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.

Tripsdale

Early-attested site in the Parish of Helmsley

Historical Forms

  • Thriplesdala c.1180 Riev

Etymology

v. dæl . Professor Ekwall suggests that the first element may be connected with OE  þrīpel 'instrument of torture,' which has yielded dial. thripple 'movable framework fitted on a cart.' In that case we have a genitival compound and the meaning of the whole name would be 'valley marked by a þripel ,' whatever the exact sense of the word in this context may be. The Anglian form would be þrēpel , but we may assume early shortening and raising of the vowel to i .