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.

Wingerworth

Major Settlement in the Parish of Wingerworth

Historical Forms

  • Wingreurde 1086 DB
  • Wyngreworth 1319 WollCh 1351,1376 Pat 1438 DbCh
  • Wingrorda 1129–38 RegAnt
  • Winger-, Wynger-, Wyngir-, Wyngur-, -wurth, -worth(e) 1238 Fine 1243 Fees 1268 Cl 1298 Ipm 1301 FF
  • Wringew(o)rth' 1212 Fees 1268 Cl 1302 FA
  • Wyng(e)w(o)rth 1242 RegAnt 1330 CartDec 1467 IpmR
  • Wringerll' 1268 Cl
  • Wayngreworthe 1330 Ass
  • Wryngreworth 1393 DbAxlv
  • Winagares stapul 1032 KCD 746

Etymology

'Winegār's enclosure', v. worð , with the pers.n. in an uninflected form. This OE pers.n., which appears as that of a moneyer, is found also in Winagares stapul 1032 KCD 746. Ekwall (DEPN) states that the pers.n. seems to appear in the gen.sg. Winegāra and compares Wingerworth with Wihtgara byrg 544A ASC. The comparison may not be relevant, in view of the difficulties of interpretation of the latter name. Moreover it is by no means certain that OE  gār was originally a u -stem noun, cf. PN Wt xlvii-lvi. The problem of the DB form Wingre - remains, however, and perhaps it is best explained as an early weakening of -gar - to -ger - in an unaccented syllable with -re - for -er - (for which cf. Feilitzen 83).