Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Eggasclif 1085 DEC a.1172

• Eggescliva 1155×89 SurteesIII258 1163,1165 ib

• Egesclif 1161×7(p),late12th(p) Riev

• Egescliue c.1260×90(p),1273×90(p) Spec

• Egesclive 1300 Bek

• Egesclyffe 1438×9 Vis

• Egescliff 1619,1621 EP/Eg

• Eggescliue c.1175×95 Spec 1235×6,1242×3(p) Ass c.1250 Elemos 1268 Spec late13th Ann c.1300 Spec

• Eggesclive 1260 GD 1311×2 DST 1311,1313,1314 RPD 1315 Riev

• Eggesclyve 1259×60 GD 1283(p),1310(p) Bek

• Eggesclyue c.1300 Spec 14th Ct

• Eggescl' 1260 Pont

• Eggescklyue 1304 Spec

• Eggesclif c.1264 Salvin 1400 IPM

• Eggesclif' mid13th Salvin

• Eggesclyf 1310 Bek 1350 Pat 1400 DST

• Eggescliff 1315 Riev 1416 IPM

• Egisclife c.1260 GD

• Egisclif' c.1300 Spec

• Egisklif c.1300 ib

• Egisluue 1300 Bek

• Egisclyf 1304 Spec

• Egysclyffe 1556 Wills

• Egescleve c.1261 GD

• Egesclefe 1552 DX201/12

• Egisclef 1311×20 GD

• Eggysclif' 1291 Reg 1319

• Eggisclif' 1337 Ct

• Eggisclyf a.1307 GD

• Eggiscliff' 1314 RPD

• Eggisclife 1554,1625 IPM

• Eggisclyffe 1559×60 ib

• Eggiscliffe 1564 Wills

• Eggleclif c.1190 Spec

• Egglicliff 1341 RPD

• Ecclescliue 1197 Pipe

• Eclescliue 1242×3 Ass

• Ecclescliff 1741×3 Hud

• Ecclescliff(e) 1690 SurteesIII197 1851 EP/Eg

• Egglescliue 1197 Pipe 1235 Ass 1294 Pat

• Egglesclive 1259×60 GD

• Egglescliwe 1261×73 ib

• Egglescliffe 1559 Wills 1605×6,1606 IPM 1635–38etfreqto1911 EP/Eg 1705 Eldon

• Egglescliff 1748 EP/Eg

• Eglescliue 1235,1242×3 Ass

• Eglescliff 1474 IPM

• Eggelechiue (sic) 1235×6 Ass

• Eggelescliue 13th Ct

• Egeliscliff 1416 IPM

• Egglscliue (sic) 1242×3 Ass

• Eglesclyf c.1260×90 Spec 1436 Wills

• Eglesclyff' c.1325 Spec

• Eglesclyff 1485 IPM

• Eglescliffe 1540etfreqto1807 EP/Eg 1717 Hud

• Eglesclife 1622etfreqto1637 EP/Eg

• Eglescliff 1749,1751 EP/Eg

• Eglesclef 1311×20 GD

• Eglisclyue c.1260×90 Spec

• Egliscliff 1406 Pont

• Eglisclife 1410 IPM

• Eglisclif 1442×3 ib

• Eglysclyff 1507 DST

• Eglisclyfe 1564 IPM

• Egliscliffe 1610 GD

• Egglisclif 1347 Ct

• Eggliscliffe 1347 1822–3 EP/Eg

• Egglisclyff 1506,1527 IPM

• Egglysclyff 1524×5 ib

• Egglysclyfe or Heckesclyfe 1580 VCH

• Egilsclyfe 1419 GT

• Hegysclyff 1474 IPM

• Egscliffe 1561,1631 IPM 1644 SurteesIII210 1660 EP/Eg 1673 DX 1682 EP/Eg

• Egscliff 1631×2 IPM

• Egsclife 1644 SurteesIII201

• Eggscliff 1725 EP/Eg

• Eggscliffe 1681 SurteesIII203 1712–47,1752 EP/Eg

• Eglscliffe 1635 IPM

• Egelscliffe 1635 EP/Eg

• Eagles-cliffe 1639 EP/Eg

• Eaglescliffe 1639etfreqto1693 EP/Eg 1717 Hud 1843–97etfreqto1904 EP/Eg

• Eaglescliff 1661,1815 EP/Eg

• Eagles-cliff 1740 ib

• Eagelscliffe 1635,1654,1662 ib

• Eaglesscliff 1703 ib

• Edg(e)clyffe 1642 SurteesIII103

• Eglesfeld c.1170–1357 PNCu 378

Etymology

A difficult name. The spellings may be reduced to three basic types, Eggesclif 1161–1564, Egglesclif from 1197 (Ecclesclif 1197, 1242×3, 1741×3), Eaglescliffe from 1639. NbDu's explanation, “probably… church-cliff or hill” (PrW  *egl  s + OE  clif, adumbrated by Fordyce II 220 (1857) 'from eccles , eglis or eglwys , a church or place of worship'), has been followed by Ekwall DEPN and Cameron, 'Eccles in English Place-Names' in Christianity in Britain , 300 –700 , ed. M. W. Bailey and R. P. C. Hanson, Leicester 1968, p. 88. But Egglescliffe is isolated from the main area of egles names (see Cameron's map loc. cit. 89) and the majority of the early spellings lack -l - as Boyle must have noticed, p. xxiii. His explanation, OE  egesa 'an owner' + clyffe 'a cliff', will not do since egesa does not exist in this sense and would in any case give ME  forms *Eyes -. Probably, therefore, 'Ecgi's cliff, slope or river-bank', OE  pers.n. Ecgi varying with full form Ecgwulf , genitive sing. Ecges , Ecgwulfes , + clif . A possible parallel to this variation in form of the pers.n. is Egglestone PNYN 301, Eghistun , Eghiston 1086, Eg (g )leston 1204–1400 including [1157] 15th. The development to Eaglescliffe, due to popular etymology, is paralleled at Eaglesfield Cumberland NY 0928, Eglesfeld c.1170–1357 PNCu 378.