Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Eglauestun' c.1200 Facs

• Heidlaston' 1280 AddCh

• Eidliston' c.1320 Chol

• Edlawiston c.1286 Chol

• Edelauston 1288 Court

• Edlagheston, (grangia de) Edelaghston 1288 Court

• Edelaston 1288 Court 1299 ChF 1344 Eyre

• Edelastone 1312 Plea

• Edlaston 1298 Chol 1582 ChRR

• Edliston 1290 Court

• Edleston 1367 Pat 1462 ChRR 1515 MinAcct 1683 Chol

• Edleston Hall 1831 Bry

• Eddleston 1640 Chol

• Hedlston c.1690 ib

• Etheleston 1359 Eyre

• Ethelaston 1418 ChRR, Pat

• Elleston c.1550 Surv

Etymology

'Ecglāf's farm', from the OE  pers.n. Ecglāf and tūn. Dr von Feilitzen points out that, apart from the earliest spelling, the forms represent the OE  pers.n. Ēadlāf (with -laghes - an inverted spelling reflecting the sound-change ʒ > w and representing a pronunciation -lawes -, not a form of the OE  pers.n. Ēadlāc proposed by Ekwall in DEPN). His observation indicates that, either the name was changed from 'Ecglāf's farm' to 'Ēadlāf's farm', or the first el. of Ecglāf has undergone a reduction of -cg - [dʒ, g] to [d] before l . This change is also seen in Eglavescroft 123supra in Sound, the next township. So the Edl - spellings could represent a form of Ecglāf rather than, or as well as, Ēadlāf .