Skipwith
Major Settlement in the Parish of Skipwith
Historical Forms
- Schipewic, Schipeuuic 1086 DB
- Schipwic 1203 Cur
- Scipewiz, Scypwiz 1166 P 1244 Ebor
- Skipwis 1225 Ebor
- Schipwyth, Schypwyth, Schipuith 12th Selby 1153–60 YCh c.1293 Malton
- Schip(e)wit 1195 Ch 1335 Ebor 1264
- Scipwit', Skipwit' 1204 ChR 1301 LS
- Scypwic, Skipwik(e), Skipwyk(e) 1121–8 YCh 1206 Cur 1280 Ass 1282 YI
- Skipwych 1254 Abbr
- Skipwith, Skipwyth 1080–6 YCh 1276 RH 1541 FF
- Scip(p)ewic 1199 P, FF
- Skypewic, Skyppewyk 1254 Abbr
- Schitwic 1200 Cur
- Sepewich 1202 FF
- Scapewic, Skapwic 1231 FF
- Scipwid' 1242 Cl
- Skypewhyt 1251 Ass
- Scipwhit 1280 Misc
- Skypewith 1251 Ass
- Skippewyth 1350 Ipm 1366 Malton
- Sepwith c.1293 Malton
Etymology
There is considerable variation in the spellings of the second element. On the whole, wic (wike ) appears more frequently in the older sources, more particularly in the older manuscripts; with appears fairly early but not consistently until the 14th century. The spellings wiz and wit are inconclusive, for the latter may in some cases be merely a misreading of wic or an AN variant of with (cf. IPN 112), whilst wiz may be an AN variant of either wic (cf. Wheldrake infra 267, IPN 102) or with (cf. suze for suthe in Southburn supra 167). In view of the greater antiquity of the wic -spellings and the occasional presence of spellings like the 13th-century sch and sepe (for Shepe ), Skipwith is without doubt in origin an OE place-name Scīp (a )wic , 'sheep farm,' from scīp , an ONb variant of sceap 'sheep' (as in Skipton, WRY, Sciptone DB, Skipton on Swale, PN NRY 186), and wic , with substitution of OScand sk for ME sh and OScand viðr 'wood' for wic . Similar examples are provided by Monkwith, Cottingwith supra 57, 237. Cf. also IPN 64.