Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Fennymere alias Linches 1652 SBL10

• Finemer 1086 DB

• Finemera 1121 SAC

• Fynymer Hy8 RentSur

• Fenemere 1255-6 Ass

• Fenemoore 1672 HTR

• Fennymare 1255-6 Ass

• Fennimare 1271-2 Ass

• Fenymare 1291-2 Ass

• Fenymere 1361 Ipm

• Fenymer 1362 Cl

• Fennimeare 1655 SAC1/XLVII

• Fennyngmer' 1305-6 Ass

• Venimere 1342 HAC

Etymology

'Mouldy lake', v. mere . The first element is probably an adjective *fynig, from OE  fyne 'mould'. The 1121 SAC reference is to “quandam terrulam cum lacu qui vocatur finemera”. The name was probably coined for the lake, and transferred later to the settlement(s) in Baschurch parish. The 19th-cent. OS map calls the lake Fennymere Pool and shows Higher and Lower Fennymere as the names of two farms. Only Lower Fenemere Fm is named on the 1961 1″, and on this map Fenemere (without the addition of Pool) is printed in blue lettering as the name of the lake.