Beorma
Encyclopedia
Beorma is the name most commonly given to the 7th century Anglo-Saxon
founder of the settlement now known as the English
city of Birmingham
. This assumption is based on the belief that the original settlement was known as Beorma's ham ("the homestead of Beorma") or Beorma -inga -ham ("the homestead of the tribe or people of Beorma").
It is also the name of an Anglo-Saxon leader who owned Beorma's Farm, from which Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire
got its name (Barton appears twice in the Domesday Book
, as Bermintune and as Burmintune).
As the person after whom Birmingham was named, there are three possible answers to this question. Beorma could have been the founder or ancestor of a tribe, the beormingas
, long before its arrival in what was to become Anglo-Saxon Mercia
; the ealdorman
or head of a tribe or clan of kinsmen who travelled together for the purpose of migration (and who settled in Mercia); or the leader of a (possibly mercenary) group with whom he shared a contractual obligation (the frankpledge
) to one of the Mercian kings.
", "head of beer
", "yeast
y" or "frothy", from which the modern English words barm
and barmy are derived. The assertion that Beorma was the founder of Birmingham arose from a post-war challenge to the way Anglo-Saxon place-names had been constructed. It was not until 1940 that Eilert Ekwall
noted that:
“Birmingham probably meant ‘the Hamm of Beornmund’s people’ (OE Beornmund-ingaham). Or the direct base may be a pet-form Beorma from Beornmund”.
Ekwall's view was built on by J.M. Dodgson who went on to suggest that –ingaham settlements like Birmingham and Nottingham were signs of earlier settlement than –ing settlements like Reading
and Hastings
, reinforcing the idea that Birmingham itself was preceded by a tribal territory occupied by the Beormingas. It is interesting to note that according to Tom Shippey
J.R.R. Tolkien went on to use the character of Beorn in The Hobbit to evoke links between elfland and the counties surrounding Birmingham.
Just as the other names have been put forward for the founder of Birmingham, this name may share its origins with similar Anglo-Saxon place names--Barton
, Bearwood, Berwood, Bordesley
, Brewood
, and Burcot
--all found within the environs of Birmingham. The high incidence of these place names has been used to suggest that Beorma's tribe, the beormingas, settled across the wider woodland area which formed the northern part of the Forest of Arden.
, Little Bromwich
, West Bromwich
, Bromsgrove
, Broomhill
and several Bromleys scattered across Staffordshire and Warwickshire. By the 14th century there were so many English place-names prefixed by Brom- that differentiating names (such as Abbots Bromley
, originally referred to as Bromleage in 1002 and Kings Bromley
, originally known as Brom Legge) were adopted.
. A royal connection for the founder of an early tribe whose territory is adjacent to that of the founders of Mercia draws attention to its similarity between the names Beornmund or Beorma and those of the alleged B-line of Mercian kings noted by Dr. Barbara Yorke that included Beornred, Beornwulf
, Beorhtwulf
and Burgred
.
in the suburb of Highgate
by artist Steve Field, which reflect upon the foundation of the city and on modern Highgate's local identity. The memorial says "near this river crossing an Anglian tribe led by Beorma founded Birmingham".
suburb in 1996 (and relocated to Chasewater
in 2003), the Beowulf Brewing Company established a series of anglo-saxon brands for its beers, most of which had thematic links to the legend of Beowulf
. One of these beers - a pale session bitter - was instead named after Beorma to commemorate the city in which the brewery was founded. The Brewery's connection to the wider area has also been incorporated into its brand by referencing the Forest of Mercia
.
's Guild of Students' first floor bar is Beorma's Bar following its refurbishment in 2000. It had previously been called The Mermaid Bar and Fingal's.
High Street, directly opposite Birmingham's already iconic Selfridges
building (it will occupy the site of the city's last seven burgage
plots ). Complete with state-of-the-art environmental and energy systems, the final development is likely to consist of a Marriott Hotel, apartments, green spaces, a niche shopping centre, a public space intended to house Birmingham's historic John F. Kennedy
memorial and two refurbished cold storage buildings which will be redeveloped as creative industries business incubation and innovation hubs.
In 1972, following the receipt of his honorary doctorate from the University of Birmingham
, broadcaster and Birmingham City Organist George Thalben-Ball
wrote ‘Toccata Beorma’ as a celebration of his links with the city.
Tribe of Beorma
In 2000 the Women & Theatre company embarked on a national tour to celebrate the millennium by performing a new musical play, Tribe of Beorma, by Janice Connolly
.
What is Missing from your Life? The Men
On 5 March 2007 Radio 4's Afternoon Play by Stephanie Dale recounted the fictional story of Beorma, interweaving it with true stories of men who lived and worked in Birmingham.
