Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Malecomb, Malecumb 1151–7 France

• Malecombia ib

• Melecum 1152–8 MontC

• Melecumb(e) 1198,1199 Cur 1205,1206 P 1206,1207 Cur 1212 Fees 1228 Ch 1236 Fees 1428 FA

• Vp Melecumb(e), Up Melecumb(e) 1280,1288 Ass 1288,1289 Pat

• West Melecumb(e) 1288 Ass

• Over Melecumb(e) 1296 Ipm

• Meleco(u)mb(e) 1299 Ipm 1365 Cl

• Up Meleco(u)mb(e) 1315,1344,1350 Ipm 1365 Cl

• Melcumba 1210–12 RBE

• Melcom(e) 1265 Misc

• Upmelcumbe 1320 FF

• Upmelcombe 1332 Ch 1431 FA

• Melcomb(e) 1346 FA

• 'by Middelton Abbatis' 1379 Cl 1535–43 Leland

• Vp Melcombe 1393 DCMDeed, NatT

• Overmelcombe 1431 FA

• Milecumb(e) 1229 Pat 1268 Ass

• Milcombe 1535–43 Leland

• Mellecumbe 1244 Ass 1303 FA

• Turges Melcombe 1478 HarlCh 1504 Ipm 1506 Pat

• Melcombe Horsey 1535 VE 1583 Digby

• Melcomb Horsey 1811 OS

• Horsey Melcomb 1601 Hutch3

• Horses melcombe 1575 Saxton

• de Cerne 1224 Hutch3, 1228 Ch

• Brouning 1367 Hutch3

Etymology

Probably 'valley where milk was produced, fertile valley', from meoluc and cumb (DEPN, EPN), thus identical with Melcombe Regis 1251. For DB spellings, v. Bingham's Melcombe infra . The early affixes Up -, Over - and West - are all in relation to Bingham's Melcombe, v. upp 'higher up', uferra 'higher, upper', west , cf. Higher Melcombe (1″, both for hamlet and house). The later affixes are manorial. Turges is from Nicholas Turges 1384, Robert Tourgeys 1430 Hutch3, Richard Tourgeys 1478HarlCh , 1504 Ipm, Robert Turges 1504 ib, 1506 Pat, cf. 'there is an olde maner place of the Turgesis at Milcombe '1535–43 Leland. Horsey is from the family of this name which possessed the manor from the 16th cent. (Hutch3 4367, 376, 427), cf. one 'Adam de Preston of Horsey ' (= Horsey So whence the family takes its name) mentioned in connection with Melcombe as early as 1374 Pat. Earlier names for the moiety of the manor later called Turges Melcombe were, according to Hutch3 4 363, 367, Up Melcomb Cerne and Melcomb (e ) Bruning , Melcomb (e ) Bryning , from the families of Henry de Cerne 1224 Hutch3, 1228 Ch, and John Brouning 1367 Hutch3 respectively.