English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

Ridlington

Major Settlement in the Parish of Ridlington

Historical Forms

  • Ridlinketuna 1086 DB
  • Redlingeton 1198 Ass
  • Redlington' 1199 P
  • Redlingtun c.1220 BM
  • Redelington 1250 Ass 1267,1309 FF
  • Redelyngton c.1250 HMC 1306,1347,1357 Pat 1341,1430,1432 AD 1352 BM 1388,1483 FF 1535 VE
  • Redlington t.Hy3 Ipm 1267 Ch 1268 ChR 1307 Banco 1344 FF
  • Redlingetone 1257 Ass
  • Redelingtone 1269,1286(2x) Ass
  • Redlyngtone 1330 SR
  • Redlyngton 1404,1405 FF
  • Ridelington 1254–75 Val 1275 RH 1303 Pat 1303 Orig 1336 Cl 1346 FA
  • Ridlingtone 1257 Ass
  • Rydelintone 1269 ib
  • Rydelyngtone 1286 Ass
  • Ridelyngton 1316,1428 FA
  • Rydelington 1325 FF
  • Rydlingtone 1335 BM
  • Ridelyngton' 1367 Seld
  • Rydlyngton 1402 FA

Etymology

It seems a reasonable assumption that the first element is a pers.n. Smith, discussing Rillington YE (PN YE 138), whose early forms show the same interchange of i and e , proposes an Angl  pers.n. *Rēdel , the equivalent of WSax  Rǣdel , which is on record (Redin 139). Ekwall takes the pers.n. involved to be OE  Hrēðel , only found in Beowulf and probably in hredles stede 939 (BMF III 9, e. 10 Sawyer 447) BCS 741, a landmark in the boundaries of Meopham K (for a discussion v. Sandred 1963: 232 f.). Whether Ridlington is an -ingatūn or -ingtūn formation is hard to say. The former meant 'the tūn of the Redlingas', whereas the latter was almost the equivalent of a gen. sing. plus tūn , 'Redel's tūn '.