Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Wilcumestowe 1066–87 WDB

• Wilcumestouue 1067 BM 1335 Ch

• Wilcumestou 1086 DB

• Wilcumecomstowe 1212 RBE 1386 Pat

• Wylkome- 1285 Ass

• Welcom(e)stow(e), Welcom(e)stowa, Welcom(e)stoue 1107–27 BM 1169–72 P 1529 Monoux

• Welcom(e)stoue Touny 1264 Misc

• Welcum(e)stou, Welcum(e)sto(we) 1147 W'stowASiv 1459 W'stowW

• Welcum(e)ston (sic) 1168 P

• Welcumestede 1163 ChancR

• Welcomsted 1402 Pat

• Walkhamstede 1429 ib

• Wlcumestoewe 1163–86 ADv

• Wlcomestoue 1285 Ch

• Weltemestou 1205 ClR 1208 PatR

• Weltum(me)stow(e) 1207 ClR 1248,1254 Ass

• Weltomstowe 1341 NI

• Wolcum(e)stowe 1235 Ass 1245 FF 1280 Abbr 1318 ADii

• Wolcom(e)stowe 1254 Ass 1359 Ipm

• Welchamstowe 1263 Pat

• Welk(e)ham(p)stowe 1337 Ipm 1395 W'stowW 1397 Pat

• Welcamstow(e) 1349 Cl 1395 MinAcct

• Welcamstowe Tony, Welcamstowe Fraunceys, Welcamstowe Frances 1406 IpmR

• Welcombstowe 1374 W'stowW 1441 Pat

• Wolkestowe, Wulkemestowe 1285 Ass

• Wulcumstowe 1373 Londin

• Wolkhomstowe 1303,1428 FA

• Wolkhamstouwe 1309 Ipm

• Walcumstowe 1398–1528 W'stowW 1407–1507 Pat

• Walcomstowe stowe 1426–1528 W'stowW 1471–1507 Pat 1553 Ct

• Walkomstowe 1502–21 W'stowW

• Walke(h)amstow(e), Walcamstow(e) 1429–85 Pat 1432 IpmR 1446–1557 W'stowW

• Walcamstow(e) Tonny 1447 Pat 1541–80 Deeds

• Walkhampstowe 1538 Monoux 1544 LP

• Walkinstowe 1438 IpmR 1541 LP

• Walkenstow(e) 1493–1500 ECP 1519 Monoux

• Walthamstow(e) 1446 Pat 1536–59 W'stowW

• Waltanstow 1519 Monoux

• Walcompstow(e) 1507,1553 Pat 1508 W'stowW

• Walcomb(e)stowe 1540,1545 LP

• Walt(eh)amstow(e), Waltomestouwe 1541–58 W'stowW

• Waltchamstowe 1545 ib

• Walchamstowe 1545 LP 1554–6 Ct

Etymology

The first element might, possibly, be Wilcume , a woman's name, but most names compounded of stow and a pers. name contain the name of the saint to whom the church is dedicated, cf. Michaelstow infra 346. The church here is dedicated to St Mary and, though Wilcume occurs as the name of a queen or abbess, no saint of that name is known. There is evidence, however, that stow was sometimes used as a synonym for stede . Cf. such OE  compounds as cotstow , wicstow , plegstow , etc., apuldorstow and Elstow (PN BedsHu xli) and the occasional forms in -stede supra . This name may therefore be a similar compound of OE  wilcuma , 'a welcome person or thing.' Hence, 'place where strangers are welcome.' Round (EAS vii, 330) has suggested on historical grounds that Walthamstow was, perhaps, a daughter-church of Waltham. This would give something of the religious meaning often associated with stow .

For the development, cf. forms of welcome , sb., vb., in NED.To the end of the 15th century the first element developed without any certain influence from the name Waltham , the 14th-century forms Walthamstowe being either wrongly transcribed, or wrongly identified (PN W 'stow 21–22). The 1263 Welchamstowe is probably equivalent to Welkamstowe . The modern form first occurs in 1446, then eighty years later in 1526, after which it becomes common. The medial h is inorganic and occurs first in the forms Wolkhom -, Welkham -, etc. For the assimilation of lc to lt cf. Pilt Down, Pylkedowne 1455, Pyltedowne 1564 (PN Sx 346). The resulting Welt -, Walt - suggested an immediate association with Waltham, which has been perpetuated in the modern spelling. In neither name is the h sounded in the now obsolescent local pronunciations [wɔˑtəm], [wɔˑtəmstou]. Toni from Ralph de Toni (DB).