Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Elnestou 1086 DB 1174–81 Dunst 13th

• Elvestou(e) c.1150 RegDun 1174–81 Dunst 13th

• Alnesto 1177 BM

• Elnesto(u) 1177,1203 BM

• Alnestow 1182 P 1194 Cur(P) 1202 Ass 1214 Abbr 1220 LS 1227 Ass 1247,1276,1287 Ass

• Auuestowe (sic) 1197 FF 1247 Ass

• Aunestow 1202 Ass 1219 FF 1247,1276,1287 Ass 1286 Dunst 1315 Ch

• Elnestowe 1232 Pat 1242 Fees868 1276,1287 Ass 1291 NI 1305,1310 Cl 1316,1346 FA 1389 Cl 1510 LP

• Aluestowe 1239 FF 1247 Ass

• Eluestowe 1247 1264 FF 1289 Ipm

• Elenestowe 1258 Pat 1526 LS 1530 LP

• Helenstoe c.1270 Gerv

• Anestowe 1276 Ass

• Eylenestowe 1287 Ass

• Eleynestowe 1415 BHRSii.35

• Elnystowe 1428 FA

• Elmestowe 1518 Award

• Ellenstowe 1518 Award

• Elvestowe al. Elstowe 1589 BHRSiv.14

• Evelstow, Elstowe Eliz ChancP

• Elvestow 1766 J

Etymology

The forms in the Lincoln Registers are uniformly Elnestowe from 1300 to c. 1520, except for Elstowe (c. 1475). Then c. 1550 we have Elnestowe and (once) Elenestowe .

The first point to be made in regard to this difficult name is that the first element must in OE of the first half of the 11th cent. have begun with Æln -, for so only can we explain the Aune - forms. The Elue - forms were, in the first instance, errors of transcription, but in course of time tended to establish themselves as the true forms, possibly even in pronunciation (cf. the inverse process in the replacement of the correct Ioua by Iona ). This being so we may rule out of consideration all connexion with St Helena (OE  Elene ), for it would not explain the early forms, though it should be added at the same time that the actual dedication of the Chapel of St Helen as a parish church may have influenced some of the later spellings. How can we explain an OE  Ælnestowe of c. 1050? Skeat rightly rejects the idea of taking this as from earlier Æðelwines - or Ælfwines -stow . The w in these names is not thus early lost (cf. IPN 173). He inclines to Ælfnōþes - or Æþelnōþes -stow , or possibly to the names Æþelhūn - or Ælfhūn , and adduces examples of the reduction of these names in various place-names, but in all these the DB or other early forms show approximately the full pers. name. The reduction of the name to anything like that supposed to be found in the DB form of Elstow belongs to a far later date. One can only relate an 11th cent. Ælne to such names if one believes it to be a definite OE hypocoristic form for one of them. Such forms, in which the blending of the two elements has taken place, are known in OE (IPN 173) and we might assume either an OE  Ælna for Ælfnōð or, less probably, for Æþelnōð . If so, the full form of the name in OE  would have been Ælnan -stow . Personal-names when compounded with stow seem as a rule to be those of saints, but there are exceptions, such as Alstoe (R), from OE  Ælfnoþesstow .

Alternatively OE  Æll (e )n might be a derivative of such a name as Ælla with an -en suffix, such as is found in certain OE names.Cf. IPN 171 n. 3 where mention is made of the probability of such names as *Cūþen , *Eaden . To these may be added *Æt (t )en from Ætti which seems to lie behind Adstone (Nth), DBAteneston , Northants Survey Atteneston and possibly *Peden in Pensham (Wo), Pedneshamm BCS 1282. Such names have been discussed at some length by Ritter 193 n. 2. v. Addenda.