Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Seltone 1086 DB 1285 FA 1330 Ipm

• Selton(') 1194 P 1222 ClR 1230 P 1268,1280 Ass 1297 1314 AddCh 1318–25 Ipm 1325,1326 Fine 1331

• 'Selton(') by Gyllyngham' 1415 Fine

• Selleton' 1230 ChancR

• Seleton' 1280 Ass

• Salton' 1268,1280,1288 Ass 1291 Tax 1303 FA 1319,1330 Ipm 1340 NI 1346 1428 ib

• Cylton' 1327 SR

• Cilton, Cylton 1519 Ct

• Silton(') 1332 SR 1402 Pat 1431 et passim

• Sylton 1361 Pat 1412,1428 FA

• Silton or Sylton 1497 Ipm

Etymology

v. tūn 'farm, village'. The first el. is probably, as suggested by Fägersten 15, sealh 'a sallow, a willow', the development to Sil -, etc reflecting the raising of e to i . Identical in origin is Salton YN 57. The relatively late appearance of the i /y forms in the 14th century, and the absence of u forms, tend to speak against the first el. being the derivative sele 2 , siele 'a sallow grove, a willow copse', thought probable by Ekwall DEPN, although there may well have been some interchange of this el. with sealh .