Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Terwathelan 1285 For

• Ternwathelan 1319 Cl 1331 Pat 1380 Fine

• Terne Wathelan early14th GoughMap

• Ternewathelan 1338,1339 MinAcct

• Ternwathelayn 1406,1430 Fine

• Ternewaththelyne 1430–40 AwntyrsoffArthure(T)

• Tarnewathelan c.1450–70 ib

• turnewathelane c.1460–80 ib

• Ternwadelen 1530 MinAcct

• Tarnewadlen 1619 ExchKR

• Tarne Wadling 1650 ParlSurv

• Trenewathlane t.Ed3 MinAcct

• Trenewatheland 1348 Orig

• Trenwathaleyn, Trenwathelayn 1434 Pat

• Trenwathen, Grenewathelyn (sic print) 1475 Pat

Etymology

This tarn, being on the main road from the south to Carlisle, was well known in medieval England. It is represented, hopelessly out of scale, in the early 14th-century Gough map. The tarn was drained in the early part of the 19th century, but was allowed to revert to marsh, and was again drained during the 1939–45 war by Italian prisoners. The name is an inversion compound of ON  tiǫrn with a personal name corresponding to the OWelsh  Gwyddelan , meaning 'little Irishman.' This is recorded in Dol-Wyddelan (Caernarvonshire).