Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Grimesbi 1086 DB c.1115 LS 1130 P 1132 Pat 1403 P 1156,1157,1158etfreqto1214 Bly 1177 RAi 1179 Templar 1185 Dane lHy2 YChiii 1194 Cur 1200 Ass 1202 Cur 1203 Ass 1218 Memo 1231 Crone c.1250 Pat 1268 Havelok l13 Pap e14 1392

• Grimesbia 1114–16,1163 RAi

• Grimesbeia 1153 RRAN

• Grimisbi 1173 P 1174 ChancR 1179 P

• Grimisbia 1175 1178 ChancR

• Grimisby 1469 Pat

• nova Grimesbi 1155–58 Ch

• “New” Grimesby Hy2 Pat 1461

• í grims bæ miþivm c.1120 Orkneyingasaga c.1300

• Grimesby 1155–56,1156–57 RBE 1190–96 YChii e14 P 1192,1194,1200 Memo 1201 ChR 1201 FF 1202 OblR 1206 P 1206 Ass 1206 OblR 1207 BC 1207 ChR 1207,1208 RBE 1211–12 HarlCh 1216 Pat 1217 Cur 1223 ClR 1225 Cur 1225 FF 1226 Ch 1227 Pat 1228 Lib 1228 Cur 1230 HMCRep 1499

• Grimesbie 1576 LER

• Grymesby c.1151 RAi 1154–79 BC 1155–58 Ch 1334 Hy2 Pat 1301 Ch 1252 Fine 1256 Pat 1318 Tax 1275 Abbr 1285 FA 1291 Fine 1300 Pat 1303 Cl 1305 Pat 1305 Orig 1305 FF 1308,1314,1317 Pat 1319 Banco 1322 Cl 1327 Pat 1328 Ipm 1330 Cl 1331 Misc 1331 Cl 1336 Orig 1338 Ipm 1341 Fine 1341 Pat 1343 Cl 1344 Pat 1347 1350 1560

• Grymesbye 1492 Fine 1547,1564 Pat

• Grymysby 1509 Ipm

• Grymysbe 1534 LPvii

• Grymmesby 1198 Ch 1328 Cl 1258 Pat 1259 Cl 1267 Lib 1267 Pat 1277 QW 1281 Pat 1293 Cl 1296 Ass 1297 Pat 1309 Cl 1312,1318 Ch 1319 Fine 1322 Cl 1323 Pat 1326,1335,1338 Cl 1342 Pat 1556

• Grymmysby 1452 Fine 1454 Cl

• Grymmysbe 1437 LPxii

• Grimmesby 1217,1218 Pat 1226 Welles 1228 Cl 1230 Pat 1255,1258,1264 Cl 1266 Pat 1268 Lib 1332 Pat

• Grimmesbi 1224 ib

• Grimmisby 1254 ValNor 1260 Lib 1261 Cl 1262 Pat

• Grimmisbi 1271 RRGr

• Grimsby 1328 Cl 1330 Pat 1531 LPv

• Grimsbye 1576 Saxton

• Grymsby 1434 Fine 1461 Cl

• magnam Grymesby 1293 Ass

• magna Grymesby 1417 GrimsCt 1480 Pap 1541 GrimsCBi 1546 GrimsChamb

• Magna Grymesbye 1557 Pat

• magna grymsby 1528 GrimsCBi

• magna grymsbe 1552 ib

• Grymysby magna 1539 GrimsCBiii

• Grymesby Magna 1543 GrimsCBii 1547 1553 Pat

• Grymesbie Magna 1574 GrimsCBiv

• Grymesbye Magna 1576 ib

• Grimesbie Magna 1581 1627 ib

• Grimsby Magna 1676 GrimsCBix 1678 Foster 1686,1687 GrimsCBix

• mekill Grimesby 1481 GrimsCBi

• mych Grymesby 1500 GrimsCBi

• “Great” Grimesby 1319 ChancW

• “Great” Grymesby 1440,1470 Pat

• “Great” Grymysby 1547 ib

• Grete grimesby 1462 GrimsCBi

• Gret Grymesby 1530 Willsiii

• grett Grymysby 1540 GrimsCBiii

• Great Grymesby 1508 Willsi 1547 GrimsCBiii 1563 Pat 1615 MiscDep 1658 HollesM

• Great Grymesbie 1625,1634 Terrier

• Great Grymesby 1547 GrimsCBiii 1681 ib

• Great Grimsby 1557 Willsi c.1600 Dep 1692 GrimsCt

• Great Grimsbye 1640 GrimsCBviii

• Greate Grimsbye 1577 NCWillsi

• Greate Grimesbie 1612 Td'E

• Greate Grimsbie 1654 GrimsCBviii

• Greate Greimisbye 1658 GrimsCBix

Etymology

'Grim's village', v. bȳ . The first el. is the ON  pers.n. Grímr , recorded independently several times in DB in L. That Grim was popularly regarded as the founder of Grimsby is seen in the appearance of Gryem on the earliest Seal of the borough and in the statement in The Lay of Havelok the Dane lines 744–49:

And for þat Grim þat place aute

Þe stede of Grim þe name laute,

So þat Grimesbi it calle

Þat þer-offe speken alle;

And so schulen men calle it ay

Bituene þis and Domesday. (l13 (e14)) The reference from Orkneyinga saga means “in the middle of Grimsby” and occurs in a poetic stanza which Dr Judith Jesch translates as “We have struggled through the mud-flats for five terrible weeks; there was no lack of mud when we were in the middle of Grimsby”.