Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Omenie 1086 DB

• Omenai, Omenay 1086–1148 Glouc

• Amenel(l) 1100–35 Pat 1496 Glouc 1100–1284 Ch Hy1 ClR 1300 Fees 1204 Ch 1211–13 1300

• Up Amenel(l) 1221 FF

• Amenel(l) Abbatis 1221 Ass

• Uphamenhell, Uphamenhel 1221 Ass

• Uphamenhel Abbatis 1221 ib

• Ameney(e) 1215,1263–84,1267 Glouc

• Up Ameney(e) 1261 FF 1279 Glouc 1303etfreqto1347 Glouc

• Ameney(e) Sancte Crucis 1287 Ass 1291 1325 FF

• Up Ameney(e) Crucis 1328 Banco

• Hameneye 1285 FA

• Auenel Abbatis 1221 Ass

• Uphauene 1287 ib

• Aumeneya, Aumen(e)ye 1255 Cl 1354 Ch

• Aumen(e)ye Sce' Crucis 1291 Tax

• Hameneye 1285 FA

• Up-Amyne 1287 Ass

• Up Amoney 1316 FA

• Holyrod(e)hampney 1509 MinAcct

• Holyrod(e)hamney 1529 FF

• Holyrod(e)hampney 1542 MinAcct

• Holyrood(e) Hamney 1545 LP

• Holyrood(e) Ampney 1549 Pat 1725 PR

• Holyrood(e) Amney 1610 M

• Ampney Crucis 1535 VE 1600 FF 1713 PR

Etymology

This place, along with Down Ampney, Ampney St Mary, and Ampney St Peter, is named from the stream called Ampney Brook or from an affluent. 'Amma's stream', v. ēa , ēg . An OE  pers.n. Amma is not recorded but occurs in such p.ns. as OE  Amman broc BCS 1110, etc. (v. Ekwall, RN 13); it would be cognate with OHG  Amo . The spellings with Aum - are French ; the form Amenel has the OFr  diminutive suffix -el (cf. Vincent 101) 'the little Ameney ', such a use being paralleled by Hampnett (173infra ); the sporadic form Auenel may be due to a scribal error in a long sequence of minims, or the substitution of -u - for -m - could be due to the influence of Fr  p.ns. like Avenelles (Vincent 564). The affix in this name, Abbatis 'abbot's' (v. abbat ), alludes to the Abbots of Tewkesbury who owned one hide in the manor t. Hy 1, but later a much larger amount (cf. VE); St Peter's, Gloucester, and Cirencester also had land here; Up - (v. upp 'higher') refers to the fact that this Ampney occupies the highest position up Ampney Brook (which rises in the parish), esp. in contrast to Down Ampney (51infra ); Sancte Crucis , Crucis and Holyrode 'holy cross' (v. hālig , rōd ) are from the dedication of the church, Holy Rood Church; a fine cross is to be found in the churchyard (cf. BG xv, 297–303).