Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• on tor scylget 956 ShaftR 1842 TA

• on torchil gat 956 ShaftR 1842 TA

Etymology

on tor scylget, on torchil gat(the first and final els. are torr'rock,rocky peak' and geat'gate, gap, pass'; the medial el., the spelling of whichmay be corrupt, is thought by Ekwall DEPN s.n. Skilgate So to be late OE scyl'boundary'(cf. also EPN 2124–5), it may possibly be scielf,scylf'shelf, ledge' or even sciell'shell'(which apparently occurs in someundetermined sense in later Do f.ns. like Shill 1 230, le Shull(e)(s.n.Scully) in Gillingham par. supra); the point described is at the E extremityof the par., near the top of the prominent 810′ hill N of Hatts Barn wherethe present E-W road crosses the line of a cross-dyke)