Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Ludeburg 1086 DB 1253 Ipm

• Ludeburc c.1115 LS Hy2 Gilb 1409

• Ludeburgh 1295 Ass 1316 FA

• Ludburc 1177,1204 P eHy3 RAiv

• Ludburg(') 1223,1233 Welles 1249 RRG 1253 Ipm 1254 ValNor 1262 Lib 1275 RH

• Ludburgh(') 1327 SR 1406 Cl 1610 Speed

• Ludburghe 1535 VEiv 1576 Saxton 1596 BT

• Ludbourgh 1353 Cor 1577 BT

• Ludbrough 1594 1625 Terrier

• Ludborough 1600 BT 1676 BRA

• Luburc 1191,1192,1195(p) P 1196 ChancR c.1200 RAiv 1212 Fees 1271 FF

• Luburg(') 1210 1218 Ass 1222,1234 FF 1238–41,1242–43 Fees 1260 Cl

• Lubrug' 1254 ib

• Lutheburc l12 RAiv

• Lutheburch 1266 ib

• Lutheburg' 1253 Ipm 1269 FF 1269 RAiv 1281 QW 1326 Fine 1326 Orig

• Lutheburgh(') 1297 FF 1298 Ass 1402 FA

• Loutheburgh 1297 Pat

• Loutheburgh' 1332 SR

• Luthburg(') 1281 QW 1291 Tax 1352 Pat 1354 Cor 1375,1378 Pat 1382 Peace 1428 FA

• Louthburgh(') 1338 Misc 1381 Peace 1454 LCCA 1488 FF

• Lodeburg' 1276 RH

• Loburg' 1260 Cl

• Lotheburgh(') 1343 NI 1343 Cl 1354 Cor 1356 Pat 1373,1374 Peace

• Lotheborou 1343 Ipm

• Lugborough 1595 FMap 1595 FSurv

Etymology

Ekwall, DEPN s.n. Lud R, states that Ludborough is on the Lud and that the p.n. means 'burg on R. Lud' or 'burg belonging to Louth'. Ludborough is in fact not on the Lud, but a meaning 'the fortified place belonging to or associated with Louth', v. burh is certainly possible, for the two places are only just over five miles apart. Forms in Luth (e )-, Louth (e ), etc, recorded from the late 12th century, certainly suggest that the name was influenced by those for Louth. Nonetheless, Ludborough must have an important place in its own right, since a wapentake was named after it, and though the meeting-place is not known it was presumably at the burh at Ludborough. Furthermore, the village is strategically placed close to the junction of Barton Street and the Roman road leading from the coast to Lincoln, cf. Lincoln Gate infra .

Both Louth itself and Ludney (LSR) are named from the R. Lud, itself from OE  *hlūde 'the loud one', that is 'the noisy stream'. There is, however, a further p.n., Ludford, which has similar early forms to Ludborough in Lud (e )-. For this name Ekwall, DEPN s.n., suggests a meaning 'the ford on the way to Louth', the places being about eight miles apart but on what must have been an old routeway. Like Ludborough, Ludford is not on the Lud; it is actually a ford over the R. Bain. Ludford is in the wapentake of Louthesk 'the ash-tree at Louth', where the meeting-place must have been situated. The second el. of Louthesk is from eski 'a place growing with ash-trees' or a Scandinavianized form of OE  æsc. The importance of Louth in AS Lincolnshire is, therefore, eminently clear. Further it is recorded as early as 790 (c.1100) ASC (F) in the form Hludensis monasterii . Ekwall may be correct in suggesting that Ludborough means 'the fortified place belonging to or associated with Louth'.

However, an alternative interpretation which suggests itself is that Ludborough means 'Luda's fortified place', from the OE  pers.n. Luda , well-evidenced in English p.ns. The occurrence of two names in Lud (e ) in the neighbourhood of Louth would then be coincidental, unless Ludford itself means 'Luda's ford'. No certainty is possible.