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.

Shaps, Heapfield

Early-attested site in the Parish of Nafferton

Historical Forms

  • Hyap 13th Percy
  • (super) Hepum, Yap, parva Yap 13th Bridl
  • Parva Schap early14th Percy

Etymology

Shaps (6″), Heapfield (6″) are to be taken together as from Hyap 13th Percy, (super ) Hepum , Yap , parva Yap 13th Bridl, Parva Schap early 14th Percy. The two modern forms exhibit divergent ME phonological developments of OE  heap 'a hill,' the more unusual one being Shaps with stress-shifting and the development of Hy - to Sh -, as in Shipton infra 228. Shap (We) is of similar origin.

Places in the same Parish