Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Brosse 1086 DB

• Brexis 1163–81,1272–1307 JRC 1260 Court 1283 Cl 1284 Ipm c.1295 Chol 1307–27 Orm2 c.1358 ChRR

• Brecsis c.1220 Bark

• Brexes c.1220 Chol, Clif, JRC, Bun all (p)

• Brex' 1216–72 AddCh 1260,1281(p),1282(p),1287(p) Court 1265–84 Chest 1640 ChFor 1270–95 Barnes1 1272–4,1274 JRC 1285,1290 Ipm 1290,1303(p),1305(p) Chol 1306 ChF 1307 Plea

• Le Brex' 1293 Indict

• Brexin 1216–72 AddCh 1260(p),1282(p),c.1296 Court 1287(p),c.1310 Chest 1288 Plea c.1290 Chol

• Brexun 1272 1328 ChRR

• Brexen 1278 Whall c.1295 Chol 1317 City

• Brexyn 1285 Chol

• Brexon c.1290(p),c.1303(p),c.1310,c.1330(p) 13 AD 1331 Blun 1357 Tourn 1387 ArlB 1439 Orm2

• Brexone 14 Sotheby

• Brex'n 1307 Eyre

• Brexene 1310 ChRR

• Brexens 1219 BW

• Brexins 1291 Tax

• Brexnus c.1300 Chol e14 AddCh

• Broxun 1259 Court c.1290(p),c.1310,1325,c.1340 Chol 1345 Eyre 1400 Pat 1417 AD

• Broxon' 1300–20 AddCh 1307 Chol 1308 ChRR 1565 Plea 1313 ChRR 1565

• le Broxon 1395 ChRR 1410 ib

• Broxin 1308 Plea

• Broxen 1311 1355 BPR 1363 Orm2

• Brox'n 1320 Chol 1344 ChGaol

• Brocton 1260–61 Orm2

• Broxton 1284–7 Tab 1383 Pat 1418 ChRR

• Broxston 1428 Chol 1465 ChRR

• Broxne 1287 Court 1318 Chol

• Brexne 14 Sotheby

• Broxsun 1310 Chol

• Broxson 1344 ChGaol 1622,1660 Barnes1

• Broxsen 1622 ib

• Bruxon 1312 Rich 1637

• Broxem 1313 Orm2

• Breccon 1317 City

• Brexiun 1325 Chol

• Braxton 1417 Sheaf

• Broxom' 1460 Outl

• Boxton 1535 Plea 1690 Sheaf

Etymology

The -ton form of this p.n. is not historical, it is the product of an inversion of the -ston > -son development observed in Austerson 3130, Snelson 193. Ekwall (DEPN and ES 64 219) derives this p.n. from OE  *burʒæsn, *burʒæns 'a burial place' (cf. EPN s.v., and Burwains La 85, Brainshaugh Nb (DEPN), Bornesses NRY 283, 325), postulating a variant *borʒæsn which he then develops, from its dat.sg.fem. form *borʒsne , *borhsne , with metathesis and svarabhakti vowel > *borəhsne , *borohsne , *bərohsne > *brocsne , and > *borehsne , *bərehsne > *brecsne . This process does not account for the forms Brexis , Brexes , Brecsis and Brexens , Brexins , Brexnus , which Ekwall does not note. It is, therefore, possible that Broxton contains some other stem, but since this el. has not been identified, Ekwall's etymology must stand until an equally ingenious explanation is found.

An alternative solution is perhaps suggested by the following observations. First, the forms suggest plural inflexions similar to those noted in Studies3 29–34; -is , -es representing ME  nom.pl. -es (< OE  -as ), perhaps replacing an OE nom.pl. in -e if DB Brosse is accurate; -un , -on , -in , -yn , -en , -em , -om , -ne representing an OE  dat.pl. form in -um ; and -ens , -ins , -nus representing a ME nom.pl. -(e )s added to Brexen , the reduced dat.pl. form taken as nom.sg. It should be noted that Broxton was two manors DB, and still has two halls, and that a similar circumstance at Caldy 282infra has influenced the syntax of the p.n. It seems that Brexens could mean 'the two places called Brexen '. Second, the same unidentified el. may lie behind another difficult p.n., Bursledon Ha, with hyll and dūn (both 'a hill' – Broxton is in hilly country, the missing element may be a hill-name, cf. Brown Knowl infra , Peckforton Hills 3312).The early forms of Bursledon recorded by Mr J. E. B. Gover and Professor Ekwall are Brixendona c.1170, Brixenden 12, Bursedona 1208, Norbursedone 13, Burxedun ' 1218, Brexheldene 1228, Bercildon 1245, Bursindene 1248, Bursyngdon 1288, Burstlesden 14. Ekwall (Studies3 23 and DEPN) derives this p.n. from an OE  *Beorhtsiginga - dūn ('the hill of the people of Beorhtsige') in order to explain the -x - spelling. But this is rather forced. The basis of Bursledon could be an OE  form *brihs - identical with the OE  *breohs - in Broxton.The hill-name context might suggest an old p.n. or even a folk-name upon Brit *brigā, late Brit *breʒa, Welsh bre 'a hill' (Barnes1 239), but the -ʒ- value of late Brit g in this word would hardly produce the [χ] implied by OE  -h -, unless this were another analogy with the -k - form in Pembroke (from penn and broʒ , cf. LHEB 458, R. Duckow 122, xxi There is a f.n. Broxes 1841TA 153 in Dutton (2 114), which might be analogous, but it is not recorded early.