Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Amberle 957 BCS997 14th

• Ambrelie 1086 DB

• Amberle(gh) 1227,1231 Ch 1332 SR

• Amberlea 1338 Ch 1377 Pat 1439 Cicestr

• Ambereslege 1341 Ass

• Aumberle(y), Aumberly 1249,1279,1280 FF 1300 Misc 1302 RH 1306 Ch

• Aunberesleye 1313 FF

• Ombyrle 1389 IpmR

• Amerley 1653 Walton'sCompleatAngler

• Umberleia (1166 RBE)

• Amberlegh (1242 Ass)

Etymology

This is a name which offers great difficulty. It has been suggested that it may contain a river-name Amber , such as is found in Db and elsewhere (v. Ekwall, RN 12). This would be possible only if one assumed that Amber was an old name for the Arun at this point, but we have no evidence in favour of that, and the river-name explanation does not fit Amberley (Gl) which is away from any stream. Early forms for that are Umberleia (1166 RBE), Amberlegh (1242Ass ), where u is probably the West Midland vowel for a-o which we find also in the field-name Umberland , Omberland in Elmbridge in the same county, c. 1270. Amberley (He) (away from any stream) is Amburlege in DB and later has forms with and without possessive s (Aumbresle , Ambresleye , Aumburleye , Amberley 1243– 1341 in PN He 5). The forms of this name suggest that we may have as the first element in the Herefordshire name the OE  pers. name Ēanburh which, as a fem. name, would not normally show a possessive s . That would fit the Gloucestershire and Sussex names less well. In dealing with Ombersley (PN Wo 268), away from any stream, it was shown that there was some reason for assuming a pers. name Ambre in OE.A weak form Ambra would account for the Gloucestershire and Sussex place-names but it is doubtful if we ought to postulate such, and one must remember that amber is a common element in Gloucestershire field-names (Baddeley, PN He 101), where it is most probably a significant word. In these last names it is perhaps OE  amber , a measure, both liquid and dry, of uncertain capacity but possibly of four bushels (v. Harmer, English Historical Documents 73–4). Field or other minor names might well contain this element. It is more difficult to see how it could be found in combination with leah .