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.

Boyleston

Major Settlement in the Parish of Boyleston

Historical Forms

  • Boilestun 1086 DB
  • Boilestunia e.Hy2 Danelaw
  • Boilestun c.1166 AddCh
  • Boil(e)ston(e), Boyl(e)ston(e) c.1190 WollCh 1243 Fees 1245 Thurgarton 1252 FF 1256 Cl 1260 Thurgarton
  • Boiliston(a), Boyliston(a) 1225,1254 Rydeware 1256 CampbCh 1275 RH 1287 Ipm
  • Boilleston(e), Boylleston(e) 1238 AD 1294 AddCh 1296 Ipm 1299 Bemrose 1304 FF 1438 AddCh

Etymology

This is a difficult name, and Ekwall's suggestion (DEPN) that the first part is OE  Bog-hyll 'rounded hill' (v. boga , hyll ) may well be right. Boyleston would thus mean 'farm at or belonging to Boghyll ', v. tūn . On the use of the genitive in such names cf. -es 2 .