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.

Burghfield

Major Settlement in the Parish of Burghfield

Historical Forms

  • Borgefelle, Borgefel 1086 DB
  • Boreghefeld' 1219 FineR
  • Borghefeld 1300 Cl
  • Burgefeld' c.1160 OxonCh 1316 FA
  • Burghef' c.1200 AD 1365 Cl
  • Bergefelda 1167 P
  • Bergafeld' Sewali 1167 P
  • Berchefeld 12th ReadingC l.12th
  • Bergeford, Berogeford' 1202 P
  • Beregefeld 1205 ib
  • Beregefeld' 1212 HunterFines
  • Berghefeld' 1220 Fees 1232 Cl
  • Bereghefeld' 1241 Ass 1271 Fine
  • Berghefeud' 1284 Ass
  • Beruefeld 1185 RR
  • Bereuefeld, Bereuf' c.1195 AddCh
  • Berwefeud' 1260–1 FF
  • Berwefeld 1328 Banco
  • Bergfeld c.1211 Thame e.13th
  • Buerghefeld 1212 Fees
  • Burgfeld' 1224–5,1241 Ass
  • Burgfeld 1294–5 AD
  • Burghfeld 1305 Cl
  • Burghfeld Regis et Abbatis 1412 FA
  • Burghfelde Regis 1441 BM
  • Burughfeld 1474 Stonor
  • Burghfeld Regis 1517 DInc
  • Burwefeld c.1280 BC c.1444
  • Burwefelde 1300 Ipm
  • Burrefeld 1343 Ch
  • Burefelde 1348 AD
  • Burefeld 1365 Cl
  • Burfelde 1393 Cl
  • Barfeild l.14th Gor
  • Birefilde 1393 AD
  • Berefeld 1433 AD
  • Buryfeld 1476 Cl
  • to Beorhfeldinga gemære c. 950 (c. 1240) BCS 888

Etymology

'Open land by the hill', v. be(o)rg, feld . Burghfield village lies on the lower slopes of a raised area, part of which is Burghfield Common.The name occurs also in the phrase to Beorhfeldinga gemære c. 950 (c. 1240) BCS 888 'to the boundary of the people of Burghfield'.There were two manors, known as Burghfield Regis and Burghfield Abbas (VCH iii, 400–1); the former passed to the Crown in 1459, and the latter was held by the Abbey of Reading; the former is said VCH iii, 400, to have passed to the Crown in 1459, but it is called Burghfeld Regis in 1412 and 1441, when according to the VCH account it was held by the Mortimer family.