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.

Bivelham Fm

Early-attested site in the Parish of Mayfield

Historical Forms

  • Bifleam t.Steph France
  • Byffelham 1393 Ct
  • Byveleham, Biveleham 1245 Ch 1262,1288 Ass
  • Bivelehamme 1288 Ass
  • Bivelehame 1274 Ipm
  • Byvylham 1288 Ass 1296 SR
  • Byvilham 1334 Ipm 1339 Misc
  • Byvilhamme 1288 Ass
  • Byvelhamme, Bivelhamme 1316 FA
  • Bivelham 1320 Misc 1327 SR 1334 Ipm
  • Bevylham(e) 1388 BM 1428 IpmR 1462 Pat

Etymology

This clearly contains a pers. name Bifela , hence 'Bifela's enclosure,' v. hamm . No other example of a name from this stem is known in OE but cf. OE  bifian , 'to tremble,' and the evidence given by Förstemann (PN 299) for Germanic names with a stem Bib -.