English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

Bonner Hill Road

Early-attested site in the Parish of Kingston-on-Thames

Historical Forms

  • Baneworth 1342 Deed 1358 ADi
  • Banneworye t.Hy8 Rental
  • Bonworthe hill 1550 Deed
  • Bonner hill 1575 ib

Etymology

Bonner Hill Road (6″) preserves the name of the place called Baneworth 1342Deed , 1358 AD i, Banneworye t. Hy 8Rental , Bonworthe hill 1550Deed , Bonner hill 1575 ib. With the second element worþ , the probabilities are all in favour of a personal name as the first element. It may be that we have such a personal name in Banwell (So), bananwyll BCS 612, but the first element there may equally well be the common noun bana , 'slayer,' cf. Bannawell (PN D 218). A common noun is unlikely here, and we should perhaps compare OGer  names in Baina (Förstemann, PN 232), if the original vowel was long, or in Bana (ib., 244) if the vowel was short. For the development, cf. Ember Court and Abinger infra 91, 259.