Bunting
Emberiza
Bunting - OE amer, *bunting
As with other birds families and genera described in early ornithology, it is difficult to know the extent to which different bunting species within the genus we term Emberiza (now the only genus, in fact, included in the Emberizidae family). It is probable that the species with which medieval people would have been familiar—yellowhammer, corn bunting, reed bunting—were not even considered members of one family, in the way that, for instance, most British crow species, would have been grouped together because of how similar they look.
The word ‘bunting’ itself is medieval, but isn’t recorded until 1185, although it may be much older because a reference to a buntinge dic (buntings’ ditch?) turns up in a charter for Warwickshire recorded in the early 8th century. Amer was the original name (‘yellow’ was added much later), clearly cognate with modern German for bunting, ammer. No one knows for sure what the etymology is, but may be associated with the old German word for spelt, amer, and Old English omer (think of modern ‘emmer’ wheat), hence buntings are associated with a typical food source (the chaffinch is similarly named so). The origin of ‘bunting’ as a word is similarly difficult to trace.
The buntings are in that group of birds for which ambiguity resulting from the bird name’s similarity to another possible subject (often personal names) or a lack of wider supporting evidence means that we cannot be fully confident of the place-names true meaning. Traditionally the ‘amber’ names were interpreted as records of a personal name, but the likelihood of ‘amber’ being amer is now generally accepted or at least a number of the places listed below. Asterisks after the names indicate those for which there is still less consensus.
Amberden (Esx)*
Amber Hill (Lincs)
Amberley (Glos)
Amberley (W Ssx)
Ambrosden (Oxon)*
Ambersham (W Ssx)*
Amesbury (Wilts)*
Bonsall (Derbs)*
Birchgrove (W Ssx; formerly Buntsgrove)*
Buntingford (Herts)
Ombersley (Worcs)
Buntings appear in charters relating to the following places: Hartlebury, Worcs (8th cen.), Loughton, Esx (11th cen.), Oldberrow, Warks (8th cen.), Ombersley, Worcs (8th cen.; same reference as for Hartlebury), St Martin’s-without-Worcester, Worcs (10th cen.)
Sources (see ‘About’ page for the full bibliography): Watts, Cambridge Dictionary; Ekwall, Oxford Dictionary; Gelling and Cole, Landscape of Place-Names; epns.nottingham.ac.uk; langscape.org.uk.