Named after Richmond in Yorkshire, through Henry VII.
The place was once Shene, recorded as Sceon in the 10th century; the name lives on in East and North Sheen. After the royal palace at Sheen burned in 1497, Henry VII, formerly Earl of Richmond, rebuilt it and in 1501 named it Richmond Palace. For years people wrote 'Shene otherwise called Richemount'. The Yorkshire name comes from Old French for 'strong hill'.