Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Raithwait 1351 Whitby

• Rathwayte c.1540 Whitby

Etymology

v. þveit . The form Rai - is at first sight against Lindkvist's suggestion of derivation from ON  rá 'landmark' (p. 119, n. 4, 5) but too much stress should not perhaps be laid on a form which first appears in 1351. It is worth noting also that in a Danelaw charter of c. 1190 (ed. Stenton no. 529) land lying compactly is contrasted with land described as lying rái a rái . It would seem that this can only mean 'strip by strip' and if so it is difficult to think that we have any other word than ON  rá 'boundary-mark.' The spelling is exceedingly difficult but it is possibly an inversion due to the fact that OE ā alternates with ON  ai , ei , so that ON á might possibly have been spelt ai on occasion, in an area where OE long a was preserved.