Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Alchebarge 1086 DB

• Alchebarua c1115 LS c1128 ChronPetro 12

• Alchebarue 12 HC

• Halcbarge 1212 Fees

• Aucebarge 1154–58 Ch 1300

• Aucebarg' 1199 Ch 1300 ChR 1200

• Alkebarwe m12 Spaldi c1331 Ass 1219 PetLN 1231 Cl 1235 Ass 1272 Misc 1286 Cl 1287 Cl 1411

• Alkebarwa 1190 Dugdvi 1301

• Alkebarewe 1305 Cl

• Alkebarowe 1311 ChancW 1313–15 MinAcct 1323 Cl 1327 SR 1328 Pat 1431 FA

• Alkebarow 1312 RAix 1349 Ipm

• Alkebarou 1349 Ipm 1349 Cl

• Alkebaru 1328 Ch

• Alkebarough 1323 Cl

• Alkebargh 1402 FA 1424 IBL 1451–53 MinAcct 1510 LP

• Alkeberwe 1321 Cl

• Alkeberugh 1327 ib

• Alkebergh 1335 Pat 1402 FA

• Alkbarowe 1389 Pat 1407 RRep 1535 VEiv

• Alkbarow 1517 ECB 1530 Willsiii

• Aukebargh 1472 Pat

• Aukebarowe 1504 1504 Cl

• Alkeborowe 1517 ECB

• Alkeburrowe 1603 BT

• Alkborowe 1579 Monson

• Aulkebarghe 1562 Surv

• Awkbarow 1514 LNQv

• Aukbarrow 1576 Saxton

• Auckborowe 1576 LER

• Auckbrough 1666,1681 ib

• Auckborough 1724 Stukeley

• Aukborough 1592 SPii

• Aukborow 1644 BT

• Awkborrowe 1624 LCS

• Awkborow 1644 BT

• Awkbarrow 1612,1615,1618,1621 BT

• Awkeburgh 1649 MiscDep 1662 Yarb 1685 Dudd

• Aulkbrough 1649,1663,1694 BT

• Alkborough 1707 BT 1780 LD

• Hautebarge m12,Hy2,R1,1200(c1331) Spaldi 1201 Cur 1322 Cl

• Hautebarg(') 1206 Ass 1259 RRGr 1265 Misc 1266 AD 1276 RH

• Altebarge 1170 P

• Haltebarge 1171 a1223 RAii 1265 Misc e14 PetWB

• Autebarge lHy2 Dane 1294 Ass

• Haultebarge 1209–35 LAHW p1220 WellesLA c1221 Welles

• Alta Barga 1242–43 Fees 1428 FA

• Halteburg' 1206 P

• Hauteburg' 1236 Cl

• Hauteberge 1204 FF 1219 Ass 1253 Cl

• Hauteberg(') 1219 Ass 1232 Cl 1233 Ch 1254 ValNor 1257 Ch 1261 Cl 1291 Tax

• Hauteberg 1428 FA

Etymology

Dr Insley suggests that this is 'Al(u)ca's hill', early forms in -barge , -barg (h ) showing that we are concerned with OE  beorg (Angl  berg) 'a hill', topographically appropriate, rather than OE  bearu 'a grove', as has been previously been proposed. He points out that the diphthong /eo / which would have been the normal result of breaking has undergone early interchange with /ea /, cf. K. Brunner, Altenglische Grammatik , 3rd ed., Tubingen 1965, para 35 Anm. 1. Subsequent smoothing here must have resulted in /a / (< /æ /) rather than /e /. Forms in -we show the vocalisation of the medial guttural spirant -g - after liquids in inflected forms, cf. J. Wright, An Elementary Middle English Grammar , 2nd ed., Oxford 1928, 84. The first el. is the OE  pers.n. Al (u )ca , which is attested independently in the form Hroðolf Alca sune e12 Exeter Book (D), for which v. J. Insley, Namn och Bygd 70 (1982), 84. There are a number of 13th century spellings in Altebarge , Haltebarge , Hautebarge , etc. due initially to scribal confusion between -c - and -t - and then to popular etymology, associating the first el. with OFr  haut 'high'. In two forms the name has been latinised to Alta Barga .