Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Pons de Thele t.Ric1 CartAntiq 1269 FF

• Thele 1296 SR 1428 FA

• villa de Thele, Tyele, Tiele c.1300 WalthamB

• (de) Ponte Tegule 1200 Cur

• (apud) Pontem Tegule 1248 Ass

• Villa Pontis Tegule 1255 ib

• Pontetegula 1275 RH

• manor of Ponte Tegleri 1281 Ch

• villa de pontis tegule 13th WalthamB

• ad pontem Tegule 1301 Ipm

• Punt de Tyulle 1248 FF

• Puntdetele 1252 ib

• pound de Tywle 1255 Ass

• pontem de Teule 1290–1301 Gesta

• ecclesia Sce Margarete de Thele c.1400 WalthamA

• Margarthele 1535 VE

• Stanste(a)d The(e)le 1540 Ct t.Eliz ChancP

• Stansted Theale al. St Margarett 1604 Recov

• Stansted St Margarete 1559 FF

• Theyle al. Seynt Margarett, Theyle al. Stanstede Theyle 1560 ib

• Stanstead Theel oth. Stantheel 1769 Recov

Etymology

The name refers to the bridge over the Lea here. The Latin name means 'tile bridge' and it would seem that this was later confused with the word thele from OE  þel, 'plank,' for it is very unlikely that the river here could ever have been crossed by a plank bridge. The road here is not Roman, but Ermine Street is only a mile away and it is possible that a bridge might have been constructed at an early date here from tiles or bricks taken from a ruined pre-English building. The place was later known as St Margaret Thele from the dedication of the church, and still later as Stanstead Thele or Stanstead St Margarets from the village of Stanstead Abbots on the other side of the bridge, v. supra 200.