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.

Oulton, Oulton Lake, Oulton Park, & Oulton Park Fm

Early-attested site in the Parish of Little Budworth Chapelry

Historical Forms

  • Altetone 1086 DB
  • Audinton 1180–1220 Chol
  • Oldenton 1220–40 Whall 1315 AddCh 1326 Adl
  • Oldinton 1260 Court 1503 Chol
  • Olton alias Oldyngton 1397 Pat (p), ChRR (p)
  • Aldeton c.1230 Sheaf 1259 Plea 1260 Court
  • Hold(e)ton 13 Sheaf 17 MidCh 1287
  • Oldeton 1272–90 ChFor 1287 Court c.1536 Leland
  • Oldton 1343 Chol 1370 AD 1377 ChRR
  • Olton 1275 MidCh 1341 ChRR 1656 Orm2
  • Olton et (le) Lowe 1357 ChFor 1381 ChRR 1407 Pat 1613 Orm2
  • Olton alias Oldyn(g)ton 1397 ChRR (p), Pat (p)
  • Oltowne 1587 JRC
  • Aulton 1335 Cl
  • Oulton 1480 Sheaf 1594 AD
  • Oulton in Little Budworth 1671 Sheaf
  • Oulton Park 1819 Orm2

Etymology

This p.n. may be OE (*æt ) aldan tūne 'the old or former enclosure or farmstead', with ME  reformation of -an - to -en - > -in - > -ing -.Dr von Feilitzen prefers an original -ing - formation with reduction of -ing - > -in -, -en -. This interpretation suggests that Oulton is 'Alda's farm, farm called after Alda', from the OE  pers.n. Alda (WSax  Ealda ), in gen.sg. (Aldan -) or with -ing-, and tūn. Tait iii n.77, 209 n.220, identifies Altetone DB f.267b (Riseton hundred) with Oulton Lowe 165supra , and Alretone DB f.263b (Dudestan hundred) with Oulton. But it looks as if Alretone , formally improbable for Oulton, is the name of a lost place near Harewood-Hill 211infra in Delamere, whilst Altetone is the antecedent form of the p.n. Oulton rather than of Lowe (Oulton Lowe). Cf. Oulton Hall & Oulton Mill infra .