PLACE NAME
Bisham Priory in the parish of Bisham, Berkshire, was founded by William Montacute, 1st Earl of Salisbury, for Augustinian Canons in 1337. It was built alongside and takes its name from the manor of Bisham which originated in the early 13thCentury as a house for two Knights Templar and had been acquired by Montacute in 1335. The first part of the word derives from an Old English personal name, Byssel and the second element is hām or hamm from the Old English for manor or land in a river bed, likely referring to the nearby Thames river. The name was recorded as Bistesham in 1086, Bustlesham Mountagu in 1339, and Bisham als Bustleham Montague in 1746. The manor survives today as Bisham Abbey, but the priory has long since disappeared having been dissolved under the orders of Henry VIII in 1538. Like many of the roads on the St Helier’s estate this is named after British monasteries and abbeys in remembrance of the area’s historic ownership by Westminster Abbey. The road names are in alphabetical order, of which Aberconway Road in the north west of the estate is first.
