Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Ratonfeld 1288 Court

• the Ratonfeldes, Ratonfeldes 1497 Dow

• Ratounesfeld 1331 ib

• Ratonesmosse 1347 Eyre

• Ratonesfeld 1365 Dow

• the Ratonesfeld 1460 Orm2, ChRR

• Ratonsfeld 1495 ib

• Ratunesfeld 1341 Eyre

• Ratunsfeld 1495 Dow 1528

• Ratunfeld 1553 ib

• Rotten feilde 1602 ib

• Rotten fieldes 1611 LRMB200

• the Rotten fieldes, Rotten Feildes or the Whytfeildes 1625 Dow

• Whitfeld 1495 ChRR

• le Whitfeld 1545 Dow

• Whitfelde, Whitfyld 1551 ib

• Whitfield 1589 ib

• Great Whitfield 1637 ChRR

• Whitfeild 1596 Dow

• Whytfeild 1611 LRMB200

• Whytfeildes 1625 Dow

• Whitefields Brooke & Whitefields Lane 1620 Surv

• Whytefylde 1582 Dow

• the Whyttelfeld 1553 ib

Etymology

'The rat-infested-, the rat's field', 'the white field', v. raton , hwīt , feld , mos , cf. Prestbury Rd 123supra . The place is described as terra quae fuit Orme Rata 'ii c.1288 Orm2, terra quae fuit Orme Ratarii Earw, terra quae fuit Orme Raton 'Mont , (cf. Earw ii7), 'the land which belonged to Orme the rat-catcher', from the pers.n. ON  Ormr , ODan  Orm and MedLat  ratonarius 'a rat-catcher'. The brook joins R Bollin 15supra .