English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

Urlay Nook, Urlay Nook Rd, Urlay Nook Fm

Early-attested site in the Parish of Egglescliffe

Historical Forms

  • Lurlehou c.1220 Ct
  • Lurlaw 1347 Ct
  • Urlawe 1509,1511,1527 IPM
  • Urlaw 1596,1614 SurteesIII198
  • Urley 1614 SurteesIII198
  • Urley Nook 1814,1820 EP/Eg
  • Urlingnook 1749 ib
  • Urling, urrling Nook 1750 ib
  • Orlin Nook 1753 ib
  • Early Nooke 1731 ib
  • Early Nook 1841 TA 1857 FordyceII222
  • Urlay Nook 1820 DX459/10 1828,1837,1858 EP/Eg 1832 Eldon

Etymology

Perhaps originally 'Lurla's hill-spur', OE  pers.n. *Lurla + hōh, subsequently taken to be a name in law (OE  hlāw ) 'a hill' and, with reduction of the unstressed syllable to [ə], confused with -ley . At some time the name seems to have been wrongly analysed as if L 'Urlaw with the Fr  definite article le subsequently dropped. For the pers.n. cf. Larling Norfolk TL 9889, Luringa 1086, Lurlinga 1086, [1086] c.1180, Lurlinges 1180 (p), Lerlinges 1223 (p), Lirlinge 1242×3, 1254, Lyrlinge 1275, Lyrlyngges 1346 (p) for which PNIng 59 suggests nick-name *Lyrel from OE  lyre 'loss' comparing ME  lorel 'worthless person'. There may be a connection with the name Lorelei , possibly 'echoing, rumbling cliff', a rock on the Rhine near Coblenz, which gave rise to the legend of Lorelei the river-siren.