Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Billingham c.1040 HSC 11th

• villa de Billingham 1229×44,1447 Spec

• manerium de Billingham 1376 Halm

• Manner of Billingham 1776 Man

• Township of Billingham 1838 TA

• Billinghame 1575 Man

• Billyngham c.1123 DEC c.1190×5 Ct 15th Spec 1323 IPM 1335 1482×3

• Byllingham 1293,1345 Spec 1365,1368 Halm 1406 Pont 1579 Man

• Byllyngham c.1123 DEC 15th Spec 1298etfreqto1463 Man c.1570,1575

• Byllynghame 1593 Wills

• Billi'gham 1080×2 RRAN 1154×60 FPD 1293,1344 Spec 1346 Ct

• Billigham 1189×1212,c.1220 Ct

• Bellingaham 1088×91 ERW

• Bellyngham 1378,1381 Halm

• Bellingham(e) 1592 Wills

• Belingeham 1189×99 Reg 1336

• Billingaham c.1123 DEC

• Billi'gah' cu' Eccl'ia eiusde' uille ⁊ Omn'bȜ ei adiacentinbȜ 1154×60 Reg

• Billingeham [c.1123]12th,c.1190×5 DEC 1203×4 Reg

• Billing'ham 1244×58 Spec

• Bilingham 1189×1212,1340 Spec 1306 Ct

• Bilyngham c.1340,1350(p) Spec 1396 Arch

• Bylingham, Bylyngham 1408 Spec

Etymology

'The homestead on the ridge', OE  *billing + hām. Earlier writers on this name (Boyle xx, NbDu 21, DEPN 43, PNIng 156) generally regarded it as a compound of OE  hām with the genitive inflected form of a plural folk-name derived from the pers.n. Billa (a hypocoristic form of names like Bilheard , Bilfrith etc.), Billinga -hām , 'the hām of the Billingas, the people called after Billa'. Alternatively the Billingas might have been the 'people called after the Bill ' from OE  bill 'a sword' used in the topographical sense 'edge, prominent hill, promontory'. In BzNf 2 (1967), 326–32 and PNCh 1 138–9, J. McN. Dodgson demonstrated the existence of an OE  appellative *billing 'a hill, a prominence, a promontory, a ridge'; this element admirably fits the topography of Billingham which lies at the upper edge of a low but prominent hill overlooking the meadows of Billingham Beck and the Tees estuary. To the other examples cited by Dodgson may be added the Durham names Billy Hall, Hill and Row (Crook), Billey 1349×50 with late Nb -ing > -ig (Brunner §188.3, Campbell §474, Luick §683), Bildershaw (Etherley), Billyngschawe 1432, Billershaw 1647, Billingside (Consett) 1284, Billing Shield and Hills (Stanhope), Billinghele 1382, and in Northumberland, Billy Mill (Tynemouth), molendinum de Billing 1320 NbDu, all situated on hills or hillsides. Walther Piroth's suggested derivation of the English Billing names from the German folk-name Billunger (Ortsnamenstudien zur angelsächsischen Wanderung , Frankfurter historische Abhandlungen 18, Wiesbaden 1979, 38–9) is therefore mistaken.

Forms with -l - instead of -ll - may show the influence of OE  bile 'beak' instead of bill , but are more probably to be regarded as casual spelling variants. Forms with Bel (l )- may show the influence of OE  belle 'a bell, a bell-shaped hill', but this does not suit the topography at Billingham and they are probably to be regarded as casual variant spellings for the open English [i] vowel perceptible to AN ears as /e/ and sporadically lowered in ME to e (Jordan §36, Kristensson 74, Luick §380 and A, Morsbach §114–5). Forms with medial -a -, -e - may be regarded as reflexes either of an OE  inflected genitive pl. -inga > ME  -inge or more probably of an OE locative-dative sing. -inge (see BzNf 3 (1968), 166, though there is no modern evidence for the assibilated pronunciation [inʤ] in this name as given by Dodgson, loc. cit. 330).

Billingham was given to the community of St Cuthbert by Bishop Ecgred (830×45) who is said to have built the vill (ædificavit HSC 142).It was originally a constituent member of the ancient estate or shire of Hartness supra . Subsequently it formed part of the possessions of the priory of Durham and itself became a shire caput , v. Billinghamshire supra and VCH III 196. The parish church of St Cuthbert contains 9th and 11th cent. fabric but has also produced sculptural fragments of the 7th or 8th cent., see C. D. Morris, 'Two early grave-markers from Billingham', AA 5th ser. 2 (1974), 49–56.