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.

Griff Lane

Early-attested site in the Parish of Fulstow

Etymology

GRIFF LANE (local), cf. le grift 1409LMR , (le ) gryfte 1425ib , 1583Holywell , le Grift 1438Anc , le Gryft 1442LMR , cf. le gryfte dyke 1543Anc , Griftdyk 1562ib , le Griffe dike 1623LMR , Gryft banke 1545Anc , griftbanke 1555LMR ; this is dial. grift , v. EDD s.v. where it is recorded only from north L in the sense 'a channel shaped out by water for itself, a runnel'. EDD compares grift with North Country dial. griff 'a small deep valley', itself derived from ON  gryfja 'a hole, a pit'. Grift, itself, is probably derived from the same word, with dissimilation of -ff to -ft .