Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Horchetou (sic) 1086 DB

• Horchestou c.1115 LS

• Horkestowe 1115 Bard 14 YChiii 1155–58 p1240 Ch 1175 YChxii 14 FF Hy2 Fees 1230 ValNor 1192–1218 Ch l14 BT 1233 1242–43 1254 1271 1570,1595,1614

• Horkestow(') 1202 Ass

• Horkestow 1298 Ipm 1535 VEiv 1640,1661 BT

• Horkestou 1125 Bard p1269 Stix Hy2,l12(l13)

• Horkestoue c.1140 Dane 1147–67,c.1150(m13) Pontefract 1178 Bard p1269

• Horkestouwe 1338 Hosp

• Horkkestowe 1564 Foster

• Horkeston' 1188 P 1190 P 1191 P 1193 P 1194 P

• Horkestau l12 Stix l13 Fees 1238–43

• Orkestowe 1248 Cl 1278 RRGr

• Horkstowe 1278 RRGr 1293 RSu 1380 Pat 1383 Peace 1464 Pat 1526 Sub 1644,1663 BT

• Horkstow 1566,1593,1600 BT

• Hourcustowe 1351 Cor

• Horestowe 1352 Pat

• Horstowe 1392 Cl 1401,1414,1415 Fine 1559 Pat 1576 Saxton 1685 Yarb

• Horstowe alias Horkstowe 1566 Pat

• Horstowe alias Horkesowe (sic) 1572 ib

• Horstow 1428 FA 1577 Harrison 1610 Speed

• Horstowe al's Horkstow 1618 Yarb

• Horkystow 1395 Works

• Horxstow 1539 LPxiv

• Horckstoo (alias Horkstowe) 1565 Pat

• Horckstow 1604,1625 BT

• Horkestowe alias Horstowe 1620,1622,1680 Yarb

• Horkestow al's Horstow 1688 ib

• Horkstowe al's Horstowe 1640,1684,1715 ib

• Horkstow als Horstow 1722 ib

Etymology

Ekwall is probably correct (DEPN s.n. Horkesley) in suggesting that the first el. of Horkstow is an unrecorded OE  *horc, a word related to dial. hurk 'a temporary shelter for young lambs, made of hurdles wattled with straw' and to hurk 'to crouch, to cower'. Smith (EPNE s.v.) takes the meaning as “possibly 'a shelter'” and suggests that Horkstow means “a place where people squatted together, a shelter for the gathering of people”. If the meaning is indeed 'a shelter', then the sense might well be 'the place of shelter', v. stōw .