Brightlingsea
Major Settlement in the Parish of Brightlingsea
Historical Forms
- Brictriceseiā 1086 DB
- Bric(h)tricheseye, Bric(h)tricheseie 1212 RBE
- Brihtlinges(s)eya, Brihtlinges(s)eye, Brihtlinges(s)eie 1096–1135,1119,1253 Colch
- Brihtliggessey, Brihtle'ggesseya' 1230 P
- Brightling(e)seia, Bryghtling(e)seia, Bryghtling(e)sey(e), Bryghtlyng(e)sey(e) 1100–35 Colch 1513 LP
- Bryghtlyng(e)sheye 1323 For
- Bryghtlynsey 1491 Sandwich
- Brichlingese(y)a, Brithlingese(y)a, Brithlingese(ia), Brithlingesey(e) 1119–1253 Colch 1238 SR 1253 Ch 1274 RH 1331 Londin
- Brithlyng(ges)sey(e) 1327 SR 1336 Londin 1442 Sandwich
- Brithli'ggeseye 1230 P
- Brithlicheseia, Brithlicheneia 1230 Chanc
- Birthlingeseya 1198–1202 Colch
- Birtilsey 1512 LP
- Bridlinges' 1233 Cl
- Brithlinges 13th Fees
- Briching 1276 For
- Brithlinge, Brihtlinge 1291 ib
- Britlingg 1291 Tax
- Brichstlingeseya 1237 Colch
- Brychtlingseseye 1253 Ch
- Brichtlingeseye a.1272 Colch
- Britigiseye 1254 Ass
- Britling(ge)s(h)ey(a), Brytling(ge)s(h)ey(a), Brytling(ge)s(h)eye, Byrtlingis(h)eye 1263 Ch a.1272 Colch 1274 RH 1341 NI 1346 FA 1420 Add
- Byrtlynseye t.Hy7 Ipm
- Brytelyngeseye, Brytelyingheye 1275 RH
- Bristling(e)seye a.1272 Colch 1302 SR 1303 FA
- Brich(th)ling(es)sey(e), Brygh(th)ling(es)sey(e), Brygh(th)lyng(es)sey(e) 1319–94 SR 1343 TreatyRoll 1442 Sandwich
- Brychinges, Brichingesey, Brichyngsey t.Ed3 SR 1412 FA
- Briglense 1499 Romney
- Bryglynsey 1533 FF
- Wrythlyngseye 1332 Cl
- Bretlyngsey 1342 Cl
- Bretylsay, Bredyl(l)say 1478 Dickin 1498 Cely
- Bryk(ke)l(e)s(h)ey 1458 VStP 1483 SR 1510 LP 1535 VE
- Brykylsey, Brikilsey, Bryculsaye 1512–13 LP
- Bricklesey or Brightlingsey 1538 Admiralty
- Brekel(l)sey 1489 TellersRoll 1513 LP
- Brekel(l)say 1538 Admiralty
- Brekel(l)ysay 1498 Cely
- Brekel(l)ylse 1505 Pat
- Brykesey 1524 Dickin
- Brellsey 1538 Admiralty
Etymology
The two earliest forms seem to stand for OE Brihtrices-eg and Brihtlinges-eg respectively. If so, we must believe that the settlement was first named after one Beorhtric and then one Brihtling (perhaps a descendant of his), or that Brihtling was a pet form for Brihtric . An alternative possibility is that the DB form represents the AN scribe's attempt to render a difficult Brihtlingeseg , or that Brihtlingeseg is a later perversion of original Brihtriceseg . Confusion of l and r is specially common in early ME. The parish is now a peninsula, but it was formerly an eg or island, being so described in 1295, and marked as an island on a map of the second half of the 16th century (Dickin 1).