Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Crostwit 1086 DB

• Crosthuete 1198 Ass

• Crostwet 1250 1301 HMC

• Crosthueit 1198 Ass

• Crosthweyt 1236 Fees 1257 Ass 1314,1315,1440 FF 1353 BM 1393,1424 Pat 1428 FA 1430,1433 AD

• Crostthweyt 1324 Pat 1328 Banco 1329 FF

• Crosthwayt 1483 FF

• Crostethwayte 1510 SP

• Crostweit 1208,1212 FF 1210 Cur 1220 BM 1234,1306 Bromh

• Crostweyt 1227,1309 FF 1243 Fees 1254–75 Val 1274 RH 1286 Ass 1289 NoLeet 1302to1402 FA 1306,1346,1411 Pat 1306 Orig 1307 Banco 1330 SR 1330 BM 1364 RBL 1459,1460 AD

• Crosweyt 1257 Ass

• Crostwey 1257 ib

• Crostveyt 1269 ib

• Crosttweitt 1286 ib

• Crostweyth 1330 SR 1346 FA 1510 SP

• Crosteweyte 1483 FF

• Crostweite 1535 VE

• Crostwicke 1548 Pat 1668 CtCrostwight

• Crostwick 1650 NfA

• Gegestueit 1086 DB

Etymology

The first el. is late OE  cros, from OWScand  kross. It usually referred to a boundary-cross or a stone cross set up for devotional purposes, but occasionally it designated a crossroad or a cross- shaped piece of land (v. Lindkvist 115 n. 2). The second el. is þveit 'clearing in woodland' (v. Sandred 1990: 310 ff.). The preservation of the diphthongal spellings should be noted. They suggest that this place-name el. was introduced in Norfolk before the onset of Danish monophthongization, which is considered to have been c. 900 (Brøndum-Nielsen § 172). Lindkvist comments on this point that the Scandinavian which was spoken in England had a conservative character which “manifests itself in several directions” (Lindkvist 20), an idea later expressed also by Fellows Jensen (1986: 631).

The name is identical with Crostwick , Taverham Hundred. The development to Crostwicke 1548 etc. suggests that the scribes substituted the common terminal -wick for a terminal whose meaning and proper form had become unfamiliar to them. This change has also taken place in Guestwick (Gegestueit 1086 DB), Eynsford Hundred. The late realization of this name as Crostwight has a parallel in Lingwhite , Hingham, Forehoe Hundred, and both these names provide additional evidence that the terminal þveit presented great difficulties to later scribes (cf. Lindkvist 101). The current local pronunciation is recorded as /kɔsit/ or /kɔ:sit/ (Forster 70). In more northerly parts of the Danelaw the element þveit , then no doubt the OWScand word, seems to have had a longer life (v. Sandred 1990: 315 f.).