Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Setburg'ham 1204 ChR

• Setburgheham 1223 Pipe

• Sedburgham c.1292 For

• Seburweh 1205 ClR

• Saburgham 1223 ClR 1228,1233 Cl

• Saburham 1573 DKRxxxviii

• Seberham 1576 S

• Seburgham 1223 Pipe 1236 BNB 1567 FF

• Seburgeham 1226,1227 Pipe

• Seburham 1230 P 1666 CW(OS)ii

• Seburchan' 1254 Pipe

• Seburnham 1276 Ass

• Sebraham 1470 FF

• Sebereham 1491 Ipm

• Seberham 1535 VE

• Sebbrame 1565 PR(Greystoke)

• Sebbram 1592 Border

• Sebrom 1599 PR(Greystoke)

• Seabrougham 1541 LRMB

• Sebourham 1580 Border

• Seaburgham 1665 PR(Greystoke)

• Seburgham sive Seberham, Seburham al. Sebram 1619 ExchKR

• Seberme 1675 Sandford

• Sebergham oth. called Sebraham 1761 CCt

Etymology

The second element of this troublesome name is clearly hām. The most likely suggestion for the first element is that it is the OE  woman's name Sǣburh , which, however, leaves unexplained the first three forms. It has been suggested (Sedgefield 99 and DEPN s. n .) that the first element is sætr and that the whole name denotes the shieling belonging to a lost Burgham , but the site is not that of a sætr , it is always dangerous to assume lost and unrecorded place-names, and an inversion compound of this particular type would be anomalous.It should be noted that the two earliest Set - spellings differ hardly at all in date from the earliest forms without t or d , and that initial set leaves unexplained the early forms in Sa -, so we are probably right in thinking that the Set -, Sed - forms are eccentric and due perhaps to the influence of Sedbergh in Yorkshire or to the common ON  setberg , 'seat-shaped hill.'