Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Turveston(e) 1086 DB 1218 Pat 1252 Misc 1284 FA 1296 Cl 1634 Terr

• Turueston(a) c.1200 Eyns 1241 Ass 1292 Ch 1335 Cl 1337,1366 Pat 1383 Cl 1394 Pat

• Toruestona c.1200 Eyns

• Turlestone 1227 Ass

• Turwestone 1242 Gross 1707 Westbury

• Turreston' 1242 Fees870

• Thurueston 1262 Ass 1291 Tax 1320–42 Linc

• Turviston(e) 1302 FA 1344 BM

• Turston 1732 Westbury

Etymology

Probably 'Thurulf's farm,' the clue being furnished by the 1227 form. The normal development would have been to Thurlston, as in the Sf place of that name, but in this name an alternative form Thurvestone seems to have arisen through loss of l from the cons. group rlv . This developed regularly to Thurston with loss of v from the cons. group rvst but no trace of this form can now be found, and in its place we have a form Turweston which, except for a possible occurrence in 1242, is first found in 1707. It must have originated by some process of semi-vocalising of the v , combined with folk-etymologising in the attempt to explain a puzzling name. The process has gone so far as to lead to a present-day pronunciation with the stress on the second syllable. A somewhat similar process has led to the development of Coney Weston (Sf) from late OE  Konungestune , DB Cunegestuna , 1291 Tax Conegestone , Conewestone , v. Ritter 85. The pers. name is of Scand. origin. The name survived, as representing ON  þórolfr , into the 12th cent. in the Danelaw. It is the source of the Thurlbys in Lincs, of Thulston (Db) and Thurlston (Sf). It was never in common use in the Buckinghamshire region, and to this may in part be due the violent changes which it has undergone in this present name. The change of initial th to t under French influence is natural for Turweston is less than a mile from Brackley, where the Beaumont earls of Leicester possessed a castle and held their court (cf. IPN 98). The name cannot have arisen before the last quarter of the 9th cent. and is probably considerably later. For t from th , cf. Turville infra . See Addenda.