Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Essete, Esseta 1086 DB t.Steph France 1186 P

• Essetes 1189 Ch 1335 Ass 1248

• Exeta, Exete t.Steph France 1285 Ch 1340 NI

• Excete 1245 FF 1450 IpmR

• Excett t.Hy8 ADv

• Hecsete 1215 FF

• Hescete 1296 SR

• Esshetes 1242 Fees691

• Eschete, Esshete 1261 Ass

• Exsetas 1274 FF

• Exetes 1276 Cl 1296 SR

• Exsetes 1295 Ch

• Hechshete 1327 SR

• Akeset 1381 Pat

Etymology

This is a difficult name. Taking everything into consideration the best solution is perhaps that offered by Schram in ZONF 3, 203–4, where he suggests that it is a compound of the river-name Exe and the element sæte , the whole name meaning 'settlers by the Exe,' which we must take to be the old British name for the stream which we only know by its English name of Cuckmere. The name would then be parallel to Tempsiter (Sa), Grantchester (C) and the lost hundred of Stursett (K), which are compounds of saete and the river-names Teme , Granta and Stour . The first element might alternatively be explained as the gen. sg. of the pers. name Ecci and the whole name be interpreted as 'Ecci 's sæte' in the alternative sense 'seat, settlement.'