Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Melceburne 1086 DB

• Melcheburn(e) 1163 P 1227 Ass 1241 Ass 1235 Cl 1428 FA

• Melchburn(e) 1220 Ass 1262 FF

• Meleburne 1242 Fees868

• Melchebourn(e) 1316 FA 1341,1343 Cl 1351 Ipm 1358 Cl

• Milchbourne 1675 Ogilby

Etymology

This is a difficult name and no certainty is possible. There is an OE  melsc , mylsc 'mellow' applied to apples and the NED suggests that this has survived in the dialectal melch , melsh which denotes 'mellow, soft, tender' and, of weather, 'soft.'It also suggests the possibility that that word has not been uninfluenced by OE  milisc , 'honeyed.' It is possible that this word might be applied to the water of a stream which went down specially smoothly or was notably sweet to the taste.For the former we may compare the quotation in the EDD, 'Whiskey went down as melch as new milk.' The chief difficulty in this explanation is the uniform c or ch in the early forms. The only other example of this element that has been noted is in Melcheheg in Chalgrave in the 13th cent. v. burna .For such a stream-name we may compare Honeybourne (Wo).