Beorma—Warrior King
In 2009 a sculpture of Beorma (6 metres in height) was proposed by artist Toin Adams (best known locally for her sculpture of The Green Man
in Digbeth
) as part of a bid for Arts Council
funding. As of January 2010 the future of this proposal is uncertain and dependant on future funding.
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
founder of the settlement now known as the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
city of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. This assumption is based on the belief that the original settlement was known as Beorma's ham ("the homestead of Beorma") or Beorma -inga -ham ("the homestead of the tribe or people of Beorma").
It is also the name of an Anglo-Saxon leader who owned Beorma's Farm, from which Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
got its name (Barton appears twice in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, as Bermintune and as Burmintune).
Who was Beorma?
Beormingas
The Beormingas were a tribe or clan in Anglo-Saxon England, possibly forming an early administrative unit of the Kingdom of Mercia. The name literally means "Beorma's people" in Old English, and Beorma is likely to have been either the leader of the group during its settlement in Britain or a real...
, long before its arrival in what was to become Anglo-Saxon Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
; the ealdorman
Ealdorman
An ealdorman is the term used for a high-ranking royal official and prior magistrate of an Anglo-Saxon shire or group of shires from about the ninth century to the time of King Cnut...
or head of a tribe or clan of kinsmen who travelled together for the purpose of migration (and who settled in Mercia); or the leader of a (possibly mercenary) group with whom he shared a contractual obligation (the frankpledge
Frankpledge
Frankpledge, earlier known as frith-borh , was a system of joint suretyship common in England throughout the Early Middle Ages. The essential characteristic was the compulsory sharing of responsibility among persons connected through kinship, or some other kind of tie such as an oath of fealty to a...
) to one of the Mercian kings.
Etymology
Beorma variously means, in Old English, "fermentedFermentation (food)
Fermentation in food processing typically is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acids using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination thereof, under anaerobic conditions. Fermentation in simple terms is the chemical conversion of sugars into ethanol...
", "head of beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
", "yeast
Yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
y" or "frothy", from which the modern English words barm
Barm
Barm cake is type of bun with flour on top. It has a characteristically strong flavour that comes from the traditional barm leaven made from a natural leaven with the addition of hops. However, the Barm Cake is more likely made from commercial yeast today....
and barmy are derived. The assertion that Beorma was the founder of Birmingham arose from a post-war challenge to the way Anglo-Saxon place-names had been constructed. It was not until 1940 that Eilert Ekwall
Eilert Ekwall
Bror Oscar Eilert Ekwall , known as Eilert Ekwall, was Professor of English at Lund University, Sweden, from 1909 to 1942, and one of the outstanding scholars of the English language of the first half of the 20th century...
noted that:
“Birmingham probably meant ‘the Hamm of Beornmund’s people’ (OE Beornmund-ingaham). Or the direct base may be a pet-form Beorma from Beornmund”.
Ekwall's view was built on by J.M. Dodgson who went on to suggest that –ingaham settlements like Birmingham and Nottingham were signs of earlier settlement than –ing settlements like Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
and Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
, reinforcing the idea that Birmingham itself was preceded by a tribal territory occupied by the Beormingas. It is interesting to note that according to Tom Shippey
Tom Shippey
Thomas Alan Shippey is a scholar of medieval literature, including that of Anglo-Saxon England, and of modern fantasy and science fiction, in particular the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, about whom he has written several scholarly studies. He is widely considered one of the leading academic scholars...
J.R.R. Tolkien went on to use the character of Beorn in The Hobbit to evoke links between elfland and the counties surrounding Birmingham.
Alternative names
As no records of the place-name exist from the Anglo-Saxon period prior to the entry for Bermingham in the Domesday Book of 1086 it is by no means certain that Beorma was the actual name of the founder of Birmingham. A number of alternative names have been put forward (including Bearm, Berm, Beor, Bearma, Beorm and Breme), based on the fact that the city's name has been spelled in many different ways throughout its history.Just as the other names have been put forward for the founder of Birmingham, this name may share its origins with similar Anglo-Saxon place names--Barton
Barton
Barton is an archaic English word meaning lands of the manor or meadow and may refer to several places or people:-Australia:* Barton, Australian Capital Territory, Canberra...
, Bearwood, Berwood, Bordesley
Bordesley, West Midlands
Bordesley is an area of Birmingham, England and is part of the City's Nechells Ward.It is served by Bordesley railway station.It should not be confused with nearby Bordesley Green.-Notable residents :...
, Brewood
Brewood
Brewood refers both to a settlement, which was once a town but is now a village, in South Staffordshire, England, and to the civil parish of which it is the centre. Located around , Brewood village lies near the River Penk, eight miles north of Wolverhampton city centre and eleven miles south of...
