Thrapston
Major Settlement in the Parish of Thrapston
Historical Forms
- Trapeston(e) 1086 DB 1247 WellsR
- Trapestona 1138 NRSiv
- Trapestun 1160–5 NRSiv 1235 Cl
- Trappeston 1299 Ass 1359 Cl
- Strapetona 1130 P
- Strapton 1204 ClR
- Strapeston 1262 Ipm 1275 Cl
- Thrapston 12th Survey 1253 FF 1346 FA
- Thrapstone 1314 Ipm
- Traspton 1202 Ass
- Thraspton 1353 Ipm
- Trapston(e) 1219 WellsR 1307 Ipm
- Thrapeston 1225 ClR 1253 1317 Ch 1319 Cl
- Threpston 1289 Cl
- Thropston 1605 HMCBuccleuchiii
- Tharpston 1553 Rental 1610 Camden
- Thrapson 1631 NRSi
Etymology
This is a very difficult name, and, like other names in the Nene valley, may contain elements of great antiquity. There are traces of a pers. name which may be found in the first element.Förstemann (PN 1461) gives Trapsta as the name of a Burgundian, and we have Trafstila (v. l . Thraufistila , Trapstila ) as the name of a 6th cent. Gepid king mentioned by Jordanes, who appears elsewhere as Trap (e )stila , Strapestila . The stem from which this name is derived is probably the thrafst - of Gothic þrafstjan , 'to comfort,' but there would seem to have been a tendency to change fst to pst from the earliest times. It may be that we have in this p.n. a very early pers. name Đræfst or the like, from the same stem. For the sound change cf. OE wæfs , wæps , 'wasp,' from a Teutonic stem *waƀiso -, and OE ræfsan , ræpsan , 'to blame,' MHG refsen , respen , 'to punish.' Hence, 'farm of Đræfst or Đræpst ,' with early loss of consonants from the difficult compound Đræfstestun , Đræpstestun .