Britford
Major Settlement in the Parish of Britford
Historical Forms
- Brytfordingea landscære c.670 BCS 12th
- Brytfordingealand sceare 948 ib
- Brytford 1065 ASC c.1100
- Brutford 826 BCS391 12th FF 1243 FA 1428
- Bruford 1167 P
- Brutteford 1289 Ass
- Bruteford 1361 BM
- Bredford 1086 DB 1274 Ipm
- Bretheuorde c.1100 LifeofEdwardtheConfessor
- Bretford 1086 DB 1186 P 1325 Cl
- Breteford 1186 P
- Britford 1115 StOsmund 1252 Cl 1279 Ass
- Britfordstok 1279,1281 ib
- Brytford 1399 WinchColl
- Brittford 1474 Pat
- Brightford 1708 Sadler
- Brudefort 1175 France
- Brudford 1211 RBE
- Brideford 1203 Cur
- Bratford 1227 Fees
- Birtford 1488 Ipm
- Byrteford 1526 Ct
- Burtford 1553 WMx t.Eliz 1609 Longford
- Britford al. Birtf ord 1754 Recov
Etymology
The first element here must be the word Bryt denoting British or a Briton, which we find in Brytland , used in the Chronicle of Wales and Brittany, and in the compound Brytwealas , 'Britons,' and the whole name must denote a ford used by Britons, possibly on some famous historical occasion. Cf. brytta pol (KCD 778) in Ditchampton. We can hardly accept Ekwall's explanation of the name as deriving from OE brydford . The OE forms are too good for us thus to reject them in favour of an interpretation which lays most stress on certain later forms. The first two forms are found in the bounds of Bishopstone and have reference to the bounds of the people of Britford so far as they were at one time co-terminous with those of Bishopstone.