Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Sindlesham 1220 RSO 13th Ass 1241,1284 PubLib 1620

• Sinesham 1241 Ass

• Scindlesham 1242–3 Fees

• Syndlesham 1256 Cl 1284 Ass 1294 SR 1383 Fine

• Syndelesham 1284 Ass 1397 AD

• Sillesham or Syndelysham 1500 Ipm

• Silsham als Sindlesham 1674 PubLib(Clayton)

• Sinsham 1761 Rocque

Etymology

Sindlesham. Sindlesham 1220 (13th) RSO, 1241, 1284Ass , 1620PubLib , Sinesham 1241Ass (p), Scindlesham 1242–3 Fees, Syndlesham 1256 Cl, 1284Ass (p), 1294SR (p), 1383 Fine, Syndelesham 1284Ass , 1397 AD, Sillesham or Syndelysham 1500 Ipm, Silsham als Sindlesham 1674PubLib (Clayton ), Sinsham 1761 Rocque. The final el. may be hām , but hamm is topographically suitable. Sindlesham village and Sindlesham Fm (the latter, so named 1620PubLib , is in Woodley and Sandford parish) are on either side of the River Loddon, in low-lying ground. The first el. is uncertain. Ekwall (DEPN) suggests a pers.n. *Synnel from Sunna , with Synnles - becoming Syndles -. Alternatively, if the -l - were a Norman spelling for -r - (as is quite frequently the case in this county), the first part of the name might be a p.n. *Syndor 'apart', cf. Cinders Wo 84, from sundor . With regard to both these suggestions, however, it should be noted that there are no spellings with -u -, and this suggests that the base had -i - rather than -y -.Professor Löfvenberg comments that the absence of spellings with -u - renders it virtually certain that the first el. had OE -i -, and that if the p.n. were a ME  formation a Continental pers.n. such as *Sindel connected with OG  Sindilo might be considered. Neither hām nor hamm is likely as the second el. of a post-Conquest compound, however, and the first el. must be regarded as obscure.