Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Theornewat 1088 Dugdiv,623

• vadum de Tornewat 12 Kirkst

• vadum…Tornwaz 1183–1200 YCh817

• Tornwad 1187 Kirkst

• Tornewud (sic) 1190–1200 YCh821

• Tornewud 14 YDi

Etymology

Torne Wath (lost), Theornewat 1088 Dugd iv, 623, vadum de Tornewat 12 Kirkst, vadum …Tornwaz 1183–1200 YCh 817, Tornwad 1187 Kirkst, Tornewud (sic)1190–1200 YCh 821, (the church at) Tornewud 14 YD i. There is a measure of doubt whether these spellings refer to Torne Bridge in this parish (where a minor road, now leading nowhere, crosses the R. Torne), to Torne Bridge (Cantley) 42supra (which carries the main road to Thorne across the R. Torne), or to Rossington Bridge (which carries the Great North Road across the R. Torne). On the whole, most of the references associate the place with the Bessacarr district which is much nearer to Rossington Bridge than to the other places: if Tornewud is an error for Tornewad , as Ekwall RN 413 supposes, then the YD i reference to the church makes it clear that we have to identify it with Rossington (that is, with either Torne Bridge in this township or Rossington Bridge), for Torne Bridge in Cantley is many miles from a church (but Tornewud may be the correct form, cf. Tornewde in Tickhill 59infra ). If the crossing is correctly identified, the name Tornwath must mean 'ford across the R. Torne' (v. RNs. s.n. Torne) or possibly 'ford marked by a thorn-tree', v. þorn , vað . It could only be taken (with Ekwall, RN 413) as 'ford leading to Thorne' if it were identical with Torne Bridge in Cantley, which seems improbable.