Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Berthaldebia c.1130 LeicSurv

• Berscaldeby c.1150 TutP 1226 Fine 1242 Fees l.13 CRCart

• Berskaldeby 1278 Cl

• Berscaudebi 1195 P Hy3 Rut

• Berscaudeby 1220 MHW 1229 Cur Hy3 Rut Hy3 Crox l.13 CRCart Edw1 CroxR

• Berschaudeby 1229 Cur

• Berscaudeby Hy3 Crox

• Berscoldebi e.Hy3 Berkeley

• Berscoldeby Hy3 Crox 1299 Banco 1356 WoCart 1449 Rut 1417

• Berscoudebi Hy3 Rut

• Berscoudeby 1259 CroxR Edw1

• Bergaldebi 1196 ChancR 1197 P

• Bescaldebi 1195 P

• Bescaldeby 1242 Fees 1246 Fine 1290 Inqaqd 1363 et passim

• Bescaldby 1285 Nichols

• Bescaudeby 1236 Fees Hy3 Crox p.1250 Rut Edw1 CroxR

• Besckaudeby m.13 Laz 1404

• Bescaudby 1559 Rut

• Bescoldeby Hy3,1320 Rut 1367 Misc 1416 Nichols

• Bescoudeby 1257(Edw1),1259(Edw1),Edw1 CroxR

• Bescoldby 1345 Ipm 1356 WoCart 1449 1365 Rut 1449 1336

• Bescolby 1445 Nichols 1460 Pat

• Bescoby 1539 Rut 1539 Deed 1539 MinAccts 1609 Rut 1824 O

• Beskoby 1540 Rut

• Bescobie 1599 ib

• Bescaby 1877 White

Etymology

'Berg-Skáld's farmstead, village', v. bȳ . The unrecorded Scand  pers.n.*Berg -Skáld is parallel in construction to the pers.ns. ON  Skóg - Ketill , ON  Skóga -Skeggi and Anglo-Scand  *Skóga -Hreinn (v. Feilitzen 417 s. n. *Wudu -Brūn ) in which a topographical term is prefixed to an independently recorded pers.n. In the case of *Berg -Skáld , ON  berg 'hill' is prefixed to Skáld , an original by-name (i.e. skáld 'poet'). For the prefix Berg -, v. NordKult VII 163, n. 278. Ekwall (DEPN) is clearly incorrect in basing his interpretation of the p.n. ('Hill Saltby') on the single erratic form Bersaltebi 1194 P, which may be simply explained as omitting c before a rather than referring to the lower-lying neighbouring Saltby. The form Berthaldebia c.1130 appears to show confusion with the ContGerm  pers.n. Berthold , but is more likely to represent a misreading of t for c . Many spellings of the p.n. contain AN u for l .