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.

Sedborough

Early-attested site in the Parish of Parkham

Historical Forms

  • Sedeborga, Sedberga, Setleberga 1086 DB(Exon)
  • Seteberge
  • Sedbergh 1227 FineR
  • Setysburg 1433 IpmR
  • Seteburg(h) 1273 FF 1333 SR 1404 Exon

Etymology

The second element is clearly OE  beorg, 'hill.' The first is difficult. If the form Setleberga is correct we may have the OE  setl , 'seat, sitting, assembly,' cf. Modbury infra 279. If the single spelling with l is assumed to be a mistake, as is most likely the case, we may compare Kingsett infra 201, which seems to contain as second element the OE  set , 'seat, entrenchment, camp,' though there is no trace of any such here now.