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.

Ellings

Early-attested site in the Parish of Tirley

Historical Forms

  • Teling 1086 DB
  • Elynge 1345 Gloss
  • Tyrlyes Elings, 'a common field called Ellings' 1631 Inq
  • Tirley Elands 1798 EnclA

Etymology

Ellings (lost), Teling 1086 DB, Elynge 1345Gloss T. 2, 1372 ib 5, Tyrlyes Elings , 'a common field called Ellings '1631 Inq, Tirley Elands 1798EnclA ; cf. also Nellyns 1718GR (D 1263), which was across the Severn in Deerhurst, and the f.n. Yellings in Chaceley (ii, 57supra ), which may be identical. The DB form probably represents a wrong analysis of OE  æt ēlinge . The name could be from OE  ǣling 'burning' (from ǣlan 'kindle, set fire to') in some such sense as 'place cleared by burning', but if Nellyns in Deerhurst (from ME  atten elinge ) is connected the place may have been by the river and the name may well be an OE -ing 1 or -ing 2 formation from OE  ǣl 'eel', that is, 'a place where eels were trapped'; eel and elver fishing are much practised in the Severn (cf. Elespul infra ); a stream called Elyng occurs in Redmarley (186infra ) and is doubtless of similar origin, and the word may be found also in Ealinge Bridge (ii, 108), Elingeforlonge (iii, 268) and Elyngham (iii, 101).