Sambourne (Wilts) is Sandeborne in 1249 and Sandburne in the C14. If the geology doesn't match, some nifty footwork is needed to explain away the vocabulary used. Sand + ford appears as Sampford twice in Somerset, three times in Devon, and twice in Essex. Sandford in Dorset (twice) appears with occasional <m> forms.

Richard

-----Original Message-----
From: The English Place-Name List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Bob Trubshaw
Sent: 28 March 2012 14:38
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [EPNL] At 14:11 28/03/2012, you wrote: A 'sand' stream. PNWilts p159 ---- Bob Trubshaw <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > I'm trying to shed some light on the name of a seasonal stream > running to the north-west of ...

Thanks Tom - meant to have said I'm not at all convinced by the PNWilts interpretation as it simply doesn't fit the local chalk geology ;-).  Nor am I aware of other instances sam = sand in OE usage.  I'll be a little more sympathetic to 'sand stream' if someone can point me to other OE words/compounds where 'sam' seemingly has the sense of 'sand' ;-)

However Jeremy's useful summary of other instances of Sambourne suggest that the geology link could be investigated further by folk with local knowledge.

Many thanks

Bob



At 14:11 28/03/2012, you wrote:
A 'sand' stream. PNWilts p159

---- Bob Trubshaw <[log in to unmask]> wrote: 
> I'm trying to shed some light on the name of a seasonal stream running 
> to the north-west of Avebury, Wilts.
> 
> It's known locally as either the Horsbrook or the Sambourn(e).  It 
> feeds into the Winterbourne which flows south to become the River 
> Kennet.
> 
> Hosbrook is not problematical.  But Sambourne suggests either the 
> 'half' or 'part' brook (which vaguely fits its relationship to the 
> much larger and longer Wintebourne) or the 'unity bourne' which
(even
> allowing for the sense of a confluence between the two) does not
make
> much sense to me.  
> 
> But could it be the 'summer bourne'?  It's as dry as a bone every 
> summer (just like, as might be expected, the Winterbourne) but if I 
> head into the realms of speculation about a now-lost dam/pond it could 
> have held water into or through the summer.  I am trying to avoid such 
> specualtions but such a pond would be entirely
appropriate
> when pastoral farming dominated these chalk uplands.  
> 
> I would be very interested to know any thoughts about either this 
> Sambourne or any other similar names for minor watercourses.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Bob

--
Tom Ikins

The Roman Map of Britain
http://www.romanmap.com