Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• to Brycg stowe, of Brycg stowe 1052 ASC 11 ASC 1063 11

• to Brygc stowe 1067 ASC 11

• to Bricg stowe 1087 ASC 11

• Bristov, Bristou 1086 DB

• Bristou, Brystou, Brystow(e), Brystowa 12 Pat 1496 ASC 1126,1140 Glouc 12 Berk 1148–79 BrCh 1153 BM 1171 Ogilby Hy2 1675

• Bristo 1190,1204 P 1300 Ch

• Brihstou 12 Ord

• Brigstou 1100–35 Pat 1496

• Bricstou 1169 P

• Bristol(l)', Brystol(l)', Brystollia, Brystoll(i)um, Brystole 12 Pat 1496 Glouc 12 Tewk71d 1100–35 BrCh 1155 Templar 1185 GlastonInq 1189 BM 1200 Cur 1201 Ogilby 1675

• ye citty of Brystole 1630 PR

• cittie of Brystole 1652 ParlSurv

• Bristall(um) 1188,1378 BrCh 10,91,1424 Pat

• Bristold' 1248 Ass

• Brestol 1290 Ipm

• ye Cetye of Brestol 1620 PR

• Bristuit, Brystuit, Brystuyt (in French documents) 1331–1401 RBBr 1426 BrCh 15 ECP

• Brustoll' 1385,1393 Ass

• Bristell c.1560 Surv

Etymology

'Assembly place by the bridge', v. brycg , stōw . The meanings of stōw 'place' best established by its compounds are 'place where folk assembled' and then an extended and more particularised sense 'religious place'; the former seems the more likely in Bristol. The bridge may have been one across the Avon (cf. Bristol Bridge 87infra ). The ME  colloquial form of the name was Bristow , which continued in use for a long time but has not survived, having been supplanted by the Latinised form Bristol (l )ia and its modern colloquial form Bristol . Bristol is without doubt an AN inverted spelling, which could arise when OFr  -ol - in certain conditions (namely before consonants) was vocalised to -ou - and so fell in with OE , ME  -ow -, -ou -; the conditions for this change are not in fact found in Bristol , and we have to assume that the substitution of -ol - for -ou - was analogous to cases where they did appear. But spellings with unetymological -l - occur elsewhere (cf. IPN 95, 113, Feilitzen § 66, Förster, Themse 551 note, C.L. Wrenn, Names v, 65–70).