Bosmore
Early-attested site in the Parish of Fawley
Historical Forms
- Bossemere c.1240 Mert c.1250 ib
- Bosmere 1479 ADvi
Etymology
'Bossa's boundary' v. mære . The name Bosa is well established (v. Redin 86) and survived into the 12th cent. It gave rise to several place-names of which Market Bosworth (Lei) and Bosham (Sx) are famous, and Bozeat (Nth) refers to a site close to Buckinghamshire. There can however be little doubt that Bosmore comes from a geminated form *Bossa . This form can hardly be connected with Bosa, of which the ultimate origin is uncertain. It may well be a short form of a compound pers. name beginning with Bōt -. If so, an original *Bōtsige may be suggested. mære seems more likely than mere here for the farm lies near the bounds of the parish and county and there is certainly no 'mere' here now.