Stonegrave
Major Settlement in the Parish of Stonegrave
Historical Forms
- Stainegrif, Stein(e)grif, Stanegrif 1086 DB
- Steingrave c.1150 RegDun
- Staingrive 1190 Bodla.i.48
- Stayngreue, Staingreue 1200–10 Bodla.i.50 1301 YI
- Steingreve, Steyngreve 1242 P 1306 Pap
- Staynegrive 1251 Ass 1301 LS
- Steingrive, Steyngrive 1267,1269 Ebor 1277 Pat 1279–81 QW
- Stangreve 1418 YI 1483 Test
- Stan(e)grave 1508 Test 1613 NR
Etymology
v. steinn , gryfja . Griff is still used in the YNR dialect for a small steep-sided valley. The application to the topography of Stonegrave is not very clear. In the modern form of the name the earlier steinn has been replaced by Standard English stone as in Stony Keld etc. 305 infra .
Interesting problems are, however, raised by the mention in BCS 184, in the same letter in which Coxwold 191infra occurs, of a monastery at Staningagrave . Is this an earlier form of Stonegrave and was the name later Scandinavianised? The form in Reginald of Durham suggests that the form of the second element may once have been OE grafa or græfe or græf and the latter would readily account for the numerous -greve forms later.The interpretation in that case would be 'copse or thicket or quarry of the people of a man called Stan ' with later substitution of ON steinn for OE stan and of Anglo-Scandinavian grif , grive for OE graf or græfe .