Over Dinsdale
Major Settlement in the Parish of Girsby
Historical Forms
- Digneshale, Dirneshale 1086 DB
- Dineshale 1086 DB 1196 FF
- detnisale 1088 LVD51
- Dinneshall 1128–35 YCh
- Dydensale 1170–5 YCh
- Ditneshal(l) c.1174–90 YCh 1208–10 Fees
- Ditensala 1184 RichReg
- Diteneshall' 1231 Ass
- Dytenshale 1301 LS
- Dit(t)ensale 1333 Riev 1435 Test
- Dynsda(i)ll 1555 RichWills 1570 NCyWills
Etymology
The first element of this name is difficult. The forms given should be supplemented by those for Lower Dinsdale just across the Tees (PN NbDu 63–4) which tend to confirm the genuineness of the t and n of the early forms. It may be an unrecorded pers. name Dihten derived by the addition of an -n suffix (v. IPN 171) to the stem of OE dihtan 'to prepare' and its various derivatives such as dihtere 'governor,' dihtnere 'steward,' a pers. name which possibly enters into Deightonby (YWR).
Professor Ekwall makes an interesting suggestion that the first element might be an OE Dīctūn . There is no phonological difficulty in this, except the very early appearance of -tun as -ten ; one can, however, compare Swinston 303infra for an early example of this reduction of tun when followed by another element. What does lend weight to Professor Ekwall's suggestion is that Dinsdale is a detached part of Allerton wapentake separated from the township of Deighton (209supra ) only by Great Smeaton township. Dinsdale, therefore, is probably best explained as 'the nook of land belonging to Deighton' v. h(e)alh, used here (as in Dinsdale, Du) of a piece of land almost encircled by the Tees R.