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.

Dalston

Major Settlement in the Parish of Dalston

Historical Forms

  • Daleston' 1187 P 1298 Pap
  • Dalestun' 1190 P
  • Dalestona c.1220 Coll.Top.etGen.
  • Dalston' 1187 P
  • Parua 1279 Ass
  • Magna, Parua 1285 CWxxii
  • Dalstane 1540 AOMB
  • Little Dalston 1777 NB
  • Dalleston' 1190to1197 P 1252 Ch 1292 Ass
  • Dalliston 1360 GDR
  • Dalaston' 1201 Cur 1210 Abbr 1219 Fees 1278 Ass 13th Norfolk
  • Dalastun' 1247 Pipe
  • Daweston 1464 Pat 1532 ECP
  • Dauston 1576 S

Etymology

Forms and formation alike make it unlikely that this should be interpreted as from OE  dæles -tūn , 'tūnof the dæl or valley,' though this would suit the topography. More likely we have an OE  personal name Deall which should be associated with the adj. deall , 'foolish.'The weak form Dealla is on record. The name Dalle is on record in OSw (Lundgren s. n .) and Dalli is found in place-names in Norway (Lind s. n. , Rygh GP 57).