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.

Renhold

Major Settlement in the Parish of Renhold

Historical Forms

  • Ramhale (sic) R1 Ch 1286
  • Ranhale 1220 LS
  • Ranehala Hy3 Ch 1317
  • Ranhall 1227 FF
  • Ronhale 1227 Ass 1247 Ass 1428 FA
  • Renhal(l) c.1230 WellsL 1276 Ass 1434 IpmR
  • Runhale 1247,1276 Ass
  • Ronhall 1274 Ipm
  • Ronale 1276 1329 Ch
  • Runnehale 1287 Ass
  • Rondhale 1287 Ass
  • Rounhale 1338 Ipm
  • Ronehall 1498 Ipm 1535 VE
  • Ronnall 1526 LS
  • Reynold, Raynold 1549 Pat 1576 Saxton 1605 NQi
  • Ronhall al. Runhall 1549 Pat Eliz ChancP
  • Ronhall, Reynold, Raynald 17th BHRSviii.157
  • Ronhale 1347–98 Linc
  • Ronehale c.1425 Linc
  • Renhalle c.1438 Linc
  • Ronhale 1452–94 Linc
  • Renhold c.1500 Linc
  • Renhold c.1550 Linc
  • Reanold c.1600 Linc

Etymology

Skeat may have got on to the track of the history of this very difficult name when he suggests that the first element is Hranig , a name found in the late-OE period. He was troubled by the final g , but Björkman has shown (NP 69) that this is simply an anglicised form of the Scand. name Hrani . This name it may be added seems to be found also in Ranby (Nt), DBRane (s )bi . One would have liked to have more forms with inflexional e between the n and the h , but it is possible that the corrupt Ramhale is for Ranehale or even Ranihale and conceals at least one such. That this pers. name, even though it has a short vowel in ON , might appear as Rone in ME with an o is suggested by the name Roni , given by Florence of Worcester (12th cent. MS) as the name of an earl of Hereford in the 11th cent., which Skeat takes to be a later form of this name. This would explain the Ran - and Ron - forms (cf. forms of Sandy infra 107). The Run - forms we must then take to be inverted spellings for Ron -, due to the very frequent replacement of u by o before n in ME spelling. No explanation of the Ren - forms or the Roun - form can be offered.They cannot be related to the others and show a degree of irrational variation which is seldom paralleled. The suffix is clearly from OE  healh. This developed to -hale and (as often) was perverted to -hall and then, by a common vulgarism, fully illustrated in Wyld's Colloquial English 309, a final d was added.

Places in the same Parish