# Origin of Middlesex

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-middlesex/676038>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 11, 2013, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-middlesex/676038 "2013-12-11T01:49:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-middlesex/676038/21 "2013-12-12T13:44:05Z")

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Not to mention St John becoming Sinngen, and Belvoir becoming Beaver.

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**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-middlesex/676038/22 "2013-12-12T14:35:03Z")

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I won’t pretend enough authority to say that it answers the OP’s question, but this topic should not miss mentioning the [Great Vowel Shift](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_vowel_shift).

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**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-middlesex/676038/23 "2013-12-12T14:57:35Z")

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> [@njtt](#):
>
> Of course, neither Wessex nor Middlesex exist any more as counties (though the latter may still be used in postal addresses. Sussex still exists, but in “reality”, [The Only Way is Essex](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Only_Way_Is_Essex).

Wessex is still occasionally used as a sort of nickname for Somerset, Dorset, or the combination of the two. Sometimes the whole West Country, as well. When I was at school in Dorset most of the interscholastic county sports were styled as the “Wessex Under-18 Tiddlywinks Cup”, or whatever.

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**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-middlesex/676038/24 "2013-12-12T16:36:48Z")

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> [@bob\_2](#):
>
> Not to mention St John becoming Sinngen, and Belvoir becoming Beaver.

Or the even more extreme transformation of Featherstonhaugh to “Fanshaw”. At least those first two may preserve the number of syllables from the way you might naturally pronounce the spelling (depending on whether you think “Belvoir” is 2 or 3).

And how come the Earl of Sandwich doesn’t live in Middlesex …

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**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-middlesex/676038/25 "2013-12-12T19:33:26Z")

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> [@dolphinboy](#):
>
> So how does the word Saxon become -sex? Why not Middlesax?

Sound change of vowels can be influenced by nearby vowels. So it’s possible that \*Wessax and \*Essax assimilated into Wessex and Essex. And then \*Sussax and \*Middlesax probably changed to Sussex and Middlesex because everyone thought they should be similar to the others.

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