Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Glette 1205 Cur

• campo de Est Glette, campo de West Glette c.1273 Wymond

• Glitte 1205 Cur

• (West) Gletton' 13th,c.1272 Wymond 1384 StJohn's

• Westgletten 1274 Cl

• Glytton 1375 StJohn's

• Glyttonfeld 1466 ib

• Estglytton, Westglytton 1483 ib

• Glittonfelde 1541 ib

• Estglatton, Westglatton 1377 ib

• Glitton on Northbrook 1592 Bodl

• Glitton al. Northbrook 1594 ib

• Glitten al. Northbrooke 1602 ib

• Westgletten 1274 Cl

Etymology

Glitton (lost) is Glette 1205 Cur, campo de Est Glette , campo de West Glette c. 1273Wymond , Glitte 1205 Cur, (West ) Gletton '13th, c. 1272Wymond , 1384StJohn 's , Westgletten 1274 Cl, Glytton (Steeple Morden) 1375StJohn 's , Glyttonfeld (next the land of the Hospital of Shingay) 1466 ib., Estglytton , Westglytton 1483 ib., Glittonfelde (in a meadow called Tadlowemeadowe ) 1541 ib., Estglatton , Westglatton 1377 ib., Glitton on Northbrook 1592Bodl , Glitton al. Northbrook 1594 ib., Glitten al. Northbrooke 1602 ib. The later forms definitely identify the site with North Brook End infra 65, but the name seems to have covered a somewhat extensive area reaching to Tadlow and Shingay, and there can be little doubt that the lost Glitton in Ashwell (PN Herts 153) is also to be associated with this place (Glutton 1313StJohn 's , Northglytton 1406Ct ). Cf. also Glette (near Herlestonfeld , i.e. Harston field) c. 1250Trinity and le Glytton 1408Ct (Harston). This looks like ME  glette , glitte , OFr  glette , 'slime, filth.' The noun is recorded from 1340 in the sense 'slimy matter, sticky or greasy filth,' the verb from 1527 in that 'to ooze, flow slowly.' Cf. also gletty , 'viscosus' 1483 CathAngl, 'green and slimy, applied to the appearance of stagnant water' in Northumberland (1893). v. NEDs. vv . gleet , gleety . Here glette is perhaps used of some boggy or marshy ground. The relation of the Glette forms to the Gletton ones is obscure. Westgletten (1274 Cl) suggests the possibility of a weak plural form, but a weak plural form for a word of Romance origin is not very likely and the otherwise universal ton-ending is against it. Possibly there were a number of glett-ton forms, so called from the character of the soil, but a compound of ton with a word of Romance origin is again extremely unlikely.