Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Yrtlingaburg 780 BCS1334

• Yrtling Burch 1125–8 ChronPetro

• Erdi(n)burne 1086 DB

• Irtlingburg 12th Survey

• Irtelingburg' 1221 FF 1428 FA

• Yrthlingburc 1212 Cur

• Irklingburg' 1253 FF

• Iretelingburgh' 1330 QW

• Irtlingeburgh' 1341 Ipm

• Hirtlingaburch 1125–8 ChronPetro 13th PeterbA

• Hyrtlingberi 1137 ASC 12th

• Hirdlingburc 1241 P

• Hirtlingburi 1274 Ipm

• Hertlingburge 1285 FA

• Urlingburc(h), Urtlingburc(h), Urtlingeburc(h) 1175,1180 P

• Urtliburc 1200 Cur

• Hurtling(e)burc 1203,1204 Cur

• Urtlingburg 1214 FineR

• Ertlinburg' 1205 Cur

• Ertelingburg 1275 Cl

• Ertlingeburgh 1287 FF

• Irthyngborough 1428 FA

• Artilburgh 1469 Pat 1500 ECP

• Artleborowe al. Artelingbrough 1583 Recov

• Irtlingborough al. Artleborough 1616 ib

• Artleborough 1651 StJ

• Arthelborow, Athlingborough 1612 FF

Etymology

This is a difficult name. It is clearly a name of an early type, and it would seem that Yrtlinga - must go back to earlier Germanic *Urtilinga -. No name stem Urt - is known, but it may be noted that in Sussex (v. PN Sx 483 s. n. Warding) we have in three or four place-names evidence of a pers. name Wyrtel , which would seem to be a derivative of wyrt , 'root.' Corresponding to this *wurti stem, there seems to have been a Germanic side-form *urti , which gave rise to Gothic aurtigards , OE  ortgeard . It may be suggested that from this form arose a pers. name *Urtila or Yrtla . Hence, 'burh of the sons of Yrtla .'