Ombersley
Major Settlement in the Parish of Ombersley
Historical Forms
- Ambreslege, Ombreswelle 706 BCS116 12th
- Ombersetena gemære 817 BCS361 11th KCD627 980 11th
- Ambresleie, Ambresley, Ambreslege 714 BCS130 16th RBE 1166 P 1182 Cur 1200 Wigorn 1283 SR 1327 Ch 1359
- Hambreslega c.1086 EveA 1190
- Ombresleye c.1300 Bodl57a
- Aumbresleg, Aumbresley 1229–51 Ch 1280 ib
- Ambersley 1675 Ogilby
Etymology
The history of this very difficult name would seem to go along with that of Amesbury (W), c. 1000Ambresbyrig (Saints), Amberesburg (BCS 494), Ambersham (Sx), Aembresham , Embresham (BCS 1114), Ambresham 1166 P, 1284 Winton Ambrosden (O), DB Ambresdene and an Ambresmedwe in the Feckenham district (AOMB 61) c. 1200. The suggestion which has been made that these names should be taken as representing OE names formed from the pers. name Ēanbeorht , cannot be entertained in the case of Amesbury and Ombersley, and is very doubtful for Ambersham and Ambrosden, and that for two reasons. In the first place it is impossible to believe that the t could have disappeared so completely, and in the second we should have expected numerous forms in Emb -. None are however to be found, except for Ambersham. Rather we must associate it as does Alexander (PN O 39) with the base Ambr - recorded in the archaic Vandal pers. name Ambri and in the fairly common diminutives Ambrichus , Ambricho given by Förstemann (PN 98). The former would appear in OE as Ambre and in the West Country as Ombre . See further Introd. xx. Hence 'Ambre's clearing,' v. leah . A spring (v. wielle ) was named after the same man, while in the third form we have a reference to the boundary of the people of Ombersley, the suffix being added to the first element in the name as in Broad was supra 103.