Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• ditneshal' 1174×95 Spec

• Ditneshale c.1200,1242 ib

• Dytneshal' 1219 ib

• Dytneshale 1239 FF

• Dytneshall' 1366 Spec

• Dithneshal' 1253 ib

• Detensale or Dyteneshale, Ditneshall before1186 Ebor

• Deteneshale c.1205 Sacr

• Dyttneshal' before1186 Ebor

• ditnelhale 1197×1217 Spec

• Ditleshal' 1197 Pipe

• Ditteneshale c.1228 FPD

• Ditensale, Ditonsale 1236 Ass

• Dytensale, Ditensale 1283 Pont 1312 RPD 1344,1378 Spec

• Ditenhisalle late13th AnnM

• Dittensale 1306 RPD 1378 Spec

• Dittenshal' 1309 Bek

• Dytensal' 1314 RPD

• Dyttingsale 1564 EP/Di

• Dyttynsale 1590 Wills

• Dytineshale, Ditineshale 1239 FF late13th Ann

• Diteneshale 1242×3 Ass 1253 Spec

• Ditenesha' late13th AnnS

• Dedinsale 1406 Pont 1514,1624 IPM

• Dedynsale 1438×9 Vis

• Dedynsall 1506–14 IPM

• Dedinsall, Dedynsall, Dyddynsull 1552 DX1022/1 n.d.

• Dydinsale 1443×4 IPM

• dettynsaile 1581 EP/Di

• Dinsdall 1559 Wills 1580 SurteesIII241

• Dinsdaile 1586×7 Wills 1617 EP/Di 1623 IPM

• Dinsdalle 1637 ib

• Dynsdale 1590 Wills

• Dinsdale 1596×7,1629 IPM 1615etfreqto1789 EP/Di

• Dinsdale alias Nethir Dinsdale 1624 IPM

• the Lordship of Dinsdale 1672 BowesG69/1 1770

• Dimsdell 1622 IPM

• Dimsdaile otherwise Dinsdaile 1698 Eldon

• Denesdalle 1705 EP/Di

• Dintsdaile 1772 Eldon

• Dignesdale, Dirnesdale 1086 DB

• Dineshale 1086 DB 1196 FF

• Dinneshall 1128×35 YCh944

• detnisale 1088 LVD51

• Dydensale 1170×5 YCh945

• Ditneshal(l) c.1174×90 YCh 1208–10 Fees

• Diteneshall' 1231 Ass

• Dytenshale 1301 LS

• Dit(t)ensale 1333 Riev

• Dynsda(i)ll 1555,1570 Wills

Etymology

A difficult name. Low Dinsdale lies across the river Tees from Over Dinsdale (v. uferra ) in the North Riding of Yorkshire; the spellings of the latter name must be taken into consideration here.

As A. H. Smith writes (PNYN 279), these forms tend to confirm the genuineness of the t and n of the early spellings. He goes on to suggest that the specific is an unrecorded OE  pers.n. *Dihten , an -in formation on the root of the verb dihtan 'to compose, order, dight', possibly also occurring in the p.n. Deightonby PNYW 191 (Dictenebi 1086, Distinby l.12th) and compares OE  dihtere 'governor', dihtnere 'steward'. He then continues:

Professor Ekwall makes an interesting suggestion that the first element might be an OE  Dictun . There is no phonological difficulty in this, except the very early appearance of -tun as -ten ; one can, however compare Swinston 303infra for an early example of this reduction of tun when followed by another element. What does lend weight to Professor Ekwall's suggestion is that Dinsdale is a detached part of Allerton wapentake separated from the township of Deighton only by Great Smeaton township.Dinsdale, therefore, is probably best explained as 'the nook of land belonging to Deighton' v. h(e)alh, used here (as in Dinsdale, Du) of a piece of land almost encircled by the Tees R.

There is, however, no connection between the Durham Dinsdale and Allerton wapentake. The Durham manor, a moated site (VCH I357), may well be the older settlement and the church contains fragments of pre-Conquest sculpture (VCH III220). A suggested alternative explanation might, therefore, be 'Dyttin's nook of land', OE  pers.n. *Dyttīn , genitive sing. *Dyttīnes , + halh. *Dyttīn would be a normal -in derivative of the pers.n. Dutta recorded once in duttan hamm BCS 757 (S 469) comparable with other examples such as, Biedīn from Bieda , Cymen from Cyma , Diccīn , Hyttīn , Tætīn , Tit (t )īn , Wittīn etc. v. Studies1 2–22.