Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Guketorp (sic) 1252 Ebor

Etymology

Gawthorpe Hall, Guketorp (sic)1252 Ebor. There are six other examples of this p.n. in YW (188, 230, (Bingley), (Harewood) pt. iv, (Carleton), and (Dent) pt. vi infra ), and it occurs elsewhere as Gowthorpe Nf, La 83, YE 176, 244. These names are usually inter- preted as compounds of the ON  pers.n. Gaukr (a byname from gaukr 'cuckoo') and þorp 'outlying farmstead'; this is certainly the case in Gowthorpe (Selby) pt. iv. Whilst there is no doubt about the use of ON  Gaukr as a by-name in England (Björkman, NP 49, ZEN 37), the frequent repetition of this p.n. compound rather suggests that the first el. is gaukr itself, and the p.n. means 'cuckoo farmstead'. The true significance is uncertain, but bird-names are frequently used in the names of houses (such as Spink Hall i, 259, Owlet Hall ii, 90, 190, Laverock Hall ii, 279, and many others passim , as well as Gawk Hall (Blubberhouses) pt. v, or the lost Gaukehouse i, 220, also containing gaukr ), and may signify no more than places which such birds frequented; but dial. gowk (like the ON pers.n.) means also 'a simpleton, a fool', and it seems at least a possibility that the numerous Gawthorpes denote 'a fool's house' and have much the same significance as the numerous Folly Halls (v. folie ).