, and Burcot
Burcot
Burcot is a village in Oxfordshire, England. It is the left bank of the River Thames, in the civil parish of Clifton Hampden. Until 1932 the village was in the civil parish of Dorchester....
--all found within the environs of Birmingham. The high incidence of these place names has been used to suggest that Beorma's tribe, the beormingas, settled across the wider woodland area which formed the northern part of the Forest of Arden.
Breme or Brom
The second most common name associated with the origin of Birmingham is Breme or Brom, which could be a given name, but whose meaning is derived from the spiky shrub ‘broom’ (which was commonly found in the woodland clearings of the Forest of Arden) rather than with a given name. Birmingham has also been known as Bromwycham, and nearby towns with a similar etymology include BromfordBromford
Bromford is an industrial area of Birmingham, situated between Ward End and Erdington.- Toponomy :In Old English, "Bromford" means "broom ford", signifying abundance of broom shrubs and a location to cross the River Tame....
, Little Bromwich
Little Bromwich
Little Bromwich is a small area in Central Birmingham, England. It borders with Bordesley Green and there is a road named after it. It is also quite close to Yardley....
, West Bromwich
West Bromwich
West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
, Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England. The town is about north east of Worcester and south west of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 with a small ethnic minority and is in Bromsgrove District.- History :Bromsgrove is first documented in the early 9th century...
, Broomhill
Broomhill
Broomhill is a place name, and may refer to:in England* Broomhill, Bristol, a district near Brislington in south Bristol* Broomhill, Frome Vale, a district near Stapleton in north Bristol...
and several Bromleys scattered across Staffordshire and Warwickshire. By the 14th century there were so many English place-names prefixed by Brom- that differentiating names (such as Abbots Bromley
Abbots Bromley
Abbots Bromley is a village in Staffordshire, England. It is famous for the annual Abbots Bromley Horn Dance. It is also the home of one of the Woodard Schools, Abbots Bromley School for Girls...
, originally referred to as Bromleage in 1002 and Kings Bromley
Kings Bromley
Kings Bromley is a village and civil parish in Staffordshire, England on the junction of the A515 and the A513 roads. The village lies in Lichfield District, and the council ward of Kings Bromley had a population of 1,651 at the time of the 2001 census, Kings Bromley is a village and civil parish...
, originally known as Brom Legge) were adopted.
Beorma and the B-Line
If Beorma is a diminutive of Beornmund (Beorn = 'prince'; Mund = 'hand') then the name would mean either "Princely protector" or "the Prince's hand". This interpretation would suggest that Beorma was a royal name, or else the name of a king's thegnThegn
The term thegn , from OE þegn, ðegn "servant, attendant, retainer", is commonly used to describe either an aristocratic retainer of a king or nobleman in Anglo-Saxon England, or as a class term, the majority of the aristocracy below the ranks of ealdormen and high-reeves...
. A royal connection for the founder of an early tribe whose territory is adjacent to that of the founders of Mercia draws attention to its similarity between the names Beornmund or Beorma and those of the alleged B-line of Mercian kings noted by Dr. Barbara Yorke that included Beornred, Beornwulf
Beornwulf of Mercia
Beornwulf was King of Mercia from 823 to 825. His short reign saw the collapse of the Mercia's supremacy over the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy....
, Beorhtwulf
Beorhtwulf of Mercia
Beorhtwulf was King of the Mercians from 839 or 840 to 852. His ancestry is unknown, though he may have been connected to Beornwulf, who ruled Mercia in the 820s...
and Burgred
Burgred of Mercia
Burgred or Burhred or Burghred was the king of Mercia .-Rule:Burgred succeeded to the throne in 852, and in 852 or 853 called upon Ethelwulf of Wessex to aid him in subduing northern Wales. The request was granted and the campaign proved successful, the alliance being sealed by the marriage of...
.
Beorma in recent times
Unlike the alternative suggestions, the name Beorma has been used to establish and promote links with the city of Birmingham on a number of occasions, evolving from an academic assumption about an etymological source into an established character, albeit mythical, which has come to symbolise Birmingham's anglo-saxon foundation.Arch of the Beorma Tribe
In 2002 Birmingham's medieval history was commemorated by the placement of a set of ornate rolled steel memorial arches located in Gooch Street on a bridge over the River ReaRiver Rea
The River Rea is a small river which passes through Birmingham, England. The name of the river derives from a root found in many Indo-European languages and means "to run" or "to flow". It frequently bursts its banks after heavy rain....
in the suburb of Highgate
Highgate
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
by artist Steve Field, which reflect upon the foundation of the city and on modern Highgate's local identity. The memorial says "near this river crossing an Anglian tribe led by Beorma founded Birmingham".
