History

Etymology

Reclamation of Brading Haven

Maps


Etymology of Bembridge Place-names.

Source:The Place-names of the Isle of Wight by H. Kokeritz. (Uppsala, 1940)
The Oxford English Dictionary.
English Place-name Elements, Parts I & II. General Editor, A.H. Smith. (CUP, 1956)


Bembridge The derivation of the name 'Bembridge' is a compound word, comprising the Old English (OE) words binnan 'inside, within' and brycg 'bridge'. It therefore has the sense of 'the land inside the bridge'. This is confirmed by the Latin term often used in Medieval documents, "infra pontem", which translates as 'below/inside the bridge'. Before the Yarbridge was constructed, the Bembridge 'Isle' was not really referred to as a whole; documents tend to refer to the individual manors themselves. However, once the bridge was established, documents start referring to the area as "infra Ponte", "Thinnbridge" (OG/7/2), "within the Brigg" (OG/7/1), "Bynbrigge" (JER/WA/3/21), "within Bynbridge", "At Bynnebrigge" etc.
"...in hundredo de estmedine est unus ignis infra pontem super Puttokesdone" . 'Puttoc' is the diminutive form of putta 'hawk' and 'done' is derived from the OE dun, 'down' - thus 'the hawk down',i.e. Bembridge Down.
Middleton
Milton
Mitton		 Middleton appears at the end of the 13th century. Later it became shortened to 'Milton' or 'Mitton' and became merged with Wolverton, thus producing 'Wolverton als Milton'. Middleton/Milton is derived from the OE middel-tun, 'the middle farm'.
Stanwell Stanwell: stan, 'stone'; w(i)elle, 'well,spring'. Hence 'the stoney spring'. May be the southern counterpart of the northern well, suggested by the name Northwells.
La Wode La Wode: OE wudu 'wood'.
Wolverton Wolverton (Vlwartone): either 'Wulfweard's farm' or 'the farm of Wulfweard's people'.
Orham Orham: OE ora, 'margin, edge, border, river bank, shore'; hamm, 'river meadow'.
Tyne Tine or Tyne: OE tynan. Old Teutonic 'tunjan' from 'tuno' meaning enclosure. In the verb form, tine/tyne has the sense of to close and to fence or hedge in. This word is connected with the OE word tun (meaning inclosure, fence, village, town).