Hailes
Major Settlement in the Parish of Hailes
Historical Forms
- Heile 1086 DB
- Helis 12 Ch 1253
- Heiles, Heyles, Heylis 1114 France 1175–1366 WinchLB 1211–13,1220 Fees 1221 Ass 1226 FF 1228–46 Ch 1246 BM 1387 MinAcct
- Heylles 1248 Ass
- Hailes, Hayles 12,1193 WinchLB 1219 ClR 1221 Ass 1233 Cl 1251 Theok 1262 Ch 1714 PR
- Hallies 1204 ClR 1321 Cl
- Haylus c.1260 GlR
- Hales 1154–89 RBE c.1270 Misc 1291 Tax 1549 Pat 1590 Camd
Etymology
This, according to Ekwall (RN 188), may have originated as the name of the stream which runs through Hailes to the Isbourne and which was called Haylebrok 1256 WinchLB; Ekwall associates it with the lost R. Hail (Hu) (cf. Bd 7), and derives both from a Brit *Saliā (from the root *sal - 'dirty'); Jackson 519–20, however, has some doubt about this and some other etymologies which involve the change of Brit initial s - to OWelsh h -. Another difficulty arises from the fact that it was clearly regarded as a plural noun in ME in the spellings Helis , Haylus , and Heiles , Hailes ; but if the p.n. originated as an old British folk-name *Salensēs 'folk dwelling on the stream called *Saliā ', it would (allowing for the difficulty of H -) have produced a ME Hailes . The name must remain a problem. The site is an ancient one; besides the important abbey and castle, there are two encampments on the hillside, and the old saltway (Saltway (3) i, 19supra ) passes through it; the latter indeed suggests that the folk- name Salensēs may be from the root sal - 'salt' (rather than sal - 'dirty') and mean 'the salt-folk'.