| Place |
Original
Name |
Language |
Meaning |
Notes |
| Ainsdale |
Einulvesdel (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Einulf's
dale-land |
Between the
sandhills and the mosses (hardly elevated
ground!). |
| Alt (river) |
|
Gaelic |
Stream |
|
| Altcar |
Acrer (DB 1086) |
Old Norse |
Moss-land by
the River Alt |
|
| Argarmeols |
Erengermeles
(DB 1086) |
Old Norse |
Erengr's
sandhills |
Partly where
the Royal Birkdale golf course is now. Was lost
to the sea by the end of the 14th century.
Survives as Argarmeols Road, Freshfield. |
| Barton |
Bartune (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Barley farm or
settlement |
|
| Birkdale |
Birkedale
(1200) |
Old Norse |
Birch-tree
valley |
There are other
possible interpretations. |
| Cronton |
Crohinton
(1242) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Enclosure or
farmstead with crows |
|
| Ditton |
Ditton (1193) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Dyke or ditch
enclosed farmstead |
Ditton Brook is
nearby. |
| Downholland |
Holand (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Woodland |
To distinguish
it from the more elevated Upholland near Wigan. |
| Eggergarth |
Ekergert (1240) |
Old Norse |
Small ploughed
field enclosure |
Now lost
(between Lydiate and Downholland Cross).
Eggergate Mill House survives. |
| Farnworth |
Ferneworthe
(12th cent.) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Fern farm |
|
| Formby |
Fornebei (DB
1086) |
Old Norse |
Old village |
Possibly the oldest
Viking settlement. |
| Freshfield |
|
Old local dialect |
Field with a fresh water
spring or stream running into the sea |
|
| Hale |
Hales (1176) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Slope |
|
| Halewood |
Halewode
(ca.1200). |
Anglo-Saxon |
Wood by Hale |
|
| Halsall |
Heleshale (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Haele's slope |
Situated on
very slightly rising ground east of the mosses. |
| Ince Blundell |
Hinne (DB 1086) |
Old Norse |
Inn, house or
hall on land owned by the Blundell family |
The Blundells
have been local landowners since ca. 1200. |
| Kirkby |
Cherchebi (DB
1086) |
Old Norse |
Village with a
church |
There has been
a church on the site of St. Chad's Church for
over 1100 years. |
| Knowsley |
Chenulveslei
(DB 1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Kenulf's
(meaning bold wolf) meadowland |
|
| Little Crosby |
Crosebi (DB
1086), Little Crosseby (1243) |
Old Norse |
Village with
cross(es) |
There is still
one of the old crosses in the village. |
| Lunt |
Lund (1251) |
Old Norse |
Sacred grove |
The current OS
map shows St. Helen's Well nearby. |
| Lydiate |
Leiate (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Postern or
private gate |
|
| Maghull |
Magele (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Barren field
(uncertain) |
|
| Melling |
Melinge (DB
1086) |
Norman |
After Vivian de
Molines, 11th century landowner (or an
Anglo-Saxon personal name) |
|
| Oglet |
Ogelot (1275) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Oak tree by a
watercourse |
|
| Penketh |
Penket (1242) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Haven on a
heath (uncertain) |
On the bank of
the Mersey. |
| Ravensmeols |
Erengermeols
(DB 1086) |
Old Norse |
Hrafn's
sandhills |
Now lost. Just
south of Formby but washed away by the sea.
Survives as Raven Meols Hills, the name of the
local sandhills. |
| Sefton |
Sextone (DB
1086) |
Old Norse |
Sedge enclosure
or farmstead |
The marshy
nature of the land by the church and the old
mill. |
| Speke |
Spec (DB 1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Swine pasture |
|
| Tarbock |
Torboc (DB
1086) |
Old Norse |
Thor's brook |
The ancient
boundaries in the area were marked by several
brooks. |
| Thornton |
Torentun (DB
1086) |
Anglo-Saxon |
Thorn-tree
enclosure or farmstead |
|
| Waddicar |
|
Anglo-Saxon |
Woad plant
fields |
|
| Widnes |
Vidnes (1285) |
Old Norse |
Wide or wodded
promontory |
A good
description of the shape of the land. |
