1331 Pat

• Brodwyndesore 1345,1434 ib

• Windesores 1167–8 RBE 1293 Misc

• Wynd(e)sores 1210–12 RBE 1327 Forde 15

• Brodewindesores, Brodewyndesores 1293 Misc, Pitt

• Windlesores 1200 Cur 1202 P

• Windlesor' 1202,1203 P 1241 Forde 15 Fees 1250

• Windleshor(e) 1219 1244 Ass 1251–2 Fees

• Wyndeleshore e13 Pole

• Wynd(e)l(e)sor(e) 1244 Ass 1265 Misc 1280,1288 Ass 1291 Tax

• Windelesor' 1244 Ass

• Wyndlesora 1264 Ch

• Brodwyndelesore 1337 Pat

• Brode Wyndelsore 1431 FA

• Windelesouer, Wyndelesouer, Wyndelesover 1244 Ass 1244 Fees

• Windesouer, Windessouers 1244 Ass

• Windessovers 1244 Fees

• Wyndesouer(e) 1244,1268 Ass

• Wyndesoueres 1268 ib

• Windes' 1247 Cl 1250 Fees 1275 RH 1280 Ass

• Windesl' 1250 Fees

• Wineshor' 1251–2 Fees

• Wydesouere (sic) 1288 Ass

• Brodewyndsore 1327 Forde 15 Pole 1463 CarP 1534

• Wyndsore 1519 ib

• Brodwyndsore 1519,1530,1544 Pole

• Broadwindsor 1520 ib

• Brode Wynedessore 1340 NI

• Brodewynsor(e) 1350 Pat 1377 Cl 1530,1557 Pole

• Brodewynsour 1581 ib

• Brodewinsor 1613 ib

• Broodwinsoure 1557 ADVI

• Broadwinsor 1614 Pole 1785 et freq

Etymology

'Bank or slope with a windlass', from OE  windels and ōra (some 13th-cent. spellings showing alternation with ofer or ōfer which have similar meanings). It might be noted that spellings with medial -l - from windels are not found later than 1431. The affixes (Lat  magna and OE  brād both meaning 'large, great') distinguish this manor from its smaller neighbour Littlewindsor q. v. infra in this par.

The reference is probably to some device for helping carts up the steep banks of the small stream here where the E-W road from Beaminster crosses the stream (a feeder of R. Axe) below Clanden Hill infra and then proceeds up towards the village. The OE  term windels -ōra is recurrent in p.ns., being found in Windsor Brk, Wa, and Winsor D, Ha besides the present name and has been much discussed (notably and most recently by Gelling PNsLandscape 181–2 and LandscapePNs 208).