English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

Tarlton

Early-attested site in the Parish of Rodmarton

Historical Forms

  • Torentvne, Tornentone 1086 DB
  • Torleton 1204 FF 1287 Ass 1291 Tax 1590 Camd
  • Thorleton 1287 Ass c.1433 BM
  • Torlton 1327 SR

Etymology

The DB spellings suggest that Tarlton is the common p.n. OE  þorn -tūn 'farmstead amongst the thorns', but the persistent replacement of -n - by -l -, due to AN influence (cf. IPN 106–7), would be unusual in one example of such a frequent compound. We may therefore have an older p.n. þorn -lēah 'thorn clearing' as the first el., with loss of -n - before -l - which we have in names like Thorley (Hrt 204), Hullasey (prec.), cf. Phonol. § 37 (b ). v. þorn , lēah , tūn .The modern form with Tarl - is dialectal (Phonol. § 26).