Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• to Æfeningum 896 BCS574 1560

• Aueninge, Aveninge, Avenynge 1086 DB 1199,1241,1368 FF 1433 Pat 1463 Rent 1587 FF

• Auenyge 1327 SR

• Avenyngge 1328 Banco

• Havelinges 1103–12 France

• Auelinges, Avelinges 12 Tewk70d,76 1154–88,Hy2,1170 France

• Avelingis 12 Ch 1300 Pat 12 1496

• Avelingnes 1246 Ch

• Aueninges, Aveninges 1165–77 France 1192 P 1297 Cl

• Avenigges 1287 QW

• Auenynges 1325 MinAcct

• Aveling(e) 1192 France 1358 Ch

• Eueninges 1221 Ass, Eyre

• Eueninge 1221 Ass, FF

• Deuening 1221 Eyre

• Eueringes 1221 Ass

• Avening, Avenyng 1291 Tax 1305 Pat 1700 PR

• Auning 1697 PR

Etymology

In all probability Avening is an OE folk-name in -ingas (dat.plur. -ingum ) denoting 'people who dwelt on the R. Avon '; Ekwall (RN 22) suggests that the nameless stream which runs through the village might formerly have been called Avon (OE  Afon from Brit  *abonā 'river'); it was simply referred to as riuulum 'stream' in 1443MinAcct . There are three Avons in Gl (cf. R. Avon 2–3supra ) and the nearest of these is the Little Avon which rises in Newington Bagpath 5 miles south-west in another valley. The name Avening could refer to folk who had moved to Avening from one of the known Avons. Old Wennington (La 181), which is not on the R. Wenning (YW vii, 142), offers a parallel to this transferred use of a river-name.There are two other Avenings in Thornbury and Tortworth (iii, 16, 41 infra ), both with no early material, but the latter is on the Little Avon R. The spellings with Avel - and Euer - are due to the AN  interchange of unstressed -ne -, -le - and -re (cf. IPN 107–8). The last spelling Auning arises from the vocalisation of pre-consonantal -v - (cf. Phonol. § 34 (b ), Jordan § 216), but the pronunciation [ˈɔːniŋ] is not now heard.