Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Musardera 1186,1190 P

• (la) Musarder' 1211–13,1220 Fees 1255–9 CirenR 1272 Ipm 1351 ADii

• Musarder' als. Misarden 1614 FF

• la Musardere, le Musardere 1248 Ass 1269 Episc 1272 Fine 1287 Ass 1461 Pat

• Musardere als. Grenehamstede 1297 ADi

• la Musardyre, Musardire 1264 Ipm 1285 FA

• La Musarde' 1233 Cl

• La Musardye 1248 Ass

• (la) Mussarder(e) 1291 Tax 1415 FF 1492 Pat

• Musardrie 1322 Cl

• Miserder(e), Myserder(e) 1535 VE 1546 BM

• Myserder(e) als. Myserdeane 1592 FF

• Musarden(e), Muserden(e) 1291 Tax 1378 Works 1628 GlCorp

• Mussarden 1447,1449 MinAcct

• Muzarden 1672 PR

• Mesirden 1480 Pat

• Myserden, Miserden 1488 Pat 1567 FF 1610 M

• Mysterdeane 1602 AOMB411

• Mizerdine 1702 PR

Etymology

The manor of Greenhampstead (infra ) was held in 1086 by Hascoit Musard and continued to be held by the Musard family till the 14th century (cf. 1211–13 Fees i, 50, 1269 Episc, 1272–88 Ipm, 1285 FA, 1310FF 22, etc.); on this name (from OFr  musard 'stupid') cf. Tengvik 352. Musardere , Musardrie is a p.n. formed from this OFr surname with the addition of the OFr  p.n. suffixes -(i )ere , -erie (from Lat  -aria ), of which Vincent § 701 gives many examples formed from such family names. The later form of the name with -den (v. denu 'valley') is an adaptation to a common English p.n. type, no doubt because the place is in the deep upper valley of the R. Frome. On the change of Mus - [mys] to Mis - cf. Phonol. § 30.