Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Part of Little Sea now the Saltern c.1800 DROMap

• (The) Salterns 1811 OS 1843 TA

• quatre Wichwerkes de Seel 1368 AD

Etymology

Salterns Beacon, Salterns Estate, Salterns Ho & Salterns Pier (SZ 036896), Part of Little Sea now the Saltern c. 1800DROMap , (The ) Salterns 1811 OS, 1843TA , cf. a Salterneslane vsque Cokdenswych , de Saltmershelane vsque Cokdeneswiche , Saltmersshe 1463MinAcct , Salt Marsh 1843TA , v. salt-ærn 'a building where salt is made or sold', salt 2 'salty, brackish', mersc , lane ; for Little Sea , v. Parkstone Bay infra . Cokden (e )swych , Cokden (e )swiche probably means 'salt-works in, or belonging to, Cogdean hundred', v. wīc , Cogdean hundred supra ; the meaning 'salt-works' for wīc (contested by Smith EPN s.v. wīc (3, iii), affirmed by Ekwall OE  wīc 22–8) seems likely here in view of the context in which the name appears and of the following other references to salt-works in the manor of Canford, all possibly to be associated with the area of Salterns on the N shore of Poole Harbour: quatre Wichwerkes de Seel 1368AD ('four wichworks of salt', i.e. 'four salt-works', v. geweorc ), iiij Wichwrekkes (sic) 1374, iiij Whichwerkes 1463 both MinAcct (held by priory of Breamore Ha), cf. also 'salt-pit (salina ) at Waldflete in Caneford '12 Hutch3 3312 (granted to priory of Bradenstoke W, v. flēot 'estuary', possibly with w(e)ald 'high woodland, hill'), and the f.n. Wrykesham 1463MinAcct (from hamm , possibly with (ge)weorc '(salt-)works').