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.

Seaton

Major Settlement in the Parish of Seaton

Historical Forms

  • Setona c.1174 HolmC
  • Seton 1230 Scotland 1440 FF
  • Seiton 1278 Ass
  • Seyton ib. (p)
  • Seaton 1580 Border

Etymology

Formally, this name represents OE  sǣtūn , 'sea tūn.' On the other hand, Seaton is on rising ground and now is more than a mile from the sea. It is not impossible that the place may have been named from its proximity to the sea, but the exact significance of the name must remain doubtful. There is the same kind of topographical difficulty in the case of Seaton in Bootle infra 347.

Places in the same Parish

Other OS name

Early-attested site