English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

Rus Mickle

Early-attested site in the Parish of Heversham

Historical Forms

  • Rusmickle 1535 Kendii,97 1669 PR 1667,1708 M 1823
  • Rushmickle 1785 PR(Cr)

Etymology

Rus Mickle, Rusmickle 1535 (1669) Kend ii, 97, 1667, 1708 PRet freq to 1823 M, Rushmickle 1785 PR(Cr). This might be an inversion compound with the pers.n. Michael (ON  Mikiáll ), but the forms are too late to reveal the source of the first el.; on topographical grounds it is unlikely to be OE  risc 'rush-bed', but a possible origin is an ON  *rust , suggested by Rygh (NGIndl 72) for such Norw  p.ns. as Rustøien (NG xii, 492); this word would be the source of Norw  rust 'wooded hill', Icel  rúst 'hillock', Faroese rust 'ridge' (cf. Franzen, LaxdON 133); Beckmickle (i, 158infra ) is a similar formation.

Places in the same Parish

Other OS name

Early-attested site