Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Hotunerof, Hotonerof 1278 Ass

• Hotonrof 1279,1292 ib

• Hoton Roff(e) 1316,1487 Ipm

• Hotenrofe 1402 Pat

• Hoton Rouf 1287 Cl

• Hoton Ruff 1306 Ass 1465 Pat

• Hotonruf 1307 For 1316 Ipm 1323 ADvi

• Hutton Ruffe al. Thwayte 1565 FF

• Hotonroof 1329 FF

• Hotonroofe 1429 Pat

• Hutton Roof otherwise called Thwaite 1671 Fleming

• Hotonroef 1332 SR 1344,1363 Cl

• Hotonrogf' 1344 For

• Hutton Rewffe 1560 PR(Greystoke)

• moram de hoton' Rof 1292 Ass

• Hotunariof t. Ric i (1308) Ch

• Hoton-riwe 1190–1220 Cockersand (p)

• Hotonrue 1210–35 ib.

• Hoton Roue 1260 CockersandA

Etymology

The main name here is obviously identical with Hutton-in-the- Forest supra 208 and means 'tūn on the hill,' from OE  hōh and tūn .The meaning of the suffix 'Roof' is a difficult question, partly because of the many different forms in which it appears, and partly because of the existence of another Hutton Roof in Westmorland. The two names must clearly be taken together. The forms of the Westmorland Hutton Roof are Hoton Rofh 1161–84 Kendal, Hotunariof t. Ric i (1308) Ch, Hoton-riwe 1190–1220 Cockersand (p), Hotonrue 1210–35 ib., Hoton Roue 1260 CockersandA. In view of the form Hotunariof for the Westmorland Hutton and the forms Hoton Rouf and Hotonroef for the Cumberland Hutton, it is unlikely that this suffix can represent the OE  hrōf , 'roof.' Topographically this meaning, though possible for the Cumberland Hutton Roof, is not particularly suitable, for although the village stands on the summit of a hill, it is overlooked a short distance to the west by the far higher ground of Mosedale, and a suffix implying that Hutton stands on the 'roof' or summit of its countryside seems to be inappropriate. Hutton Roof (Westmorland) stands high, but is dominated by the neighbouring Hutton Roof Crag. It is definitely more probable that the suffix in each of these names is a contracted form of a personal name. In the Cumberland example, the derivation of Roof from ON  Hróþúlfr is at least possible.The ON  name is normally in England contracted into Rolf , but cases are on record in which it appears as Roulf and Rulf . The loss of l has many parallels, as Rauf from Radulf , and presents no difficulty. It is unfortunate that the history of the place does not begin before the late 13th century, so that no assistance is forthcoming from documentary sources. In the case of the Westmorland name, a clue is offered by the form Hotunariof , which points definitely to derivation from OGer  Ricwulf , OFr  Riulf .

For the alternative 'thwaite' in the 1565 and 1671 forms, v. Thwaite Hall infra 212.