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.

Bromsberrow

Major Settlement in the Parish of Bromsberrow

Historical Forms

  • Bremes burh, æt Bremes byrig 910 ASC 11
  • Brvnmeberge 1086 DB
  • Bremeberg(a) 1166 P
  • Brembesbergwe 1221 Ass
  • Bremesberge 1221 1280 Heref
  • Bremesberwe 1318 ib
  • Bremesburgh 1412 Ipm
  • Bremmesbergh 1320 Ass 1349 Heref
  • Bromesberg(a), Bromesberg(h), Bromesberegh c.1180 France 13 Misc 1204 P 1220 Fees 1221 Ass 1292 Abbr
  • Bromesburghe 1279 Heref
  • Bromesberu(w)e, Bromesber(e)w(e) 1283 Ipm 1288 Talbot 1316 FA 1411 Pat
  • Bromesborowe 1446 Pat
  • Bromesbarowe, Bromesbarewe 1451 Talbot 1468 Pat 1584 Comm
  • Bromsbarrowe als. Bromesboroughe 1625 FF
  • Brommesberg(h)e 1255 Cl 1337,1520 FF
  • Brommysbarrou 1436 Hopt
  • Brymmesbar(e)we 1291 Tax 1367 FF 1420 IpmR
  • Brymmesbergh 1362,1387 FF
  • Brymmesburgh 1515–29 ECP
  • Bromsberuwe 1318 Heref
  • Bromsbury 1674 PR
  • Broum(e)sberwe 1320 FF
  • Broum(e)sbergh 1337 ib

Etymology

'Brēme's hill' (from OE  Brēme ) or 'hill where broom grew', v. brēme , brōm , beorg , and cf. Brimscombe (i, 141supra ). The second alternative seems more likely; cf. the local f.ns. Broomy banks, Broomy Pauls, Bromeshurste and Bromeswell (infra ), all referring to broom . The identification of the OE form with Bromsberrow (suggested by Plummer ii, 119) is doubtful, though a few later spellings of Bromsberrow also have the substitution of burh 'fort'.