Weelsby
Major Settlement in the Parish of Weelsby
Historical Forms
- Wivelesbi 1086 DB 1212 Fees
- Wiuelesbi 1115 YChiii 1182,1183,1184,1185etpassimto1199 P 1219 Ass
- Wyvelesbi 1266 Misc 1276 RH 1285 Ch 1287,1291 Ipm 1293 Ass
- Wyvelesbi “by Grymesby” 1294 Ipm 1294 Ch 1296,1342,1354 Pat 1358 AD 1393 Pat
- Wyvelisbi 1286 Ipm
- Uiflesbi c.1115 LS
- Wyflesby 1242–43 Fees
- Wyflesbi 1275 RH
- Wiflesbi 1272 Ass 1282 FF
- Wiflesbi alias Weelsby 1667 Td'E
- Wevelsby 1314 Ipm 1350,1373 Cl
- Weflesby 1372 AD
- Wilesbi 1160–62 YChiii 1287
- Wyllesbye 1537–38 Dugdiv
- Willesbie a1567 LNQv
- Willesbye 1572 ChancP
- Willesby alias Weelesby 1623,1637 BRA
- Weelesby alias Wellesby 1637 ib
- Wilsby 1734 Terrier
- Welesby 1341 Extent 1349 Ipm 1352 MM
- Welesby “by” Grymesby 1372 Misc 1382 AddR 1383 Peace 1385,1387 Cl 1406 Pat 1431 FA 1449 Pat 1535 VEiv 1610 WillsL 1611 Nelthorpe 1617 HollesM 1658
- Welisby 1316 Pat 1316 Inqaqd 1512 BRA
- Welysby 1512 1535 VEiv
- Wellesby 1327 Cl 1537 AOMB
- Wellesbye 1623 Foster
- Weelsby 1527 HMCRep 1632 Foster 1635 BRA 1654 Foster
- Weelsbie 1617 BRA
Etymology
'Vífill's farmstead, village', v. bȳ . The first el. is the ON pers.n. Vífill . In Scandinavia itself, this name is only certainly attested in OWScand (Lind 1094–95). Fellows-Jensen, SPNLY 334 links this name to ON vífill 'beetle', but Dr Insley points out that G. Muller, Studien zu den theriophoren Personennamen der Germanen , Cologne-Viennas, 1970, 90, has plausibly suggested that it is a sacral name belonging to a Primitive Norse form *wīwilaR and having the sense 'the small one who has been consecrated'. SSNEM 76 points out that ON Vífill is not attested independently in L (or Y) and suggests that the first el. of Weelsby may be the OE pers.n. *Wifel or an appellative, ODan *wiwæl 'pointed piece of ground', perhaps referring to the pointed valley in which Weelsby lies. There seems little need to consider any of these explanations. ON Vífill is a well attested WScand pers.n. and it fits the recorded forms of Weelsby perfectly.