English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

Brendon

Major Settlement in the Parish of Brendon

Historical Forms

  • Brandon(a) 1086 DB 1205 FF
  • Brandun, Bramdon 12th Buckland
  • Bremdon(e) 12th Buckland 1291 Tax 1328 Exon
  • Brendon 1275 RH
  • Bryndon 1544 Wills

Etymology

There can be little doubt that this name, found many times in Devon and three times in Cornwall, is a corruption of bremel and dun , 'bramble hill,' with early loss of l from the consonantal combination and assimilation of md to nd . The early forms with a for e are either AN spellings (cf. IPN 112) or have been influenced by the word brame , 'briar.'