Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Bulwareheda t.Steph France

• Bulewar' 12th ADiii

• Buleworehethe 12th Bello

• Bulewarehethe 1250 Pat t.Ed1and2 BM 1293 RBE

• Bulewarehithe 1310 Ch

• Bulewarehuth 1334 Ipm

• Bulwareth 1229 SAC1,15

• Bulwereheth 1361 BM

• Bolewarheiham, Bolewar(e)heye 1218 Pat 1281 Ch

• Boluuareheth 1283 Pat

• Bolewar(e)heth 1280 Misc 1325 FF 1355 BM

• Bolewar(e)hith 1342 Ipm

• Bolewardeshethe 1308 Pat

• Burewarehethe 1229 Pat

• Burewardeh' 1231 Cl

• Burewaldehee 1234 Cl

• Bolewarehute 1291 Pap

• Bulverhethe, Bolverhethe 1430,1496,1519 AsM

• Bulferith 1478 SAC32,119

• Bulver Hyde Point 1587 SAC1,132

• Bulverhyde 1672 MarL

Etymology

The second element in this name is clearly OE  hyð, 'landing- place, harbour.' The first is the OE  gen. pl. burhwara , 'citizens,' and the whole name means 'harbour of the citizens (of Hastings).' Such a name has its exact parallel in the portmonna hyð (BCS 1094), the harbour of the men of the port or town of Southampton, now Hythe (Ha). For a similar compound we may compare Burmarsh (K), Burcwaramersc (KCD 732), the marsh of the burhware of Canterbury, which in the form Borwardemerssh (1313 Ch) shows a similar intrusive d . The l in many of the early forms is due to common AN confusion of l and r , especially in names containing a second r (IPN 106 ff.), cf. Bulphan (Ess), Bulgeven DB, Bur (e )g (h )efen 1243, 1247 FF, a compound of burh and fen 1 . Such confusion was specially likely in one of the Cinque Ports under the shadow of a great Norman Castle. Later there was also a confusion of w and v , cf. Valdoe and Fyning supra 78, 39.