Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Bruham 1130 Lowth(CL1) 13 Wyb 1228 Pat 1250 Pipe 1279 Ass21d 1302 Cl 1366 ChancM 1435 Pat

• Bruham als. Burgham 1292 Ipm

• Brohã, Broham 1176 Pipe 1200 P 1357 Pat

• Bronham (sic for Brou-) 1292 QW

• Brouham c.1300 Lowth 1304,1308 Pat 1308 FF 1310 Carliol 1315 Ipm 1385 Cl

• Brougham 1315 Ipm 1644 PR 1657 Comm 1703 NicVisit

• Browgham 1589 Dep

• Burgm 1325–50 M

• Burgham 1355 Ipm 1357 Pat 1360 Misc 1362 TestKarl 1363 Ipm 1701 PR

• Burghame 1407 Brm 1441 Pat

• Broweham 1345 Ipm

• Brugham 1369 Cliff 1655 CWxxiv,69

• Burham 1462 Pat

• Browham c.1540 Leland 1577 Harrison 1589 Brm 1690 Dep

• Browgam 1582 BrmUC

• Browam 1666 PR(Sh)

• Browhame 1707 PR

Etymology

The great majority of spellings, including the earlier ones, represent an early ME  Bru-ham , or indeed Bruh-ham ; this might be derived from OE  brū 'brow of a hill' with hām 'homestead', but topographically this is doubtful. The name is usually taken to be a metathesised form of OE  Burh -hām , 'homestead near the fortification' (v. burh , hām ); the 'fort' is the Roman fort of Brocavum (infra ). OE  burh is not as a rule found in this metathesised form so regularly or so early, but Broughton (Nth 123), which Ekwall derives from burh -tūn (rather than broc -tūn 'brook farm', as suggested by the editors of Nth), has a great many Bro (g )h -, Bruc (h )- Brou - spellings; these offer a good parallel to those of Brougham. It may be added that the first el. of Brougham cannot be derived from Brocavum , as with lenition that would have given Brog - for which OE  would have substituted Broc -. There is no village of Brougham.