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.

Rampton

Major Settlement in the Parish of Rampton

Historical Forms

  • Rametone 1086 DB
  • Ramentona 1130 P
  • Ramet' 1199 FineR
  • Rampton t.Hy1 Dugdvi t.Hy2 Ch 1316 FF 1224 Fees 1242
  • Raveneston' 1194 CurR
  • Ramton 1198,1201 Cur 1236 FF
  • Ramtun' 1235 Fees
  • Ranton' 1200 FineR
  • Raunton c.1540 L
  • Rempton 1349 FF

Etymology

This is a difficult name. The Raveneston form undoubtedly refers to this place and the Ramton , Ranton forms may be reductions of earlier hræfn -tun or Rafn-tun , i.e. raven-farm or Ravn -farm, with the ODan  name Ravn . If that is the case, Rametona , and still more Ramentona , are irregular, and the whole name becomes an illustration of the danger of always expecting a series of entirely consistent forms.