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Beornweald

Discussion of the name

Beornweald is a masculine OE name formed from the elements beorn (‘man, warrior’) and weald (‘power, ruler’). It is recorded in occasional use among clergy, moneyers, and an ealdorman from the early eighth century to the early tenth (Beornweald 1–5; Beornwald 1–5, Beornweald 6–10), followed by a gap in the record until the solitary (and not altogether certain) example in DB. The DB form Bernoltus is an unexceptionable spelling for both elements of Beornweald (von Feilitzen 1937: 200, 410), and the only thing that prevented von Feilitzen from assigning it to the OE name was (presumably) the absence of examples over the 150 years or so before 1066. Instead he regarded the DB instance as the CG name Bernald (von Feilitzen 1937: 200). That is possible, though less likely than Beornweald (Beornweald 12).

Bibliography

von Feilitzen 1937: Olof von Feilitzen, The Pre-Conquest Personal Names of Domesday Book, Nomina Germanica 3 (Uppsala: Almqvist and Wiksells, 1937)

Forms of the name

Spellings in Domesday Book: Bernoltus

Forms in modern scholarship:

  von Feilitzen head forms: Bernald

  Phillimore edition: Bernhold

  Alecto edition: Bernhold

Distribution map of property and lordships associated with this name in DB

List of property and lordships associated with this name in DB

Holder 1066

Shire	Phil. ref.	Vill	DB Spelling	Holder 1066	Lord 1066	Tenant-in-Chief 1086	1086 Subtenant	Fiscal Value	1066 Value	1086 Value	Conf.	Show on Map
Shire Kent	Phil. ref. 5,216	Vill Each	DB Spelling Bernoltus	Holder 1066 Beornweald 'of Each'	Lord 1066 Edward, king	Tenant-in-Chief 1086 Odo, bishop of Bayeux	1086 Subtenant Osbern fitzLetard	Fiscal Value 0.50	1066 Value 0.60	1086 Value 0.80	Confidence A	Map
Totals								Fiscal Value	1066 Value	1086 Value

People of this name

• Beornweald 12 - Beornweald ‘of Each’ (Kent), fl. 1066