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.

Youlthorpe

Major Settlement in the Parish of Bishop Wilton

Historical Forms

  • Aiul(f)torp 1086 DB
  • Hieltorp 12th Font
  • Hiolt(orp) 12th,late12th ib
  • Jol(l)etorp 1166 RBE
  • Yolethorp 1368 FF 1398 ADiii
  • Joelthorp, Joilthorp c.1175 Whitby
  • Jolt(h)orp 1185–90 RegAlb c.1200 1204 FF 1228 Dugd
  • Yolt(h)orp(e) 12th YD 1191–6 P 1202–8 Ass 1359 Ipm
  • Yholtorp 1246 Ass
  • Youlthorp(e) 1372 FF 1828 Langd
  • Yulthorp 1399 YD
  • Yeolthrop 1563 FF

Etymology

There is probably no etymological connexion between the DB spellings and the later ones, unless Aiul (f )- is a mistake for Hiul -. There are, however, other cases of a change of pers. name in compounds of thorpe after DB (cf. Ousethorpe infra 181). The DB forms probably therefore represent 'Eyjolf 's village.' The ME  spellings contain a man's name Yole . This pers. name is probably a shortened form of OScand  Jólgeirr or the like and it enters into Youlton (PN NRY 22), and Yawthorpe (L), Ioletorp DB, Yoltorp , Hioltorp 1212 Fees (p). A local example is found in the surname of William Yhole of Pocklington (1362Extent ).The h in some of the spellings is difficult to account for, but it might well be due to the influence of names like Shaps supra 95, Yapham infra 182, where h is etymologically correct but unstable in combination with the y (j ) that has arisen from shifting of stress. It may be noted that the form Yole , which exhibits OScand stress-shifting, would be a rather late borrowing from Scandinavian. On initial J cf. Yapham infra 182.

Places in the same Parish

Major Settlement