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.

Medmerry Fm

Early-attested site in the Parish of Selsey

Historical Forms

  • Medemenige 683 BCS 14th
  • ad Medemenynga 930 BCS669 14th
  • Medmeny 1296,1332 SR
  • Medemenye 1340 NI
  • Mydmen(e)ye 1409 LibB
  • Medmery 1724 B

Etymology

The first element may be the OE  adj. medeme 'of moderate size, small,' found also in Medmenham (PN Bk 190). The second is ig . The epithet may be descriptive of Medmerry in contrast to Thorney supra 62, which is slightly larger in area.Ekwall (RN 284) would prefer to interpret medeme in the unrecorded but probably older sense, 'middle,' here used descriptively of Medmerry in relation to Selsey and Thorney in Wittering.

Places in the same Parish