Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Duleshop(p)e 930 RegAlbi,59 13

• Dunsuppe brooke 1652 ParlSurv

• Dunsop Bridge 1704 Hrg

Etymology

Dunsop Bridge & Dunsop River, Duleshop (p )e 930 (13) RegAlb i, 59, ii 78d, Dunsuppe brooke 1652ParlSurv , Dunsop Bridge 1704 Hrg. The OE  Duleshope occurs in a list of bounds of Amounderness (La) as a river descending to the Hodder, which goes on to join the Ribble (cf. YCh i, 4); Dunsop Bridge is near the confluence of Dunsop River and the R. Hodder and there can be little doubt about the identity of Duleshope . If the OE spelling is not in error (and the change of -l - to -n - is paralleled by Stittenham YN 33, from OE sticlum , Stidnum 1086 DB, Skitnum 1250 Riev, etc.), the first el. Dules - could be of similar origin to the r.n. Douglas ('black river', v. dubo-, glassjo-), as Ekwall (La 226n) has suggested. If Dules - is an error for Dunes - the name means simply 'Dun's valley', from the OE  pers.n. Dun (n ) and hop .