Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Melas 1086 DB 1353 Orm2

• Meles 13 Whall 1229–33 Orm2 1229 Sheaf 1580 1249–65 Plea 1427

• Parua Meles 1270–83 Chest

• Magna Meles c.1274–81 Sheaf 1580 Chest 1280–1320

• Lytel Meles 1358 Orm2

• Mikul Meles 1374 JRC

• Mykel Meles 1410 Sheaf

• Meles Maioris 1346 JRC

• le Meles 1348 Eyre 1387 1400 ChRR 1410 Sheaf

• Molis 1195–1205 1338 Pat

• Litle Molis 1283 Ipm

• Great Molis 1295 ib

• le Molis 1216–30 JRC

• Moeles 1228–37 Facs 1432 Orm2

• Parva Moeles e13 Chest

• Magna Moeles 1288 ChFor

• Mikel Moeles 1358 Plea

• Mukel Moeles 1359 Orm2

• Great Moeles 1365 ChRR

• Mykull Moeles 1417 Orm2

• le Moelis 13 AddCh

• Meoles 1274–82 Orm2 1819 Orm2

• Magna Meoles 1295 Cl

• Meoles Magna 1629 ChetOSviii

• Mykull Meoles 1417 Sheaf

• Great Meoles 1527 ChRR

• Littel Meoles 1347 ChFor

• Litel Meoles 1383 Orm2

• Little Meoles 1724 NotCestr

• Parva Meoles 1584 ChRR

• Meoles Parva 1629 ChetOSviii

• le Meoles 1347 ChFor 1438 ChRR

• Meeles 1278 Whall 1286 ChFor 1581 ChRR

• Lytle Meeles 1315 Plea

• Little Meeles 1361 BPR

• Magna Meeles 1346 JRC

• Great Meeles 1361 BPR

• le Meeles 1378 Eyre

• Mell' 1278 Dugd(p) c.1280 JRC

• Melle 1278 Orm2

• Melles 1287 Court

• the Melles 1423 AD

• Molles, Mangna Molles 1287 Court

• Meales 1287 Court 1592 JRC 1621 Orm2 1656

• Great Meales, Little Meales 1724 NotCestr

• Moelles 1289 Court 1317 City

• Moell' 1290,1291 Court

• Mekes, Parva Mekes 1295 Tab

• Meules 1303 Chamb 1310,1311 ChRR

• Little Meolse, Meolse 1498 Sheaf

• Great Meolse 1844 TA261

• Great Meolse, Little Meolse 1882 Orm2

• Great Melse, Melse 1594 Orm2

• Great Melse, Parva Melse c.1642 Sheaf 17

• The Melts 1898 Sheaf

• Great Mooles, Mooles 1621 Orm2 1656

• Great Meols, Little Meols 1831 Bry 1842 OS

Etymology

'The sandhills', v. melr , cf. Great Meols supra , Little Meols 299infra , and North Meols, Ravensmeols and Argarmeles La 125. The pronunciation of the Ch p.n., [mels], is now different from that of the La names, [mi:lz], but there appears to have been some common form in the past. The spellings for the el. melr in these Ch and La places, and in Ingoldmells L (DEPN) and Meaux YE 43, show that the e in the English pl. form of melr was rounded in pronunciation.In contrast, the English sg. form for melr preserves simple [mel], as in Cartmel La 195, Rathmell YW 6148. Tranmere 257supra appears to be an instance of sg. melr in which the e has been rounded to o , but there is a further complication in that name. The spellings of melr in its English pl. form (melas , meles , etc.) are -m (e )ol -, -mo (e )l -, -meul -, -muel -, etc. Here, the u and o characteristics indicate something like æ [ø] or even a diphthong. Presumably the l was partly vocalised before the [s] > [z] of the plural inflection, sufficiently to affect the e but not sufficiently to cause loss of l . Such a feature would have encouraged the vocalisation of l to the point of disappearance under AN influence in Meaux [mius] YE 43. A different account of the matter is given by Ekwall in La 125, but it does not take into account all the evidence, v. Addenda.