Wheatenhurst
Major Settlement in the Parish of Wheatenhurst or Whitminster
Historical Forms
- Witenhert 1086 DB
- Witenehet c.1100 France
- Witenherste, Wytenherste 1195 P
- Wytenhurst(e) c.1275 For 1284 Episc 1285 FA 1428 MinAcct
- Wittenhurst 1316 FA
- Wytehurst(e) Hy3 Ipm 1332 Ch
- Wythehurst 1261 Ch
- Hwitehurste 1220 Fees
- Whitherst 1248 Ass
- Whythurst 1260 FF
- Whytehurst, Whitehurst 1335 Misc 1336 Heref
- Whitenherst, Whytenherst 1248 Ass
- Whytenhurst(e) 1274 Ipm 1287 Ass 1291 Tax 1302 Ch 1425 MinAcct
- Whittenhurst 1725 PR
- Whitenerst 1378 Works 1428,1429 Pat
- Whetynhurst 1547 FF
- Wettenhurst 1563 FF
- Whetenhurst(e) als. Whitnester, Whytnester 1579,1602 FF 1612 Asht 1623 FF
- Whytnester als. Whitmyster 1612 ib
- Wheatenhurste als. Whitminster 1645 FF 1830 M
Etymology
'The white (bright) wooded hill' or 'Hwīta's wooded hill', v. hwīt (wk.dat. hwītan ), hyrst , or the OE pers.n. Hwīta . The later development, quite clear from the spellings, has a curious metathesis of -hurst , -herst to -ester , and -nester became -minster by popular etymology. A few later spellings are given infra for this later adaptation: