Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Malrestang 1223 FF 1284 Ipm 1312 Fine 1322 Ch

• Malvestang (sic) 1228 Pat

• Malverstang 1462 ib

• Marlestang 1268 Pat

• Marlistaunge 1351 ib

• Mallerstang(e) 1272 Misc 1283 Ipm 1292 Ass1d 1308 Pat 1745 Dep

• -towne 1577 Harrison67

• Mallerstanges 1340 Pat

• Mallerstonge 1657 Comm

• Mallerstronge 1617 NWm

• Maullerstange Hy6 Rent

• Mawllerstange 1603 PR(B)

• Malerstang 1593 PR(R) 1622 Drayton

• Molerstang 1687 PR(B)

• Mollerstang 1714 PR(CG) 1716 PR(R)

Etymology

The first el. could be a reduced form of the ON  fem. pers.n. Málmfríðr (as proposed by Sedgefield), but Ekwall has suggested that it is a Celtic hill-name of the same origin as Mellor (Db 144, La 73) from Welsh  moel-fre 'bare hill' (v. mēl 2 , brigā ), an appropriate description of the hills on either side of this deep, treeless valley of the upper Eden; it would also account for the two spellings with Malve (r )-. Welsh  moel (from Brit  *mailo -, later *mēl ) usually appears in English p.ns. as Mel -, but Mellor (La) has a single early spelling Mal - and Malvern (Wo 210) has OE  Mæl - and regular ME  Mal - (cf. Jackson 326). The final el. of Mallerstang is ON  stǫng 'pole', doubtless one used as a land-mark of some kind. 'Pole on the hill called Moel-fre '.