Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Medeltone 1086 DB

• Meltuna c.1115 LS

• Meltona 1146 RAi l12 1238–43 Fees

• Melton(') 1187–93 YChx e14 Cur 1200,1201 Fees 1212 RAix 1230–39 Fees 1242–43 Misc 1265 HarlCh 1269 Ass 1271–2 RH 1276 RAii 1280 FA 1428 Sub 1526

• Melton(') in Lyndeseye 1342 Orig 1342 Pat

• Mealtun c.1160 Dane

• Mealtona 1176–90 YChx e14

• Mealton(') 1191–95 RAii 1207 P

• Mealtona in Lyndeseya l12 RAii

• Miauton' 1200 CurR

• Meauton' 1201 Cur

• Meleton(') 1189(1332),1227 Ch 1242–43 Fees 1346 FA 1415 Cl

• Meuton' 1204 Cur 1243–43 Fees

• Melton Roos 1375 MiD 1381 Peace 1386 Cl 1386 FF 1402 FA 1608 Yarb

• Melton Roos otherwise Melton Ross 1752 ib

• Meltonroos 1382 Cl 1397 Pat

• Melton Roose 1539 LPxiv

• Milton Roos 1394 Pat

• Meelton Roos 1424 NCWillsii

• prebendarius de … Melton Rose 1437 LCStatutes

• Meltonrose 1562–67 LNQv 1576 Saxton

• Melton Rose 1703 Terrier

• Melton Rosse 1535 VEiv 1653 WillsPCC 1664 Terrier

• Meltonrosse 1610 Speed

• Melton Ros 1542 NCWills

• Melton Ross 1677,1709,1724 Terrier

Etymology

This is a partial Scandinavianisation of Middleton 'the middle farmstead, village', v. middel , tūn , with meðal replacing the cognate OE  middel. The same name occurs in Lei, Nf and YER. Forms in Mealtun , etc. represent the AN loss of ð between vowels (ANInfl 90ff, Feilitzen 102), while those in Meuton ' similarly represent AN influence with the vocalisation of pre-consonantal l (ANInfl 146ff, Feilitzen 78). It is not clear to which places middle refers. The de Ros family held one fee in Melton in 1303 FA, but they have been noted there first in 1265 Misc.