Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Melpleys c.1155 Sarum

• Melples 1288 Ass

• Melplas ib (p)

• Melepleis 1160–1 Sarum

• Meleples 1280 Ass

• Meleplays, Meleplys 1288 ib

• Melepleys 1303 FA

• Meleplas 1317 Forde 15

• Mellepeis 1166 RBE

• Melepel' 1207 Cur

• Melepeis 1208 FF

• Melepeys 1268 Ass 1285 FA

• Melepes ib

• Muleples 1242 Fees

• Maleplays 1288 Ass

• Meleplish' 1288 Ass

• Melepleychs 1303 FA

• Est Meleplahs (sic) 1304 Drew 1322 CottCh

• West Meleples(s)h(e) 1306 FF 1333 HarlCh

• Est Meleples(s) h(e) 1438 HarlCh

• Est Meleples(s)h(e) 1438 Cl

• Melepleisch 1312 Prideaux

• Meleples(s)ch 1318 FF

• Est Meleples(s)ch 1333 HarlCh

• Meleplaysz 1327 Pole

• Meleplayssh', Meleplaissh' 1332 ib

• Meleplessch' 1333 HarlCh

• Meleplas(s)h 1337 Cl 1428 FA

• Meleplasch' 1340 Forde 15

• Meleplaysch' 1340 Ilch

• Eyst Meleplaisch' 1350 HarlCh

• Melesplassch' 1318 Forde 15

• Melsplash (sic) 1337 Cl

• Melplas(s)h(e) 1327 1350 Cl

• Est Melplas(s)h(e) 1391 FF

• Est Melplas(s)h(e) 1392 HarlCh

• Est Melplas(s)h(e) 1394 ADIII

• West Melplas(s)h(e) 1431 FA

• Melplaissh' 1327 SR

• Melplessh(e) 1346,1428 FA

• Est Melplessh(e) 1440 Cl

• Melplayssh(') 1412 FA

• Est Melplayssh(') 1433 HarlRoll

• Est Melplayssh(') 1448 HarlCh

• West Melpalysh (sic) 1486 Ipm

• E. Melplash, now called Barbridge, W. Melplash 1774 Hutch1

• Melplaish E. or Burbridge, Melplaish W. 1795 Boswell

• Meliplassh', Melyplassh' 1342 Weld1

• Milplassh', Est Milplaysh' 1449 HarlCh

• Mylleplasshe 1465 Brid

• Milplashe, Mill Plashe 1582 Comm

• park of Est Meleplahs 1304 Drew

Etymology

Probably 'multi-coloured pool', from mǣle and plæsc , as first proposed by Fägersten 279. Ekwall's view that the first el. is mylen 'mill', first proposed in NoB 17 168 and repeated in Studies2 117 and DEPN, cannot be upheld, since it mainly depends on the single Mule - spelling of 1242, whereas the overwhelming majority of the early spellings have Mel - or Mele -, cf. the characteristic mixture of Mule -, Mile -, Mele - spellings from mylen evidenced for Milborne Stileham 1282 and Milborne St Andrew 1306. The isolated Mule - spelling may be simply an error, or rather due to association with the more common and familiar word (cf. also the occasional Mil (l )- spellings from 1449). There is in any case no mention of a mill here in early records, nor is it perhaps likely that there was ever a mill, although the small stream rising some ⅔ of a mile NE and flowing down the valley here must have produced the 'plash' or marshy pool referred to in the name. For the suggested first el. mǣle , cf. Melbury Abbas 3130 and the Melbury group of names (Melbury Bubb, Melbury Osmond and Melbury Sampford) all supra . East and West Melplash are distinguished from the early 14th cent., v. ēast , west , Barbridge infra .There is mention of park of Est Meleplahs in 1304 Drew.