Rangeworthy
Major Settlement in the Parish of Rangeworthy
Historical Forms
- Rengeswurda 1167 P
- Renchewrth 1261 Ipm
- Rengew(o)rth(e) 1248 Ass 1437 IpmR 1493 Ipm 1603 TRMB
- Rengeworthye 1539 FF
- Rendgworthe c.1560 Surv
- Rengworthy 1701 PR
- Rungewurthy 1247 Ass
- Rungeworth 1346 FA
- Rungeworthi 1497 AOMB
- Ringew(o)rth, Ryngew(o)rth 1291 Episc 1303 FA 1322 Fine 1479 FF
- Rangeworth 1492 Ipm
- Rangeworthie, Rangeworthy 1646 Rec 1755 PR
- Rangeworth als. Rengworth als. Rendgworth als. Rendgworthy als. Rungery 1598 FF
- Rangery 1609 Will
- Rayngery als. Rayngworthy 1632 FF
Etymology
The variants are best explained from an early ME Renge -, with Ringe - as a normal development of -e - to -i - before the nasal (Phonol. § 14); the occasional Runge - and later Range - forms are probably due to association with dial. ringe 'tub' (a variant runge from 1574), and with ME renge 'range, row' (OFr renge ), which more commonly appears as range (from the OFr variant range ) and occasionally as ringe (cf. NED, EDD, s.v. range (sb 1, 2), runge ). The origin of the first el. of the p.n. is obscure; on phonological grounds it is unlikely to be the OE hrynge 'pole, stake' or hrynge adj. 'made of poles' suggested by Ekwall, nor is it likely to be OFr renge 'rank, row' (in one of its later senses 'felled wood, brushwood', 'parcel of land', etc.), since an early Fr hybrid p.n. would be unusual with OE worð (ig ), though Stroxworthy (D 81, with a ME pers.n.) suggests the possibility of the continued use of worðig till post-Conquest times (cf. EPN ii, 276). We may, therefore, have to postulate an otherwise unknown OE pers.n. Hrencga , but its etymological connexions and parallels are difficult to establish: it might be from the root *hrang 'din', as in ON hrang 'din, noise of a crowd'.