Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• æt Cleaxbyg 1066–68 ASWills 12

• Clachesbi 1086 DB

• Claquesbey l11 Spaldi c.1331

• Clakesbi 1150–60,1155–60,1160–66,1186–1200 Dane 1197 P 1206–14 RAiv

• Clakesby 1190 Dugdvi 1301

• Clakesbia c.1200 RAii

• Clakesbya R1 Ch 1318

• Clacksbey 1200 Dugdiii

• Clakebi 1190,1191,1192,1195 P

• Claxiby Hy2 Gilb 1409

• Claxebi R1 Spaldi c.1331 RAiv c.1200 Cur 1206 Ass 1206 Cur 1212 Fees 1212 Ass 1218 HarlCh Hy3

• Claxeby 1199 Ch 1330 ChR 1200 Cur 1202,1207,1208 FF 1210 Fees 1242–43 NI 1343

• Claxeby iuxt normanby 1584 LindDep

• Claxbi Hy2 Gilb 1409 P 1209 FA 1303,1346

• Claxby 1250 FF 1275 RH 1295 RSu 1311 Ipm 1327 SR 1331 Ch 1332 SR

• Claxby “by Normanby” 1402 Pat 1453 Fine

• Claxby iuxta Normanby 1474 LCCA

• Claxby “by Rasen” 1414 Cl

• Claxbye 1557 Pat 1576 Saxton 1590 Foster 1610 Speed

• Claxbye iuxta normanbye 1597 LindDep

• Claxbie “near” Normanbie 1558 InstBen 1576 LER 1629 Foster

• Claxbie iuxt normanbie 1591 LindDep

• Glacseby 1203 Ass

• Clexebi 1204 P

• Clexby 1305 Pat

Etymology

'Klak's farmstead, village', from the ODan  pers.n. Klak (v. Feilitzen 305, SPNLY 172–73) and bȳ , identical with Claxby and Claxby Pluckacre LSR. The same pers.n. occurs in Claxhow in Great Limber, PN L 2227, and is recorded independently in L six times in DB. Although this name is only sparsely attested in Scandinavia itself, it is not so infrequent in English sources. Clac appears as the name of a moneyer active from the time of Athelstan to that of Eadwig, and there are several examples in the 10th century Peterborough list of sureties (ASCharters, no. 40), such as Clac on Castre (Caster Nth) and Clac æt Byrnewillan (Barnwell All Saints Nth). There is no need to assume with Fellows-Jensen, SSNEM 41, that the first el. is an unrecorded OE  appellative *clacc 'a hill, a peak', since the pers.n. occurs in L and elsewhere in England in independent use, while *clacc is hardly topographically appropriate here. It is described as near Normanby le Wold and Rasen.