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.

Wimborne Minster

Major Settlement in the Parish of Wimborne Minster

Historical Forms

  • (æt) Winburnan 718,871 ASC l9 ASC 718 12
  • þone ham æt Win burnan 901 ASC e10 ASC 901 11
  • (æt) Wimburnan 961 ASC l10
  • Winburnan monasterium 893 Asser e11
  • (on) Winburnan mynstre c.1000 Saints
  • (æt) Winburnan mynstre 871 ASC 12
  • Winburne 1086 DB
  • Winborne 1086 DB
  • Winborna Exon
  • Winburna 1154–8 Ch 1340
  • Winburn(e) 1184–5 P 1224 FF 1463 MinAcct
  • Winburn(e) Ministr', Wynburn(e) Ministr' 1288 Ass
  • Wynburn(e)mynstre, Winburn(e)mynstre 1315 Pat
  • Wynbo(u)rn(e), Winbo(u)rn(e) 1372 ChrP 1547 AD
  • Winbo(u)rn(e)mynstre, Winbo(u)rn(e)Mynster, Winbo(u)rn(e) Minstre, Wynbourn Mynster als. Wymbourne Mynstre 1459 Pat
  • Wynneborn Mynstre 1474 Wim
  • Winborne Minsterne 1646 Bartelot
  • Wimburn(e) c.1165 Osm 1214 P 1222 Pat
  • Wymburn(e) 1229 Pat
  • Wymborn(e) 1268 Ass
  • Wymbourn(e) 1280 Ass
  • Wymburn Mistre 1236 FF
  • Wymburne Min(i)str(e) 1236 ib
  • Wymburn Monaster' 1281 FF
  • Wymburn(e) Munstre 1286 Wim 1330 FF 1333,1348 Wim 1361 Pat
  • Wymburn(e) Mynistr' 1288 Ass
  • Wymburn(e) Menstre 1297 1341 Wim 1391 Pat
  • Wymburn(e) Mynstre 1312 ib
  • Wymburn(e) Mynster 1452 ib
  • Wymburnysmynster 1306 Cl
  • Wymborn(e) Burgus 1385,1475 DCMCt 1563 DLCt
  • Great Wimborne 1533 Hutch3
  • Wumburn Ministre 1256 Pat
  • Womborne 1386 Cl

Etymology

'Meadow stream', from winn1 , wynn and burna , originally the name of the river here, now called R. Allen, v. Canford Bridge, RNs.infra , cf. Wimborne St G. par. infra which also takes its name from this river. The addition -Minster is from mynster '(the church of) a monastery', originally with reference to the nunnery which was founded here by Queen Cūðburh at the beginning of the 8th cent. (cf. (in ) monasterio quod juxta fluvium qui dicitur Winburna situm est 705 (12) BCS 114), and which was later converted into a house of secular canons presided over by a dean, v. VCHDo 2107 ff, cf. Dean's Court, The Minster infra . In the 9th cent. Life of St Leoba by Rudolf of Fulda (ed. Waitz, Monumenta Germaniae historica Scriptores xv. 1, pp. 118–31) Wimborne is referred to as locus quidam antiquo gentis illius vocabulo Winbrunno vocatur , quod Latine interpretatum 'vini fons ' dici potest ; for later, and equally fanciful, speculations about the origin of the name, v. Hutch3 3178–180.