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.

Lowthorpe

Major Settlement in the Parish of Lowthorpe

Historical Forms

  • Laugetorp, Loghetorp, Logetorp 1086 DB
  • Loutorp, Louthorp(e) 12th,late12th,13th Bridl 1376 Percy
  • Luuetorp 1192,1198 P
  • Lovetorp 1218 FF
  • Laut(h)orp 1219,1244,1246 Ass 1304 Meaux
  • Lowthorp(e) 1285 KI 1303 KF 1349 FF 1500 Test
  • Lawthorp(e) 1523 Sanct 1547 FF

Etymology

The variation in the spellings of the first element may be best explained by the vocalisation in early Middle English of an intervocalic g , whilst the au forms suggest Lage - as the starting-point. This may well be the OScand  pers. name Lagi , which appears to be of OEScand provenance; it is found in OWScand, but there it is a loan from Danish (LindN). It is hardly likely to be OScand  lǫgr (lag -) 'river, lake' which enters into Norw  Lagerud (NoGN v, 294). The pers. name is found in OSwed  as Laghi and Lave and in the Swed place-name Laggarp , earlier Laghatorp (Lundgren-Brate 164). The P forms Luue - may be merely scribal variants of Lou - where ou was wrongly treated as an Anglo-Norman spelling for ū .

Places in the same Parish

Early-attested site