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.

Scarborough

Major Settlement in the Parish of Scarborough

Historical Forms

  • Escardeburg 1155–63 YCh 1256 Pat
  • Scardeburc(h), Scardeburg 1159–1190 P 1505
  • Scarðeborc c.1200 For
  • Scartheburg(h) 1208 Ass
  • Scareburgh 1414 Test
  • Skarbrugh 1538 Riev
  • Scarbrowgh 1573 FF

Etymology

'Skarthi's stronghold' v. burh (ON  borg ). The history of this name is fully dealt with in a paper by Professor E. V. Gordon in Acta Philologica Scandinavica , i. 320 ff. The following is a summary of Professor Gordon's account of the foundation of the borough.

Kormakssaga tells us that “the brothers Thorgils and Kormak went harrying in Ireland, Wales, England and Scotland, and were accounted the most excellent of men. They were the first men to set up the stronghold which is called Scarborough” (Kormaks Saga , Reykjavik, p. 64). It seems probable that the place takes its name from Thorgils, for we know from two poems which his brother Kormak addresses to him under his by-name (op. cit. 44, 45) that he was nick-named Skarði 'the hare lip.' This account of the foundation of Scarborough must have been widely known, for Robert Mannyng of Brunne (The Story of Inglande , ed. Furnivall, Rolls Series, ii. ll. 14816 ff.) gives the summary of a story told by Mayster Edmund (not extant):

When Engle had þe londe al þorow ,

He gaf to Scardyng Scardeburghe

Toward þe northe , by þe see side ,

An hauene hit is , schipes in to ryde .

The date of Thorgils' harrying of England can be approximately determined. According to the saga, the brothers had joined the service of king Harald Gráfeld of Norway (king 960–965) and had accompanied his expedition to Bjarmaland (= Permia in North Russia) which took place in 966, and as the expedition to England took place immediately after this and as Kormak died in 967, the foundation of Scarborough as a centre of Scandinavian influence dates from 966–7.

Places in the same Parish