Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Thorpe 1406 Pat

• Clethorpe 1552 Inv 1652 Rad

• Cleethorpp 1581 HMCRep

• Cleethorp 1593 Inv 1606 Admin 1723 Td'E

• Cleethorpe 1582 Admin 1593 Inv 1598–99 Lanc 1622 Admin

• Clee Thorpe 1694 Haigh

• Clee Thorpe als Itterbie 1593 Inv 1831 Monson 1838 Brace 1840 EnclA

• Cleethorp called Itterbie in the parishe of Clee 1593 Inv

• Clethorpes 1588 Inv 1588 Admin 1588–89 Lanc 1695 NW

• Cle thorpes 1606 Inv

• Cle thorps 1609 DuLaMB 1670 Inv

• Clethorps 1685 NW

• Cle Thorps 1707 BT 1736 Inv

• Clee thorpes 1598,1599 Inv

• Cleethorps 1604,1606,1690 Inv

• Cleethorps 1643,1644 ib

• Cleethorpes 1612 HMCRep 1648 Admin 1671 Inv 1749 Field 1838 Brace

• Clee Thorpes 1723,1742 Inv 1755 NW

• Cleythorpes 1597 Inv

• Cley Thorps 1684 Td'E

• Cleythorp 1697 Pryme

Etymology

The 1406 reference occurs in a Confirmation of grants and confirmations made to the prioress and convent of Grymmesby . It refers to rents and possessions in Grymmesby , Scarthowe , Clee Thorpe , Welesby , Houton , etc., the commas being purely editorial.All the places mentioned here are in Bradley Wapentake. From the order of the names it seems clear that the edited text should read Grymmesby , Scarthowe , Clee , Thorpe , Welesby , Houton , etc. If this is so this would be the earliest reference so far found for Cleethorpes and it occurs in a simplex form. It will be noted that the name subsequently appears as a compound in both singular and plural forms; so, presumably the name means 'the outlying settlement of Clee', v. þorp . The plural form is no doubt to be explained because there were two very adjacent places, Hole and Itterby , now part of Cleethorpes, with Thrunscoe a little to the south.