Yartleton
Early-attested site in the Parish of Longhope
Historical Forms
- Yarclesduna, Iarclesduna, Iarclesdone Hy2 Madox c.1275 For
- Iarcleston 1243 Fees
- Yarcledon 1240 Monast
- Yarkelton 1345 Heref 1441 Pat
- Yarchesdone c.1275 For
- Yattleton 1577 M
- Yortleton 1728 Probyn
Etymology
This name is obscure, but it should possibly be taken with York Hill, Yorkley (228infra ) and perhaps Yarkhill (He), 17 miles N.N.W. of Yartleton (143–6042); the latter is OE æt geardcylle 811 BCS 332, Archel , Archil (l )1086 DB, 1190 P, Hy 3 StPGl, Iarculn , Yarchulle 1243 Fees, Yarculle Hy 3 StPGl, and is derived by Ekwall from OE geard 'enclosure' and cyln 'kiln'. It is unlikely that such a compound should be repeated so often, unless it were one with some specialised technical sense which is not determinable. We may, however, in the Gl names York Hill and Yorkley have some word or pers.n. connected with OE gearcian 'prepare' combined with hyll , and in Yartleton also with dūn 'hill'. But it would be tempting to associate the first el. of Yartleton with the Ariconium of the AntIt which is near Weston under Penyard (He). The name of the Roman station remains as an OE folk-name in -ingas in Archenfield, Ircingafeld ASC (A) s.a. 918, Arcenefelde 1086 DB, Erchenefeld 1138 AC; this was a deanery in the diocese of Hereford and comprised the territory between the Wye and the Monnow north of Monmouth but did not include any of the Forest of Dean (cf. Tax 160–1); McClure 226 n associates the name with the Welsh district of Ergyng in Herefordshire. AntIt places Ariconium between Blestium (Monmouth) and Clevum (Gloucester) 11 miles from the former and 15 from the latter; as already stated, the site was near Weston under Penyard (142–645239), and this is some 3 miles north-west of Yartleton. The PrWelsh form of Ariconium would be *Argin (hence Welsh Ergyng ). Presumably the PrOE form of the name was Arc -, Ærc - (with substitution of OE -c - for PrWelsh -g -); this would be broken to *earc - (with i -mutation WSax i (e )rc - as in the folk-name Ircinga -) and this could develop a prosthetic j - in ME (Yarc -, etc.); Yartleton was presumably a stem-formation from the OE folk-name or district name. Yartleton lies on the Herefordshire boundary at the foot of the prominent May Hill.