Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Esnuterle, Snuterlea, Esnuterlea 1086 DB

• Snuterleia 1185 RotDom

• Sniterle 1223 Cur 1226,1243,1263 Cl 1234 FF 1242 Fees 1257,1269 Ass 1263 Ipm 1316 FA

• Sniterlegh 1248 Pat

• Snyterle 1269,1286 Ass 1314,1324 Ipm 1316etfreqto1460 FF 1316,1352 Pat 1322,1328 DeBanco 1317 Ch 1330,1333 SR 1343 AD 1388 Fine

• Snyterley 1286 Ass

• Snyterlee 1302,1346,1428 FA 1330 Ipm 1331,1387 FF 1331 Ipm

• Snytterle 1333 Pat

• Snyterlei 1380 Inq

• Sneterlee 1388 FF

• Sneterley 1446,1449 FF

• Blackney als. Sniterley 1625–49 NfR

Etymology

Blakeney was formerly also called Snitterley , unless this originally referred to a lost settlement seaward of Blakeney. This is a compound whose second element shows normal development from OE  lēah. The first element is best explained as the OE  pers.n. *Snytra , which is not independently recorded but quite well evidenced in two other place- names not so far away, Snetterton Nf and Snitterton Db (v. DEPN).