Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• weahhes fen 956 BCS955 c.1200

• Wexfenne 1263 Ass

• Wexfen 1282,1294,1323 WAM 1548 LRMB

• Wexefen 1360,1362 WAM

• Waxfen 1474 Onslow 1490,1504 WAM

• Wexfanbroke t.Ed6 Rental

Etymology

Wexfen (lost) is weahhes fen 956 (c. 1200) BCS 955, Wexfenne 1263Ass (p), Wexfen 1282, 1294, 1323WAM , 1548LRMB , Wexefen 1360, 1362WAM , Waxfen 1474Onslow , 1490, 1504WAM , Wexfanbroke t. Ed 6Rental . Cf. Wexford 1241Ass , 1526Rental , Wexfordesham 1343AD , a lost place in Esher. This name is perhaps a parallel to Wexham (PN Bk 244), with no OE form, but with 13th century Wex - and (once) Wax -. The OE  form can hardly contain anything but a personal name, and Professor Ekwall and Dr Ritter suggest that Weahh is a pet-form of some such OE  name as Wealhheard . Hence 'Weahh 's marsh-land,' v. fenn . For similar assimilation we may compare OE  Eahha , Eahhe for which the most likely source is assimilation from an OE  Ealh -name. (Cf. Boehler, Die Alteng . Frauennamen 206.)