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.

Harrold

Major Settlement in the Parish of Harrold

Historical Forms

  • Hareuuelle 1086 DB
  • Harewold(a) 1163 P 1220 LS 1227 1234 Cl 1237,1240,1256,1268 FF 1276,1287 Ass 1322,1354 Ipm 1388 Cl 1476 ADvi
  • Harewuda 1167 P 1220 LS
  • Harawald 1194 P
  • Harewde 1227 Ass
  • Harewode 1227,1240 Ass 1244 FF 1276 Ass 1312 Ch 1322 Cl 1331 QW
  • Harwode 1232,1234 FF
  • Har(e)wald 1236,1244 FF 1247 Ass 1253 Ch 1287
  • Harwold(e) 1240 FF 1346,1428 FA 1432 IpmR 1501 Ipm 1528 LP
  • Harewaud 1240 FF 1253 Ch
  • Horewald 1247 Ass
  • Horwold 1276 Ass
  • Harrold 1346 Ipm 1535 ADv
  • Harwood 1525 LP
  • Harrold al. Yarrold 1560 VCHiii.66
  • Harwood 1610 Speed 1730 VCHiii.66
  • Harwood or Harrold c.1750 Bowen

Etymology

The second element in this compound is weald, the reference being to the high ground rising up here from the Ouse valley.The first is har, used probably not in its original sense of 'grey' but in its transferred sense of 'boundary' for the 'wold' lies on the border of the county. Skeat takes the first element to be OE  hara , 'hare,' but the forms in Hor -, of which he was not aware, show that this cannot be right. OE  hār normally becomes hore in ME , but early shortening of the vowel in the first element of the compound ultimately led to the development of Har - rather than Hor -.