The name Pensax is a combination of the
Celtic words "pen" (hilltop) and "sais" (Englishman, Saxon). Unlike many English place names with Celtic elements, the modifier follows the basic noun, as is customary in Celtic languages. This indicates that
Brittonic speakers coined the name, rather than
Old English speakers borrowing a Brittonic element. The close village of Menith Wood also has a Celtic name meaning mountain/hill, this time derived from the
Welsh language word "mynydd". Nearby, too, lies the
River Teme, whose name comes from the Celtic "tamesis" (the dark one), the same as the rivers Thames and Tame. All of this points to a strong Celtic speaking population having still resided in this area after the
Anglo Saxons migrated into the region and took over the local government. Following the
Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 Pensax Parish ceased to be responsible for maintaining the poor in its parish. This responsibility was transferred to
Martley Poor Law Union. For local government purposes Pensax forms part of
the district of Malvern Hills. == References ==