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.

Taplow

Major Settlement in the Parish of Taplow

Historical Forms

  • Thapeslau 1086 DB
  • Tapeslawe 1186,1188 P
  • Tappelawe Ri P 1197 FF(P) 1200 Cur 1213 Fines c.1218 WellsL 1227 Ass 1228 FF 1241 Ass 1252 Ch 1262 Ass
  • Tepelawe 1194 Cur
  • Tapplawe 1199 Cur
  • Tapelawe 1199 Fines
  • Teppelawe 1227 Ass 1235 Fees465 1241,1262 Ass 1297 Ipm
  • Toppelewe 1247 Ass
  • Teppelowe 1285 QW
  • Toppelawe 1346 Pat
  • Tappelowe 1361 Cl 1489 Ipm
  • Toplo 1571 BM
  • Toplowe 1624 BM
  • Topler 1675 Ogilby

Etymology

The second element is OE  hlaw. The first must be a pers. name Tæppa or Teppa found also in Tapners (K), Teppanhyse BCS 260. The allied name Tapa is found in Tapahalan (BCS 993), Tapton (Db) and Tappington (K).

'Tæppa's hlaw,' the reference very probably being to the famous barrow in Taplow old churchyard from which came the Taplow hoard of treasures now in the British Museum. There is a single and early example of a pers. name Tæbba , which is intelligible as a short form of a compound name consisting of the stem Tāt , followed by a second element beginning with b.The well-recorded name Tātbeorht , for example, would produce a short form Tæbba , with shortening and then mutation of the stem-vowel. To such a form Tæppa would be related as *Cippa stands to *Cibba ; such pairs are numerous.