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.

Lothburne

Early-attested site in the Parish of Nantwich

Historical Forms

  • Lortebourn(e) 1332,1349 AD
  • Lort(e)burne 1397 Rich
  • fons vocata Lort(e)burne 1412 AddCh
  • quadam cisterna vocata Lort(e)burne 1456 ib
  • Lortborn 1422 ib
  • Lorkborne 1466 Rich
  • Le Lotheburne 1385 Comb
  • communis cisterna vocata Loth(e)burn(e) 1516 Comb
  • Lottebarne 1547 MinAcct

Etymology

'Dirty stream', v. lort(e), burna . This was a common drain running from near the churchyard into R. Weaver (cf. the Commyn Syche 1520 Comb, 'public watercourse', v. commun , sīc ), and probably carried away the town's sewage. Cf. Lorteburne 193infra .