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.

Sheerwater

Early-attested site in the Parish of Chertsey

Historical Forms

  • Sheerewater 1605 LRMB
  • Sherewater lake 1609 ib
  • Shire Pond 1765 R
  • Shire Water 1808 MandB
  • Sheer Water 1816 O.S.

Etymology

Sheerwater is Sheerewater 1605LRMB , Sherewater lake 1609 ib., Shire Pond 1765 R, Shire Water 1808 M and B, Sheer Water 1816 O.S. 'Clear or bright water,' v. scir . There was formerly a lake here, drained about a hundred years ago. Cf. “In this parish is a great lake by Guildford Road, called Sheer-Water- Lake, which is two miles about” (Aubrey i, 197).