Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Rest 1402,1418 Pat

• le Parke de Reste 1413 Testi

• Rist parke 1533 TestLds

• Rest Park(e) 1559 WillY 1654 PRFrs 1817 M

Etymology

Rest Park, 'the park of Rest ' 1402, 1418 Pat, le Parke de Reste 1413 Test i, Rist parke 1533 TestLds, Rest Park (e )1559 WillY, 1654 PRFrs, 1817 M. The name refers to fields in the neighbourhood of Manor Garth, now only a system of moats but clearly the site in former times of a substantial habitation (cf. also North Sweeming supra ). The name may well be derived from OE , ME  rest 'rest' used in some such sense as 'intermission or freedom from toil' and describe a habitation used for relaxation. This seems preferable to Fr  reste 'remainder' in some sense like 'relic, remains', which is not known in English before 1694 (NED s.v.).