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.

Great Meols & Little Meols

Early-attested site in the Parish of West Kirby

Historical Forms

  • Melas 1086 DB 1353 Orm2
  • Meles 13 Whall 1229–33 Orm2 1229 Sheaf 1580 1249–65 Plea 1427
  • Parua Meles 1270–83 Chest
  • Magna Meles c.1274–81 Sheaf 1580 Chest 1280–1320
  • Lytel Meles 1358 Orm2
  • Mikul Meles 1374 JRC
  • Mykel Meles 1410 Sheaf
  • Meles Maioris 1346 JRC
  • le Meles 1348 Eyre 1387 1400 ChRR 1410 Sheaf
  • Molis 1195–1205 1338 Pat
  • Litle Molis 1283 Ipm
  • Great Molis 1295 ib
  • le Molis 1216–30 JRC
  • Moeles 1228–37 Facs 1432 Orm2
  • Parva Moeles e13 Chest
  • Magna Moeles 1288 ChFor
  • Mikel Moeles 1358 Plea
  • Mukel Moeles 1359 Orm2
  • Great Moeles 1365 ChRR
  • Mykull Moeles 1417 Orm2
  • le Moelis 13 AddCh
  • Meoles 1274–82 Orm2 1819 Orm2
  • Magna Meoles 1295 Cl
  • Meoles Magna 1629 ChetOSviii
  • Mykull Meoles 1417 Sheaf
  • Great Meoles 1527 ChRR
  • Littel Meoles 1347 ChFor
  • Litel Meoles 1383 Orm2
  • Little Meoles 1724 NotCestr
  • Parva Meoles 1584 ChRR
  • Meoles Parva 1629 ChetOSviii
  • le Meoles 1347 ChFor 1438 ChRR
  • Meeles 1278 Whall 1286 ChFor 1581 ChRR
  • Lytle Meeles 1315 Plea
  • Little Meeles 1361 BPR
  • Magna Meeles 1346 JRC
  • Great Meeles 1361 BPR
  • le Meeles 1378 Eyre
  • Mell' 1278 Dugd(p) c.1280 JRC
  • Melle 1278 Orm2
  • Melles 1287 Court
  • the Melles 1423 AD
  • Molles, Mangna Molles 1287 Court
  • Meales 1287 Court 1592 JRC 1621 Orm2 1656
  • Great Meales, Little Meales 1724 NotCestr
  • Moelles 1289 Court 1317 City
  • Moell' 1290,1291 Court
  • Mekes, Parva Mekes 1295 Tab
  • Meules 1303 Chamb 1310,1311 ChRR
  • Little Meolse, Meolse 1498 Sheaf
  • Great Meolse 1844 TA261
  • Great Meolse, Little Meolse 1882 Orm2
  • Great Melse, Melse 1594 Orm2
  • Great Melse, Parva Melse c.1642 Sheaf 17
  • The Melts 1898 Sheaf
  • Great Mooles, Mooles 1621 Orm2 1656
  • Great Meols, Little Meols 1831 Bry 1842 OS

Etymology

'The sandhills', v. melr , cf. Great Meols supra , Little Meols 299infra , and North Meols, Ravensmeols and Argarmeles La 125. The pronunciation of the Ch p.n., [mels], is now different from that of the La names, [mi:lz], but there appears to have been some common form in the past. The spellings for the el. melr in these Ch and La places, and in Ingoldmells L (DEPN) and Meaux YE 43, show that the e in the English pl. form of melr was rounded in pronunciation.In contrast, the English sg. form for melr preserves simple [mel], as in Cartmel La 195, Rathmell YW 6148. Tranmere 257supra appears to be an instance of sg. melr in which the e has been rounded to o , but there is a further complication in that name. The spellings of melr in its English pl. form (melas , meles , etc.) are -m (e )ol -, -mo (e )l -, -meul -, -muel -, etc. Here, the u and o characteristics indicate something like æ [ø] or even a diphthong. Presumably the l was partly vocalised before the [s] > [z] of the plural inflection, sufficiently to affect the e but not sufficiently to cause loss of l . Such a feature would have encouraged the vocalisation of l to the point of disappearance under AN influence in Meaux [mius] YE 43. A different account of the matter is given by Ekwall in La 125, but it does not take into account all the evidence, v. Addenda.