Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• ?Wittem 1228 Pat

• Witham 1310 Inqaqd

• Wycharn 1311 Pat 1317 MiltC

• Wicham 1578 Hutch1

• lands called two Wytchams namely Horsfords Wytcham, Dawes Wytcham 1620 DRO

Etymology

Witcham Fm (ST 569022), Broad Witcham (ST 568025), ?Wittem (possibly for Wiccem ) 1228 Pat, Witham (probably for Wicham ) 1310 Inq aqd, Wycharn 1311 Pat, 1317MiltC , Wicham 1578 Hutch1, lands called two Wytchams namely Horsfords Wytcham , Dawes Wytcham 1620DRO (cf. John Dawe ib ), Wicham (a single house and farm), Broad -Wicham (a close)1774 Hutch1, Wickham (Broad )1795 Boswell, Whiteham (sic)1811 OS, (Broad or Higher ) Wicham 1870 Hutch3, cf. Wicham Mdw 1839TA . In spite of the doubtful 13th-cent. spelling, probably 'river meadow, or land in a river bend, where wych elms grow', from OE  wice and hamm , thus identical with Witcham Ca 244. The farms lie in a corner of the par. bounded on two sides by streams. The possibility that this name is from OE  wīc-hām 'homestead associated with a Romano- British settlement or vicus ' is unlikely in view of the development to Witch - rather than Wick -, as noted by Gelling MedArch 11 104 in her discussion of the name (in spite also of its location, just 2 miles W of the Dorchester-Ilchester Roman road and only 1¼ miles SE of a Roman building in Rampisham, which would otherwise make this a characteristic wīc-hām site).