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.

Hambridge Bottom

Early-attested site in the Parish of Dorking

Historical Forms

  • la Hombreth (sic) 1247 FF
  • atte Hambreche 1281,1403 Norfolk
  • la Hambrache 1320 AddCh

Etymology

Hambridge Bottom (6″) is Attehombrech 1235, la Hombreg '1241Ass , la Hombreth (sic)1247 FF, Hambreche 1255, atte Hombreche 1279Ass , atte Hambreche 1281, 1403Norfolk , la Hambrache 1320AddCh , la Hombrech 1354, la Hambrech 1366Norfolk . This is probably a compound of the same type as Holmwood infra , to which it is adjacent (see further PN Sx 258), in which we have a compound of home (ham ) and ME  breche (bræc ), 'uncultivated land,' the first element being used to describe land in the neighbourhood of some estate or mansion.