Beowulf Brewery
A micro-brewery founded in the city's YardleyYardley, Birmingham
Yardley is an area in east Birmingham, England. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee.Birmingham Yardley is a constituency and its Member of Parliament is John Hemming.-Features:...
suburb in 1996 (and relocated to Chasewater
Chasewater
Chasewater is a 3-square-kilometre reservoir in the parish of Burntwood, in the district of Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. Originally known as Norton Pool, it was created as a canal feeder reservoir in the 18th Century and remains the largest in use in the region today.-History:Work on...
in 2003), the Beowulf Brewing Company established a series of anglo-saxon brands for its beers, most of which had thematic links to the legend of Beowulf
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
. One of these beers - a pale session bitter - was instead named after Beorma to commemorate the city in which the brewery was founded. The Brewery's connection to the wider area has also been incorporated into its brand by referencing the Forest of Mercia
Forest of Mercia
The Forest of Mercia lies within the northernmost boundary of the more ancient and well-known Forest of Arden which covered the area when it formed part of the Kingdom of Mercia, and is one of twelve Community forests established close to major towns and cities across England...
.
Beorma's Bar
The current name of the University of BirminghamUniversity of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
's Guild of Students' first floor bar is Beorma's Bar following its refurbishment in 2000. It had previously been called The Mermaid Bar and Fingal's.
Beorma Quarter
The "Beorma Quarter" is planned for construction from 2010 onwards, as a multimillion pound 27-storey city-within-a-city development on a site at the end of DigbethDigbeth
Digbeth is an area of Birmingham, England. Following the destruction of the Inner Ring Road, Digbeth is now considered a district within Birmingham City Centre. As part of the Big City Plan, Digbeth is undergoing a large redevelopment scheme that will regenerate the old industrial buildings into...
High Street, directly opposite Birmingham's already iconic Selfridges
Selfridges
Selfridges, AKA Selfridges & Co, is a chain of high end department stores in the United Kingdom. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge. The flagship store in London's Oxford Street is the second largest shop in the UK and was opened on 15 March 1909.More recently, three other stores have been...
building (it will occupy the site of the city's last seven burgage
Burgage
Burgage is a medieval land term used in England and Scotland, well established by the 13th century. A burgage was a town rental property , owned by a king or lord. The property usually, and distinctly, consisted of a house on a long and narrow plot of land, with the narrow end facing the street...
plots ). Complete with state-of-the-art environmental and energy systems, the final development is likely to consist of a Marriott Hotel, apartments, green spaces, a niche shopping centre, a public space intended to house Birmingham's historic John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
memorial and two refurbished cold storage buildings which will be redeveloped as creative industries business incubation and innovation hubs.
Literary, artistic and musical works
Toccata BeormaIn 1972, following the receipt of his honorary doctorate from the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
, broadcaster and Birmingham City Organist George Thalben-Ball
George Thalben-Ball
Sir George Thomas Thalben-Ball CBE was an organist and composer who, though originally from Australia, spent most of his life in Britain....
wrote ‘Toccata Beorma’ as a celebration of his links with the city.
Tribe of Beorma
In 2000 the Women & Theatre company embarked on a national tour to celebrate the millennium by performing a new musical play, Tribe of Beorma, by Janice Connolly
Janice Connolly
-Barbara Nice:Connolly is best known for her character Barbara Nice - a caricature of a middle aged housewife and mother of five from Stockport in Greater Manchester. Her act is heavily reliant on interaction with the audience, for example acting as an agony aunt to the audience...
.
What is Missing from your Life? The Men
On 5 March 2007 Radio 4's Afternoon Play by Stephanie Dale recounted the fictional story of Beorma, interweaving it with true stories of men who lived and worked in Birmingham.
Beorma—Warrior King
In 2009 a sculpture of Beorma (6 metres in height) was proposed by artist Toin Adams (best known locally for her sculpture of The Green Man
Green Man
A Green Man is a sculpture, drawing, or other representation of a face surrounded by or made from leaves. Branches or vines may sprout from the nose, mouth, nostrils or other parts of the face and these shoots may bear flowers or fruit...
in Digbeth
Digbeth
Digbeth is an area of Birmingham, England. Following the destruction of the Inner Ring Road, Digbeth is now considered a district within Birmingham City Centre. As part of the Big City Plan, Digbeth is undergoing a large redevelopment scheme that will regenerate the old industrial buildings into...
) as part of a bid for Arts Council
Arts council
An arts council is a government or private, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing events at home and abroad...
funding. As of January 2010 the future of this proposal is uncertain and dependant on future funding.