Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Stiple 1086 DB 1464 Pat

• Stypele 1285 FA

• Stipille in Purbyke 1439 ADVI

• Stipull 1464 Weld1

• Styple 1554 Mansel

• Stuple, Stupel(l)(e) 1204 ClR 1212 Fees 1268 Ass 1275 RH 1509 BrEll

• Stuple in Purbik 1399 AddCh

• Stupull 1428 FA 1512 ADIV

• Stepel, Steple 1222 Pat 1262 Ipm 1263 Cl 1278 QW c.1586 Tres

• Stepul(l)(e) 1348 MinAcct 1384 DCMDeed 1385 Cl

• Stepyll in Purbyke c.1500 RoyRoll

• Steeple 1614 Mansel

• Steepple 1640 DCMDeed

Etymology

'Steep place', v. stēpel (WSax  stīepel, stȳpel ), named from 'its situation under a steep hill' (Hutch3 1596), cf. Steepleton Iwerne and Winterborne Steepleton pars, infra , Isle of Purbeck supra . The spellings in -ille , -ull (e ) may suggest that the name was popularly interpreted as 'steep hill' from stēap and hyll .