Beormingas
Encyclopedia
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 or legendary tribal ancestor. The name of the tribe is recorded in the place name Birmingham
, which means "home, homestead or land-unit of the Beormingas".
It has been suggested that the Beormingas occupied a wider area, much larger than Birmingham's manor and parish and including many surrounding settlements scattered along the River Tame
. Such beorminga or "Beorming" settlements could have come together in much the same way as The Rodings, a cluster of Anglo-Saxon
villages established by the tribe of Hroða, who sailed up the River Thames to settle in Essex. It is possible that Anglo-Saxon place-names still in modern usage near Birmingham (Bearwood, Berwood, Brewood
, Bromford, Little Bromwich, West Bromwich
and Bromsgrove
, for example) may reflect a link to beorminga settlements across northern parts of the Forest of Arden in Staffordshire and Warwickshire.
The Beormingas are likely to have been of Anglian
origin, and to have formed part of the gradual Anglian settlement of the valley of the River Trent
spreading upstream from the Humber Estuary. The location of the placename Birmingham suggests that the tribe may have formed part of the Tomsaete
or Tame-dwellers, who are recorded as occupying this area of the valley of the River Tame in later Anglo-Saxon charters and formed one of the core groupings of the Kingdom of Mercia.
Beorma
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 or Beorma -inga -ham .It is also the name of an Anglo-Saxon...
is likely to have been either the leader of the group during its settlement in Britain or a real or legendary tribal ancestor. The name of the tribe is recorded in the place name 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...
, which means "home, homestead or land-unit of the Beormingas".
It has been suggested that the Beormingas occupied a wider area, much larger than Birmingham's manor and parish and including many surrounding settlements scattered along the River Tame
River Tame, West Midlands
The River Tame is the main river of the West Midlands, and the most important tributary of the River Trent. The Tame is about 40 km from source at Oldbury to its confluence with the Trent near Alrewas, but the main river length of the entire catchment, i.e...
. Such beorminga or "Beorming" settlements could have come together in much the same way as The Rodings, a cluster of Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
villages established by the tribe of Hroða, who sailed up the River Thames to settle in Essex. It is possible that Anglo-Saxon place-names still in modern usage near Birmingham (Bearwood, Berwood, 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...
, Bromford, Little Bromwich, 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...
and 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...
, for example) may reflect a link to beorminga settlements across northern parts of the Forest of Arden in Staffordshire and Warwickshire.
The Beormingas are likely to have been of Anglian
Angles
The Angles is a modern English term for a Germanic people who took their name from the ancestral cultural region of Angeln, a district located in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany...
origin, and to have formed part of the gradual Anglian settlement of the valley of the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
spreading upstream from the Humber Estuary. The location of the placename Birmingham suggests that the tribe may have formed part of the Tomsaete
Tomsaete
The Tomsaete or Tomsæte were a tribe or clan in Anglo-Saxon England living in the valley of the River Tame in the West Midlands of England from around 500 and remaining around Tamworth throughout the existence of the Kingdom of Mercia.An Anglo-Saxon charter of 849 describes an area of Cofton...
or Tame-dwellers, who are recorded as occupying this area of the valley of the River Tame in later Anglo-Saxon charters and formed one of the core groupings of the Kingdom of Mercia.