English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

Ravendale

Major Settlement in the Parish of East Ravendale

Historical Forms

  • Ravenedal (2x), Ravenedale 1086 DB
  • Rauendal 1086 ib
  • “the other” Ravenedale 1086 ib
  • Ravendale 1086 DB 1202 Pat 1342 RBE 1210–12 Fees 1212,1242–43 Pat 1275 RH 1276 QW 1281 Cl 1310 Ch 1314 Speed 1610
  • Ravendala c.1115 LS 1314 Ch
  • Rauendala 1185 Templar 1202 HarlCh 1204 AddCh 1374,1375,1395 Peace 1439 Cragg 1576 Saxton
  • Rauendal(') 1235 IB 1246 RRG 1257 FF
  • Rauenesdal' 1196 ChancR
  • Rauenesdale 1295 Pat
  • Ravensdal 1249 RRG
  • Ravensdale 1340 Cl
  • Raffenesdal' 1196 Cur
  • Rauuedall' 1382 Peace
  • Randall 1535 VEiv 1539–40 Dugdiv
  • Raindall 1675 Ogilby

Etymology

Forms without affixes have been collected together for convenience.

This is almost certainly a Scand. compound of hrafn and dalr 'ravens' valley', though the first el. could formally be the cognate OE  hræfn. A local pronunciation, still sometimes heard, is reflected in the form Randall , noted from the early 16th century.