Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Silamested' 1197–8 AC

• Silamesteda a.1202 Queen

• Silhamsted' 1220 Fees

• Sillamsted' 1224–5 Ass

• Sil(e)hamsted' 1241 ib

• Sylhamsted' 1242–3 Fees

• Silhamstede Banastre 1297 Pat 1313 AD 1342 Pat

• Silhamstude, Sylhamstude 13th ReadingC

• Westsilhamsted', Estsilhamsted' 13th ReadingC(2)

• West Silhamsted', Est Silhamsted' 13th ReadingC(3) 14th

• Silhamstede Abbatis, Silhamstede Banastre 1317 14th ib

• Syllamstede Abbots, Syllamstede Banastre 1396 BM

• Selehamsted' 1267–8 FF

• S(c)hylhamstede, Shilhamsted', Shylhamstede abbatis, Sylhamstede Banastre 1284 Ass

• Syllampstede 1401–2 FA

• Selyhampsted Abbatis 1463 Fine

• Sulhampsted Banaster, Sulhampsted Abbatis 1535 VE

• Sulhamsted Bannister alias Michells 1620 PubLib

• Sulhampstead Bannister als Mighells 1662–3 ib

• Sulhamstead Banister als Michills 1757 ArchJ

Etymology

v. hāmstede . Ekwall (DEPN) takes the prefix to be sylh , genitive of sulh , 'narrow valley'. This is very probable, but formally it could also be the word siele , sele 'sallow copse', suggested in DEPN for the first element of Silchester (Ha) and Silton (Do), v. sele 2 . There are narrow valleys in the area, but the settlements are so widely scattered that the topography of the original settlement cannot be evaluated.

The manor of Sulhamstead Abbots appears among the possessions of Reading Abbey at the end of the 12th (VCH iii, 307). Sulhamstead Bannister derives its suffix from a family named Banastre , one of whom gave land to Reading Abbey early in the 13th (VCH iii, 431).Michells or Mighells , used as an alternative suffix for Sulhamstead Bannister, is from the church dedication to St. Michael.

According to VCH iii, 430, the parish of Sulhamstead Bannister is divided into two distinct portions, called the Upper End and the Lower End. The Upper End is a long, narrow strip lying between two portions of Sulhamstead Abbots parish. The Lower End is separated from Sulhamstead by the southern part of Burghfield parish. On the O.S. index map of civil parishes, only this latter portion is accorded parochial status, giving the curious effect of a parish separated from the village which gives name to it.