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.

Paxton

Major Settlement in the Parish of Great and Little Paxton

Historical Forms

  • Parchestune 1086 DB
  • Pachstone 1086 DB
  • Pacstonia Hy2 DandCLincDii90/3no.23
  • Magna Pacstonia 1164 BM
  • Paxton 1227 Ass
  • Pastona 1176 BM
  • Parua Paxton 1227 Ass
  • Magna Praxton 1245 For
  • Paxtone Parva 1316 FA
  • Magna Paxton al. Muche Paxton 1588 FF

Etymology

The best explanation that can be offered of this name is that it was originally pearroces-tun , 'farm of or by the enclosure.'Cf. parkesriding (Newn 116 b ). It is possible however that the reference may be to a fishery in the Ouse, cf. Parkhall supra 223.This would explain the DB form and (with metathesis of the r ) the 1245 one. Early loss of r might be accounted for by the strangeness of the type of name or by the existence of such a name as Pæcc , for which v. Skeat, PN Hu 345. On the other hand, the Evesham Cartulary (MS of circa 1195) records a pers. name Perruc which is not found in OE records, and indeed is not easily explained, but may possibly be sufficiently ancient to enter into the present name. In any case the two forms with r in the first element should not be ignored in any attempt at the explanation of Paxton. v. Addenda.

Places in the same Parish