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.

Rye Ho and Rye Meads

Early-attested site in the Parish of Stanstead Abbots

Historical Forms

  • Eia 1086 DB
  • insula de la Rye 1261 FF
  • la Rye 1278 QW 1294 SR
  • Isle of Rye 1443 Ch
  • le Rye mede 1536 Ct
  • le Ryebridge 1595 Sess

Etymology

'The island or well-watered land,' v. eg . The place is nearly surrounded by the Stort and Lea rivers. The modern form like Rye (PN Sx 536) is from the ME  phrase atter eye , 'at the island,' The DB manor of Eia has not hitherto been identified, but it is likely that it refers to this place since it was situated in Braughing Hundred.

Places in the same Parish