Winsor
Early-attested site in the Parish of Yealmpton
Historical Forms
- Winlesore 1202 FF
- Wyndesore 1309 Ch 1310,1341 Ipm
- Wyndesore, Wynsore 1500 Ipm
- Wyndesore 1327 SR
- Wyndlehor 13th AD
- Wyndesore 1275 AD
Etymology
This name clearly contains the same elements as Windsor (Berks) 1050–65 BM Windlesora , DB Windesore , Windsor (Do) DBWindresoria , 1278–84 Ipm Wyndelsore and Winsor (Ha)Windlesor (1236Ass ). The second element is ora , 'bank.' The first is a pers. name found also in Windlesham (Sr), Windlesham (1227 Ch) and an unidentified wyndelescumb (BCS 721) in the bounds of Topsham (D). All these point to a pers. name *Windel , a diminutive of the *Wind (a ) which lies behind Wyndham (PN Sx 213). There is some evidence for OGer pers. names Windo , Windulo (cf. Förstemann PN 1618). Further examples of the name Windsor are noted in Hemyock and Luppitt infra 618, 644, unfortunately only with late forms. There is a Windsor in Lanreath and a Winsor in Lansallos in Cornwall, for which the earliest forms are Wyndesore (1327SR ), and there is a Windsor in Lamphey (Pembroke), Wyndlehor 13thAD , Wyndesore 1275AD . At first sight this suggests a curious preference for the association of the pers. name Windel and ora , but it should be noted that some of these may contain Winel rather than Windel , and that one or more of the places, and this is specially true of the Pembrokeshire one, may have been named in direct imitation of the famous Berkshire Windsor.