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.

Basildon

Major Settlement in the Parish of Basildon

Historical Forms

  • Bastedene 1086 DB 1177,1181 P
  • Bastadene e.13th Rutland
  • Bastendena 1155–8 Delisle 1322 Fine
  • Bastindene 1210–12 RBE 13th
  • Bastinden 1241 Ch
  • Bastinden', Bastyndon' 1284 Ass
  • Bastlesden' 1175 P 1242–3 Fees
  • Bastelesden 1300 Pat
  • Baselesdon' 1199 P
  • Bastesden' 1203 P 1260–1 FF
  • Basteleden' 1220 Fees
  • Bastelden' 1231 Cl 1517 DInc
  • Bastleden 1275–6 RH
  • Bastilden' 1284 Ass
  • Basteleden 1300 Pat
  • Bastilden 1337 Gor 1345 Cl
  • Beslesden', Bestlesden' 1224–5 Ass
  • Bestlesdene 1242–3 Fees
  • Bastingeden' 1241 Cl
  • Bastyngden 1272 Ipm
  • Bastingden' 1284 Ass
  • Bastingden 1363 Pat
  • Baseldene 1335—6 FA 1346
  • Basilden 1535 VE
  • Bassledeane 1676 ArchJ
  • Bassleton 17th PubLib(Clayton)
  • Bassildon 1830 OS
  • Bassyngdene 1402 Fine
  • Bestlesforda c. 690 (c. 1200) BCS 74, 687 (c. 1200) BCS 100
  • Bæstlæsford, (æt) bestles forda c. 895 (12th) BCS 565

Etymology

This place is referred to as Bestlesforda c. 690 (c. 1200) BCS 74, 687 (c. 1200) BCS 100, Bæstlæsford , (æt ) bestles forda c. 895 (12th) BCS 565. There were evidently a ford (the vadum Bestlesford of BCS 101) and a valley (v. denu ) which were both named from the same man, whose name may have been *Bæssel , as suggested in DEPN. The substitution of -don for -den is modern.

The charters are discussed in Pt 3.