Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• at Schylfinghatune 955×957 AbbotsC 1639

• Scilfemetune, Silfemetone, Sevemetone 1086 DB

• Sefemetona Exon

• Selfant' 1089 Pat 1371

• Selfameton' 1212 Fees

• Selfhamptun' 1235–6 ib

• Selfhampton(') 1280 Ass 1357 AddMS 18

• Shelfhamton 1253 FF

• Sylfhamptone Hy1 ShaftR 15

• Sifhātun' 1194 CurR

• Sifhaintun (sic for Sifhamtun) 1194–5 Abbr

• Sifhampton' 1244 Ass

• Sihvameton' 1220 Cur

• Silfhameton ib (p)

• Schilfhamton 1244 Ass

• West Shilfehampton 1545 Hutch3

• Sichilfhamton' 1244 Ass

• Sylfamton' 1268 ib

• Silphamton, Silphanton, Shilphanton 1288 ib

• Shilphamton 1400 Ilch

• Chil(l)hampton 1303 FA

• West Chil(l)hampton 1545 Hutch3 1653 ParlSurv

• Estshylfhampton' 1329 Weld1

• Shilue-hampton 1664 HTax

• Sulfampton 1252 Drew 1349 Surv

• Shulf(h)am(p)ton 1288 Ass 1292 Pat 1428 FA

• S(c)hulphamton 1327 SR

• Est S(c)hulphamton, West S(c)hulphamton 1400 Ilch

• Westershulfhampton 1392 Pat

• Estshulfhampton 1387 Ilch

• Westshulfham (sic) 1360 Ipm

• Westshulhampton 1385 FF

• Schulhampton 1404 Ilch

• Shelvy'gton 1288 Ass

• (Est) Shilvyngton 1431 FA 1497 Ipm

• Shelvington 1765 Tayl

• East Shilvington, West Shilvington 1774 Hutch1

Etymology

The early form from AbbotsC (in Spelman's 17th-cent. copy of a 10th-cent. charter) is probably influenced by later spellings of the name and looks unreliable. Probably therefore, as indicated by the DB forms in -eme - (and supported by the three e13 forms in -ame -), 'farm of the Scylfhǣme ', i.e. 'farm of the dwellers on the shelf', v. scielf , scylf , hǣme (gen.pl. hǣma ), tūn , cf. the f.n. Shills discussed infra , and for analogous formations cf. Bockhampton 1367, Witchampton 2260, Brockington 2280. On the possible presence of, or influence from, OE  hām-tūn in the forms, v. Tengstrand MN 97. The settlements (distinguished as East & West from the 14th cent., v. ēast , west , westerra ) occupy a relatively level shelf of ground beside an unnamed stream for which v. Cockwell Coppice in Abbotsbury par. supra . There was formerly a chapel here, cf. regia via iuxta Capellam de Shulphamton '1400Ilch .