Rudston
Major Settlement in the Parish of Rudston
Historical Forms
- Rodestan 1086 DB 1276 RH
- Rodestein 1086 DB
- Rodestain, Rodestayn 1086 DB 1265 YI 1292 Ebor 1295 Pat 1297 LS
- Rudstan 1100–22 MaryR 1156–75,1175–91,c.1220,1231,1312 Bridl 1355 Test 1356 FF 1481,1500 Test
- Rudstane 1303 KF 1376 Test
- Rudstain, Rudstayn 1312 Bridl 1329 YD
- Ruddestan 1100–22 MaryR 1140–60 1355 YD
- Ruddestayn, Ruddestain, Ruddesteyn 13th Bridl 1206 FF late13th Misc
- Ruddestane 1494 FF
- Rudestan(e) 1119–47 Bridl t.John AddCh 1203 Cur c.1400 Melsa
- Rudestein, Rudesteyn, Rudestain 1114–22 YCh453 t.Hy1 Ch 1308 Ass 1244
- Rudistayn 1257 Bardney
- Rudstone 1542 NCWills 1566 YD
- Rudston super Wold 1625 FF
Etymology
Rudston takes its name from the great monolith in the village church-yard and, like Rodestane (PN NbDu 168), Radstone (PN Nth 56) and OE rodestan (BCS 1127), it is a compound of OE rōd 'rood, cross' and stan, the second element probably being strongly influenced by the cognate OScand steinn. 'Stone used as a cross.' The first element might also be rudu , 'redness.'
As with Radstone which exhibits a similar variation between Rod (d )e - and Rude - in the early spellings the raising of ō to u at an early date is unusual, but it can be paralleled in the spellings of Roos, Ruston supra 56, 93, Drypool and Goodmanham infra 212, 230. In Rudston the u may represent a close short o , which would arise from the shortening of OE close ō , and it may have been made further possible by the existence of such pairs as OWScand būð by the side of OEScand bōð .