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.

Othorpe

Major Settlement in the Parish of Slawston

Historical Forms

  • Actorp 1086 DB 1223 Cur 1243 Fees 1289,1300 Peake
  • Acthorp 1289 1316 FA
  • Achetorp 1163 P
  • Accethorp 1269 Cur
  • Aketorp' 1223,1224 Cur 1287,1295 Peake
  • Akethorp' 1250,1269 Cur 1321 Peake 1333 SlCart 16
  • Octhorp 1199 Deed 1331 BelCartB e.15 SlCart 1348 16
  • Hocthorp(e) 1243,1269,1270 Deed
  • Hokthorp 1303 Pat 1327 SR
  • Outhorp(e) 1282,1316 LCDeeds 1391,1392 Pat
  • Hothorp(e) 1307,1309 Peake 1499 MiD
  • Huthorp 1316 Peake 1376 Wyg
  • Huththorp 1415 ib
  • Houthorpe 1353 SlCart 16
  • Hoothorpe 1615 LeicW
  • Owethorp' 1417 Peake
  • Owthorp(e) 1535 VE 1537 MinAccts 1675 LML
  • Othorp(e) 1518 Wyg 1524 Fine 1549 Ipm
  • Oatrope 1969 Surv

Etymology

Either 'the outlying farmstead at the oaks', v. āc , þorp , or 'Áki's outlying farmstead', v. þorp , cf. Oakthorpe in Repton and Gresley Hundred (v. Db 650).

The pers.n. Áki is OScand and would sit happily in an area comprising Slawston and Blaston, probably appropriated by Scandinavians following the disbanding of a Viking army hereabouts in 877. However, this once well-wooded area is known to have supported oak-trees (cf. Holyoaks in nearby Stockerston) and the several early spellings without medial e point to OE  āc as the specific. The fact that a large percentage of place-names in þorp are compounded with personal names speaks in favour of Áki , but āc 'an oak-tree' as the specific is supported by other place-names in -þorp that are compounded with the name of a tree-type, as Eastrip (W 94, with wsc 'an ash-tree'), Birthorpe (DLPN 15, with birki or birce 'a birch-tree'), Hollingthorpe (YW 2 103, with holegn 'a holly'), Willingthorpe (L 1 46, with wilign 'a willow'). Forms with medial e need not point to the gen.sg. Áka of Áki . Although ācana (757 × 75 (11) BCS 219 (S 142)) appears to be the only independently recorded gen.pl. form of āc (Campbell § 627), a more usual gen.pl. form āca no doubt also existed.

Othorpe is a deserted medieval village, now the site of Othorpe House infra .