Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Walton', Walton' (p), Valton' (p) 13 GlastR

• Waltone, Walton(e) (p) e14 GlastE

• Walton(e) 14 GlastC 1327 SR 1332 SR 1548 Ct

• Walton (Elm) 1811 OS

• Walton 1838 TA

Etymology

Walton Elm (ST 781180), Walton Elm Hill, Walton Elm Ho, Walton Ho, Walton ', Walton ' (p), Valton ' (p)13 GlastR, Waltone , Walton (e ) (p)e14GlastE , Walton (e )14GlastC , 1327SR (p), 1332 SR (p), 1548Ct , Walton (Elm )1811 OS, Walton (f.n.) 1838TA , v. tūn 'farmstead'. There can be no certainty about the first el. The absence of medial -e - (Wale - spellings) tells against the presence of wealh 'Briton, Welshman' in its gen.pl. form weala , though it cannot entirely be ruled out (this Walton is not included in the corpus of names containing wealh discussed by Cameron, JEPN 12 1–46). However, perhaps more likely alternatives for the first el. are weald 'woodland' or weall 'wall'. The suggestion by Taylor, DoNHAS 88 208–9, that the first part of Walton preserves the name of the Waleran who held 6 hides in Sturminster N. in 1086 DB (VCHDo 373) is clearly unsupportable. Elm is apparently a fairly recent addition, no doubt with reference to some conspicuous elm-tree.