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.

Bincombe

Major Settlement in the Parish of Bincombe

Historical Forms

  • Beuncumbe 987 Finberg613(S1217) 13
  • Beincome 1086 DB
  • Biemcomme 1129 CartAnt
  • Biemecomma 1157 France
  • Biencomme 1157 1190 Ch 1332 Pat 1375
  • Biencoma, Biencombe 1174–82 France
  • Biencomb 1321 Winch
  • Byencombe 1398,1405 Pat
  • Bincumbe 1244 Ass
  • Byncomb(e) 1327 SR 1332 SR 1459 Weld1
  • Binckombe 1664 HTax
  • Bincomb 1670 Sheridan
  • Bencumbe 1252 Ch 1288 Ass
  • Bencombe 1326,1387 Pat 1393 AD
  • Benecumbe 1288 Ass 1376 IpmR
  • Benecomb(e) 1375 Pat 1376 Misc
  • Benscumbe 1291 Tax

Etymology

Probably 'valley where beans are grown', from bēan and cumb (DEPN), cf. the f.n. Piscombe infra . Kökeritz 125 suggested that the first el. might be bēona , gen.pl. of bēo 'bee', but this looks extremely unlikely in view of the absence of early forms with medial -e - (apart from Biemecomma 1157), and since in any case bēo seems to form compounds only in the stem-form.