Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Brantone 1086 DB

• Bramtun, Bramton(a) 12 YDx 1140–5 YChvii 1143–54 Hy2 Ch 1230 FF 1226,1234 YDvi 1319

• Bramton juxta Wath 1297 LS

• Bramton birlagh 1307 YI

• Bramton Birely 1522 Testii

• Bramton Byerley 1527 FF

• Bramton Byrelawe 1529 WillY

• Brampton 1198 Fount 13 Brett 1226 YDvi 1246 Ass39 1681 YDvi,71

• Brampton juxta Wath 1285 KI 1371 Ch

• Braumpton 1246 Ass39

• Bireley 1697 PRWath

• Byr(e)lagh 1399, 1412 YD vi, 67, 1516 Surv

• Byerley, Bierley 1519, 1589 FF, 1641 Rates, 1648 PRWath

• Biarlawe 1583 FF

• Bierlaw, Byerlaw 1616 PRWath, 1681 YD vi, 71

• Byrrelaghe (1297 WCR ii, 48)

Etymology

The affix Bierlow appears with the following further spellings, Byr (e )lagh 1399, 1412 YD vi, 67, 1516Surv , Byerley , Bierley 1519, 1589 FF, 1641 Rates, 1648 PRWath, Biarlawe 1583 FF, Bierlaw , Byerlaw 1616 PRWath, 1681 YD vi, 71.

'Farmstead in the broom', v. brōm , tūn ; on the persistent Bram (p )- forms in this and similar names v. EPN i, 52 and Bramley 134infra . The place is distinguished (from Brampton en le Morthen 162infra ) as juxta Wath , that is, Wath upon Dearne 118infra , and as Bierlow . The latter is ON  bȳjar-lǫg 'the law of the village', and here, as in Greasbrough 181, Brightside 209, Bradfield 221, Ecclesfield 244infra and Dalton La 201, it simply denotes 'a township', a small administrative district in which the local law established by mutual consent to deal with minor disputes held good; in the case of the extensive township of Bradfield the word was used of a subdivision of a township, as also in Brightside which was originally a division of Sheffield township. In the case of Brampton Bierlow the name is still that of the township rather than the modern village of Brampton.The older sense 'the local law of the township' occurs independently in YW: in 1297 in Alverthorpe near Wakefield a defendant pleaded he was distraining for a debt due to him by the judgment of the whole of the Byrrelaghe (1297 WCR ii, 48); in another case held at Brighouse in 1330 it was found that Thomas son of Julian had allowed his cattle to graze in the Birefeld (cf. Brighouse f.ns. iii, 78 infra ) contrary to the custom of the birelegh (WCR ii, p. xxiv). On the gen.sg. bȳjar cf. EPN i, 70 (s.v. bȳ § 6), and cf. the common f.n. Byerdole , etc.