acquire personal names as their first element, most frequently names of Danish origin
(here in ON spelling) such as Eymundr in Amotherby, Ásketill in Asselby, Þorketill in
Thirkleby and Ormr in Ormesby.
The next most frequently occurring Scandinavian habitative place-name type in the
Danelaw is that containing thorp, a word denoting a ‘secondary dependent settlement’,
of which there are over 500 instances, some of which may reflect confusion with the
related English element throp. More than half of the compound names in thorp contain
Scandinavian first elements and it seems certain that the Danes must have been respon-
sible for most of these, as well as of the majority of the simplex names in Thorp and
Thorpe. Among the compound thorps whose first element is of Scandinavian origin,
many contain personal names such as Ásgautr in Osgathorpe, Grímketill in Grimblethorpe,
Ragnhildr in Raventhorpe, Þóraldr in Tharlesthorpe and Þórulfr in Tholthorpe, while others
Figure 28. 1 Skewsby, Yorkshire: Danish genitive skógs ‘wood’ and bý ‘settlement’.Figure 28. 2 Stokesby, Norfolk: OE stoc ‘outlying cattle-farm’ and Danish bý ‘settlement’. Thrigby,
Norfolk: probably an OE place name thric ‘narrow passage’ and Danish bý. Mautby, Norfolk: Danish
malt ‘malt’ and bý. Runham, Norfolk: probably OE hruna ‘tree-trunk’, used of a footbridge, and
ha ̄m ‘homestead’.
–– Gillian Fellows-Jensen––