Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Sumerlidebie 1086 DB

• Summerdebie, Svmmerdebi, Svmerdeberie 1086 DB

• Sumerdebi 1169 P Hy2 Dane Hy2 Rut 1268 RGrav 1268 Abbr

• Sumerdebia 1177 P

• Sumerdeby 1227 ClR 1242 Fees 1308 Ipm 1323 Abbr

• Sumerdeby Tatisale 1242 Fees

• Sumerdeby iuxta Herdeburgh 1301 Ass

• Sumardebi Hy2 Dane

• Sumardeby 1203 Cur

• Sumeredebi 1193×1207 Dugd

• Sumeredeby 1209×35 RHug 1243 Fees 1247 RGros 1254 Val

• Sumeretebi 1194,1195,1199,1200 P

• Sumeretteby 1266 RGrav

• Sumeresdeby 1150×59 TutP

• Sumerisdeby 1163 ib

• Someredebia c.1130 LeicSurv

• Someredeby c.1276 LCDeeds 1292,1295 Ipm

• Somerdeby 1209×35 RHug c.1250 RGros 1377,1391 Pat 1412 Cl 1441 Banco

• Sumerdby 1242 Fees

• Sumerdby Quatremars 1242 ib

• Sumerdby Tateshal' 1242 1247 Brase

• Somerdby m.13 Laz 1404 Misc 1323 Fine 1381 Cl 1382

• Sumerby 1268 Cur

• Summirby 1402 Brase

• Somerby 1329,1361 Ipm 1378,1382 Cl

• Somerbye 1535 VE 1537 MinAccts 1576 Saxton

• Somerbie 1571,1578 LEpis

Etymology

Probably 'Sumarliði's farmstead, village', v. bȳ . The Scand  pers.n. Sumarliði is an original by-name meaning 'summer-traveller'. Fellows- Jensen (SSNEM 70) suggests that instead of sumarliði being used as a pers.n., it could rather be an appellative referring to one who pursued the Viking way of life. She also notes a suggestion by Þorhallur Vilmundarson that the first el. of Somerby could be a Scand  compound appellative *sumar -hliðar 'summer slopes', alluding to pastures originally used only in summer (cf. the Icelandic p.n. Sumarliðabær which Vilmundarson considers to be a precise parallel to the East Midland p.ns. Somerby and Somersby). However, there is no reliable evidence for *sumar -hlið as a p.n. element in England, although it may reasonably be argued that the fragmentation of the wapentake territories in the east of Leics. is the result of transhumance. There are five known instances of Somerby/Somersby, four of these in Lincs., while the pers.n. Sumarliði is recorded six times in Lindsey alone in DB.

Somerby became part of two distinct tenures. The fee of Tateshall contained three carucates less two bovates, while the fee of Quatremars comprised one carucate and six bovates in 1242 Fees.