Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Scriuenham 821 BCS366 c.1200

• Scrivenanhom 821 c.1240 ib

• (to) Scrifenanhamme c.950 ASWills 11th

• Srivenh' 1214 OblR

• Shrivenham 1217 Pat

• Scribenham 1275–6 RH

• Seriveham 1086 DB

• Shriueham 1157 P 1284 Ass

• Schrifham 1177 P

• Shriuingham 1241 Ass

• Shrevenham 1412 FA 1535 VE

Etymology

The second el. is hamm 'riverside meadow'; the village overlooks a belt of marshy ground, part of which is referred to also in the name Fernham 371.

As stated in DEPN, the first el. appears to be the past participle of the verb scrīfan 'decree, allot, pass sentence on, impose penance'.Possibly this is one of the small class of names which seem to refer to disputes about ownership, cf. e.g. Wrautam Wa 189, Threapwood PN NbDu 196. In literary sources the verb scrīfan usually has ecclesiastical connotations, however, and the estate may have been given to the church in satisfaction of an ecclesiastical claim. It appears in a forged charter of Cenwulf, BCS 366, as a possession of Abingdon, which probably means that the Abbey had some record of having owned it at one time, though it had passed to the Crown before the Conquest.