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.

Wiveton

Major Settlement in the Parish of Wiveton

Historical Forms

  • Wiuentona, Wiuetuna 1086 DB
  • Wiuestone 1185 RotDom
  • Wiueton 1199,1200 P
  • Wyveton 1226,1374 Cl 1243 Fees 1250 Ass 1307to1380 Ipm 1275 RH 1290 Fine 1292 Ch 1302,1316,1346 FA 1316to1372 FF 1319to1478 Pat 1380 Inq 1535 VE
  • Wiveton 1243 Fees 1263 Cl
  • Wyueton 1250,1286 Ass
  • Wyventon 1254–75 Val
  • Wiventone 1254 NfA
  • Wyuetone 1257,1269 Ass 1323 BM 1330 SR
  • Wineton 1262 Ipm
  • Wyvetone 1324 Ipm
  • Weveton 1421,1460 FF
  • Wyffeton 1547 Pat
  • Wifton 1587 NfRS

Etymology

The first element of this name in -tūn is often explained as an OE  pers.n., *Wifa or *Wife . Neither is independently recorded but the existence can be fairly safely assumed, for instance from the landmark (to ) wifan stoccæ 909 (12 Sawyer 378) BCS 624 (in the bounds of Whitchurch Ha). Such a pers.n. is held to occur in Winestead and Westow YE by Ekwall (DEPN). Smith (PN YE 30) instead prefers the gen. plur. wīfa of OE  wīf 'woman' (v. the discussion of Winestead in Sandred 1963: 296). Both suggestions seem possible.