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.

Mapperton

Major Settlement in the Parish of Mapperton

Historical Forms

  • Malperetone 1086 DB
  • Malperretona Exon
  • Maperetone 1086 DB
  • Maperton(') 1212 Fees 1224 Cur 1244,1268 Ass 1297 Cl 1316 Pat 1332 SR 1863 Hutch3
  • Southmaperton, Northmaperton, S(o)uthmaperton 1346 FA 1428 FA
  • South Maperton 1431 FA 1774 Hutch1
  • Mapertune 1367 Forde 15
  • Maporton 1474 Pat
  • Mapperton 1795 Boswell
  • Mauperton' 1225 Cur 1268 Ass
  • Mapelderton 1236 FF 1279 Ipm
  • Mapeldoreton' 1235–6 Fees
  • Mapeldretton 1256 FF
  • Mapeldereton' 1280 Ass
  • Meperton' 1244 Ass
  • Mapellerton' 1268 Ass
  • Mapelarton 1275 Abbr 1285 Ipm 1352 Pat 1383
  • Mapelerton(e) 1288 Ass 1291 Tax 1326 Ipm 1327 SR 1340 NI
  • North Mapelerton(e) Ilch, No(r)th Mapelerton(e) 1368 AddCh 1428 FA
  • Maplerton 1589 Brid 1596 AD 1607 Brid
  • Mapelarton Bret 1312,1331 Ipm
  • Brittes Maperton 1412 FA
  • Bryttesmaperton 1423 Pat
  • Mapertorne (sic) 1551 AddCh
  • Mapleston (sic) 1653 ParlSurv
  • le Bret 1198 Hutch3 (2 857)
  • le Bret(t) 1278, 1286 ib (2 158), 1279 Ipm
  • Bryte 1337 Hutch3 (ib)

Etymology

'Farmstead where maple trees grow', v. mapuldor , tūn , cf. Mapperton 256 which has the same origin. The 14th- and 15th-cent. affixes ~ Bret , Brittes ~, Bryttes ~ are manorial, from the family who held the manor (probably South Mapperton ) from an early date, cf. Simon Brito 1166, Henry le Bret , Simon le Bret 1198 Hutch3 (2 857), William le Bret (t )1278, 1286 ib (2 158), 1279 Ipm, William Bryte 1337 Hutch3 (ib). North and South Mapperton are distinguished from the mid-14th cent.; the former is included in Beaminster par. in 1774 Hutch1, 1795 Boswell, 1863 Hutch3 (North Mapperton or Mapperton Marsh ).