Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• (æt) Seofonhæmtune 1043 KCD767 12th

• Sevamentone 1086 DB

• Sevenhampton 1522 SR

• Sevinghampton 1662 Wood

• Seyvyngton 1512 Ct

• Sevington 1607 WMxix

• Seventon 1773 AandD

Etymology

In PN Wo (35), when dealing with a lost Sevenhampton in that county, that name was associated with Sevenhampton (Gl), Sevenhampton supra 27, the seofonhæmtun which gave rise to Sevington, and with Seavington (So), DBSeovenamentone , and it was suggested that all alike were compounds of OE  seofon , 'seven,' hæme and tun , and that the term denoted a village or hamlet with seven ham (s) or homesteads, and reasons were given why, on the basis of early custom, a group of more than six homesteads (e.g. seven) might have significance as against six or less. That there may have been real significance in these numbers receives some slight measure of further support from the name Syrencot discussed infra 366.

Ekwall (DEPN s. n .) suggests that these names take their rise from compounds of tun with seofonhæme , denoting 'the dwellers at places called “seven wells”' and the like. Such hæme- compounds attached to the first element of a place-name are regular formations, as in Neoðerehæma gemære (KCD 764) from Neoðeretun (BCS 235), now Netherton (PN Wo 150). He sup- ports this suggestion by noting that Sevington in Tichborne (Ha) is near syfanwyllan (BCS 731) in the bounds of that parish and that there is a Seofenwyllas (BCS 165) in the bounds of Aston Blank, three or four miles from Sevenhampton (Gl).Unluckily, it is impossible to build much on these foundations.Seofenwyllas is four to five miles from Sevenhampton, we have no evidence of any settlement at Seofenwyllas , and it is difficult to see how people from these springs can be thought of as settling at Sevenhampton and giving name to it. For Sevington (Ha) unluckily we have no early forms at all, and it is difficult to be at all sure that Sevington is really from seofon hæmatun , especially when it is by no means certain that syfan wyllas itself denotes 'seven springs,' for syfan is not a common OE  form for seofon . In the case of the other places we have no trace of any 'seven springs,' and it may be noted further that none of the numerous other 'seven wells' known to us have ever given rise to names of this type. Cf. s. n. Seawell (PN Nth 40), where mention is made of Sinwell (Gl), Sowell (PN D 565), Seven Wells Fm in Stoke Doyle (Nth) and Sywell (PN Nth 139) where note is made of Sewell (PN BedsHu 129 and O), and other minor examples. Ekwall (loc. cit .) does not exclude the possibility of compounds of seofon with other elements. It should be noted however that such compounds are not very common and, so far as our knowledge goes, have never given rise to Sevenhamptonnames. We have noted Seabeach (PN Sx 68), Sevenoaks (PN K 64–5), Seaborough (PN Ess 164, PN Do 303), Sevenash (PN D 50), Zeaston (ib. 287) and Soussons (ib. 482), but no corresponding Sevenhampton.

No certain conclusion is possible, but it should perhaps be noted that the limitation of these Sevenhampton names to the adjacent counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset is in favour of the 'homestead' solution. Other seven-names are widely scattered and if they are the source of the Sevenhamptons there seems no reason why we should not find examples of this name as widely distributed as the other seven -names.