Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Gravstan 1086 DB, Exon

• Grauestane 1210 P

• Graueston(e) 1286 Ass 1269 Ch 1280 Ass 1285 FA 1350 Ilch 1357 AddMS 18 Ilch 1376 Ilch 1383 Ilch 1400

• Graveston(') 1269 1270 Hutch1 1280,1336 Ch 1499 Ilch

• Granestone (sic for Grauestone) 1291 Tax

• Graveston alias Graynston 1544,1579 Hutch3

• Grauston 1269 Ch

• Graston 1664 HTax 1795 Boswell

• Graston Farm 1841 TA

• Grasson 1811 OS

• de la Graue 1280 Ass

• Attestone de Bruttone 1325 Brid

• atte Stone 1327 SR

• atte Stone 1400 Ilch

• Stone 1548 Ct

Etymology

The second el. is clearly OE  stān 'a stone'. The first could be either OE  grāf(a) 'a grove or copse' or graef 'a grave, a pit, a trench', cf. the word gravestone itself, from the latter word and recorded in the sense 'stone coffin' from a1225 NED and 'stone placed over a grave' from 1340 ib. The surname of Alice de la Graue , John de la Graue 1280Ass is perhaps to be associated with this place. Even more certainly so is the surname of Edward de la Stone , Edward Attestone de Bruttone 1325Brid , Edward atte Stone , Roger atte Stone 1327 SR, John atte Stone 1400Ilch , Robert Stone 1548Ct , 'of the stone', 'at the stone', perhaps with reference to the very stone which gives name to Graston, cf. the TA f.ns. Stones Close and in particular Stones Greason , both lying in the vicinity of Greason Ground & Greason Mead , the last three all named from Graston. There is mention of a mill at Gravstan in 1086 DB, cf. South Mill Md 1841TA .