Whashton
Major Settlement in the Parish of Kirby Ravensworth
Historical Forms
- Whasingatun 1154–66 Marrick221
- Whassingetun 1154–69 Marrick224
- Wassingtun, Wassington 1208 FF 1257 Marrick222 1316 Vill
- Wassinton' 1219 Ass
- Quassyngton, Quassington 1285 KI 1301 LS
- Qwhassyngton c.1300 RichReg
- Qwaston 1492 Sanct
- Whaseton 1562 RichWills
- Whassheton 1574 FF
Etymology
Professor Zachrisson (PN in *vis , *vask 49) explains this name as a geonymic meaning 'the homestead of the marsh- dwellers' from OE wāse 'mud, marsh.' On the phonetic difficulties of this explanation v. PN Wo 176 s.n. Washbourne. On topographical grounds it is impossible; Whashton is on a steep hillside, the gradient of roads leading up to the village being in some cases steeper than 1 in 7.
More probably the first element is a pers. name. OE names in Hwæt - are early and well recorded—there are four in LVD alone. An OE Hwætsige would almost inevitably give rise to a pet form Hwassa and this p.n. is probably to be interpreted as 'tun of the people of Hwassa' v. ing , tun . On the development of -s - to -sh - cf. Dishforth 184supra .