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.

Thimbleby

Major Settlement in the Parish of Osmotherley

Historical Forms

  • Timbelbi, Timbelli (sic) 1086 DB
  • thémelebi 1088 LVD51
  • Thimilby c.1160 Riev
  • T(h)imelebi 1182,1184 P
  • Thimilisbi 1208 FF
  • Timleb' 1208–10 Fees
  • Thimelby, Thymelby 1233 Cl 1234 Riev 1247 Ebor 1301 LS 1316 Vill
  • Thimmelby 1293 QW
  • Themelby 1329 YD
  • Thimbelby 1359 FF

Etymology

v. by . The first element is a pers. name which is also contained in Thimbleby (L), Timleby LindsSurv, Thymelby , Themelby RH, and Themelthorp (Nf), Thimeltorp , Tymelthorp 1267, 1269 Ch, Thimilthorp 1289 BM. There is a scantily attested ON  Þumall (LindN) from ON  þumall , 'thimble,' and a by-name (LindB) Þumli from the same source. In these place- names we must have a mutated by-form *Þymill (with mutation of u by the suffix as in OE  þȳmel , 'thimble') or the ON name has been altered under the influence of OE  þȳmel itself.

Places in the same Parish