Ibstone
Major Settlement in the Parish of Ibstone
Historical Forms
- Hibestanes 1086 DB
- Ebestan 1086 DB
- Ibbastana c.1150 Mert
- Ibbestane 1184 Mert
- Ipston 1417 IpmR
Etymology
'Ibba's stan,' but what the stan was one cannot say with certainty. As the county-boundary originally passed through the parlour of the manor-house (Langley, Hund. of Desborough 309) it may refer to a boundary stone on the old border of the two counties, before the adjustment took place in 1895.
In Ipstones (St) which superficially resembles this name, the first element is OE yppe , 'upper,' but the persistent b shows that this word cannot be present here. A duplicate of the present name occurs in the OE boundaries of Chieveley (Berks) in the phrase to Ibban stane (CS 892), and the pers. name Ibba , borne by a moneyer of Offa, king of the Mercians, forms the first element of Ibstock (Lei).