Averham
Major Settlement in the Parish of Averham
Historical Forms
- Aigrun 1086 DB
- Ægrum c.1180 Dane
- Aigruna c.1195 CamdSocxlix
- Egrum c.1200,1231 BM 1210 Cur 1227 Ebor 1428 FA
- Eghrum 13th Rufford
- Egrom 1275 RH
- Egrun 1212 FF
- Egerun 1241 ib
- Egrund 1289 Ipm
- Averham 1274 Fine 1280,1315 Ebor 1280 Ass 1295 FF
- Earom 1276 RH
- Agheram 1277 Ass
- Aghram 1302 FA 1327 Banco
- Erghum 1280 Ass
- Aram 1280,1330 1403 FF 1545 NtIpm 1558 BorRec
- Averam 1316 FA
- Averham al. Aram 1617 Wills
- Averham al. Egrome 1649 ParlSurv
Etymology
This is a difficult name. We can hardly take it to be from OE ēa -gārum , 'at the gores or strips of land on the Trent,' either on the score of form or meaning. It is tempting to think that we might have a fossilised survival of the OE poetic ēagor , found in the compound ēagor -stream , 'mighty stream,' and take the place, on the banks of the Trent, to mean 'at the great streams,' but the precise meaning and etymology of OE ēagor are themselves quite uncertain. Equally uncertain is the possible connexion, with equally confused phonology, of eagre , the name of the well-known bore on the Trent. The later sound developments are curious but have an interesting parallel in Leverton supra 33–4.