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.

Woolvey (Fm)

Early-attested site in the Parish of Warboys

Historical Forms

  • W(o)lfheye 1251 Rams c.1350
  • Wolneye (sic) 1291 Tax
  • Wolfeye E3 BM
  • Wulveymere 1348 Cl
  • Wolve c.1350 Rams

Etymology

This may be either OE  wulf -gehæg , 'wolf-enclosure,' in which case we may compare OE wulf-haga (BCS 1047) or wulf - ēg , 'wolf-island,' with the wider sense of OE  eg. In favour of the idea of 'well-watered land' is the reference to a 'mere' in 1348.

Places in the same Parish

Major Settlement