The Name
The name 'Risborough' meant 'brushwood-covered hills' and comes from two Old English words: hrisen, which was an adjective meaning brushwood-covered derived from hris meaning brushwood or scrub, and beorg which meant hill. The plural forms are hrisenan beorgas. The spelling in the various documents where the name is found is, as usual, very variable.
In the 13th century it is found as Magna Risberge (Great Risborough), distinguished from Parva (Little) Risberge which was Monks Risborough, and later as Earls Risborough and, finally, when the manor came to be held by Edward Prince of Wales (son of Edward III and later to be known as the Black Prince), as Princes Risborough.
Read more about this topic: Princes Risborough
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