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.

Spottle Hill Fm

Early-attested site in the Parish of Binbrook

Historical Forms

  • Spottle Hill B.n 1828 Bry

Etymology

SPOTTLE HILL FM, Spottle Hill B. n1828 Bry, cf. Spotedaleklif 1244 FF (v. clif ), Spodill 1577–80Terrier , Spodall 1612Terrier , Spoddale 1664, 1668, 1679Terrier , Spodall bottom e17MiD , Spottle or Speardale Hill 1838CC , Speardale Hill 1800Tur . With only a single early form it is difficult to suggest an etymology for Spottle . The farm lies on the slope of a valley, so that the second el. is likely to be dalr 'a valley', but Spote - is difficult to interpret. There appears to have been an OE  *spot 'a spot', in ME 'a small piece of ground' (v. MED s.v. (1), 4 (a)), while ON  spotti 'a piece, a particle' is used in Norwegian of 'a piece of ground'. It is, however, difficult to see the significance of either in a compound with dalr . There is also an OE  nickname Spot (v. Tengvik 335–6), which at least formally might be just possible. No certain etymology can be suggested.