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.

Whitcombe

Major Settlement in the Parish of Whitcombe

Historical Forms

  • (at) Widecome 843 BCS738
  • Wydecombe 843 ib
  • Widecome 1086 DB
  • Widecoma Exon
  • Widecumb(e) 1198 P 1212 Fees 1288 Ass
  • Widecume 1285 FA
  • Widecombe 1310 Inqaqd 1461 Ct 1487 Weld1
  • Widecoumb 1339 Cl
  • Wydek(o)umbe 1280 Ass
  • Wydecume 1285 FA
  • Wydecumb(e) 1288 Ass 1291 Tax 1421 DorR
  • Wydecomb(e) 1311 Pat 1487 Weld1
  • Widicumbe 1212 P
  • Whydecumbe 1288 Ass
  • Wytecombe 1291 Tax 1428 FA
  • Wytcombe, Witcombe 1460 Fine 1682 Weld1
  • Wattcomb(e), Wettecomb(e), Vettecomb(e) 1460 Ct
  • Wettcombe 1461 ib
  • Wydcombe 1461 Ct 1559 DCMCt
  • Widcombe 1486 Weld1
  • Whitcombe 1573 DCMCt 1795 Boswell

Etymology

'Wide valley', v. wīd (wk. obl. wīdan ), cumb , cf. Witcombe Gl 2158. The 15th cent, spellings in Watt -, Wett (e )- may suggest that the first el. was thought to be from OE  wēt (WSax  wǣt) 'wet, damp'.