Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Bere 1086 DB, Exon

• domorum R. de Bere 1202 P

• earnere R. apud Bere 1203,1204–1230 1231 Cl 1244 Ass 1252 Cl 1575 Saxton

• Bera 1086 Exon 1195 P

• domorum R. de Bera 1205,1210,1230 ib

• Ber' 1231 Cl 1242 Salis 1273 Cl

• Beer(e) 1242 Sarum 1258 For 1314 Ipm 1343 Cl 1371,1387 Pat 1428 FA 1435 Pat 1617 Add

• la Bere 1365 Cl

• Byere 1259 Pat 1343 Ipm 1365,1411 Cl

• Biere 1306 Pat 1313 Ipm 1386–1410 Pat

• Bire 1327 SR 1374 Pat 1412 FA

• Byre 1332 SR 1340 Cl 1447 Weld1

• Kyngesbyre 1264 Orig 14 Mansel 1478 HarlCh

• Kyngesbire 1375 Mansel

• King(g)esbere, Kyng(g)esbere 1280 Ch 1288 Ass 1303 FA 1557 Lane

• Kyngesbur' 1303 FA

• Kyngesbiere 1346 Cl 1399 AddCh

• Kinghesberia 15 ShaftR

• Kynkesbere 1428 FA

• Kyngesbeare 1557 Lane

• Bire Regis, Byre Regis 1495 Ipm

• Beare Regis 1549 Lane

• Beere Regis JasI TRMB 1617 Add

Etymology

'(Woodland) pasture', v. bǣr 2 , or 'wood, grove', v. bearu , cf. Beer Hackett par. infra ; for the former royal forest here, v. Bere Wood infra . Professor Löfvenberg thinks that the name is originally probably from bǣr 2 , later confused with bearu as is shown by the ME  forms with -ie - and -i -. The manor was crown demesne' v. cyning , rex (gen. sg. regis ), VCHDo 3 27, 64; for the entries from P referring to the 'houses, and chamber or residence, of the king', cf. the tradition mentioned in Hutch3 1 136 that King John had a castle here, and v. Chamberlayne's Mill infra .