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.

Swanton Abbot

Major Settlement in the Parish of Swanton Abbot

Historical Forms

  • Swanetonne 1044–7 (13 Sawyer 1055) KCD 785
  • Suanetuna 1086 DB
  • Swaneton 1114–25 Holme 1199,1249 FF 1223 Holme 1226 Cur 1250 Ass
  • Suaneton 1198 FF
  • Swanetun 1227 ib
  • Suuanton 1253 Ch
  • Swanetone 1254 NfA 1269 Ass
  • Swanton 1275 RH 1302to1401–2 FA 1330 FF

Etymology

The old spellings suggest that this is OE  swāna -tūn 'the tūn of the herdsmen', the gen. plur. of OE  swān 'herdsman, swineherd' and tūn.At the time of DB the place belonged to the Abbot of St Benet of Holme, to whom it had been granted by King Cnut. It continued to be in the possession of the Abbot throughout the Middle Ages (Blomefield VI314 ff.).