Belonging to Pevensey, 11th cent. Pefenesea, A.D. 960,857, and 790 Pevenisel, A.D. 788 Pevenesel [The earliest forms dispose of the river (Old English eá) theory, and in all probability the second element is the Old English sele (= Old Saxon seli), a hall, house. The pers. name, although doubtless Teutonic, is not A.-Saxon: it apparently represents a Continental Low-Ger. variant of the Anglo-Saxon Pippen (v. Pippin, Pepin), with medial p labio-dentalized to f (and then v): cp. Old Norse páfi (Dano-Norwegian pave) and O.L.Ger. pávos (Middle Dutch paeves), pope; while A.-Saxon papa (prob. owing to earlier borrowing) has retained the p of Latin papa: cp. also French pauvre (Old French povre) from Latin pauper: Ital. píva, a pipe, from Latin pipa; and Peverell]

PEVENSEY: A town and Cinque-port in Sussex-the site of the Roman station Anderida. The arms of the family, am Eagle displayed, seem to shew their derivation from the great Norman house of De Aquila, feudal lords of Pevensey in the XII. and XIII. centuries, from whom the barony received the designation of "the Honour of the Eagle."

PEVENSEY: Local. A village in Sussex, England, the landing place of William the Conqueror, in 1066, derived from Pau, Welsh, a tract of pasture land, and aven(s), a river, and aig, the sea, standing at the mouth of a river, near the sea. The name is also Gaelic, and has the same meaning. Biadhabhainisg, or Pababhainisg.