Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Creneburne 1086 DB

• Creneborna Exon

• Crenebornam 1100–35 Pat 1496

• Craneburna(m) 1154–89 Pat 1496 P 1163

• Craneburn(e) 1187–1210 13 Cecil 1205 ChancR 1226 Cur 1228 Cl 1535–43 Leland

• Craneborn(e) 13 Cecil 1207 FF 1229 1553 Cecil

• Cranebourn(e) 1280 Ass 1283 Cecil 1447 Pat

• Kraneborn 1275–83 Ipm

• Crannborne 13 Cecil 14

• Cranbourn(e) 1252 Pat

• Cramburn(e) 1255 AD 1664 HTax

• Cramburn als. Cranborne 1483 IpmR

• Cranebroke als. Cranbourn 1398 IpmR

Etymology

'Stream frequented by cranes or herons', from cran and burna (in one form replaced by brōc ), with reference to the stream here now called R. Crane (a back-formation from the p.n.). The same name occurs in Brk and Ha. There were two manors in Cranborne, that of Cranborne Borough (1795 Boswell, Craneborne Burgus 1508Cecil , borough of Cramborne 1509 BrEll, Cramborne Borough 1664 HTax, The Manor of Borough 1774 Hutch1, v. Hutch3 3375) and that of Cranborne Priory (1795 Boswell, Craneborne Prioratus 1553Cecil , Cramborne Pryory 1664 HTax, The Manor of Cranborn -Prior or Manor of the Priory 1774 Hutch1, v. Hutch3 3382), the latter so called because it once belonged to Cranborne Priory infra .