Skirpenbeck
Major Settlement in the Parish of Skirpenbeck
Historical Forms
- Scarpinberg 1086 DB
- Scarpenbec 1086 DB
- Scarpinbec, Scarpinbek t.Hy2 MaryH 1156–7 YCh354 t.Ric1 Ch 1308
- Scerpinbec, Scerpenbec a.1080,1165–80 Whitby t.Hy2,1207 BM 1160–80 YCh839 1192 P 1247 Ch
- Scripenbec 1150–60,c.1180 Whitby
- Scirpenbec(h), Scirpenbek 1150–61,c.1180,c.1200,1385 Whitby 1194 P
- Skirpenbec(k), Skyrpenbec(k), Skyrpynbec(k), Skyrpenbek(e) 1207 FF 1274 Ebor 1285 YI 1579 FF
- Scirpincbec 1160–75 YCh834
- Skirpyngbeke 1304 YI
- Scridenbek 1160–75 Whitby
- Scherpenbec, Scherpinbec 1160–80,c.1190,c.1195 RegAlb 1180–94 YCh842
- Skerpenbec, Skerpinbec, Skerpenbek 1180–90 YCh841–3 1210–2 RBE 1230,1231 FF 1246 Ass 1274 Ebor
- Skerpynbec 1342 SR
- Skerpunbec 1203 FF
- Sckerpenbec 1231 FF
- Scerpingbec, Scerpingbek 12th Whitby 1156–7 YCh354
- Scherpingbec 1161–72 Whitby
- Skerpingbec 1219 Ass 1246 YI 1267 Ebor 1293 QW
- Schirpenbec, Schyrpenbec, Schyrpinbec, Schyrpenbe(c)k 12th Whitby 1197,1199 P 1285 SR
- Scirkenbech, Scirkenpech 1194,1199 P
- Schirkinbech 1195,1196 P
- Schirkpinbec 1197 P
- Scorpenbek 1230 FF
- Skerbinbec 1246 YI
- Scerkyngbech 1251 FF
- Skerkenbeke, Skerkenbeck 1298 YI 1301 Ebor
- Skerkenbeks 1308 BevAct
- Skirkenbec(k), Skyrkenbec(k), Skyrkenbek(e) 1268 YI 1293 QW 1300 Ebor 1546 FF
- Skyrkenbec(k) als. Skirpenbeck 1584 FF
- Skertynbek 1415 Whitby
- Skirtenbe(c)k(e), Skirtynbe(c)k(e), Skyrtenbe(c)k(e) 1446 Whitby 1554 FF
- Skyrthyngbecke 1567 FF
Etymology
It is doubtful whether all the variant spellings of this name can be satisfactorily explained in relation to one another, and some of them must be poor attempts to spell a name which probably fluctuated in pronunciation between Skirpen -, etc. and Skirken -. There are a few other traces of this interchange of p and k before n in ME, and it would seem that p is the original consonant. Orm's scorrcnedd 'shrivelled, parched' is to be derived from OScand skorpna 'to be shrivelled,' and ME droukening 'swoon' (?) in The Body and Soul , one manuscript (Vernon) of which has droupnynge at this place, is certainly to be connected with ME droupe 'droop, hang the head' (OScand drúpa ) and ME droupen 'to be dejected' (OScand *drupna ).ME droukynge 'crouching,' related to the previous word, occurs in Promptorium Parvulorum and again one manuscript (Harley) substitutes drowpynge . It seems probable therefore that Skirpenbeck should be connected with OScand skarpr 'dried, dried up' or one of its derivatives. It is a common theme in Norw place- names such as Skjerpen (NoGN iii, 4), Skjerpa (ib. 293), and generally refers to dried-up, barren land. OScand skerpingr might well have described such a piece of land. It is, however, improbable that Skirpenbeck goes back to an ing -noun, for in the spellings medial ing is rare, and as the land at Skirpenbeck does not appear to be particularly barren we should perhaps seek an OScand etymon in in or the like and refer it to the stream itself. No such form as Skerpin is on record, but we could without difficulty postulate a verb skerpna 'to be dried up', parallel to the OScand skorpna already mentioned. The whole name would signify 'a stream that was dry at times.' v. bekkr .At Skirpenbeck the stream itself is very small.