Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Flaneburc, Flaneburg 1086 DB

• Flemaburch 12th SD

• Fleynesburg(h), Flainesburg(h), Fleinesburg(h) 12th Whitby 1143–53 Bridl late12th Gilbert 1251 Ass

• Flamesburg(h) 1145–53,1155–7,1180–90 YCh917,1148,1154

• Fleynburg(h), Flainburg(h), Flaynburg(h), Fleinburg(h) 1114–24 Bridl 13th Percy 1244 Ass 1518 Test

• Flaineburhc, Flaineburg(h), Flayneburg(h) 1128–32 BM c.1180 Bridl 1448 Bridl

• Flemeburhc 1135–9 YCh1144

• Flaymburgh 1461 Pat 1499

• Flanburgh 1463 Pat

• Flamburgh(e) 1511 Sanct 1552 FF

• Flamborough 1573 FF

• Flambrugh 1582 FF

• Flambrough 1650 ParlSurv

Etymology

The first element of Flamborough is OScand  fleinn 'hook, barb' used either as a pers. name or as a topographical element.OScand  Fleinn is recorded as a pers. name (LindN, LindB) 'the sharp-tongued person,' and it is found in England as the surname of Hugo Flain of Ormesby (L) (early 13th Gilbert).Gordon (APS i, 320 ff.) links up Flamborough with Scarborough (PN NRY 105), which was founded by the Icelander Þorgils Skarði about 967 (Kormáks Saga ). The story of Scarborough was also told in two lost romances summarised by Robert Manning of Brunne in The Story of Inglande (Rolls Series, ii, ll. 14816 ff.). In one of these, that of Thomas of Kendal, reference is made to Scarthe 's brother Flayn , and Gordon suggests with probability that Flayn is to be equated with Kormak, brother of Þorgils Skarði; Kormak's nickname is lost in Icelandic story, but from his character it might well have been Fleinn . There is, however, no evidence to connect him with Flamborough, apart from the coincidence of names, and while the identification of Kormak Flein with Flamborough is possible, we should hesitate to accept it in the way in which we can accept the Scarborough story. As with Grimsby (L), said in the romance of Havelok to have been founded by Grim who fostered the royal prince, this Flayn may have been created in mediæval romance as the eponymous hero of Flamborough to accompany Scarthe of Scarborough which is only 16 miles up the coast.

Against this there is the alternative possibility that OScand  fleinn is used here as a topographical element, as suggested by Lindkvist (44–5), to describe the lofty pike-shaped prominence on which the village stands. In Scandinavia such a use is rare, but in the Danish place-name Flenø (DaSN(F) 150) we have an example of ODan  flēn in the sense 'spit of land, tongue of land'.

'Flein 's fortification' or 'fortification on the promontory,' v. burh . The DB and later spellings with Flane -, Flam - are partially Anglicised, and n became m before the labial b .