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.

Irchester

Major Settlement in the Parish of Irchester

Historical Forms

  • Yranceaster 973 BCS1297 c.1250
  • Hirecestre 1086 DB
  • Hirencestre 1205 Pap
  • Irencestre 1086 DB 1109–22 Ch 1356 FA 1428
  • Yrincestre 1200 Cur 1248 Ch
  • Irincestre 1227 FF 1289 Cl
  • Irecestre 1167 P 1203 Cur 1242 Fees 1316 Ch 1339 FF
  • Irnecestre 1261 Ass
  • Irncestre 1270 Ass 1327 Ipm
  • Irrencestre 1290 Cl 1306 FF
  • Irchestre 1291 Ass
  • Irchester al. Irenchester 1565 Recov
  • Ircestre 1330 FA 1346 Pat
  • Archestre 1503 Ipm
  • Archester 1510 FF 1712 Morton
  • Erchester 1657 NRSi
  • Axchester 1675 Ogilby

Etymology

The only suggestion which can be made for this name is that put forward in the VCH (i, 180), viz. that the first element is the pers. name Ira , the name of a sometime owner of the site.The name is not on record in OE except as that of a moneyer of Ethelred II, and there it may well be an Anglo-Scandinavian name denoting a Viking from Ireland.

Places in the same Parish