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.

Gilling

Major Settlement in the Parish of Gilling

Historical Forms

  • Ghelling(h)es, Gellinges 1086 DB
  • Gellynghes 12 RichReg
  • Gwyllingues 1137–46 Easby
  • Gillinge, Gillynge 1202 FF 1220 Ebor 1396 Pap
  • Gilling, Gylling 13 Easby 1237 Cl
  • Gillinges 1241 Ch

Etymology

The author of an article in VCH (i. 72) pointed out that Bede's Ingetlingum (HE iii. 14) was usually identified with this Gilling, but “that the scene of Oswiu's death and the site of the expiatory monastery raised by Eanfled has now been shown to be Collingham, 6 miles from Barwick in Elmet, WR. Yorkshire.” On topographical grounds there is nothing against this view, for Bede simply says that Oswiu took refuge at Uuilfaraesdun which was about 10 miles west of uico Cataractone (i.e. Catterick) and from Uuilfaraesdun he fled to Ingetlingum where he was killed. Uuilfaraesdun was probably a hill in Marrick, but Bede himself gives us no information as to the position of Ingetlingum .

The spellings of this name are of the same type as those of Gilling in Ryedale 53supra , and probably the name is of the same origin. The spelling Gwyll - is an AN spelling for ME  Gyll -.

Places in the same Parish