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.

Great Bardfield, Little Bardfield and Saling Bardfield

Major Settlement in the Parish of Great and Little Bardfield and Bardfield Saling

Historical Forms

  • Birdefeldā, Byrdefelda, B(er)defelda 1086 DB
  • Petit Byrdefeut 1321 Pat
  • Berdefeld(e) maioris 12th Stoke
  • Berdefeld(e) magna 1227 Stoke 1459 Pat
  • Berdefeud Parva 1235 FF 1303 FA
  • Berdefeud Comitis 1432 Tilty
  • Berdeford 1403 Cl
  • Bordefeud 1235 Ass 1381 IpmR
  • Bordeford 1285 Ass
  • Brad(e)feud 1235 Ass
  • Brad(e)feld 1435–61 Pat
  • Brad(e)feyld 1594 N
  • Bard(e)feld 1253,1433 Pat 1391,1492 MinAcct
  • myche Bard(e)feld 1532 ERxix
  • Bradevill 1283 Pat
  • Brydefeud 1285 Ass
  • Berteville 1360 Cl
  • Ber(e)feud ib.
  • Ber(e)feld 1375 FF 1403 Pat 1509 LP
  • Berdesfeld 1317 FF 1461 Pat
  • Berdfeld, Bardesfeld or Bradesfeld or Bradfeld 1486 LP

Etymology

This is a difficult name. It has its parallel in Berdefelde , a minor name in Stapleford (C)1170 LibEl, and in the late Berdefelde (in Wakes Colne) 1504MinAcct , and Bardefelde (in Witham) t. Hy 8 ib. It is probable that the first element in these names goes back to OE  ge-byrd , which is found once in the gloss gebyrdum gemære for colono fine . Toller (BT Supplts. v. ge-byran ) takes this, with some hesitation, to mean 'furnished with gebūras ,' OE  gebur , gebyr being used of a colonus . The compound may therefore denote 'open land colonised by dependent peasants.' Great was also Comitis from the Earl of Gloucester (Tilty ).

Places in the same Parish

None